Lucas (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
a_gentle_boy) wrote in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
bravenewworld2014-10-23 11:28 pm
a_gentle_boy) wrote in bravenewworld2014-10-23 11:28 pm
007
[Scenario One]
[At last, he's managed to pop back into the Real World long enough to get some sleep... And of course, the dreams start right up like clockwork. As with many others, the first is a nightmare.
The scene is a burning forest at night. Clouds of smoke billow through the air, trees are hellishly crackling and disintegrating, and the occasional monstrous roar echoes through the night. There is a sense of grave danger... Though it's too dark to see, out in the night, there seems to be a faint silhouette of something enormous and monstrous... and two glinting lights as of eyes.
The scene is strange, though, like watching a film. It blurs suddenly, and focuses now on three people running as quickly as they can through the burning forest. A redheaded boy is in front; behind him is someone with an identical face but blonde hair, perhaps recognizable... There isn't much time to process the scene before the blonde boy trips and falls; he is quickly grabbed by a woman behind him in a red dress and pushed forward.]
Run, run!
[The two boys run. The scene lingers briefly on the woman as she halts... slowly grabbing a burning stick and turning around. But the 'camera' swings now to follow the boys. They run without speech. There is no time or energy to do anything but dash through the forest and pant breathlessly. Trees collapse around them; the fire licks at their heels, but still they run...
A scream suddenly echoes through the night, but it cuts off quickly.]
Mom!!
[The boy with red hair whirls around.]
Where's Mom?! She was right behind us!
I-I don't know...
Mom! Mom!
[With reckless abandon, the redheaded boy screams and runs backwards the way they had came. The other boy doesn't move, too frightened to do anything but collapse to his knees and scream.]
No - Claus! Claaaaaaaus!
[The scene of the forest suddenly freezes in place... before abruptly crumpling into nothing, leaving Lucas kneeling in an empty, pitch black void. His breathing is heavy and his eyes are brimming with tears as he stares down at his knees and continues to call.]
Claus...! Mom! Don't go...
They're gone. They're gone. It's all... because of me...
[Scenario Two]
[The second, in contrast, is pure bliss. A field of sunflowers stretches as far as the eye can see, bright and beautiful. The sky is cool blue, with the occasional perfect puffy cloud drifting by... It's almost too idyllic.
Laughter can be heard in the distance, with the occasional echoing voice.]
Claus! Don't run too far!
I just want to see the edge...! Lucas, are you coming?
[There is no response from Lucas. He is lying down in the middle of the field, facing up towards the sky with his arms crossed behind his head and a light smile on his face. Around him flicker the ghosts of three people... The woman with the brown hair is the most consistent, kneeling down beside Lucas or taking his head in her lap, though she, too, slowly fades whenever anyone comes near enough for Lucas to take notice.]
Ah...
[It seems as if he is properly lucid in this dream, as he will greet anyone who appears.]
[At last, he's managed to pop back into the Real World long enough to get some sleep... And of course, the dreams start right up like clockwork. As with many others, the first is a nightmare.
The scene is a burning forest at night. Clouds of smoke billow through the air, trees are hellishly crackling and disintegrating, and the occasional monstrous roar echoes through the night. There is a sense of grave danger... Though it's too dark to see, out in the night, there seems to be a faint silhouette of something enormous and monstrous... and two glinting lights as of eyes.
The scene is strange, though, like watching a film. It blurs suddenly, and focuses now on three people running as quickly as they can through the burning forest. A redheaded boy is in front; behind him is someone with an identical face but blonde hair, perhaps recognizable... There isn't much time to process the scene before the blonde boy trips and falls; he is quickly grabbed by a woman behind him in a red dress and pushed forward.]
Run, run!
[The two boys run. The scene lingers briefly on the woman as she halts... slowly grabbing a burning stick and turning around. But the 'camera' swings now to follow the boys. They run without speech. There is no time or energy to do anything but dash through the forest and pant breathlessly. Trees collapse around them; the fire licks at their heels, but still they run...
A scream suddenly echoes through the night, but it cuts off quickly.]
Mom!!
[The boy with red hair whirls around.]
Where's Mom?! She was right behind us!
I-I don't know...
Mom! Mom!
[With reckless abandon, the redheaded boy screams and runs backwards the way they had came. The other boy doesn't move, too frightened to do anything but collapse to his knees and scream.]
No - Claus! Claaaaaaaus!
[The scene of the forest suddenly freezes in place... before abruptly crumpling into nothing, leaving Lucas kneeling in an empty, pitch black void. His breathing is heavy and his eyes are brimming with tears as he stares down at his knees and continues to call.]
Claus...! Mom! Don't go...
They're gone. They're gone. It's all... because of me...
[Scenario Two]
[The second, in contrast, is pure bliss. A field of sunflowers stretches as far as the eye can see, bright and beautiful. The sky is cool blue, with the occasional perfect puffy cloud drifting by... It's almost too idyllic.
Laughter can be heard in the distance, with the occasional echoing voice.]
Claus! Don't run too far!
I just want to see the edge...! Lucas, are you coming?
[There is no response from Lucas. He is lying down in the middle of the field, facing up towards the sky with his arms crossed behind his head and a light smile on his face. Around him flicker the ghosts of three people... The woman with the brown hair is the most consistent, kneeling down beside Lucas or taking his head in her lap, though she, too, slowly fades whenever anyone comes near enough for Lucas to take notice.]
Ah...
[It seems as if he is properly lucid in this dream, as he will greet anyone who appears.]
no subject
You don't know that for sure. Maybe there would have been something else that made her stop.
no subject
...Maybe.
But then, you know... it wouldn't have been me.
no subject
She loved you dearly. I don't think she would have blamed you. I think she would have been glad that you survived.
no subject
...Lucas will nod a little bit. He seems a little less upset now.]
I know it's stupid... to keep thinking about this...
But I don't really know how to stop, either.
no subject
[Pamela isn't sure of how comforting she's managing to be, but sometimes the objectivity of an outsider can help. She's not being coldly scientific, at least.]
no subject
...Claus, too?
[This is probably more of a rhetorical question as he lifts up a hand and brings it slowly forward, palm facing out. His mirror image copies his motions exactly.]
no subject
Claus, too. He wouldn't want you to live in misery.
[She might not know Lucas, but she can think of what she would want for her family members and friends.]
I'm sure he would want you to think of him fondly and not forget him, but you have to live in the present rather than in the past.
no subject
...
And the present is... moving on, is it?
no subject
[She wants to reassure him of that much so that he doesn't think she's telling him to just abandon his loved ones.]
You just need to let yourself move forward with your life. Think about your goals for the future and work hard to achieve them in honour of Claus and your mother.
no subject
[He smiles a little wanly as he watches the sparkles slowly die away.]
I've never really been sure what my goals are.
...I want them to be... to find out the truth about what happened that night. But I don't know how much of a goal that is, and I guess... that just means I'm still stuck.
no subject
[She doesn't mind helping him figure these kinds of things out.]
no subject
My abilities are mostly to heal. I can do that pretty well. So... the school sent me to the Medical Center to do some work.
no subject
no subject
[He's actually thought about this fairly frequently, and he nods.]
I guess... that's always what I thought I was going to be. But I'm not sure if -- you know. If it's my goal.
[...]
That doesn't make much sense, I know... I guess I'm not sure... how to make it my goal. Or if I should.
no subject
[She offers a slight smile.]
Ultimately, you have to choose what feels right to you and what you find satisfaction in.
no subject
I guess I still have time to decide... Thanks for your advice, miss.
Oh, um - my name is Lucas, by the way.