Chapter two of the story that got 3rd place in the royalty completion.

I peer above the covers, clutching the blanket close to my face. I press the sheets down tightly around my body, trapping the warm air in. Tree branches smack my windows like toy monkeys crashing their symbols together. I gently shut my eyes and try to sink farther into the mattress, searching for anything comfortable. I welcome the sinking feeling and relinquish the firm glare plastered to my face.

The darkness dances over me, washing my body in waves. The steady thump of the tree is suddenly less noticeable. Romeo’s young face is gradually painted into my mind, he’s dreamlike and mysterious. The details slowly settle into place, his eyes appear more vivid and his hands are soft and pale.

I look around myself, the dream glitching in my mind. Romeo flashes in and out of his childlike form. We stand in front of the bridge waiting for something to propel us to cross. This memory is familiar and so is the sound of the waters below. The murky blue below roars at us, inviting us down for a quick swim.

Romeo breaks out in a run across the bridge, leaping over fallen branches and debris from the storm last night. I jog after him, a childish grin creeping over my face. Oh how dreadfully pleasant it feels to be eight once more.

The stones beneath my feet are made of air, a giant bouncy castle leading to somewhere mystical. The path to town winds along, a curvature so elegant that my heart need not be worried. Trees pop up like moles eager to be whacked. Their colors tantalize my mind, evolving and developing complex new layers as the sun weaves its way through the clouds. Smells of cinnamon and sugar waft through the air, sending sparkles and speckles of flavors down my nose. Brick houses make their way into my view. I run my fingers along the sides of the cool brick, letting their bumps move my fingers all about on the wall. The rough edges feel more vivid than a dream, even though they flicker slightly in my view. Romeo stalks up to me and laughs in my face as he shoves me down into a pile of hay.

I shake my body like a wet dog, sending hay flinging a few feet into the air. I giggle happily, and roars of chuckles shake my body like maracas. I fly down the street as strange-looking people jump out of my way. They yelp and ooh and ahh. I stop running and look for Romeo, my concern ever growing. My face squishes like a marshmallow, childish frown lines spread across my face. I feel a comforting hand on my shoulder, holding me in place but not firmly. I turn around to see an older man frowning down at me. He bows his head and mutters a phrase I’ve grown to dread.

“Thou est my prince whom I shalt sacrifice all for, thou art worthier than I. Taketh my gifts thy prince, I boweth down to thee.” He says softly. I want to say something, but my childlike form doesn’t listen. I try to open my eyes but I’ve fallen too deeply. The warmth carried from his forced smile is too great an invitation to turn down. So, instead, I feel my miniature arms reach out and accept his gift.

I take out the small loaf of bread I know is waiting for me, and smile with appreciation. He blinks back at me in response and then walks away smoothly. Other children begin to surround me, singing songs and dancing around. Their parents are nowhere to be seen, and Romeo is still gone somewhere.

The children gently place beads around my neck and swing me around with them. Soon, I’m being yanked in three different directions and hear a commotion coming from afar. Children are being snatched from all around me, their screams hushed by something or someone. This moment is not like how I remember it, this is no longer like the time Romeo and I snuck into town together. I struggle once more, trying to escape this dream… or nightmare.

I spin in circles as more and more little boys and girls disappear from all around me. When I finally stop spinning I fall to the left a bit, almost hitting my head on a lamppost. I see mother staring at me with fire in her eyes. Father is there too, his cheeky grin makes me want to smile just as he did. Except I cannot--his smile is forbidden--unlike he, I am not on a quest only meant to die.

Mother’s face is young and beautiful like it used to be. However, the lines that drag her face down are already beginning to form. Just like the way they magically appeared one day when father died.

Romeo stands behind father, his eyes full of guilt and mischief. I cannot bare to look at them both, to remember what we all used to have. And so, I don’t. I feel reality return and I open my eyes sharply, sitting up abruptly.

Outside my window, raindrops fall like autumn leaves, collecting in small puddles spread about on the ground. The rain smoothly spreads down the glass, like peanut butter onto bread. I heave myself out of bed, already knowing I won’t be able to sleep again tonight.

So, I hop out of bed and begin to write. I dip my quill in a container of dark black ink and begin to spread the words onto the pages like window wipers on a rainy afternoon. I begin with the words, Dear Romeo,