Awakening.

The solace of the morning beckoned ever so subtly, though the strength of its pull was without question, quite enticing. Rubber soles made a nonchalant thud as they made contact with the paved cement of the sidewalk, rhythmically repeating themselves in an upbeat, yet relaxed manner. A cool breeze that had the potential to incite shivers to the unprotected, moved fleetingly through the area, caressing the exposed face and hands of the only individual available in the open. The coldness of the morning was accentuated by the stiffness of the grass and trees that were present in the vicinity, and also by the grayness of the sky and neighborhood. The lone stroller knew that the day would heat up in a few hours, though, and he'd have to return home and remove his jacket and sweat pants in order to fit the requirements of the weather, lest he turn his shirt into a sweat-rag, which might happen even if he did dress down. His house was visible from his position as he calmly made his way towards it. Morning was a good time to get out of the house because it wasn't too hot yet, and the cold was not biting or bone-chilling, though it did create numerous goose bumps on the skin of his forearms.

Something, however, was amiss. He knew he was walking towards the house, but he didn't see himself getting any closer to it, and the structure remained the same distance away from him even as he picked up his pace, and the relaxed upbeat thuds became slightly frantic. Soon enough, he was running with all his might, a shout of despair swelling up in his throat, the quiet neighborhood changed into a curtain of darkness, to the point where it seemed he was running through a pitch black void of nothingness, and the fear of becoming lost pounded in his mind. He looked, hopefully, towards his house, but the building was distorted, as if he was looking at it through a warped mirror, the kind that are usually found in carnivals. Then the building started to changed. It grew in size, and became a dark tower, with giant spikes protruding from the walls. Then the tower began to fall towards him, and just before impact, he shut his eyes as tightly as possible.

And then he awoke. His eyes opened to an empty room, with the pale morning light flowing lazily through an open window on the wall beside his head. He breathed a sigh of relief, before he heard his name. "Mark!" Then he inhaled a breath of dread. It was a school day, he woke up late, and now he'd have to rush to shower and eat breakfast, then run out to the bus stop before it left him, and he'd probably forget something important, like his keys, in the chaotic turmoil.

And he didn't even get to take his morning walk.