...it's a secret no one knows... ~Hanson, Mmmbop

Feet pounded soundlessly on a nonexistent ground, running frantically. Darkness engulfed the body and silence reverberated around it. No where to go, nothing to flee from yet running ceaselessly. There was no beginning and there could be no end to this madness. Not a sound�no panting, no heart beat, no pants rustling in the continuous sprint. There was no light, just heavy, boundless dark and it was everywhere.

Lilac sat stiffly upright in the bed and let free a scream that she had been suppressing for what felt like years. Her hair was matted to her head and her palms were clammy with all encompassing fear. Each night the dreams came, slowly heightening�now they were unbearable. She couldn't stop them, and she couldn't forget them, those dreams were a part of her.

Everyday it got harder to discern dreams from reality. Yet everyday it became more and more necessary to do so. Lilac never could tell when she was awake or when she was asleep, everything was too real.

Arms wrapped around her and potentially soothing words were cooed into her receptive ears. So many things came in, as the words did now, but nothing left. Her words had become painful and clumsy. There wasn't anything to say, just screams in terror. Insanity had crept up stealthily, dismembering her grip on reality.

How could she tell if this was real or just another dream? Senses easily evaded her they were so deceptive. She felt the arms around her now, but she had felt the weight of the darkness in her dream. That wasn't real. Or was it, how could she ever be sure?

The truth could be a lie, dreams may never die, the sun may not shine, and life could be an illusion. A trick of the gods, a glamorous snapshot played slowly across our eyes; a steady dream, intricately woven lies. Yet each night we close our so-called eyes and 'dream'. Maybe dreams are life and life is dreams. Who's to prove either way? Certainly Lilac couldn't. Not when her dreams preceded her life.