Sometimes, and Alternate Reality is a better one.

I’m sorry, Mandy.”1

“It’s all right, Jack.” I smiled softly at my friend, “I know you tried.”2

He had, once again, come back with no berries after he had been searching the forest for an hour.3

“But you need Scrooble Berries for your spell.” Jack complained at me.4

“Honestly, I can just do a different spell.”5

He sighed, “Alright.” I could tell that Jack was tired of letting me down. I didn’t mind. I know that he tried, and he just wanted to please me.6

“How about dinner?” I asked.7

“Okay,” he seemed more upbeat immediately. Food always made Jack feel better.8

-9

That night, I had another dream. I remember waking up in a strange bed, in a strange place. There is a woman hovering over me, a worried look on her face. “Amanda? Amanda, wake up!” That’s what she would say. Sometimes she screamed it, and sometimes she sobbed. I wanted to ask who she was, but I couldn’t, it was only a dream.10

-11

“What do you want to do today, Jack?”12

He contemplated for a moment, “We could go to the waterfall.”13

“Indeed.” I picked my sack up off the floor. “Let’s go.”14

It was only a ten-minute walk to the Silver Falls. And there was always a good supply of Froogle Berries nearby, (not to be confused with Scrooble Berries, a similar, yet more rare berry.)15

“It’s so beautiful.” I sighed, sitting down on the grassy slope next to the pool formed by the waterfall. 16

“It is.” Jack agreed, sitting down next to me.17

The Silver Falls was not named lightly. The immaculately clear water flowed at just the right angle to catch the sun and form sparkles that fell softly to the ground, looking just like silver.18

Everything in this world was perfect.19

Except nighttime, when I had the dreams.20

-21

Tonight was different, there was a man. Unlike the sobbing woman, this man scared me. He stood over my body, grinning. That night, my dream turned into a nightmare.22

-23

“Mandy, I saw something dark in the forest today.” Jack came inside the house, he looked scared. I don’t think I had ever seen Jack scared.24

“What do you mean?”25

“It was black.” His voice shook ever so slightly.26

I stared at him. Nothing, nothing, was ever black. Not a single thing was black in our land, not even shadows at night. Everything was bright, and happy.27

Something was very wrong in the forest.28

-29

Someone else was in the dream. A man in a white robe. “I think Amanda is protecting herself.” He said, the woman was there too. “What do you mean?” “I think she won’t wake up because whoever did this to her traumatized her.” And then the dream changed, the woman was gone, and the grinning man came back. And he was laughing. And then he leaned over me, and he reached down with his hand…30

-31

I saw the Dark Thing. I was walking through the forest, looking for Scrooble Berries, and I saw it, it stood out rather well against the bright trees and flowers. It was a formless blob, wandering aimlessly around. But wherever it went, it left death. 32

-33

The man in the white robe again, “I think the medicine we’re giving her is working.” The sobbing woman looked at me, but she wasn’t sobbing anymore, her face was hopeful.34

-35

The Dark Thing had devoured the Falls. I went there with Jack to sit and eat berries. The water no longer caught the sunlight, it had turned a dreary brown colour. And the grass around it was burnt. The Dark Thing was one by one, taking everything that made me happy.36

-37

“I think she’ll wake up soon..”38

-39

And then, the dreadful happened. Jack went out one day, and never came back.40

The Dark Thing had got him. My Saviour. My Refuge. My Peace. My Lover. My Jack.41

-42

“Amanda, honey, can you hear me?” The sobbing woman was looking at me curiously.43

I tried to talk, and my mouth moved, I was no longer dreaming.44

“Who are you?” 45

She looked slightly hurt, “Amanda, I’m your mother.”46

“That’s not my name.” I said slowly, then the grinning man came in again. My eyes widened, and I pointed frantically at him.47

“No need to be scared, sweetie,” the Woman said, “That’s your father.”48

“No!” I screamed, I didn’t know anything she was talking about, but I did know that somehow, he was the one that had caused me this pain, he was the one who killed Jack.49