The Spider and the Fly

Self-awareness was not one of Leafy’s strong points. She was far from her own body without the capacity to realize it. Her body had followed a path, not of its own creation. And now she was here speaking with a strange dragon about someone she had never met in a place impossible for her to be.

“A dreamer? I’m not sure if I know anything about them. I suppose they must be formidable if they managed to trap us both here,” Leafy said.

Trying to picture the dreamer felt almost like trying to catch rainwater in her hands. Every time she thought she had a good grasp, the image melted away. Like water dripping through her fingers.

“I think they’re a predator. Someone who draws you in with their charm. When you’re close enough, they’d grab you, but not to eat. No this is someone who likes to play with their food first.” The dream felt more like a warning than anything else, but Leafy felt herself drawn in anyway. “I see deep purple. A shade that reminds me of royalty. But the dreamer isn’t born of high status. No, they’ve made themselves that way. I also see dark red, the colour of blood. Perhaps it is a trap after all.”

She couldn’t stop the violent shivering that overtook her body. Was this supposed to happen? It didn’t feel like a nightmare, but would she be able to tell the difference? This wasn’t her dream after all.

“The eyes are the most striking part of the dreamer. I can’t tell you why, but they’ve drawn me in. I can’t look away. Is the dreamer a reptile? I see scales and something sharp. I think they’d cut me if I touched them.”

The shaking only grew. She placed the palms of her hands out in front of her. Watching as they jittered up and down without her consent.

“They have five toes just like me.” A strange detail, one that felt odd to be so fixated on. “I think if I ran, they’d chase me forever. If I swam, they’d pin me down underwater. They’d choke me until I did what they wanted. They are certainly built for endurance first and foremost.”

The image of the dreamer slipped away as quickly as it had appeared to her in the first place. Terror struck through her body and the desire to run away overtook her.

“I wish to wake up now!” Leafy demanded, though her voice shook just like everything else was. “I don’t want to be here!”

She could hear cheering from far away. Revering the image of what she could only assume was the dreamer. The effect was calming. It made her feel safe and loved. Her hands stilled and her heartbeat slowed. She wanted to stay here longer. A surge of confidence flowed through her. Everything felt right in this world. She was suddenly aware of the presence of a coin fitted into her left hand. Serenity filled her body as she tossed the coin into the air. It was swallowed up by a pool of water that she only now noticed.

(Theme: Leadership, Deep Purple and Blood Red, Scales and Sharpness, Five Toes)