Until The Snow Melts

A dream journal entry with story elements

Snow hills dot the motionless park. A layer of snow encase the sparse evergreen trees. A pathway made of various round stones snake around the hills of snow, forming banks where the stone ends and the dormant earth begins. A thin layer of snow covers much of the smaller rocks, leaving behind the appearance of a park with depressions going around it. The few burning lampposts provide a natural orange light to contrast the red light of the full moon. A massive L–shaped cathedral is built adjacent to it.

A small figure walks by an intersection of two pathways. His path leads him to a solitary bench surrounded in snow banks taller than the townsfolk who live here. The other path leads to the side door of the cathedral.

A narrow offshoot away from the bench leads to a hidden entranceway under a tower. The cathedral’s service zone lies beyond the small door.

The small boy peers into the cathedral using the small door as a medium for his magic eye. He sees a congregation of devout practitioners of the faith, standing in rows. The walls are painted in a pristine white and the wall floor intersection is marked by carved dark wood. There is an angled balcony over the practitioners, filled with even more men and women.

The boy only remembers a time when the cathedral was empty. He could rest in the empty halls in peace, away from the elements. The friendly old men who maintained the building allowed all to enter. It was a sanctuary. Now, it is a sanctuary for the men and women who fear outsiders such as himself. He cannot come to grips with that fact. He wishes to find solace in the building despite the people in there. Outside this town, there is no shelter.

He looks up at the unforgiving winter. The sky is dark and the moon is out, illuminating the world in red. The people are out to hunt them down. They are everywhere in the town, the farmland, and the cathedral, but not in the cathedral’s basement.

Upon hearing the sound of chatter, the boy immediately distances himself from the cathedral. He moves down the pathway that leads him away from it and towards the center of the park. His muffled footsteps are further cloaked by the snow on the ground and the snow now falling from the sky.

The boy reaches the end of the park, where he sees an abandoned farmhouse on top a hill. He remembers a time when he journeyed through the tunnels under the cathedral and exited out that farmhouse. It was owned by the friendly old men who own the cathedral — but they are no longer here. The farmhouse is abandoned.

He passes by a dilapidated fence line. Upon reaching the porch, the boy takes a step up the stairs. It makes a creaking noise. The handrails have rotted long ago, leaving sticks that once supported it. A thinning layer of snow brings out the grey in the wood. An old rocking chair still stands by the side, covered in snow but untouched in age.

The boy peers into the building using his magic eye. He can see a familiar staircase in front of the door. To the left is the family room. The couch and table have not aged, as well as the glass cabinet. The books and china in the glass remain free of dust. Ahead past an open doorway is a small kitchen. He cannot see much detail in there.

However, he can sense a presence in the building. There is another being hiding in the building, sharing a similar kind of energy as him. He becomes jubilant at the idea of finding another being like him.

The other being begins to move, possibly alerted to the boy’s continual presence. The boy remains excited at who may answer the door. Despite his magic eye, he cannot see the figure inside in much detail.

The door opens slightly. An eye looks back at the boy. “To think there is another one out here despite those people. Come in.”

July 7th 2015 Log