Dunes of Delusion.

(Part one)

I feel it, swirling over me; coarse and warm. The wind carries it at a constant flow across my exposed legs and back. A pressure on my chest informs me that I am lying flat down, face slightly tilted to the side. Muffled sounds come to my attention, too distant for me to comprehend. My throat is raw, my mouth parched; I lever my eyelids gradually apart but can not bring my eyes into focus. My myopic vision finally discerns a twisting pattern of particles…sand!

Blinking as my mind clears; I pull my half-submerged bulk out of the ground. Looking around, a barren, dune-filled landscape is all that there is to see. The pale light of a setting sun casts an eerie atmosphere upon the land. I become conscious of the breeze beating against my body once again and look down at myself. My chest is bare except for a multitude of discolourations on my skin, my khaki trousers (they don’t deserve to be called that) is a patchwork of holes and I am shoe-less. My memory is also in tatters; I do not recall how I have come to be here. A high-pitched tone vibrates around me and words are hinted at but these soon conclude with their significance lost. With no other ideas coming to mind, I begin to walk towards the sunset.

Day slips into night.

Walking, my head gazing at the ground, I become transfixed by the rhythmic movement of my feet. Each step in perfect harmony with my hollow breathing. Ascending another familiar hill, a break in the monotonous surroundings appears – leafless trees dot the land before me. Their twisted, angular forms are a profound contrast to the curvature of the dunes. They almost appear human with their branches stretching out towards the sky in yearning. Following their reach, I gaze up into the night…beauty envelops me. The stars are twinkling eyes affixed to the blackness of space. The eyes blink erratically and I shake my head in confusion. “What the hell”, I shout aloud. In response, the atmosphere shifts all focus to me. I run.

Haunted by the glares of the heavens I keep on running through the graveyard of trees. Up ahead, the sickle moon is my totem, feeding me energy to continue my flight. Faster I run. Wind whistles at my side with faint murmurs mixed in. Thunder rumbles and I look back in time to see a whiteness descend. Flowing out of the sky and pooling on a distant sand dune the stars empty themselves. Suddenly the pure mass explodes! This results in a vaporous cloud that expands in all dimensions. I cease my escape in awe until I notice the mist consuming the twisted trees transforming them into crystal. My retreat begins once more. The translucence pursues relentlessly and I comprehend my fate. Chilling mist surrounds me. As the crystal encases me, I grasp towards the sickle moon. She has failed me.

Frozen, yet conscious, with a hand stretched upwards; from a distance, I could be mistaken for a dying tree.

~

The Sandman