I experienced a strange dream last night… I think it may have some connection to my past. It started off fairly normal. I was sitting on my couch watching television. It was some children’s programming from my childhood – something involving talking trains? I can’t imagine why I would be watching that at this stage of my life, but dreams are strange, I suppose. I do remember feeling very nostalgic in my dream, however… Perhaps this moment in my dream was simply born out of a sense of longing.
I watched the show for quite some time until the broadcast suddenly began acting strange… The images on screen morphed into something else entirely. It… was me, or rather, a view from my perspective within the Shortcut. I sat on the couch watching myself walk along the creek. It was a rather surreal experience.
The me on screen continued walking along the creek until I stopped at a reflection that I had never seen before… It was a two-storied house in some woods. As I watched myself step through the water, I remember feeling a growing sense of dread… It was as if I were watching a horror flick knowing that the killer was just around the corner.
The me on screen stepped out of the water and turned to the house. It was the dead of night. Behind the house was a full moon that illuminated the woods with an eerie glow. I approached the home and entered inside. As I did so – or rather, as I watched myself do so, the interior suddenly became engulfed in flames. My dread turned to horror. It felt so real.
My broadcasted self was unfazed. He began ascending the stairs, more flames following in his wake. Upon reaching the top, I – he entered into another room. A bedroom. Inside it was a man. Cowering. I knew what was about to happen. I told myself to stop. I screamed at the television, but he could not hear me. I watched as the room was suddenly rendered ablaze. I watched the man’s agony as he burned. I couldn’t take it anymore. Disgusted, I grabbed the nearest object and flung it at the television, shattering it.
As I stood there catching my breath, I suddenly heard a clicking noise coming from behind me… A VHS player. It spat out a tape… Had that been what I was watching? Some sort of snuff film? Why was I in it? My mind was pulled away from these questions as I slowly realized that something was off about my home. It… wasn’t my home. But… it was? It was a very confusing sensation, one that’s hard to describe…
I began wandering around the house. It was a bit difficult to navigate as it was quite dark. I entered a lit room with a mirror. When I looked at myself, I saw someone else… but it was still me. I still don’t know how to put it into words.
After that, it gets a bit fuzzy… I remember getting a familiar feeling – the feeling that I was being watched. I turned to look out the window and was greeted with a pair of glowing eyes. I was startled, obviously, but what shocked me more was what I saw in the window’s reflection. Standing behind me was that man… the one I saw yesterday. He was still wearing that giant, shiny mask. As I turned to look at him… I woke up.
I’m not really sure if I’d call what I experienced a “nightmare” since it was more surreal than anything. I’m left with some conflicting feelings… On one hand, I’m hopeful that this might be a sign of my lost memories finally beginning to resurface. However, if this is what my past consisted of, then perhaps it’s best left buried…
There is one more strange detail that I recall… Just as I was turning to face the masked man, I remember hearing someone whisper a name. “Nocta”.
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