I Was Running. In that middle realm between dreams and reality. The forlorn caw of a raven shook me from my goal–the dark, waste encased grey smoke rising towards the heavens before me. I tripped, my feet leaving the ground, the wind whipping past my face, scratching me–scarring me. The cries of the raven grew louder until with a snap I realized that it was laughing. I was out of time. I ran anyway, ignoring the tale tell signs that I was being herded like cattle, off course. The shadows were growing nearer, finger-less hands reaching for me, silver eyes squinting in merriment. “We found you!” they sang, toothless grins spreading as far as the night itself. The path ended, the smoke gone… so was my hope. The darkness before me began to form, a smiling face, twisted into falsified safety turning towards me with open arms. “Welcome home,” she said. And the more I tried to escape, the more I began to think so.   -Short Story written by Jae Lei Nyght