Familiar Strangeness

Kerry sat bolt upright in bed, heart pounding and chest heaving, though she didn't know why. She hadn't had a nightmare as far as she could remember. Sweat trickled down her forehead, and her head swam.
Unnerved, she got out of bed and pulled open the curtains, the bright, golden sun of early morning bathed the room with light, a sight that usually lifted her spirits... But today, for some unexplained reason, heightened her anxiety.
Throwing on some old work clothes, she went down the hallway and out into the garden, something she usually did when she was feeling nervy.
But neither the sweet aroma of the roses, nor the fresh air, did anything to clear her mind.
She found herself pacing around the flower bed.
Back inside, she began to make breakfast. Filling her bowl with cornflakes, she wondered what exactly the source of her anxiety was. She picked up the milk carton and began to pour. She thought back to yesterday, then the day before. Had anything happened to her within the past week that had disturbed her?
Kerry stared down at the bowl, unseeing. It took her a moment to realise that she was still pouring the milk, and it had got all over the table.
Frustrated with herself, she grabbed the cloth from the sink and wiped up the mess. "Snap out of it, girl!' She thought angrily. 'It's all in your head!'
Giving up on breakfast, she sat on the sofa and began to flick through the channels on TV. But the colours and sounds grated fiercely on her ears and eyes, so she turned it off with a sigh.
What was wrong with her?
She attempted to read, but her eyes refused to focus on the page.
She made herself a cup of herbal tea, but she forgot about it and it went cold.
She tried everything that she could think of... But nothing seemed to work.
Eventually, restless, she got up and went for a jog around the block.
She was thoroughly exhausted when she got back to her house, having thought that she could exercise the stress away, and went to her room for a lie down. 'I'll just close my eyes for a moment.' she thought, but before she knew it she was asleep.


*

The first thing she was conscious of was the prickly sensation of the ground. Next came the scent of Death and Decay. Then the sound of rushing water. And, finally, her sight came into focus.
She was lying on the ground, the prickling sensation was that of dead grass. Above was a grey sky that swirled like a tornado, yet there was no wind. Not far to her left a large river flowed, pure and clear, the only beautiful thing in this dead landscape. Slowly, she stood. This place seemed so familiar, as if she'd been here before, but so strange.
"You have not much time." Came a deep, melodious voice from behind. She spun around to see a tall old man, with a long white beard and hair, smiling at her. In his hand he held a large hourglass, and he turned it over so that the sand began to fall. 'Hurry, now!' He said, and he disappeared, to reveal a pathway leading into a dead forest.
Obediently, she sprinted down the path, and into the woods.
She felt as if she was being watched. Every so often a twig would snap from behind and she would whirl around, expecting to see a monster of some sort crashing through the underbrush towards her. A yellowy mist curled around the roots of trees that seemed to want to grasp at her with their claw-like branches.
She turned a bend, then skidded to a halt. A crossroad, with two paths running left and right, lay before her. She stared at them, despairing. Which way? She knew she had to make a choice, and so continued down the left fork, hoping beyond hope that this was the right way. "The right way to what?" She wondered.
Eventually, just when she thought that this path would go on forever, she crossed over a bridge, that spanned the river. There stood a ramshackle old hut, situated in a small open clearing. Relieved, she sped up, until she was standing in front of the building, panting slightly. It looked like it hadn't been lived in for years. Wrenching open the cobwebbed door, she peered into the gloom.
It was a dark, musty, one roomed hut. The wood was rotting and the floorboards sagged as she walked. The only thing that didn't look old and worn stood in the center of the room, like a beacon of light in the night. A gleaming, round Mahogany table that seemed to emit a faint golden glow, beckoning to her, drawing her further inside. On top of it sat a large ebony box, covered with mysterious carvings. She gently lifted the lid, and gazed inside. Within there was a simple pewter goblet filled with stagnant water, and immediately she knew what to do.
She lifted the goblet from it's box, and poured the water on the ground. Then she ran outside to the rivers edge. She filled the cup with pure, clear water, and strode back to the hut, being careful not to spill any.
Upon placing the cup back into the box and closing the lid, she felt a weight lift off her shoulders. She exited the hut again, to see a forest full of life and beauty. A single bird flitted down from a tree, and landed on her shoulder, it's azure feathers slightly ruffled. It chirruped in her ear, and she woke up.

*

Kerry opened her eyes and smiled. She felt so very happy. The anxiety of before was completely gone, and she had no idea why. After all, she had only dozed off for a moment.