Sleep came heavy that night.
Not the gentle kind that wraps around you like safety, but the kind that pulls you under before you realize you're sinking.
I knew I was dreaming the moment the world shifted.
The room dissolved.
The walls stretched and thinned, melting into mist, and suddenly I was standing somewhere else entirely.
The forest.
But not the one from before.
This one was dimmer.
The air was thick, like it resisted being breathed. The trees leaned inward, their branches tangled and heavy, as though listening.
My heart began to race.
"Mum?" I whispered.
The word barely left my mouth before I felt it , the strange presence.
She appeared near the lake.
But this time, she wasn't glowing.
Her red curls were duller, weighed down like wet leaves. Her skin looked pale, almost translucent, as if moonlight passed through her instead of resting on her.
She looked… tired.
Weaker.
