ebb & flow

The shattering of the glass was what finally brought her to her knees. Her eyes couldn't even produce tears at that point; they couldn't do anything but stare down at the laminate as if confused as to how they got so close, as to how the tiny shards were cutting into the flesh of her knees and palms. How long she was there is a mystery lost to the world. The sound of nails suddenly clicking made her look up. "Duck, no," she spoke softly, lifting her hand to stop the dog in its tracks. Seeing his deep, brown eyes caused a stirring within her shell like she hadn't felt all day and she slowly stood, the scraping of glass pieces softly echoing in her ears. After picking the pieces out of her hands, she grabbed the broom and began to clean, determined to do something, anything right today, and all for Duck. She swept the small pile she had made into a dust pan and disposed of it into the trash before picking the shards out of her knees and legs as well, small streams of blood leaking out to remind her she was still alive. Shambling legs took her to the cabinet that held the small first aid kit and she cleaned her wounds and bandaged them knowing she had washed her sheets not three days ago. Once the tiny holes were patched, she began the ascent up the stairs, making sure Duck was following. If she had any hope of sleep, he would need to be present.

Once tucked into her sheets, the warmth enveloping her like a hug from an old friend, she shut her eyes and immediately her soul fell through the ether, taking her into a darkness like nothing she had ever felt before. It was heavy, as if she were in a container for an experiment floating in something with the viscosity of mucus. Through this she moved, confused - she didn't normally have dreams so vivid. Was this what all the talk about lucid dreaming was about? The darkness that surrounded her was cut through in the distance by a small dot of purple and that purple called out to her, causing her to move through the space at the fastest rate she could muster. As she came closer, it looked like someone had dropped a substance on the ground, said substance splattering everywhere. She came closer to it on all fours. The swirls of pinks, purples, and blues were mesmerizing.

"Hello."

Her head snapped around toward the voice, squinting through the darkness. "Who's there?"

"Easy there, I'm just here to help." The person was starting to become lit by the light of the puddle and she was ethereal: her hair was the lightest lilac, braided so intricately by surely-deft hands and her face was so beautiful, it might cause those who look upon it to weep.

"What makes you think I need help?" After all, this was just a stupid dream. What kind of dream-help could she have possibly needed?

"Sophrona, you're staring into sludge on the ground."

"..........you got me there." How did she know her name?

"And besides, if you didn't need help, you would have already gone on and done something."

"What?"

"Exactly. Here." She pulled a small vial of soft, sparkling light, a sun ray in a bottle, and waited for Sophrona to stand, slipping it into her hand and folding her fingers in on it.

"What is it? Glitter?"

"We can call it 'Glitter', if you'd like. You need to decide what it is."

"Sorry, how is this considered 'help'?" Sophrona squinted up at the being.

"Do you want me to leave? Because that attitude is how you get me to le-"

"God, no, okay, sorry. What do you mean I have to decide what it is?"

The being sighed softly. "You need to use your imagination. Decide what it is. What this is. You have the power here."

Sophrona looked down at the vial, opening her hand to let it roll gently in her palm. "Do I eat it?"

"No!" She coughed, composing herself once more, her face shifting from disgusted to placid. "I mean, you spread it. That's how the last person did it, anyway."

She tapped the top of the vial with a fingertip and the cork came off, the soft light oozing out onto her hand. Just spread it, huh? She pinched a bit off and threw it toward an area of darkness away from the two of them. The unceremonious plop was a surprise to both of them. She and the being met gazes again.

"Oh, dear. Well, uh, maybe you have to be thinking about what it is you want it to be?"

With a nod, she pinched another bit off, rubbing it between her fingertips as she contemplated what she wanted it to be. Once the notion was in her head, she threw it and instantly a hole started. It was small enough to fit an ant through at first but grew in size, allowing for anyone to enter and, perhaps, exit.

"What'd you decide?"

"I figured a portal to a cool world would be a good thing for it to be."

"How wildly unspecific. Bold! I like it! Okay, so, before you head off to do whatever it is you creatures do, just remember not to use all of that at once."

"Why not?"

"It was kind of a mess the last time someone did that. We don't speak about it."

"Duly noted." Slowly she moved toward the portal, picking up the bit of sunshine ooze that she threw earlier and capping it in the glass with the remaining lot. Her heart beat so fast and heavy she couldn't hear if anything else was said before thrusting her hand into the hole, shutting her eyes and bracing herself to feel the loss of a limb that never came. Emboldened, she slowly put her head through and brought the rest of her body parts along as she stepped in.