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Dreams Imitating Life 
by Kendra Smart  

“Find Me.”

“See Me.”

“Be Mine.”

“Find Me.” Archeologist Jaleah Marland had been dreaming again. The images and voice lulled her, comfortable and warm. A voice calling her, with the most sincere pleading.

Her Mother had told her they were nothing more. Just dreams.

But Jaleah grew in age and knowledge, her thirst to find the carved rock doors amidst a starry sky led her down a path to history. It was in history her passion thrived. After years of study and hands on expeditions, she became a point of contact in her field. Her schedule stayed busy and she honestly didn’t mind.

She wasn’t in her field for the acclaim, or the money.

She did it for the stories.

The ones that deserved to be told, which in her eyes, was all of them.

Her colleague, Professor Kenneth Rowland, had told her of the dig he had just financed. A temple, remote in the jungles of an island in the Carribeans, thought to be that of an ancient tribe known as the Malphise. Text had claimed the temple was that of their King and Wiseman, who had resided inside and it had been written that he had sacrificed himself to appease the gods and save his people.

Kenneth had verified evidence that this temple was the genuine article, not a false tomb to thwart robbers.

Her fingers rubbed the cool, smooth surface oft he small stone Ken had sent. At first glance the surface looked like any other rock, but moisture unlocked the secret. Engravings etched upon the rocks surface with so keen an eye that the details, no matter how small were marvels to behold.

Her eyes couldn’t see the fine details until wet and glistening, light refracting off the surface. But once seen, the image sent Jaleah back into her dreamsand reinforced their call. She came to the conclusion that there was no choice.

She was going.

Ken was not one for preamble. Her flight arrived and in less than ten minutes they were on their way to the site.

The pathway through to the site had been marked with torches. They had obviously already started escavating. She found herself slightly miffed but held her tongue. It wasn’t her place to speak.

Not her circus.

Not her monkeys.

But, she knew the clowns.

As they made their way down the path to the temple she made out a few camps along the way. A few familiar faces here and there. Men and women from different adventures with less meaning than this one.

As she manuvered around a bend, her breath failed her. Her eyes beheld a dream become reality. She had to suck in her air with a reminder, painful and sharp, that oxygen was a necessity.

But the dream didn’t dissipate.

It remained.

It was surreal how quickly the two worlds merged.

The pillars Kenneth had described were a doorway. The jade inlay in the stone warmed under her touch.

A greeting. A welcoming.

She kept pace with Ken as best she could but Jaleah was having problems with her focus. To be fair, the large chamber was a sight to behold. Age didn’t seem to exist here, Jaleah could fully understand Ken’s enthusiaism and wanting her to see this immediately.

The torches drew her eyes to the smooth, black pillars thatwere topped with thick bands of jade. The sixteen pillars encircled a masterpiece on the floor though. The stones glistened in the torchlight and she realized that there were stratigectly placed jade pieces that when lit resembled the night sky.

Such immense work, time, and dedication for only cold, unfeeling, granite to look upon for the rest of eternity.

A musing that had held her gaze until her eyes roamed over the statues. Such ornate and detailed artistry. The main one overlooking the room had far more details than the rest. It was clearly special, more clearly outlined features and personality. It held her in a tight trance.

“Find Me.”

His eyes. His eyes were different. Not just being of the same material carved from, no they were crafted with the same precision that the jade in the flooring was. Her feet got away from her and Jaleah found herself in front of the statue. This close it was as if she could breathe upon his face and he would wake.

“See Me.”

She should have been paying attention. Ken had been mumbling in some other language this whole time. But her world was set to confusion as she felt two things simultaniously. The sharp, sudden pain that caught her back and then lungs ablaze and the coolness of stone warmed into flesh.

The eyes in front of her closed. When they opened, she saw a galazy come to life.

But her world was warm and the pain fleeting, seeping away as though she were letting go. Her world was darkening as Ken rejoiced in his sacrifice working.

She felt gentle fingers upon her laying her down and a warm tone in her ear.

“Hello, my darling.”

“Be Mine.”

Her world went black to a symphony of tortured screams.

.

Fiction © Copyright Kendra Smart
Image courtesy of Pixabay.com

More from author Kendra Smart:

Just Emotions:
A Gothic Bite Magazine Anthology

A collection of poetry.

‘Just Emotions‘ is exactly as it states, a group of writers who had feelings they wanted to express in poem form. Inside, there are a range of emotions to explore. Each writer has given a bit of themselves to you, each in their own way.

We hope that you enjoy these writings and that among the poems you may find some thing you can identify with or relate to. Thank you for giving us this chance to open the catacombs and share with you.

Available on Amazon!