Who Are You?

I was lying on my bed, trying to “swallow” The Introduction of Mathematics book in my hand with heavy-sleepy-head when suddenly a voice of a woman caught my hearing. Who was that? It's past midnight already and everybody's asleep.  I stopped flipping the pages then listened carefully. No voice. No sound. Not even the chirp of a house lizard or cricket.

“Maybe it's just me,” I told myself.

I set my eyes back to the numbers and symbols. As the time ticking, I found myself getting numb, it was hard moving my limbs.  And there it came again. That voice. It came up very subtle, almost like a whisper, and slowly getting louder and clearer. I got up laboriously from the bed and the next second I found a woman with her sleeveless white dress standing in the corner of the room. How long had she been there? I don't know. All I know that she's so beautiful with her long black hair and pale skin.

She whispered to me gently. “I dream of a place for you and I. No one knows who we are there. Let’s run away. I’ll take you there.”

I was hypnotized by her jingling voice that I couldn’t even blink my eyes. Stood there like an idiot, I was mesmerized by her ethereal voice and captivating pale blue eyes.

“Take my hand, we’re leaving tonight. There’s no need to tell anyone. They’d only hold us down. By the morning light, we’ll be half way to anywhere where love isn't just your name.” She then smiled.

I couldn’t verbalize a word as I overwhelmed by such unearthly presence of beauty and grace. As I tried to collect myself and digest her words, the wind blew out of nowhere, played my hair which then covered my eyes as it danced with the chilly soft blow. Before I knew what’s happening, the wind vanished, just like that. My hair stopped dancing and I could saw she’s already in front of me. So close. I could see her pale blue eyes, so cold and threatening, staring straight at me. The pleasant arch of her mouth had disappeared.

“Forget this life, come with me, don’t look back, you’re safe now. Unlock your heart, drop your guard. No one’s left to stop you now.”

I stepped back, not out of fear, no. I just felt like I had to. Her presence sent chills to my spine but warm my inside at the same time. How was that even possible?

Ah, that arch of her mouth came again. Her smile, it was ridiculously captivating. I stepped toward her this time. I didn’t know why. I just felt like I had to. Her smile’s getting wider and wider as we got closer. I stood before her. We’re very close now.

“Can I hug you?” I couldn’t believe what just came out of my mouth yet I knew I didn’t regret the words at all. She just nodded and kept smiling. I stretched my arms towards her and place her in my embrace. Just like when you enjoy a kiss, I subconsciously closed my eyes.

The next second, I opened my eyes. I’m on my bed. The Introduction of Mathematics book was still in my left hand and I’m still holding my blue pencil in my right hand. I blinked a couple of times.

“That was bizarre,” I said in my head. “Well, dreams are bizarre.”  I calmed myself. “Geez. This exam drives me nuts.”

I placed my pencil inside the book and put them beside the pillow. The clock on the side table showed that it was 2.03 A.M. I decided to get a little bit of fresh air, so I walked to one of the doors in my room which directed directly to the balcony. Besides, I always need an open space after waking up from a bad dream because staying in the closed room would only terrify me even more. Come to think of it, what I just had wasn’t really a bad dream. But it’s kind of scary now that I’m awake. I wonder why I didn’t piss on myself in the dream.

“Oh well. It was a dream after all.” I tried to calm myself down again.

I walked to the balcony and brought a pack of cigarettes and a lighter with me. Thank god the landlady had uninstalled the surveillance camera here and moved it downstairs. She would kill me if she knew I ignored her rules. A woman shouldn’t have smoked, she said. Woman who smoked was not a good woman, she said. Of course she’s right.

I leaned on to the wall on the left side of the balcony. What a quiet night. There’s no sound of nocturnal animals at all. And the sky, it’s almost empty. The clouds were too thick. Hmm.. heavy rain, it will be. I didn’t feel like smoking anymore.

“Better brushed my teeth and go back to sleep, Al. Gotta be ready for tomorrow,” I told myself.

I walked to my bedroom then closed the balcony door again. As I turned back to the room, I found a girl sitting on the side of my bed. She was wearing a sleeveless sleep gown. Her eyes were so pale and blue. Her skin is as pale as snow. She looked surprised and wary, just like me.

“Who are you?” My voice cracked.

“What are you doing in my dream? Why do you keep coming back?" she uttered in shock.

“Who are you?”

 

Yana Alisa Putri – Penerima Program Beasiswa Unggulan Kemdiknas Tahun 2012