Work Text:
“They said you were sleeping. Were you dreaming?”
“I suppose. It felt real.”
“A nightmare?”
“No. I was… walking down a hallway. There were so many doors, so many choices. And I think I could have chosen any of them.”
“That’s….”
“Some of the doors were freezing cold when I put my hands to the wood. Some of them were old and worn. Some had… some sort of fluid leaking from under the door.”
“That doesn’t have to mean anything.”
“I heard noises too. I heard the horrible screeching of a train trying to stop. I never realised quite how awful that sounded before.”
“A train?”
“And I knew, somehow I just knew, that if I opened that door I’d see my own corpse on the tracks.”
“No! That doesn’t-“
“Mean anything?”
“It doesn’t. You had a nightmare, that’s all.”
“I heard drums. There was sunlight coming from under that door. It was so warm. I wanted to turn the handle. I wanted to step through. I could almost feel the earth beneath my bare feet. I could see silk covered in geometric patterns when I closed my eyes.”
“And... the kin?”
“I could feel blood dripping from my hands.”