The Daily Nightmare and a Startling Reflection

As I trudged through the knee-high weeds, a rustling “shaa-lang—shaa-lang—” sound emanated from my clothes and the plants, as if they were tearing. I was truly grateful for my long pants, which spared my knees from what would surely have been a multitude of scratches.

Indeed, this dream had grown increasingly frequent.

When had it begun? Half a year ago? No, perhaps even longer.

Initially, it occurred roughly once a month, a frequency too low to register as noteworthy. Yet, it gradually accelerated, shifting to bi-weekly occurrences, then weekly.

Not long ago, it was appearing every three days or so, but in the last few days, its visits had become a daily occurrence.

This dream remained remarkably peculiar; each time I entered it, I materialized in the exact same spot: this very grassland I was now traversing.

The expanse of grass was considerable, and I was fortunate that no dangerous creatures like snakes lurked within its depths, for otherwise, I…

‘Huh? This is a dream!’

‘Even if I were to die here, it wouldn’t truly matter~’

I mused that even if I were to suddenly find myself treading on hedgehogs, with several vividly colored snakes coiled around my waist, and a vulture perched atop my head ready to tear me to shreds at any moment, I would still emerge unscathed, wouldn’t I?

****

Though I entertained the thought as a jest, I fervently hoped it wouldn’t manifest, lest this peculiar dream transform into an outright nightmare.

Where should my exploration lead me this time?

In my prior dream visits, I had ventured straight ahead, to the left, and even behind my initial point of appearance, though never too deeply.

The reason being that the extent of my journey here was entirely dictated by the duration of the dream itself, a significant element of uncertainty.

Thus far, I had stumbled upon colossal tree trunks bristling with an abundance of peculiar mushrooms, extraordinarily bizarre flowers resembling intricate spiderwebs, and even stone forests adorned with vast expanses of transparent crystal pillars.

These wondrous sights, utterly unseen in waking life, were commonplace discoveries within my dreams.

Each was a spectacle that begged to be photographed, though, alas, no camera was at hand.

Even if I possessed one, how could photographs taken within a dream ever be brought into reality?

Perhaps I should try venturing to the right this time? It was a direction I had yet to explore.

****

“Hoo—” I exhaled a long sigh, wiping away the beads of sweat that had gathered on my forehead.

At last, I had emerged from the grassland, having taken the rightward path.

It struck me that this section of grass appeared even more vast than those in the other three directions.

Scanning my surroundings, I noticed a dense scattering of trees; was the right direction, then, a forest?

I decided to delve deeper.

Having spent a considerable amount of time simply exiting the grassland, and uncertain when the dream might dissolve, I resolved to run.

“Alright! Run—”

“Eh?!”

****

“Why is there a sheer drop here, ahhhhhhh!!!”

And with that, I tumbled down, my screams echoing into the void.

****

“Beep beep beep beep, beep beep beep beep, beep beep beep beep”

The alarm clock blared its irritating summons.

“Uhm—” I slowly pried open my eyes.

To my dismay, the dream had indeed transformed into a nightmare.

How utterly dreadful; I had never experienced anything quite like it before.

I reached up to touch my head, finding it damp.

How awful; the fright had left me drenched in a cold sweat.

A slight itch also plagued me, suggesting my hair had grown out again, despite having been cut not long ago.

I resolved to find time for a haircut today.

“Beep beep beep beep, beep beep beep beep, beep beep beep beep”

My hand fumbled blindly beside the pillow, but failed to connect with the alarm clock.

Ah! I remembered, I had placed it atop the wardrobe last night.

I languidly pushed myself into a sitting position on the bed.

“Mm—”

I stretched languidly, a wide yawn escaping my lips.

My head felt unusually heavy today.

“Beep beep beep beep, beep beep beep beep, beep beep beep beep”

This alarm clock was truly vexing…

Rubbing the sleep from my eyes, I slipped on my slippers, then hunched over as I shuffled towards the wardrobe where the persistent alarm clock resided.

“Beep beep beep beep, beep beep beep beep, beep beep beep beep”

‘Alright, alright, I’m coming to silence you now,’ I thought, my eyes still narrowed against the light as I yawned and extended my right hand.

“Beep beep beep beep, beep beep beep beep, beep beep beep beep”

“Hm?”

‘Odd. Why couldn’t I reach it? How on earth had I managed to place it there last night?’

“Beep beep beep beep, beep beep beep beep, beep beep beep beep.”

****

“Stop ‘beeping’ already! It’s so utterly annoying!!!”

In a fit of pique, I sprang upward, snatching the alarm clock from the top of the wardrobe.

However, upon landing, my balance felt strangely off-kilter, as if something within me was swaying.

I ended up collapsing onto one knee before the cabinet, a jarring impact.

“That stings a little…”

Bracing myself against the cabinet, I slowly rose to my feet.

After silencing the alarm, I tossed it backward without a glance.

‘Plop.’ (It landed on the duvet.)

Hearing the soft thud, I proceeded towards the bathroom, a sense of relief washing over me, though my steps remained somewhat unsteady.

‘Perhaps I should see a doctor later,’ I mused, as I inserted the toothpaste-laden toothbrush into my mouth and began to brush.

Naturally, my gaze drifted upwards to meet the mirror.

****

It was as though the entire world had abruptly fallen silent.

I lowered my toothbrush and, with my right hand, tentatively prodded the mirror’s surface.

The reflection mimicked my action precisely.

Well, of course it did! It was a mirror, after all!

However, contrary to this undeniable truth, my emotions at that moment were convoluted to an extreme degree—so profound, in fact, that I inadvertently swallowed the mouthful of toothbrushing water still swirling in my mouth.

I, at this very moment, might well be trembling.

No, I *was* definitely trembling right now!!!

With wide, unblinking eyes, I fixated on the mirror, drawing in a deep, shuddering breath.

“Who are you?!!!”

Reflected in the mirror was a girl, her hair slightly disheveled, her face contorted in an expression of profound shock.