PROMPT DESCRIPTION

Dream sequence/flashback

Write a dream sequence or a flashback scene without having to say it's a dream or a flashback.

Your dream must contain your character falling asleep and end with them waking up.

Your flashback must include the trigger, so what starts it off and also what ends it, what brings them back from it.

You only need to write one or the other and not both.

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The antique grandfather clock struck midnight, each bong like a crack of thunder echoing into the emptiness of the chamber-and into Marianna's heart. She gazed at its face, transfixed by the hypnotic ticking that buzzed in her ears. Then it all ceased to exist!

Lately, she'd been struggling to fall asleep. Memories from the last few nights fluttered through her mind as she pondered her fate in the desolate halls of the cathedral-the looming darkness, the ball where she danced with him, and their first kiss. It had been a sweet release, but also a curse.

She waved the thought away from her, as though she could physically shun the tether that bound the two. It was all a futile gesture anyway.

Wandering through the maze of hallways, her mind drifted through the memories she'd accumulated over the last month. There was nothing in them that gave her a clue of how to get herself out of the contract she was in. Though, she felt a block on her mind that kept her from viewing the whole picture like she wanted.

A sudden wave of a heightened sense of fear trembled through her bones, forcing the hairs on the back of her neck to stand on end.

She paused. Waited. Listened.

Wrapping her arms around herself, she slowly made her way down the poorly-lit hallway of the missionary. Hushed voices hung in the air around her, pushing through the barriers in her mind to let them in. With each step, they grew louder and the shadows at the end of the hall only grew.

Marianna made a sharp left turn whilst she strained to listen to what the whispers were saying. However, they were too quiet for her to make out any discernible sentence.

Giving up, she kicked at the skirts of her ballgown from the night before. At this point, she'd given up on where she was going. All that mattered was getting away from the looming darkness that threatened to encase her.

"I thought you were asleep."

The sound of his voice almost stopped her heart. It was a sweet, smooth caress down her spine. Spinning on her heel, she faced him and a smile grew until it split her face.

His face was aglow with mischief. A smirk tugged at his lips, causing a chain reaction to the twinkle in his mismatched eyes.

Before Marianna realised what she was doing, her feet moved of their own volition, picking up the pace until she ran into him. Her arms wrapped around his neck, holding him tightly to her.

He grunted, a chuckle sharply following behind. "What's this for?"

"Promise you won't leave me on my own again," Marianna whispered into his ear. "Promise me you'll stay, Dorian."

Running a slender finger down her back, he nodded against her. "Always. You'll never be alone. I'll always be here."

As if on cue, the grandfather clock chimed in the distance. Beneath her fingers, she found Dorian's solid form slipping away from her. Marianna pulled away, staring at the face of her beloved.

Only, his face was no longer a face. It distorted with each crack of the clock, the ticking weaving itself around her again. The lips were pulled until the gums and teeth were visible, the skin pulling until all that was left was a disjointed mould of a corpse which looked little like Dorian. Then with the final chime, he disappeared and Marianna screamed!

"Wake up!" Dorian called into the nothingness, shaking Marianna until her eyes fluttered open.

Looking up, she found him staring down at her, worry creasing his forehead. She gulped, the rawness of her throat making her spit feel like a knife slicing down it.

"Are you okay? What was that about?" he asked quickly, every stray thought running out of his mouth at once.

She shook her head. "Just a nightmare. It was nothing." Marianna leaned away from him, waiting for him to assess the situation before leaving her again.

"You promised," she wanted to yell until she realised it had all been a dream. The words were caught in her throat as Dorian bowed his head at her, leaving through the door to her chambers after giving her a glance back. For now, that would be enough!

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PLACEMENT: First Place