Final Wake Up from Dream sequence (needs edit)

Her eyes flew open, her face down, paralyzed in agony; she could feel the blade through her chest. This invisible lightning force unwaveringly held her pinned just as though she was dying on that hill too. Her tears flowed into the soft bedding.

“I didn’t want to remember,” she sobbed.

The light in her room shown through flowing light blue curtains trying to bring joy to the sorrow-filled girl, but her face was hidden in the long red hair. She was still paralyzed and unable to move or stop the pain filling her heart. She could barely feel the warm fluffy cat at her feet and the feeling of the blade in her heart felt as real as any other feeling she had experienced. Tears continued to flow as the pain was not subsiding on its own.

A warm presence filled the room a sense of healing the spiritual wound and soothing the memory. The sleep paralysis eased off as though Mara received a massage. It was a familiar presence always there when she had dark dreams and difficult times. Mara was finally able to move her hair off of her face and see the golden sun that streamed through her window.

“Whelp, I’m up now,” Mara said to Sage resigned. The white cat with Siamese ears, tail and white-blue eyes was always at her feet when she slept. “Why didn’t you come wake me?”

“Mrow,” Sage replied back, then gently head-butted her and rumbled his loud squeaky purr.

Mara pulled the soft cat into her lap and held him close to her while he purred his comfort and love to her. “You usually stop those dreams from getting that far, maybe next time?” Sage looked into her eyes as though he was sad he could not have helped. Mara let him off her lap and started getting out of her full sized bed layered with plush blankets.

It was a Saturday and Mara was supposed to get to sleep in. The little box with angry red numbers told her it was 6 am. Way earlier than she wanted to be up but at this point what could she do, she knew there was no falling back to sleep for just one hour after all that. She slipped into the bathroom to brush her teeth and wash the sleep out of her eyes. Mara found some comfy clothes a soft t-shirt and yoga style legging and rushed into them; she was ready to shake the dream.

The dream was a repeat; she didn’t even remember how many times that same dream woke her and she knew it would linger through the whole day. It always did, and not only would it run through her thoughts during the day, the pain in her back from the sword and the feeling of missing wings would haunt her as well. She looked for the pain reliever.

“Time for coffee, I suppose you also want breakfast?”

That was his cue; Sage hopped of the bed and wrapped himself in her legs ready to eat before the long day of naps in the sun. Mara scratched behind his ears and on the sides of his face just like he always enjoyed. He had been her faithful companion for 12 years now and she couldn’t imagine him not being a part of her life.

They sat on her small front porch and took in the world. Her porch ran the length of the front of the house with iron styled pillars at each corner holding up the small cover. The porch was only raised about a foot from the ground level and had a single step down to the path. There was a wood and iron bench between the front door and the large window to the living room. There was a smaller kitchen window on the other side of the door. The frames of the door and windows were painted a sky blue in contrast to the white stucco walls. Mara worked hard on the raised garden around the porch planting columbines and calendula flowers along the front. On the left side she had planted mint to give a pleasant smell and on the right side she had planted strawberries. Following the right side of the house she had raspberries. This little house was not much but it was hers and she made it her little sanctuary. Every morning she could Mara would have her coffee on this porch and would look out at the mountainous expanse.

This morning the sun was still low to the horizon and the beautiful painting of colors still fading from sunrise. The air was still the chilly of spring and new life still budding on her cherry tree. Though everything seems like it was normal, something was off. Mara wasn’t sure if it was the dream’s feelings lingering or something more. But a warm presence seemed to tell her that it was more than just the dream. Something was happening that she couldn’t see yet but she was sure she would know soon.

After coffee and some time in the welcoming sun, Mara was ready for the day. First she would work her shift at her book shop which she loved, and then she had planned on learning to ground and center to curb the overwhelming emotions of the people around her. It never failed that people would come to her and she would feel every emotion, body ache, and intention for each person that came near. It was always that way and her world seemed shaped very differently than most people she would come across. She did have a few dedicated and close friends.

Maybe a long walk to the yoga gardens would help me relax more. She thought, so she donned her light spring jacket and headed out giving Sage one more head scratch as she danced out the door.

Mara lived in a small town in Colorado, it was one of those towns where most people knew each other at least by name. It was pretty regular to acknowledge the neighbors as she walked past. She saw the same people bustling about their busy days, the same cars on the roads. Mara’s neighbors were usually at work by the time she would walk by them, but as she was up so much earlier they were still home creating their own chaos as they got ready for the day. The town shops sold their wares and would wave at her as she passed by. Small town living was sure to keep everyone involved in each other’s lives, but she liked the closeness. Though everything seemed the same, something was still off. There was a tone, like the echoes of the world were slightly muffled, some kind of resonant sound that couldn’t really be heard but was definitely felt. She continued up the path to the practice gardens.

Mara began with some basic yoga as a way to find focus and stretch out the soreness of her fitful sleep the night before; then some meditation to clear the mind of any negativity. This was her routine and it brought some balance to the day and with the start she had, it was likely to make all the difference in having a good day. The nagging change in sound, atmosphere and the lingering effects of the dream all sought to distract her thoughts. Each yoga breath and posture fought back to keep her calm.