Creation Mischief: Part 24

The weight was crushing. Fire burned my chest, restricting the air coming and going from my lungs. I could feel the band across my chest tightening. With every breath it squeezed, my ribs rubbed together, screaming out in protest.1

It was dark when I cracked open an eye. It took a few moments, a few blinks before the fuzzy ball of gray light brightened.2

There was Quinn, blurry but chained. I could see the links, the glint of torch light reflecting off the gray chains. The cuffs that bound him showed wear along Quinn's limbs. His skin was chaffed, red and ugly.3

His multi-colored, scaled snout was muzzled, but I watched him fighting against the bindings. His anger was like waves of an angry sea, beating itself against the cliffs.4

He called out to me. Screaming my name, anger and panic was in every word. It brought me to my knees.5

My limited breathing was completely cut off. Someone was calling me. Someone desperate, and concerned. Quinn disappeared, faded, into the smoke of the bonfires at restday celebration. The smoke dissipated and the air cleared.6

***7

a Vague, round shape, blurry, hovered above me. Long gray strings hung from the pale image. I blinked a time or two, trying to focus. The lower half opened and a dark patch appeared behind a blunt rectangle.8

"Sabrina?" The soft sound floated through the thick air, echoing. It was heavy like a rock. I thought I should have been able to reach out and touch it.9

"Sabrina?" The image asked again, only clearer. The tining echoing had lessen. A warm weight pressed against my cold shoulder.10

A similar shape swam beside the first. "Can you understand me?" It asked with the same black patch. 11

"How can shapes talk?" I asked around the cotton in my mouth.12

"Watch?" The shapes were confused. I started giggling. This was a very strange dream, but it was amusing.13

Their voices blended together as they integrated themselves. Then separating to form two oval.14

The room beyond the blobs became clearer. A bamboo roof back-lite them. It's straight lines rounded the backdrop,.15

As I focused on the gapes in the roof, Kyle's curly blond hair lite up, an angel's halo surrounded him and I sighed in relief. Reaching up I stroked his cheek. The stubble tickled my fingertips, the roughness tingling up my arm.16

"Kyle?" I asked.17

"Yes," he breathed. Relief was evident in the sound.