My Normal
Short story by Penny Hooper
“What’s your name?” said a voice, slightly distant. I wasn’t even sure if I could see the speaker’s mouth move, but I knew that’s what he said.
“Um-, Lucy,” I replied confidently. It didn’t matter what the intentions of the speaker were, he couldn’t hurt me even if he tried.
“Why Lucy?” he asked, as if knowing that wasn’t my real name. Of course it wasn’t, but here I could be anyone I wanted.
“Because-, it’s a name that reminds me of something,” I smiled, just about making out the shape of this person in front of me now. He was coming into view a bit. He was tall and dark. Not dark as in dark hair or dark skin colour. He was dark, like a silhouette. I still couldn’t make out his features. No matter how hard I tried to focus on them. In fact, the more I focused, the more distorted he became.
It didn’t bother me though, it didn’t matter what he looked like. He wasn’t important. Nothing was really important here.
“Come with me Lucy,” the figure said and a long arm shot out from no-where to try to grab me. I dodged it quickly, avoiding the contact. I didn’t like to be touched. It felt- like I wasn’t in control if I let this person touch me.
“I wouldn’t do that if I were you,” I said, my voice changing slightly. I sounded more menacing.
The figure of a man in front of me didn’t say anything, he just frowned, or at least I think he frowned. I could sense he wasn’t happy. I knew I had to get away.
I turned around and came face-to-face with a wall. Normal people probably would have panicked if they saw a wall. Not me, I love them. And there is a reason for that, which I am about to show.
I smiled, gave the man-figure a quick glance as he looked confused and I just stepped back towards the wall. And suddenly, as if by magic I just- slipped right through it. As if the wall wasn’t there.
The only thing that I regret was not knowing what happened to that man-figure, but I felt happy knowing he was probably standing the other side of that wall and wondering what on earth was going on. Or, he might not be there anymore, no longer existing. It was hard to tell in this world.
I suddenly found myself walking down a corridor. It was light and airy. It reminded me of somewhere I used to work. It was on a second floor. A metal banister on either side, stopping me from falling to the second floor. It was high. It made me feel a little weak. I don’t like heights. Even here, where things were- different.
I saw someone walk towards me from the other side of the corridor, the person came into view. A woman I used to work with. I do work with. I think I work with. She had her hair tied back like she normally does into a tight ponytail. I’ve forgotten her name. How can I forget her name?
“Morning,” she said.
What was her name?
“Morning-, Alice,” I said. Making up a name.
“How are you today?” she said, apparently I got her name right?
“I’m fine,” I said. Short and sweet. That’s how I kept the conversation as I dodged around the woman whose name was apparently Alice. She wasn’t important, I had somewhere to be. I felt a sense of urgency. Maybe that man was still after me, I wasn’t sure.
I got to the end of the corridor and got to another door. I could open it, but I instead I smiled and just walked through it. This was fun!
The other side of the room, it suddenly changed. I was outside. I felt the need to run, to get away from the building behind me. Although I had somehow gone from a second story in a building to somewhere outside.
I ran. I wasn’t sure what I was running from, but I ran. Until, I couldn’t. Suddenly somehow I wasn’t able to run. My legs were moving but I wasn’t getting anywhere!
I turned around and saw the man-figure walking towards me, he had found me. I let out a scream. No sound came out. I tried to move away, I couldn’t.
The man-figure got closer, except it was no longer a man-figure, it was a large dark wolf. Its teeth were bared and drool was hanging from the side of his mouth. I felt panicky again. There were no walls to go through.
No, but maybe I could do something else!
I crouched to the floor, my hand only a mere millimetre away from the floor and I sprang up and into the air. But I didn’t come back down again. I just hovered there. I was in the air, but I was only two feet above the ground.
It wasn’t high enough to get away from the wolf. I willed myself up, I went up higher. But only by another foot.
It still wasn’t high enough.
So I decided to move away instead, before the wolf got me. Gliding away, in mid-air, three feet off the ground. I managed to avoid the wolf.
But it was still coming for me, I moved faster, so did the wolf. I tried to climb higher, only getting so far and not any further.
I got as far as the sea. Somehow I had managed to get far away from where I originally was, where ever that was, and got to the coast.
But I had a fear of open water. The deep dark murky unknown scared me, even here. Even though I was three feet above the ground, hovering unnaturally. With the ability to pass through solid walls. And probably other superpowers here in the world. Yet, water still scared me.
I got over the water, but I didn’t go far. Hovering there and watching the wolf, which had turned into my childhood dog.
I watched as his fluffy tail just swung left and right, panting as if he had been running to keep up with me. But looking happy to see me.
I smiled and glided back over to the side where dry land luckily was. And I set my feet back on the earth.
“Hello boy,” I greeted my dog and I bent down to stroke him.
But just before my hand touched the soft and warm coat of my childhood dog, he lunged for me.
The jolt woke me up.
I stared up at the ceiling and blinked into the darkness. And then sighed.
“What a strange dream,” I muttered to myself and rolled over.
I had another lucid dream.
