The grass was green and wet with dew from the morning mists. I breathed in deeply, enjoying the sound of the birds early songs. But something was missing. I looked around, slowly becoming more and more anxious. To the natural eye, everything was normal. Everyone was doing things exactly as they should. A little boy ran around his mother laughing merrily as a cart of goods led by an angry looking m...

“If you go missing while you’re here, no one will look for you. It’s part of the magic of this place—it was designed to make things easier for the predators. Once you’re gone you’re promptly forgotten by everyone, signs of your existence overlooked until they can be tucked away and vanished entirely by the city itself. I don’t know if there’s a way to get your stuff back once that happens, becayse...

It allows people to do anything, that's what it allows people to do. In the last month, five different people have been leader. FIve.

Anyways, hi. My name is August. I come from a world where dreams and reality are woven together. And trust me, it is true chaos. I've hated the idea ever since my mom and dad died after a dragon someone dreamed of went crazy and set the town on fire. It took weeks ...

It had always been a mystery to me; why we dream what we dream. What sparked the images, the stories that played out inside our unconscious minds? Was there a meaning to them, or were they just random pieces of events, fragmented into a collage of personal surrealism?

I was in a coma once, following a road traffic accident. Several months cut off from the outside world, cut off from my loved ones...

Land beyond land and tall tree forests of green.

I’m on the back of my horse, who sweats and turns fast. My seat is strong and my hands worn just the right amount. My cowboy leads us, galloping off to a halt to rope the stray calf in the trees. He gets her and pulls her in, his horse holding steady between his thighs.

He smells of sweat and dirt, lifting his hat ever so occasionally to air his ha...

After an exhausting day, I’m excited to get a whole night to myself. No one can see you when you’re dreaming, and you can’t interact with other dream personas, which makes it the highlight of my day. As I fall into my bed, I can feel my eyes closing. I think it only takes a minute or two before I fall asleep, but it’s hard to tell.

As I enter REM sleep, I feel my dream self separate from my bod...

it feels like a dream

but i know it’s not

i love you

it feels unreal

but it is

you love me

i want to hear your voice

every day

i love you

i want to feel you smile

when i kiss you

you love me

i want you to hug me from behind

and kiss my cheek

i love you

i want you to to trace your fingers

up and down my spine

you love me

i want you to play with my hair

and hold my hand

i love you

...

“wake up!” I shout to myself

but time

is ticking away.

“wake up!” I yell

“hurry, before it’s too late!”

but it is.

the last thing

I feel

is the cold

hard

concrete

floor....

“Alexa, TV off,” Xander said to the set.

The blue trance of light blinked out. Cracking his neck, Xander smothered a yawn. Mimi yawned loudly, stretched like a cat, and rolled into the warmth of her husband’s side. He stretched out his right arm to gather her closer. They were both too tired to get up and go to bed. Xander laid his cheek on the top of her messy bun of hair. She smelled of coconut...

It’s called The Mantra.

Only a few people had it. It was sometimes hard to separate from mental illness, especially since it sounded delusional. The feeling between worlds that suspended you halfway. A realm between euphoria and deceit, the mind's greatest desire or impenetrable prison. Either way, it was an escape from the real world. The Mantra was a world on its own, where dreams ran rampant....