I found myself sitting at the edge of my bed, ready to drop down sleeping on my soft, cushioned bed. The cold stroke of my blue bed sheets flowed over my legs like curtains of air. I felt tired and lethargic, as if I would sleep soundly through anything that would go on around me. The world could collapse beneath me and I would be determined to just close my eyes and sleep.
It felt as if time had stopped; as if no time had passed at all, though the clock marked otherwise as I woke up in a feeling of panic, my heart racing and out my chest into my throat. I was panting, my ear drums pounding, and my hands shaking. I did not recall anything merely close to a dream or nightmare that would have woken me up like this in such a fright. If anything, I recalled not having a dream at all. I felt light-headed, and the rest of my body was no different from that feeling.
My body felt light, and the thoughts running through my head felt as meaningless as any dead weight. I looked down at my hands and feet, or where they were supposed to be. My tired, blurry eyes rapidly widened at the sight of my missing limbs. My throat tightened and my heart pounded quicker than before. In an urge, I leaped up from my messy bed and looked at where I had been laying.
That look quickly morphed into a glare, because as opposed to seeing the empty spot on my bed in which I had been resting, I saw something you would least expect to see: My own slumbering body. I stepped back, in such shock that I nearly stumbled over a basket of laundry. I covered my mouth with my trembling hands, and mumbled: “Am I … Dead?”
My mind drifted across all of my recent memories to see if maybe, just maybe, I could make out how I got there and what took me there. I quickly panned over the events of Friday’s school day. I then recalled an intensely important fact that had possibly led me there, which was when my classmate had told me: “Wouldn’t it be cool if you could leave your own body? I bet you couldn’t do so Sara, eh?” It seemed as if it all made sense. Well, sort of. At the moment, it wasn’t too clear how my peer’s comment had brought me to this position, but what mattered most to me was figuring out how to go back to normal.
I was so frightened, so confused, and so worried, resulting in my mind rushing itself past any plausible solution. After a minute or so of balderdash thoughts, I laid back down on my bed, chest heavy, eyelids shaking, and forced myself to try and sleep. After what felt like just a few quick minutes, I woke up to my mother getting my backpack out of my closet, and telling me: “You’re finally up! You were asleep for more time than usual, but I decided to wait a while. Now hurry up and get ready for school or you’ll be late.” I was panting. My chest felt heavy and my heart was racing out of my throat.
Was it all just some dream? Some concoction of my mind’s thoughts when going back to the memory of that little girl’s comment? Did any of that – the invisibility, the doppelganger lying in bed, the “malfunctioning” mirror – was it all just made up? I’m not quite sure, but sometimes the best mysteries are the ones that can’t be solved.
Sara Vlahos. is 13 years old with a passion for writing. She loves poetry and fiction. As a very proud Greek, Sara also loves Greek mythology.
