my day dreamed lives

[fantasticallies]

fuck

[fantasticallies]

The Found Poem

Jenny tapped away at her keyboard trying to finish the work needed for her supervisor Ross. She kept hoping he would walk past so he could give it the once over. He’s usually having continuous pee breaks because of the insane amount of coffee he drinks but not once did he cross her path today. The minutes ticked closer to the end of work and Jenny saved the project, standing up and stretching, she could see someone at Ross’s desk which was a comfort he wasn’t about to leave. Jenny was so sure she did a great job she didn’t even email it over, she printed it out to hand to him. She walked over to Ross’s desk and of course he was gone, thinking about how she must have missed him as he ran to the toilet while she was printing. Jenny sat at his desk judging how dirty it was, a strong smell, some hankies, even broken glass and an open drawer that should be locked. there was a card on the floor with a shoe mark on it that Jenny picked up and opened it. “Roses are red, violets are blue, couldn’t hide forever but now I see you”. “Oh my god…” A cold shudder went down Jenny’s spine before she scoffed “So creepy” Putting the card back on the floor and leaving the papers on his desk and heading for her coat.

[fantasticallies]

Dictionary Definition

escapism - noun

Ryan's eyes got heavier

the tendency to seek distraction and relief from unpleasant realities

His eyes closed, head leaning on both of his hands.

especially by seeking entertainment or engaging in fantasy. 

Ryan's eyes open as his consciousness leaves his body, he frantically tries to grab hold but he can’t grip himself. When he stops, he has a top-down perspective of the entire library, now looking more like a familiar maze. 

Boop, boop, boop, BEEP

And they're off, ghosts wander the labyrinth of the library as Ryan picks up his grades. He turns a corner too carefree and a ghost gets him within seconds. “Shit” The top-down Ryan complains, Pacman was his favourite game as a kid, he knew he could do better and like that some old-school controls appeared in his reach as a screen came around the border of the library and smaller Ryan, that defaults to his sleeping state at his computer.

Boop, boop, boop BEEP

Ryan now speeds himself around the corner edges, now he's able to see where all the ghosts are at any given time. Collecting nearly all his grades up until ‘he’ arrives. Pacman himself. He follows Ryan with no set pattern, unlike the ghosts it’s totally unpredictable, the faster Ryan moves by pressing harder on the control the more of his grades he drops and Pacman eats them in his chomping rampage, fire spews out of his mouth. A soft voice whispers "Ryan, Ryan" can be heard through the empty halls, luring him to his demise. A louder, more aggressive “Ryan” and a hand on his shoulder. He wakes in a startle crying out "Please don't steal my grades Pacman" A couple of distance chuckles can be heard through the library. Alisa looks at him for a second… “ohhhkay then.”

[fantasticallies]

Eavesdropper

Mikey turns off her telly and throws her remote down with a huff, throwing her hands behind her head as she leans back. Her soft, damp auburn hair tangles in her fingers. She feels physically drained by this lockdown, she’s an extroverted person and feeling her life come to a complete halt is agonising. Mikey looked over at her slowly dying plant, that sat beside the telly entirely away from any sunlight and not having been watered since she bought it. “Same… Friend”. Mikey overdramatically sliding down onto the floor towards her plant, reaching out to touch it and still not being able too. Whispering in a strained, pained voice “I know I have caused you this pain but hopefully, you will still consider me a friend, you are my only-” Mikey turns to see Mouse her magically fluffy bronze cat sat in the kitchen, glaring at her from its food bowl “-Second… only friend during these troubl-” “Hey!” a muffled voice from the floor below caused Mikey to jump, the voice wasn’t loud but with her ear pressed against the floor, she could hear everything. Mikey bit her lip, knowing that it’s such an invasion of privacy and she would hate it if someone listened in on her private conversations but she justified it because she was bored and they’re usually loud anyway so surely if they didn’t want people to hear they would be quiet. Mikey pulled the rug out of the way so her ear could lay flat on the wooden floor. “Jesus Tracy, you gave me a damn heart attack!” Tracy must have been the one who said Hey. The woman laughed, “Well how about you get off your fat ass and help me, I think Clarke is struggling” If on queue “David please!” a thud as something heavy reverberated through the building. Clarke sounded hot, a gruffly voice though that could be because he was struggling with something, while David sounded more youthful and optimistic. Mikey made a face at the sheer idea of someone not entirely fucked up from life. It was on some small level a kind of endearing quality. Mikey tried to place the names or the voices, they didn’t sound familiar. A loud thud reverberated through the building once again and a familiar sound of a baby crying could be heard. Mikey’s eyes opened wide with realization. “I’m sorry, I’m sorry, please don’t-” The mother cried. Mikey covered her mouth remembering who lived under her.

[fantasticallies]

Letter

Dear Mr Wright,

We are writing to inform you that we received your letter and sadly scanning the printed picture of a gif did not turn it back into a gif but we recognised it and appreciated the thoughtfulness on your behalf.

We are sorry to hear of your loss, losing someone you have spent so much of your life with must be truly painful but many of the women and men wept at the sheer love you expressed in your letter to your late wife.

I come with sorrow news that the sweet your wife loved so deeply and was the reason why you two met is sadly not being manufactured but I will see to it personally to look through our old records and find the pictures of you both working the conveyer belt and send them over too you. 

Sincerely the former team of Bassetts.

[fantasticallies]

Hello

“Please leave your message after the beep... beep” “Hello, uh, everyone” Tracy rolled her eyes, muttering to herself that was definitely picked up on the answering machine “Way to sound human” “By the time you hear this I'll be gone-errr, not like dead or anything I mean gone out, god this is awful maybe I should restart. Wait... can I restart? How do I-” Buttons can be heard being pressed but nothing happens”. “Forget it... Look I uh- I want to just leave you this to say thank you. You just left mine and I tried to play it cool because my roommates were in my room and didn’t want their first impression of me being emotionally grabbing at my mom and dad and asking if I’m making a mistake with this” She jokes off but her voice breaks, taking a second to gain her composure. ”...I guess it just suddenly hit me that- that except for the odd sleepover, I’ve never been without you two and- I guess I’m scared? Like, what if I fu--dge up?” Clearly crying, bursting into a laugh when she corrects her cussing. “I know we've not always met eye to eye and I know that as a parent you want to stop me making mistakes you made while I want to experience and learn and unfold my own life... I guess what I really want to tell you is-” The answering machine cuts off. “Please leave a message after the beep... beep” “I love you"

[fantasticallies]

Addiction

I feel like maybe I’m addicted to my sadness because sure I’m obviously sad and it’s shit like really really shit but it’s a feeling I’m familiar with. It doesn’t catch me off guard, you know? When I’m sad, I’m sad, there’s nothing worse than that, I’m already at my emotional rock bottom… but feeling content or being happy? That shit scares me like keeps me up at night, kinda scares me. What if someone comes into my life or I ‘get better’ and I feel happy and it lasts for days, weeks, fuck even months and years and I forget how bad the sadness is and then… and then it comes back? How do people cope knowing that rug could be ripped from under them and they fall to the bottom is so much longer and harder. So, I think that’s why I’m stuck in this mental limbo of wanting to be better and being scared of being better.

[fantasticallies]

Dragon

Terry walks into the bank with his head hung low. A sigh escapes him as the giggles follow him. Several people in the bank chuckle as they look over to the open door. 

Two other people are dressed up which gives Terry some relief that he's not alone, a man in a fully blown up dragon costume and a cowboy with a huge stick-on moustache that keeps slipping.

Relief in not feeling alone that other dads have also been forced to dress up for Halloween. Terry queues, looking down at his Elsa batman costume, always forgetting just how bad he looks in this tiny dress and his jeans on, a cape and a batman mask with the white hair flowing under that. The queue moves fast.

"Batman, how can I help you today, wanna…. Freeze your bank?" Terry chuckled at the joke to be polite but the bank teller laughed painfully long and loud.

"Haa, good one but actually can I just put this into someone's account?" A quick process with only minimum puns from the bank teller and Terry was on his way. 

"Jerry, over here” The cowboy nodded Terry over. “how many people are behind the counter?" The cowboy whispered, pushing his fake moustache back on but under it was a real moustache. 

"Oh, three? I think I heard one saying they're going on a smoke break so best get served now but they will tell horrible jokes about your costume... oh... are you playing the role? Nice man." Terry decided not to correct him on his name, easy mistake to make, four out of five letters is passable.

“Act One.” The dragon suited man started to deflate, Now? Wh-what about a-” The cowboy touched his incredibly plastic gun in his cheaply made holster “- did yours come with.... anything?” ”I got.... fire whips” The dragon pointed to his small fanny pack that Terry hadn’t even noticed but the sight made him chuckle. “stupid, doesn’t even go with the costume” the cowboy mumbled to himself as he walked off. 

Terry smiled... not sure if he could just go now since neither of them weren’t talking to him. The dragon, climbing out of the back of his suit now. "Fu-” now with his head free, looked around and saw children, changing his voice to a more goofy performance tone “-dge off Jerry, just watch the door". As the dragon climbed out of his deflating suit completely only to reveal to Terry’s surprise, he was in another skin-tight dragon suit and mask... looking eerily sexual with the nipple and other holes.

He pulls out fire whips and quickly lit them and started twisting and twirling them telling people to get down and it'll soon be over. Noticing his bag was on fire. “Dude!? And my names not Jerry” The dragon starts stomping on it, a dozen people ran towards the door and Terry moved out the way before remembering the dragon dude told him to watch it. “Sorry dude, mind slipped, I’ll stop it from opening now so you won’t get a draft for your fire stick things” Terry gives the dragon a thumbs up with one hand and pulls out his phone with the other, starting recording the Dragon spinning the flames around, knowing his daughter and son will be so sad they missed this performance. 

The dragon was only spinning and growling at people for a few minutes before the cowboy came from behind the back with the typical bag with a dollar sign stopped on it. The staff behind the counter visibly scared and distressed. Terry thought it was a very realistic performance, even the way the bank teller pressed the emergency button.

Terry booed the approaching cowboy, still recording, Terry using his hand to encourage the kids and adults sat on the floor to play along but they were seemingly locked on the flame-throwing dragon.  the dragon went to go out the back too but the cowboy put his hand in the way

"We can't-" nodding towards Terry and the door "-the blues and twos will be here, we gotta go". Terry felt like they were trying to bring him in this little Halloween game of theirs. He set his phone against the door, smiling before 

"There's no escaping the law when I'm around" Terry growled, deepening his voice, grabbing the fire whips from the dragon and badly spinning and dropping them.

The cowboy scared that the person he thinks is his friend is after all the money, he swings the comically sized money bag, Terry bends down to pick up the fire whips, still lit and trying to grab the part that’s not on fire. The dragon leaning down to also pick up his whips takes the full weight of the bag of money into the face when Terry whips the whip up off the ground but slapping one end into the dragon's groin setting him on fire who falls back-slapping at his groin. Terry assumes it's some sort of acting fire, as it didn’t burn him.

"I have you now cow boy-man" waving the whips cluelessly around, hitting the cowboy in the face, both his real and fake moustache catches on fire, yanking the money sack out of his hands that felt realistically full but he spun it around and around and around again before hitting the cowboy in the stomach, money flew out of the bag. Terry threw the whips down, setting the money on fire as he stands between both their bodies and looks down at his camera. 

"Gotham is safe" The police bust into the door, his phone going flying, armed with guns and hundreds of people crowd outside with cameras.

[fantasticallies]

Friendship

After Miss and Mr Clarke drove off, Tracy watched till they turned off the street before shutting the door, her big fake smile dropped. Lifting her phone up to once again be greeted with nothing, no messages, not even a scam email, half throwing the phone onto the couch as she walked through the living room into the kitchen. David was one of the easiest kids to look after, Tracy didn’t have to worry about playing with him, he always kept himself company. It was an easy $30. Putting the oven on, pulling the two frozen pizzas out, shoving the boxes in the bin while the temptation to check her phone again was rising but coming to the conclusion there would be no notifications and it would just upset her. Tracy pulled the pizza boxes out of the bin to check how long they needed to cook, then ripped the cardboard up to make it fit in the bin easier, a piece of the cardboard skidded on the floor towards a plant pot. Sat in the pot was three tiny toy soldiers, Tracy silently chuckled as she picked them up, putting them on the counter, pointing them to the oven as if to watch over the pizza. I guess I should check on David.  Setting the timer before she climbed the stairs, slowly walking towards David's room. “I wouldn’t tell anyone if guys were real or alive, I wouldn’t even tell mom and dad but if you could just leave me a sign somehow so I know-” David heard Tracy opening the door and then started playing overdramatically and louder, his millennium falcon in one hand and a Mr stretch in the other fighting against each other. Tracy smiles not wanting to make him feel self-conscious as he’s already such a introverted kid “Hey David, you’re parents left- oh is that the star wars thing, I’ve never seen that movie” She lied, she watches it every Christmas with her mom as they weren’t religious but always enjoy the quality time together. “No way, really? Do you wanna maybe watch it with me? It’s okay if not” The more he spoke the more self-conscious he got about what he was saying. “I would love to watch it, do-” The timer downstairs goes off and she had a thought “- Weird, I didn’t even put that on, will you come down with me?” David carefully placed his toys down gently and picked up the Star wars DVD and followed behind Tracy as they went down the stairs. “Did you put these little toy soldiers here? They’re looking at the oven.” Tracy acted clueless. “No, I know I left them over there by the plant because I was gonna use it as camouflage”. He said while picking up his toys, inspecting them, looking at them and back at the plant pot that was the far corner of the room. “And you didn’t put the timer on?” David continued. “Nope, I don’t know how to do it on your oven but it’s a good job it went off or the pizza would have burned”. She pulled out the perfectly cooked pizza and cut them up into even slices. David ran upstairs to put his toys away and then get the film ready. Tracy contemplated checking her phone again but she was going to restrain herself till the end of the movie at least.

It wasn’t long till David fell asleep, Tracy paused the movie and started cleaning the dishes and putting the leftover pizza in the fridge. Tracy spotted a small pack of post-it notes stuck on the side for reminders on what to buy. She grabbed a pen, took a clean post-it and took them upstairs, she badly wrote ‘reporting for duty Sir’, rolling the post-it note so it could fit between a soldier's arm and leaving the pen in front of the soldiers. Slowly creeping down the stairs, pressing play and sitting next to David, pretending to stretch. “Oh, looks like we both fell asleep, off to bed, your parents will be back soon” “Okay but we have to finish the movie the next time you’re over. Goodnight Tracy.” “Goodnight” not wanting to tell him that there won’t be a next time. Tracy sat on her phone for another ten minutes, a cold reminder than no one has sent her any messages. A lump appeared in her throat but the driveway lit up and she forced on a braver happier face. “How was your evening Miss Clarke? Did you win at bowling?” Tracy beamed. “I did because someone cheated. How was your evening? Was David okay?” She hung up her coat and Mr Clarke waited outside to drive Tracy home. “We watched Star Wars and had pizza, I put the leftovers in the fridge. David is always so well behaved, maybe you should be paying him to keep me company.” They both did a polite laugh, hugging a little longer than normal and Tracy went out and jumped in the front seat. “I heard you cheated at bowling?” Tracy joked. “Bowling? Oh yeah. I might have told her the green balls were the heaviest when they were the lightest, but I have delicate fingers. I think I still won fair and square.” Mr Clarke made small talk about weather and David but the drive was short and Tracy thanked him, Mr Clarke leaned over for a hug than again happened a little longer than it normally did. Tracy hopped out walking straight up to her front door. Mr Clarke usually left by now but he stayed sat in the car, on the phone. Tracy went to wave goodbye but he wasn’t looking in her direction. Putting the key in the door and walking through, the main hall light was off making it near impossible to see but she assumed her mom was asleep by now, turning the light on and “SURPRISE! CONGRATULATIONS TRACY!” Balloons, poppers, confetti, a banner and dozens of friends jumping from behind every nook and cranny and piece of furniture, she turned behind her and even more people. Looking out the door and seeing Mr Clarke waving goodbye, as if he knew. “I’m so proud of you sweetie for getting into your college, we are all so proud of you”. Tracy, still mouth agape with shock, started to cry. They do care.

[fantasticallies]

Animal

I pause my game and get up and pee when I hear mom and da are fighting again. I lift myself up, my butt numb from sitting on it all funny. Pick my DS and decide just to get back into bed.

'I'm not bursting'.

I pull the sheets back on my bed, climb in and throw them over me, lifting my DS above my face and unpausing the game. I play mindlessly torn between a game and the muffled arguing downstairs until some words on a screen catch my attention, pulling me out of this haze of escapism.

“And remember bad times are just times that are bad”. I sit up, still under the covers, rereading those words, tears roll from my eyes and hit my screen.

How does this stupid animal crossing game comfort me more than my family.

[fantasticallies]

The Rocket-ship:

“You’ve heard of the black knight, right?” Amy pushed her glasses up her face, looking at Darcy with a peculiar expression, her thumb still scrolling down her phone.

“Is that like a comic?” Darcy tied her hair up before sulking forward on the desk, head in her hands. Watching as Amy’s face lights up with glee.

“Oh my god no, it’s a satellite right-” Tucking her hair behind her ear and sitting up with anticipation of the bombshell she’s about to drop. “- so there’s this conspiracy-”

“I do love a good conspiracy” Darcy interrupted

“-because it’s just floating just outside of orbit and it’s been there way before NASA and all that government shit, there’s videos and articles saying it’s like a spaceship of an extraterrestrial origin and they’re keeping an eye on us and all sorts of crazy stuff.”

“What if there were humans back around before the dinosaurs and big bang, and they left that there to help warn us of some foretold historical event but we’re not as advanced as them so the warnings just sat there gathering dust.”

“OOH shit, like a time capsule” Amy thought for a second. “-You think they put food in there because, consider my interest peaked. Both of them laugh, Darcy rolling her eyes, there a slim jim left if you want it.

“Bless you and your service to this mouth of mine”. Amy laughed as she walked into the backroom and Darcy rolled her eyes.

“Have you seen the Apollo 11 video?” Darcy watched out the store window, cars drive past and the headlights shine through the window painting the entire shop with colour.

Amy pokes her head back through the back door

“Really? I come at you with grade! A! Conspiracies and you belittle me with the moon landing conspiracy? I am H-U-R-T” aggressively taking a bite out of the slim jim and walking back towards the counter.

“No, that’s the conspiracy created by the government to distract from what ‘really’ happened.” Darcy smiled, knowing she had her interest peaked.

Amy tilted her head with the slim jim hanging out of her mouth. She rolls her hand to encourage Darcy to continue. 

“When the Apollo 11 set off it crashed, mid-air, into a- a kind of force field.” Darcy could see the sceptical look on Amy's face. “There’s a video, I have it on my phone, a few people do because obviously whenever it’s uploaded, the government takes it down within fractions of seconds so a small group of us online have a copy of it saved to our phones and other devices” Darcy picked up her phone and started looking through it.

Amy covered her mouth as she chewed and spoke “Are you joking? Dude that makes so much sense because the moon landing is SO fake, like why does anyone believe it?”

“Fear and great video altering, literally the first known case of it too. The myth is that it was static on e-v-e-r-y telly, that made it look like it crashed. The video wasn’t replayed till late the next day and then the video was just different. Back then there was no youtube or phones to record it to prove it so when they released the video, people believed it and people stopped talking about it but one reporter who soon died. Shocking I know. He was there and kept the recording of the event from the day...Ah! Here it is!”

Darcy turned her phone around and pressed play.

“Folks, the six brave astronauts have boarded Apollo 11 and in mere moments we will all watch as we ascend into space, we are watching a historical event in the making.” The reporter turned to the rocket. Shaking his head in clear wonder and disbelief.

A text came through darcy’s phone -don’t forget eggs- from mum, darcy peered over, rolling her eyes and smiling.

Chattering of the other TV stations folk, radio reports and some general public. A few moments passed and Amy looked up at Darcy, who nodded back down to the video.

As everyone counted down, the black thick smoke appeared around the rocket and lift off happened. People watched and listened in awe of science and the potentials of the future. As it flew straight up, tilting slightly to the side, people hugged and cheered off-screen, the recording followed the rocket, unable to look away. Suddenly the rocket hit a wall in the sky. The Apollo 11 crumbled like a paper plane, debris scattering the sky in a cloud of smoke and flames. Silence fell over everyone, including Amy who clutched her mouth, wide-eyed. Slowly the smoke fades away to show a black static-like crack in the fabric of the sky. The crack begins repairing itself.

A tear fell from Amy’s eyes as she pushed back from the counter, eyes still fixed on the screen.

Screams. Everyone in the video was screaming.

“Run! Run now!” The report grabbed the camera man and ran, the video was of shaky and fast footsteps running to a van, the key in the ignition before the video cut.

Amy looked up at darcy.

“Tell me it’s not real, please. Please! Darcy!”

[fantasticallies]

Dreamcatcher

“I’m looking for something”

“Most people are.”

“I want revenge.”

“Revenge? That's not how magic works especially dark magic, whatever you put out there will come back at you threefold… and they’re not cheap”

“Listen to me-” The man lunges over the small make-do-and-mend stall, grabbing the warlocks shirt and pulling him close “- can you do IT or not?” Letting go of the warlocks shirt and straightening himself out as the market went quiet and eyes gathered upon them both. The man spoke with no ounce of remorse.

In the years of being a travelling warlock, he had never had just a blatant demand for a way to hurt another. Mostly people wanted to have better sex, blessed crops or make themselves less ugly or even for riches. The very rare clientele who do wish to cause harm usually mask it as rodents on why they need poison or a sob story on why this is the only way. Never like this.

“Yes sir, I’ll take half the payment of...80 gold... come back tomorrow with the other half of the payment and I’ll have what you need.”

The man dropped a bag of well over 160 gold. Turning and walking off.

The entire square was silent, frozen in their movement till he was completely out of sight. They started whispering and then moving slowly getting back up to their jolly volume of a busy market place.

The next morning as the sun peeked over the distant hills and the warlock set up his most commonly bought potions. Joking with the fruit and vegetable lady the next stall over.

“The next time he comes to me asking for a potion, I’ll tell him to eat more fibre and send him your way” they laugh til a shadow looms over the stall. The woman's soft and friendly jokes turned to silence, she turned and walked to her wagon parked at the far edge of the market stalls.

“Well, where is it” The man's callous attitude remained unchanged.

And good morning to you too” The man said nothing back. “Alright then, on a serious note, I need to warn yo-”

“Don’t waste your breath, I’ll do anything for my revenge.”

The warlock sighed, shaking his head, he reached under the stall and pulled out a dream catcher and a potion.

“Drink this tonight and sleep with no pillows, just simply put this dream catcher under your head, you will experience the most real living horror your imagination could ever come up with. When you wake, smash this gemstone”- the warlock gestures to the centre of the dreamcatcher “- say the name of the person you wish revenge on and they will suffer but yo-”

“That’s all I need to hear.”. The man grabbed his items and walked away.

The warlock wanted to call out, warn the man but he feels it would only fall on deaf ears.

That night the man drank the potion, threw his pillows to the ground and placed the dream catcher under his head before laying down. He waited for his eyes to get heavier but the familiar sensation never came. He tossed from side to side in his bed but the bed itself seemed to prod back against him, stabbing into his spine and thighs. Eventually, he sat up in bed, muttering about the scam the warlock was running. Climbing out of bed and walking into his kitchen for a drink. He poured from a jug of water into a cup, watching as the jug emptied but the water didn’t land in his cup nor on the floor, as if it evaporated mid-air. His dazed state thinking the jug must have been empty al along. He reached out to an orange but before his fingers locked around it he felt the skin of the orange moving as if it was alive. He looked over but it was simply an orange, nothing more, nothing less. Movement in his peripheral vision caused his eyes to dart over to the loaf of bread sat out on the table which looked normal at first, the longer he looked the more it changed and then unravelled and slithered across the table, a snake shaking its tail causing him to quickly step back into the darkened hallway he had just come from.

He looked back up to see no snake, just a loaf of bread. No orange with moving skin and an empty jug and cup.

The sense that maybe he’s more tired than he thought as the panic in his body started to escape him, he turned back towards his room. Only for the panic to reach all new highs when his body locks in place, shaking as he watches a looming dark mass creep towards him, stretching across the hall, from the floor to the roof and behind beyond. In the endless darkness of this creature's body, the only truly visible part is its eyes. So many eyes, everywhere, all-knowing, all-seeing. The shadow brushes against him and as it’s shadowy limbs move back it takes with it, his skin. The man clutches his bare bloody exposed muscle but seven more limbs whip out and take with them, their payment in skin. The man stands there screaming but no noise escapes his lips, physically unable to move his body despite how much he tries to pull himself free of this invisible grip to run. After his skin is taken, it was the muscle and the demon pulled them off slowly, hearing them rip and tear from his bone. The grotesque being who enjoys inflicting pain left the mans eyes untouched, his eyelids were removed but his eyes were forced to see everything till he was nothing but exposed nerves, veins and bones. As the tentacle-like suckers ripped them from his skull the man woke in his bed, gasping for air.

Not remembering falling asleep but the man thought back ‘of course that was the dream, the warlock said it would be the most horrific thing you could ever imagine but it was still only dusk' Assuming he must have had a brief hellish sleep. This night of suffering will be worth his revenge. He contemplated not going back to sleep, he can’t have more bad dreams if he doesn’t sleep. Heading into the kitchen to grab a knife, thinking he had out-cunned the warlock if he broke the gem now. As he got to his kitchen he stepped on something that crunched under his feet. His sleepy eyes looked down waiting to adjust to the lack of light when it came into focus, mentally and visibly. The bones, the nerves and the veins of his skeleton from his dream.

A shudder ran down his spine, the feeling of eyes burning into him but he fought the urge to turn around. He closed his eyes and ran towards the door, he pushed it open and ran and ran and ran and. He kept refusing to open his eyes, knowing nothing but that he couldn’t open them, he shouldn’t look back. A familiar crunching noise was the only thing he could hear, he sobbed without seeing he knew he was walking over his own bones. Eventually losing his footing and falling down, opening eyes only to catch himself but being unable to close them again.

At a distance, it looked like pale sand but they were an oceon of his bones. A red fog of blood hovering in the air painting the sky to mimic the setting dusk sun.

“HELP! HELP, PLEASE SOMEONE HELP! WARLO-!”

“You called?” The warlock sat on the bones beside him.

“What, what is this? I thought it was just a dream?”

The warlock tilted his head, pulling out a small sundial, before nodding to himself as he tucked it back into his pocket.

“It was a dream, three days ago and you woke up and smashed the gem and now the person you wish to suffer, suffers from these nightmares… you on the other hand... you have to live them til your body eventually ceases to be. You’ve done this- counting on a few of his fingers - “218 times… 20 minutes a dream, three days... yeah, 218... Most people only last 19 days so... uh... you’re almost there.” He chuckled.

The man stared at the warlock with tears in his eyes, clutching his bones dusting the land around them.

“Stop it, stop it now!”

The warlock said nothing.

“Please! I beg you, I will pay you anything!”

The warlock said nothing.

“Warlock I demand you stop this.”

“I thought you wanted revenge, to ruin a life, it costs a life." The warlock smiled but it wasn’t his smile. An eye on his cheek appeared, in his hand, his coat, his forehead, his skin turned black as ash.

“Excuse me Sir, you don’t happen to have a portion of some kind to stop nightmares do you? My daughter has been having them a few days”

“Why yes, I have the perfect thing and it tastes like sweeties and it’s on the house” The warlock leaned over his stall to see a teary-eyed little girl hiding behind her mother's leg. 

[fantasticallies]

Eye Contact

Casey leaned against her garden wall, bored, watching the cars speed past.  "Trixy there's nothing fun to do. Mummy and daddy are always busy, There’s no one to play with… except you" she sighed leaning her stuffed bunny up on the fence.  Casey started imagining all the fun adventures all the cars and people driving them must be having.   A green beat up car drove past and Casey imagined it was a wizard that was driving and that the car was actually made out of magical creatures. The body was a giant, the wheels were tiny fairies and they were off to a tea party with an ogre.  A silver car drove past and Casey imagined it was several tiny dogs dressed up as a man, they were trying to appear human so they could get served and buy their favourite treats. A black car drove past but Casey hardly noticed because she spotted a cute rabbit hopping across the road. Casey opened her garden gate but before she could get to the edge of the road to shout for the bunny to stop, another car blurred past her and drove over it. Casey knew it was against the rules but she crossed the road, picking up and cradling the bunny to safety, still clutching Trixy.  A car horn blared past, they were shouting but the horn was too loud, she couldn’t hear them. but the bunny was alive. They locked eyes for a brief second, the fear of death in the rabbit's eyes and the fear of loss in Casey's eyes.

Casey ran back, pulling the gate shut with her foot and running into the house. She knew mummy would be downstairs and daddy was in the living room watching the telly so Casey snuck straight up the stairs. Careful to step on the areas that won't cause any creaks or noises. Moving quickly down the hall and into the bathroom.

"Trixy help, what- what do I do?" Casey whispered, panicking.  Casey started rummaging in the cupboard and mummy's makeup bag. She got eyelash glue and tweezers and hand gel.  "Like this Trixy?" Casey clamped the opened gash on the rabbit that fought against her weakly. Casey applied the eyelash glue all over the wound to seal it shut and then after loosening the clamps she squirted a little bit of hand gel onto the wound. The rabbit fought harder against Casey, honking and squealing in pain. "I know but I had to make you better Mr bunny, I-" Casey stopped as if she was interrupted "are you sure Trixy? I- I don't want you to get hurt." Casey paused, still fighting with the rabbit. "Okay" Casey was doubtful but she picked up the tiny scissors from the makeup back with her one free hand. Casey looked away as she stabbed them into Trixy, piercing through the fabric and fur of her stuffed toy. Dropping the scissors and picking Trixy up and squeezing them over the rabbit, harder and harder until finally, a long thin black worm slithered out of the soft toy and into the rabbit. It crept up the rabbit's nose nearly undetected and when the rabbit realised it was too late. Casey let go of the rabbit and clutched the soft toy of which Trixy escaped from. "Di- did you save him, Trixy? Casey watched as the rabbit seized and shook in place. Casey was scared to move, what if she lost her new friend and her old friend. Her eyes began to water, contemplating shouting her mummy. "Trixy!" Casey dropped her stuffed bunny and hugged her new real bunny. "Oh sorry haha, I'll be more careful with this body of yours."

Casey tidied up the mess she made and then went downstairs with Trixy. "Mummy, look what I found, it's a bunny. Can I keep him?" Casey's mother looked down from cutting vegetables, to see a grinning Casey and a seemingly well-behaved rabbit. "Let's ask your father." She smiled. Casey skipped over to the telly and looked up at her father's rotting face, jaw completely off and sat on his lifeless legs. Flies covering close to all of him and buzzing loudly around him too. Staring deeply into his empty eye sockets. "Daddy can I keep this bunny I found… say no if I can't." Casey giggled to herself before looking back at her mummy "He didn't say anything so I can keep him!" Casey skipped back to her mummy. "Of course baby, do you have a name for him? "Trixy" "Oh? I thought that was your stuffed bunny's name". "It was but she moved into the living bunny"  "Of course she did" Casey’s mum chuckling, shaking her head. “Dinner will be 20 minutes, go tidy your room and then wash your hands, I will be checking.”

[fantasticallies]

4. Dancing:

“They say dancing is contagious” “No, no they don’t say that, they say yawning is contagious” before Claire could interject Jenny was pressing play on a song on her phone and jumping off the bench.  Claire shakes my head, looking around she can see people already looking in their direction but Jenny slides her face in front of mine whenever I try looking around.  “They’re NPC’s, they mean nothing to your story and this moment right here”. Jenny sings the words loudly and Claire's heart skips a beat. “Don’t try and talk my lingo!” Claire covered her face with embarrassment, feeling her cheeks getting warmer but Jenny takes both her hands, peeling them away from her face and locking fingers, pulling Claire to her feet.

I wish I could say we broke out into an elegant dance where I knew where to put my feet and I dipped her and as the music fades to silence my lips edged closer to hers, too scared to make the final step but she pushed herself into my lips and at that moment, it was perfect… but… Jenny laughed and Claire found herself laughing and smiling as they both danced badly around each other. The song ending way too fast and they both threw themselves back onto the bench slightly out of breath. “So now you’ve danced the dance of the people, you should come tonight, I don’t wanna go and be surrounded by only his friends and strangers. Pleeeease” Jenny sighed. “I-” “Hey babe” Broad shoulder macho man walking towards us. “Hey!” Jenny budged over, throwing her body in Claire's direction, squeezing close together to create room. Claire moved her hand from over the back of the bench, brushing against Jenny’s bare shoulders. Some lump of a man throws himself down and his arms taking Claire’s place around jenny. “You up for tonight then babes”. He spoke and Claire's hatred was visible on her face, his accents, his words, everything annoyed her. Jenny turned to Claire, her eyes pleading, waiting for her response. “Sure, we’re up for it tonight.” Jenny’s face lit up with joy, turning to this man and chattering. (written as a pre-story to this song) https://youtu.be/hyj4JFSErrw

[fantasticallies]

3. The Vessel:

My father loves me so dearly, he put his heart and soul into making me. Others are made by accident but It took my father years putting me together, one quality at a time. 

My mother would visit too, at first she was always sad, sometimes even mad but she always said sorry to father and then later when he had gone to bed, she would say it to me too.

It was mostly just father and I, he would speak to me every day.

He spoke of the bright blue sea and how it’s depths are endless.

The sky at night becomes glass and you can see forever.

I waited patiently for more stories but father stopped coming to see me. 

I thought I must have done something wrong. 

Days turning into weeks.

Then I heard the door.

It wasn’t father.

It was mother. 

Father told her to visit, he hadn’t been feeling very well but he knew I would be lonely. Mother said she felt silly speaking to me but that didn’t stop her and she never missed a day. 

Mother first came down with a checklist and never stayed or talked past that. Then she would stay down as the washer was one. She brought her knitting basket downstairs and sometimes explained the type of stitch she was doing out loud. Soon after she told me about her day and how her different flowers and when they bloom and even brought one down to show me. Mother told me I share a name with another and how father used to be sad before I came along but the more she spoke the more her eyes watered her face and her throat got drier and cracked on words. 

Mother was almost mad the day she came back from the shops to find father downstairs speaking to me because she was going to show me the things she bought and prepare dinner down with me. There was a silent but father started laughing and then mother did too. 

I don’t know if I’ll ever see the sea but I’ll always be able to see love.

[fantasticallies]

Your lips gentle and slow, kiss my lips once before you pull back, look into my eyes and smile. My heart stops a second, I caused that smile. I lift my hand up to your face, stroking your cheek trying to communicate with my hands alone how I feel, words couldn't compare to the emotion in our eyes. You grab me and pull me close to you, holding me as tight as your arms will let you, I squeeze you back. 

I am home.

[fantasticallies]

2. rejection

Nate slams the front door behind him, the glass shakes in the pannel, he hardy notices as he starts storming upstairs. “Hey!” Joanne called out, stood in the hallway, folding laundry to put on the radiator looks towards him concerned. “Fuuuuck!” Nate threw his head back, stood on the stairs, face red as if it’s about to burst and tears already welling in his eyes. “I don’t need her, I don’t need anyone! She thinks she can just replace me, replace our YEARS together with some bloke she’s known like ten minutes… She’s gonna come crawling back and I’m gonna have the biggest fuck-off smile on my face telling her to eat shit. How fucking dare she!” Joanne looked flabbergasted, the several months they lived in the same house, he never said more than two words to her. Not knowing what to say she opted to say nothing.  “You know she texted me this morning to meet her, said it was urgent… we’ve been trying for a baby… I thought… and then she brought him! She fucking brought him with her to end it. And then she had the audacity to laugh, LAUGH, when I asked if this was a joke…” The pain in Nate’s voice started to come through like each word was covered with a mask of anger but with every voice crack came a new crack and the hurt was practically pouring out of him. Joanne just listened, looking up at him in horror at everything, she wanted to move closer, hold him, hold him together, stop the sad from escaping if that was even possible. She moved in closer but he held out his hand to stop her. “Nah I’m strong, life has made damn sure of that through years of tearing me fucking down and each time who picked me back up? Yeah, that was me.” He pushes all his bravado into that last sentence, there was a long pause, Nate looking down at his feet. Joanne looking at his face when his lip started to quiver, jaw clenched and tears streamed endlessly down his face. “Why can’t she just love me like I love her, why do I have to be broken... defected... unlovable” Joanne rushed up the few stairs and pulled him in close as his legs gave way and he broke down. He screamed and gripped her clothing, pulling her close and pushing his face into her chest. Swearing and begged. Seconds passed felt more like years. Joanne stroked his hair hushing reassuring things. “There’s nothing wrong with you... You’re gonna be okay” She doubts he could hear her over his own wails. Tears started to hit her hand, she was crying too.