द बेसिलिस्क क्रीड: चैप्टर टू (रोल प्ले एडिशन)

 

 

 

मीठी नींद आए

 

 

 

A massive surge of light erupts out of nowhere, instantly disrupting your sleep and singeing your eyes even though your lids are closed. It feels like someone’s pointing a billion industrial flashlights directly at your face.

You groan at the unbearable sensation, trying to shield yourself from the onslaught. Your eyelids start to flutter, blinking rapidly despite your sleepy haze as you struggle in vain to block out the intrusive light.

 

उह। मुझे विश्वास नहीं हो रहा है कि यह पहले से ही सुबह है।

Just then, an odd, unfamiliar sense of awareness befalls you.

 

You feel…

 

अजीब।

 

Like you’re swaying, yet…immobile.

द्रव अभी तक तय है।

एक साथ उठना और गिरना।

 

कुछ ठीक नहीं लग रहा...

 

You open your eyes reluctantly, using one hand to brace yourself against the bright beams of the sun as the world appears before you.

 

और, लड़का, क्या यह उज्ज्वल है।

 

बहुत चमकदार।

 

You sniffle as you toss in your bed, feeling around for your pillow with one hand so you can bury your head under it while you shield your eyes with the other. Your mattress isn’t exactly up there with the Tempurpedics or anything, but your goodness, it feels softer than usual.

 

ए बहुत नरम।

 

लेकिन एक मिनट बाद और अभी तक कोई तकिया नहीं।

 

और, किसी कारण से, यह देर से वसंत में एक ताजा कटे हुए लॉन की तरह महकती है-

 

Abruptly, intuition kicks in, the wheels in your head spinning faster than they should, and in that moment, and you realize something:

 

You’re not in your bed.

 

You’re not even in your अपार्टमेंट.

 

You jerk upright impulsively, waves of panic and trepidation searing through your body, your head pounding with adrenaline-spiked blood.

You look around frantically, your eyes wide as saucers, rapidly scanning your surroundings.

 

कपास के मोटे गुच्छों और असामान्य रूप से बड़े सूरजमुखी द्वारा छिद्रित हर दिशा में मीलों और उल्लेखनीय रूप से हरी घास हमेशा के लिए फैल जाती है।

क्या बकवास है…?

Your brows furrow as you continue to stare at the eye-catching—albeit baffling—view.

क्या कपास और सूरजमुखी एक साथ उगते हैं?

Your mind quickly snaps back to the present as realization dawns on you, and your brief sense of intrigue and curiosity is replaced once more by anxiety and confusion.

आखिर मैं हूं कहां?

You stand up, your legs slightly shaky from your suddenly overactive nerves, and any remnants of sleep and drowsiness are completely gone now. Your heart pounds in your chest as you try to make sense of what’s happening.

मैं यहाँ कैसे आया?

हाय भगवान्…

हे भगवान, क्या मेरा अपहरण कर लिया गया था? क्या कोई पागल मेरे अपार्टमेंट में घुस गया और मुझे दवा दी?

You’re trying desperately not to freak out, but your efforts are proving to be useless because you’re right on the verge of a major panic attack—

A sound abruptly tears through the relative quiet, making your already distressed heart leap into your throat. Your head whips left and right reflexively, your eyes searching frantically for its source, but you see nothing. You have no idea which direction it even came from. It kind of sounds like a bird…but you can’t be sure.

 

Heart pounding, you hesitantly look up to the sky, afraid of what you might find. But, as soon as you do, all your worries disintegrate, your fear instantly replaced by an immeasurable sense of amazement and a strange reverence. You’re awe-struck by the sheer beauty of what’s in front of you, staring with eyes wide open at the incredible, vast hue of blue and distinct golden rays of sunlight poking through its mantle, visibly filtering all the way down to the ground. There isn’t a cloud in sight.

यह बहुत ही असामान्य है, विशेष रूप से वर्ष के इस समय के लिए-

You feel your brows begin to furrow of their own accord as the wheels in your head spin.

You look down impulsively, tearing your gaze away from the gorgeous skyline above and belatedly realizing two things for the first time since you woke up.

One: You’re barefoot.

 

तुम कभी नहीँ नंगे पाँव।

And two: You’re wearing a sheer, white night-gown…one that looks a बहुत like your mother’s…

एक मिनट रुकिए…मैंने इसे सोने के लिए नहीं पहना था। और मुझे पूरा यकीन है कि मैंने मोज़े तब पहने थे जब—

Suddenly, it dawns on you.

हूँ...क्या मैं...सपना देखना?

 

Your attention goes back and forth between your naked feet and the gown draping your body, eventually settling on the latter. you look down the grand length of it, lifting the simple hemline to your knees and observing the peculiar ivory embroidery and stitching along the collar and cuffs.

You run your palms over the satin finish tentatively as a questioning frown makes its way onto your face.

यह सब कुछ बहुत अजीब लगता है।

यह है एक सपना होना।

यह केवल एक चीज है जो समझ में आती है - जितना पागल लगता है।

You nod, as if to confirm your speculation, your eyes switching between the immaculate gown and the contrasting bright colors of your surroundings.

हाँ। हाँ, यह होना ही है। मेरे पास उनमें से एक है ... वे उन्हें क्या कहते हैं? सुहावने सपने?

हाँ यह सही है।

You’re in a lucid dream.

 

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