Written by Amairah Islam
Dry leaves rustled across the grounds, forming a tornado of autumnal colors and crackling sounds. The trees above bent toward each other forming a welcoming archway. A cooling wind breezed through, grazing the surfaces of the leaves and playing with the branches. The sweet smell of apples and plums from the first day of fall wove through the air with their phantom touch, replicated inside my head. I had walked down this road countless times, each step a manifestation of muscle memory. There was a newfound solace and peace in this familiar place that I came to recognize even in my dreams.
The thumping of limp frogs legs on metal trays getting ready to be examined, the hissing of knives as they sliced through flesh and bone and the squelching as certain parts were poked and prodded at, all greeted me as I entered a lab room. I grabbed a pristine white lab coat to fit over my school uniform. This was the first time I had dreamed about a biology class dissection. As I was about to begin, out of the corner of my eye, I noticed one of the lab frogs escaping, hopping toward the natural archway in the schoolyard with purpose, croaking in delight at the prospect of freedom from a sentence of execution. As if in a trance, I followed.
It hopped on, leading me to unfamiliar corners within this familiar place. The delightful croaks I had once heard turned into sinister rasps that led to a growing pit in my stomach. The soft light and colors that made me feel safe, started to disappear; The space filled instead with stormy grey skies and shadows that seemed to shift as if signaling a changing season. My legs rebelled, reluctantly taking each step forward. I could almost smell the fear and insecurity emanating from me. It was a maze, luring in lost souls. Whorls of nightmares leaked from the brick walls in inky tendrils, consuming everything in their path. Like layers of plaster, the facade of this superficial utopia came crumbling down. What emerged from the darkness were physical manifestations of despair and desolation; faceless entities with shadows weaving and banding and twining around themselves. Birthed from memories of the past that I had tried so hard to leave forgotten, they were back now, rising too fast above the surface and leaving me no choice but to cower before them.
The horrifying cackling and taunting shoved themselves into my ears, their staged whispering and pointed fingers became a crushing weight on my shoulders. Even in sleep the memory of their bullying was a suffocating presence, like hands wrapping around my throat. The constant gossiping and sneering shoved me down to a miserable place, I could not get back up from. Feeling helpless and alone, I lay down on the floor in crushing defeat.
But then the slithering shadows grew fangs that began snapping and biting, clawed fingers started to reach out for me, eager to wrap me up in its darkness. Another lost soul. It lunged, a beast freed of its tether, and I ran. Heart pounding, thighs burning, breath coming up in short pants, I raced toward the school building, the place that always provided sanctuary. Maybe it would protect me now.
I scrambled to get through the double doors, shoving them together behind me. They banged against them with an impact that shook the world, but they could not get in. I gulped in gallons of air, trying to calm my shaking body down. A sense of relief washed over me as the physical barrier that separated me and my demons stood firm and strong before me. I felt the shadows leave, dissipating into nothingness. Turning around, I found myself alone again, in the worn-down hallways of the school I left, with no one by my side or any fond memories to take with me.
The door creaked open, just a sliver, to let in the light. An offering. My hands twitched, warring over whether open the doorknob or not. I could see through the foggy glass, of all that could be. A new school, a new beginning should I take it. Fear and apprehension began to overtake me. I reached a shaking hand towards the handle, ready to be lost in a new place once again.
Inkling. 