During the day,it seemed I was drifting past unnoticed at school,at home. But I never cared,because at night,all my dreams came to life.
Its called lucid dreaming.You know you are dreaming, and can control yourself and choose what you do. I also have a dream guide. He is a huge silver wolf,whose long fur catches the moonlight of the
twin moons that hung in the forever twilight coloured sky. He said his name was Zenith. The interesting thing was he talked straight into my mind,instead of aloud.
We were trying to reach the end of a journey. A journey I could only
progress in while I was asleep. During the day, I thought of ways to reach the purpose of the journey. After all, without a purpose, where was the journey?
We were attempting to get to the Mountain of Mist, where the epitome of all dreams laid. There Zenith said I would discover the meaning of the journey.
We had to traverse the Plains of the Edge, climb the cliffs of the Eden Waterfall, somehow make it through the Whitewood, and then even Zenith did not know what perils lay in wait, unless he chose not to tell me.
I don't remember when I began this journey, but Zenith tells me each night that soon it will be all over.

I sat in study hall, reading my book, when he came in and sat next to me. I bit my lip as I
heard him say "hey". I was never sure if he was talking to me, so I
kept my eyes on the words on the page, having to reread them over and over because my attention was now focused on his words to the people he was talking to. I bit my lip again, and wished my assigned seat was elsewhere, as I did everyday.

That night I was at the beginning of the Plains of the Edge, which marked where the real part of the
journey began. The edge between dreams and real life. Reality resided in both. A dream is as real as the one who dreams it, in Zenith's words.
In one moment my wide eyes gazed upon emerald grass, sapphire streams and ponds, flowers glittering of every hue completing
the rainbow, and the never changing sky that met it at the horizon. In another moment I
experienced the pure beauty over again. I grinned as I span around in circles with my hands in the air, dancing barefoot in the flowers. The Plains felt endless. I could perceive subtle hints of eternal happiness filtering in the sweet air.
Enough play.
"Zenith!" I saw his huge form appearing from the Edge and hugged his neck, his scruff rubbing against my cheek.
We need to get across the Plains tonight. You will otherwise be caught in blissful memories for an eternity, never to escape or perceive any other feeling. Never to truly live again with a full spectrum of emotions.
"Okay, Zen. But I don't see how that could be a bad thing."
You don't see a lot of things.
I shrugged his comment off, taking it as another of the things he said that I would never comprehend.
"Zen?"
He looked vicious. That was one of the things I had never expected to see; a side I never expected him to show. And now that he was, I wondered why, and why in such a serene place.
Look. . .All around you now.
I forced my eyes away, and suddenly the grass looked yellow, the water dirty brown swirls, and the flowers. . .dead.
Then the memories came. A flood of every terrible emotion I have experienced and waves of the memories I have so often endeavored to forget. Some of them I even had. But now the forgotten were reawakened. and the pain
renewed.
I cried out, putting my hands over my head as Zenith spoke of stopping my habits of pushing memories into deep parts of my being where I could not feel hurt from them, and to except them.
Everyone has these bad times. You are no exception. You need to learn nothing is
ever as it appears, and that in something horrid, you can find
something wonderful. As goes with the other way around.
He stopped his snarling facade and looked into my eyes. Could he see right through me? Could he see everything? And I knew, that he could. He wanted me to be accepting, but also not to
judge things by their appearance or by the feelings they send through us.
"I think I can see now Zen. I understand." I whispered.
Look. The end of the Plains draw near. Let us go swiftly, for the dawn in your world is upon us!

In study hall that day I thought about what Zenith said. Maybe because I liked him, I couldn't see who he really was. I took out a book, pretending to read,
as I really listened to the things he said, trying to get a sense of
his personality. Maybe someday, we would be friends. And maybe, someday I could say hi back.

Tonight we must find a way over the cliffs of the Waterfall of Eden. But this will be your only chance to gaze upon the scope of cliffs covered in moss, of sparkling water falling down its sides into a clear lake, and
the pure beauty.
"My only chance?"
Yes. For when you reach the end of this journey, you will never return to this place.
"But. . .will I-"
Come. There will be time for questions later.
I bit my lip. Was this journey something that once over,would perish from memory as any other dream? This world. . .seemed so real. But does this mean its only a dream? Just a regular dream, to which has an end, because all dreams end?
I shook my head. These questions would be answered later. At least that's what Zenith said. And I was pretty sure I trusted him.
Here.We need to get atop these cliffs.
I craned my head back until it hurt, and it seemed the cliffs still towered higher. Reach the top. . .of those ?
Trust me. You can make it.
Trust? I needed a lot of trust for a climb that high. The cliffs looked sheer for the most part. Nothing to hold on to.
Trust me. You will make it. Even when there seems no hope. Put your trust in me and you have that to hold onto.
"If you're sure. Zen, should I just walk over and start climbing?"
Yes. But take one more moment to take in this once in a lifetime sight. Not many in your world see such beauty as this. It is true.
A second later and I was on my way. I felt hopeless looking at the spot I had chosen to begin. I closed my eyes and breathed in. Zenith remained
silent. He must have felt I needed that.
I breathed in deep and released the air slowly. Then my ascent began. Somehow I managed to
keep a firm hold halfway up. Not once did I look down, but looking up
the sky appeared so much closer. The cliffs looked endless. Frustration rushed over me as did exhaustion. A tear fell onto my arm, though not out of sadness.
I had no perception of how long I held onto the cliff in that same spot, only that awhile later I remembered Zen's words.
I closed my eyes and pictured him. A smile spread from ear to ear and I opened my eyes. Suddenly I no longer felt without hope. I trusted Zenith and he said I would make it to where I needed to get.
I strained myself climbing, but I made it. Utterly exhausted, but no
worse off. I fell to the ground, onto my knees, but only after I
staggered away from the edge. If I looked down, I would freak out.
"Zen. . .where. . .are. . you?" I said between gasps for air.
I looked up but couldn't see him anywhere. I rested my arms on my knees,
then laid my head on my head on my arms. The exhaustion ebbed away, and
I wasn't worried. If I trusted Zenith, I shouldn't worry. And I didn't.

I put my hand over my mouth as I read my book again in study hall. I
wanted to hide the smile that had appeared when he walked into the
room. Someday I trusted I would talk to him. Say hi. Have a
conversation. And I hoped that I would like him for who he was. Because then I would actually be able to find out.

The Whitewood. I had to find a way through. The trees were of a white wood and the leaves a dark golden colour. They seemed to go on forever.
Not too long after I began staring into the trees which seemed to have
no pathways reaching through, Zenith appeared.
"So, Zen. I imagine there's going to be some lesson to help me through this too?"
It depends.
Another neither here nor there answer. I guessed I'd figure out for myself.
Indifferently I started walking to the first line of trees. That was when I heard something. A distant howl, it sounded like. I looked over at Zenith, wanting to know if he had anything to say.
There is one thing you need to know about the Whitewood. There is only one path through that will take you to the other side.
My eyes widened. "So how do I find this one path?"
You need to find it on your own.
Well, I saw that one coming.
And the way you do is by trusting your instincts and listening to your
feelings. Walk over to the seven openings and choose one.
"Only seven paths go through this forest?"
Yes. They wanted to maintain much of its natural growth.
I nodded and walked to the first path. I bit my lip, confused on how I was supposed to do this.
Just close your eyes. Think of nothing else.
I closed my eyes and tried to empty myself of everything save my
feelings. That wasn't as easy as it sounded. Something told me not to go this way. Maybe that it was dangerous.
I walked straight past the second and third paths. Something inside
told me to. It felt weird, to put this journey at stake and only be
following my feelings.
The fourth path felt good, so I checked the last three, and ended up coming back to the fourth. I took a deep breath.
"Okay Zen. This is it."
I cannot say whether or not you have chosen the right path, but you have manifested your skill quite well and your instincts were well listened to. Let us go. I led the way through the beginnings of the Whitewood. It seemed we walked for hours and the things around us never changed. I had a growing suspicion that I had been wrong.
But then we came upon the end of the trees. They were thinning out considerably
now. I sprinted ahead. I wanted to see what was next, but just as I
reached the outer boundaries of the Whitewood I was enveloped in a
bright white light.

The next day, he wasn't even at school. I tried not to be too disappointed, but that was hard. I tried not to read anything into it, but what if he was skipping or something? I hated people who did that. Something told me that he wasn't though, and I listened to that part of me.

A frozen desolate plain. An unnamed dangerous beauty in the dream realm. That was the peril that laid between me and the Mountain of Mist. At least, the only one I saw.
I looked around, watching for Zenith to appear. When he didn't, I figured I should press on through the cold alone. It wasn't my favorite choice, but I needed to.
Walking
with my hands crossed over my chest, I kept my eyes alert, and even
though the cold area was relentless with the pouring pure white snow and
icy wind, it was amazing. There were deep purple, turquoise, and other
coloured lights in the sky. That made me wonder if the mountain was
near.
All of a sudden, I fell into a dark chasm. A scream emitted
from my lips. I didn't fall for to long, and hit the bottom with a
thud.
Just what I needed.
I remembered all the things Zenith had told me. I knew I had to try to get myself out.
My hands were bloody by the time I climbed out. My feet ached. With each step I took sharp pains stabbed my side. I groaned.
You are almost there.
I turned my head and saw him padding toward me.
"Hey Zen." I smiled weakly.
This was easy only because of all you have learned. And now you are almost to the Mountain of Mist. Look into the distance. It rises above the horizon.
A little bit longer, and we reached it. The end of the journey. My sudden happiness blocked out the sadness.
Mist
floated around the mountain in swirls. The mountain itself stretched
high into the sky, its peak invisible to human eyes alone.
"What now?"
We have reached the Mountain successfully. Your journey is over. You have learned all that you have needed to.
My eyes teared. "Bye Zenith."
Farewell. . . And the dream, and the dream world, faded away.

I was kind of sad the next day in school, but in study hall,
it got better. I had been trying to figure out what the purpose had
been. I was supposed to have found out, but I wasn't sure. But when he
sat down, and said hey, I was actually able to smile.
"Hey. Whats up?"
And then I realized the whole purpose of the journey.