It was a sunny day.
We were playing near the river—three of us.
A boy. A girl. And me.
I don't remember their faces. But I remember the feeling.
We were best friends.
We all wore white. White shirts and shorts for us boys. She wore a white summer dress that danced in the breeze.
Her hair was pale, almost glowing.
His was black, untamed, the opposite of mine.
I remember laughing. Then—
He slipped.
He fell into the water.
I was already in the river, watching from below as he hit the surface. The splash echoed like a bell through a dream.
I looked up at them—one boy, one girl—standing on the edge.
Her hair, tied behind her head, shone in the light. His eyes widened in fear.
And then…
My own eyes began to close.
The light faded. The sound vanished. Everything went black.
---
I woke up—again.
Same dream.
Same ending.
Sweat clung to my skin. My hair stuck to my face, damp and cold.
Yet my body felt hot. Burning inside, freezing outside.
The room was dim, bathed in a deep red glow. It poured from a cracked light panel overhead, painting shadows across the ceiling.
At the far end, a metal desk overflowed with crumpled papers and scribbled maps.
Reports. Coordinates. War briefings.
I sat up, shirtless, still in my sleeping pants. My breath was uneven.
This dream—it's been haunting me every night since the war began.
I crossed the room and reached for the door, my fingers trembling.
Something inside me didn't want to open it.
But I did.
A sharp light flooded in. I winced, shielding my eyes.
As the glare faded, I saw them—two figures sitting at the table outside.
My best friends.
Playing poker.
Laughing… until they saw me.
Their expressions shifted. Both stared like they'd seen a ghost.
I stepped forward, still half-lost in the weight of the dream.
> "Has anything happened?" I asked. "Things have been getting worse and wor—"
Before I could finish, one of them cut in.
> "Are you alright, man?" he asked, brows furrowed.
"You look like you were drowning."
My breath caught.
I didn't respond. I couldn't.
Because in that moment, I realized—
That's exactly how it felt.