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I have always found dreams incredibly interesting, and I value the time I spend in these other realities that show me different outcomes of my life or give me insight into my subconscious mind. I appreciate good dreams, nightmares, and everything in between, but I especially love reoccurring dreams. The one that interests me the most was one that I had for the first time in the 8th grade. It always went the same way, starting with me entering a completely dark forest. I would unconsciously wander between scraggly trees and overgrown bushes, careful not to step on any branches that would harm me, and as I would move deeper into the forest, I would notice what seemed to be a soft white light shining out from behind a tree. The tree was the same every time I would have the dream, and my curiosity was always piqued by the contrast of soft light in the intense darkness. I would be completely drawn to the light, always moving toward it without thinking. I would reach the tree, not knowing what to expect. I would be even more surprised when I would see what the source of the light was: a teenage girl, seemingly about my age, curled into a ball at the base of the tree. She always seemed to sense my presence, moving from her position on the dirt floor to stand facing me. Oddly enough, not a speck of dirt could be seen on the petal-like fabric of her dress despite having been curled up on the ground. My heart continually pounded in my chest at the sight of this ethereal girl, not knowing exactly what to do. She and I would stare, trapped in each other’s gaze.
After a while of silence, I speak, “Have I met you before?”
Something mischievous glints in her honey-colored eyes as she replies, “I’m Maisey Rose.”
I nod at her words and slowly walk towards her, my hand out as if trying to calm a skittish animal. She smiles softly and reaches out to meet my hand halfway. The feeling of her soft hand in mine greatly calms me and my eyes flutter shut, suddenly feeling considerably relaxed. As soon as they did, I wake up in my bed with a warmth settling in my heart, and I realize what I just experienced was nothing but a dream. I turn my head to look down at my hand, abruptly missing the comfort of the woman in my dream...
This dream went on for years, with Maisey Rose growing up right along with me; she seemed to be connected to me through this dream. It was always the same. I would make my way through the dense forest, follow her light, ask her the same question every time I would reach her and always get the same answer: “I’m Maisey Rose.” I eventually grew infatuated with this exquisite woman, curious about where she came from and why she kept appearing in my dreams. Everything about her was magic. She was like a goddess, amazing and pure, and I was in love with her. Eventually, though, the dream changed.
I could immediately tell something was off when I entered the forest this time. I stumbled over roots and rocks like I never had before in my dream, dread starting to settle in the pit of my stomach. I panicked as I looked around for the soft light that came from Maisey Rose, seeking her comfort. When I couldn’t find the tree we would meet at, the fear finally set in.
Something was really wrong.
I blindly ran around, looking behind tree after tree until I found my woman curled up on the ground, tighter than she ever had been. The soft white light that usually radiated from her was dim, slowly going out. Maisey was clearly in pain, and my mind went blank, a blinding need to protect her burning in my chest. I rushed to her, falling to my knees by her side and flooded her with questions about what was happening. She couldn’t answer any of them, overwhelmed with pain and shaking with the effort of breathing. I softly picked up her hand, trembling with the fear of what may happen to my Maisey Rose, and pressed a gentle kiss to it, trying in vain to comfort her. Her body continued to shake, as she opened her eyes and looked at me for what I didn’t realize would be the final time.
She gave me a pained smile, seemingly trying to calm me, and spoke. “I’ll be okay.”
Stunned, I let out a sharp laugh, not understanding what she meant.
“You’ll be okay? What are you saying? Why is your light going out?” I continued to spout questions, my voice starting to break as my eyes blurred with tears.
Maisey smiled at me again and turned away. Her body stilled and what little light she was producing finally faded to darkness. My hand was cold, no longer warmed by her soft skin. I blinked rapidly, trying uselessly to push back the tears now flooding my vision. A weight left my grip, as I stared at where her body was fading to dust. I jumped back, still holding a handful of ashes, frightened by the sudden absence of Maisey’s body. Where in the world had she gone? The silence in the forest was deafening. I lowered myself back to my knees, body weak with emotion, and curled in on myself. I closed my eyes tightly, desperate to leave this depressing new reality.
I woke up with a start, glancing down at my pillow. It was covered in tear stains, and my head pounded from the strain of crying. Why had I been crying? What in the world had I been dreaming about? It seemed to be a sad dream, but I couldn’t recall the details. I got out of bed and went about my day, taking the subway to work and forgetting about the startled awakening of this morning.
Weeks, months, and years went by without me having the dream. I couldn’t remember it at all but had noticed the obvious missing feeling in my life. Something or someone was not there anymore. Three years had passed before I thought about my dream woman again. I was now 25 years old, once again heading to my dead-end job on the subway. Something felt weird that morning. I felt more whole than usual, as if something had re-entered my mind filling a hole that was there. I was standing clutching the pole of the subway when something caught my eye. I looked up from my phone to see that a faint light seemed to be coming from one of the people on the train. I looked down at my phone again, confident I had been seeing things until the train suddenly stopped. I was jolted by the lack of movement and dropped my phone on the ground. How absolutely embarrassing! I stooped to my knees and searched for my lost item until I felt a soft hand on my shoulder. I looked up as my heart started to pound in my chest. The touch felt...familiar.
My head whipped around and my eyes met hers for the first time in three years. She was just as beautiful as I remembered: soft brown hair cascading down her back in waves, caramel skin that looked soft to the touch, shimmering honey-colored eyes that sparkled in the sun. She smiled a perfect smile and handed me my phone after helping me to my feet. Memories started to flood back to me. Years of my recurring dream and this beautiful woman with honey eyes and a soft light flew into my mind bringing tears to my eyes. It just couldn’t be my love, though, could it?
I tore myself out of my shock and decided there was only one way to tell if it was really her. I asked, “Have I met you before?” the same way I had done in my dream so many times.
She smiled at my question, something glimmering in her mischievous eyes, as she spoke. “I’m Maisey Rose.”
My heart pounded, tears now staining my cheeks, as I leaned in to finally kiss the woman I love.
Fan Fiction
It was only one year after the Kerberos mission, and I was doing a simulator with Hunk and Lance, my fellow crewmates.
“Galaxy Garrison flight log 5-11-14. Begin descent to Kerberos for rescue mission,” Lance said.
He then jerked the simulator in an attempt to descend, causing Hunk to squirm in his seat.
“Augh. Lance, can you keep this thing straight?” He asked as Lance looked at him.
“Relax, Hunk, I’m just getting the feel for the stick. I mean it’s not like I did this!” Lance exclaimed as he purposefully jerked the simulator again.
Hunk shot him a glare as he clutched his stomach.
“Or this!” Lance chuckled, jerking the simulator again, trying to see how far he could push his friend.
“Dude, unless you want to wipe beef stroganoff off the floor, you’d better KNOCK IT OFF, MAN!” Hunk snapped.
My monitor activated, and I glanced at it, seeing a new development.
“We’ve picked up a distress beacon!” I declared.
Lance turned to face me and nodded. “All right, look alive, team. Hailey, track coordinates.”
I smiled back and began to track the coordinates of the signal. Lance’s confident smile suddenly dropped as red lights began to flash in the cabin. The simulator started to rumble and the emergency sirens blared, signalling something went really wrong.
“Knock it off, Lance, please!” Hunk begged, feeling sicker by the second, obviously fed up with the entire simulation.
Lance laughed, turning to Hunk. “Oh, this one’s on you, buddy. We’ve got a hydraulic stabilizer out.”
Hunk pulled down a monitor, ready to start solving the issue. His eyes widened in a panic, and he keeled over in his seat, holding his stomach.
“Oh no--” Hunk said as Lance’s eyes widened.
“Oh, no--fix now, puke later!” Lance exclaimed.
I shook my head at their interaction, frustrated with the way they seem to not be taking the situation seriously.
“I lost contact. The shaking is interfering with our sensors.”
Lance whipped his head around to stare at Hunk.
“Come on!” Lance gritted out as Hunk rushed out of his seat.
“It’s not responding!” Hunk continued to attempt fixing the stabilizer.
The ear splitting sirens and flashing red lights did nothing to ease any of our fear. Lance’s monitor beeped, finally signalling a way out of the situation.
“Thar she blows, ladies!" Lance cried. "Preparing for approach on visual.”
“I don’t think that’s advisable at the moment," I said. "Our mechanical issues are too severe and crew morale is a bit...low.” I subtly glanced at Hunk who was sitting back in his chair, having given up on the repairs.
Hunk agreed, shooting me a wobbly smile that immediately dropped when his stomach burbled.
“You guys are babies. The ship can take it, can’t you, champ?” Lance asked the simulator as it rumbled violently, seemingly protesting against his words.
“Uh, see?” He nervously added. “She was--she was nodding.”
I laughed and decided to hail down to where the distress signal was coming from, letting them know we were on our way.
I unbuckled and reached for the microphone. “Attention lunar vessel---Uwah!!”
The simulator jerked again, throwing me to the metal floor.
“What are you doing, Hailey? Buckle your belt. And Hunk, stop that shaking!” Lance yelled.
Hunk stuttered out a response and slowly got up from his chair again, trying to stay upright on the carnival ride that was the simulator.
I got back up and reached the microphone, shouting into it, “attention lunar vessel. This is Galaxy Garrison Rescue Craft One Victor Six Three Tango. Coming in for landing and extraction.”
Lance nodded as he dived the simulator towards the surface of Kerberos.
“Look out for that overhang!” I exclaim as I point at it.
“No worries! My first year in flight school, you know what they called me? They called me ‘The Tailor’ because of how I thread the needle,” Lance joked.
We were all silent and watched him intently as he tried to maneuver the ship through the precarious circumstance. The whole simulator jerked yet again, throwing Hunk and I to the ground as Lance crashed into an overhang.
“We lost a wing!” Hunk shouted from the floor.
“Oh man,” Lance said.
With a spin, some screams, and a great thud, we finally stopped. Breathing heavily, the three of us collected ourselves and exited the machine.
The computer mocked us with an emotionless “Simulation failed” on our way.
“Nice work, Tailor.” I playfully jabbed at Lance.
“Hey, I tried! Leave me alone!” He threw back.
We smiled at each other and headed back to the common area, ready to finally relax.
Much later, I was tucked away in my dorm, sleeping soundly until there was a loud knock. I pushed off my blankets and made my way to the tin door, opening it to see who was bothering me this time of night. To my surprise, I saw Lance and Hunk standing there, bright eyed and excited. Well, more terrified in Hunk’s case.
“Hailey, we’re all sneaking out. Put real clothes on and get ready to run!”
I blinked confusedly at Lance’s words, slowly nodding and walking back into my dorm to change. I could hear their playful banter outside the door.
“Okay, I’m just--I’m just saying this here, right now, on the record: This is a bad idea.” Hunk said, ever the fun police.
Lance chuckled, shooting back a “You know, for someone in a space exploration program, you don’t have much of a sense of adventure.”
“All of your little adventures end up with me in the principal’s office,” Hunk said.
I opened the door, ready to go, and walked past both of them.
“Your arguing is going to get us caught. Now, are we gonna go have some fun or not?” I threw a look over my shoulder.
Lance and Hunk laughed and followed after me.
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A few days later, we attempted to form Voltron for the first time.
Hunk somehow screwed up, and everyone turned to him.
“Hunk, what are you doing?” Shiro asked as he tried to puzzle through the confusion.
“What? I thought I was the head? Aren’t I the head?” Hunk asked.
“Everyone knows Shiro is the head!”
I shook my head, mildly amused by his mess up.
Whatever it was we had to face, we needed to be prepared for whatever battle we may face. This was the beginning of a brand new adventure.
And this adventure… Was the rise of Voltron.
To be Continued.