Drifting, falling, floating, weightless... Pt 1

____Michael walked down a deserted street, ignored the mumbling, oddly familiar shapes, and tried his best to follow a very familiar shape that was very effectively eluding him. The looming, non-descript buildings that lined the street wouldn’t stay still. They leaned over as he walked past, as if to examine the only solid thing to have walked past in however long the street, the shapes or they had existed. Something started to speak in abrupt, shallow, prodding waves.

____Michael knew the very familiar shape was close. He just needed to focus on it; he needed to stop and grab hold of it. The waves of sound called clearer, and ripped Michael’s gaze away from the very familiar shape that had finally started to clarify. Instead he now saw the white matte finish of his ceiling, and could clearly hear his alarm clock and its sharp wail.

____“Happy birthday.” Michael sighed. He reached over the edge of his bed and turned the alarm off. He could now hear the cooling air that was spilling out of the vent above his head. Without even getting up to look out the window he knew it was cloudy outside. The light that streamed in through his window would slowly dim before returning to its unfiltered radiance. The nearly clear and very familiar shape from his dream suddenly came back to him. It was a dream he’d been having more frequently since his birthday came within the “Have you thought about what you’d like for your birthday” question asking distance.

____In the dream, the very familiar shape had yet to be fully revealed, but he already knew the very familiar shape. Even though he knew the very familiar shape, it was still irritating to have the dream interrupted before it had a chance to finish. It never finished.