When I was younger, I was a huge fan of plays on words (to be honest, I still am). And so, I wondered if the word nightmare stemmed from Night Mare: some dark horse that travelled through peoples' dreams and haunted them with terrible images.

Some years later, I saw an illustration of a boy in a classroom, asleep at his desk. Except, the classroom was flooded with water, and there was a girl floating in it, watching over him. I wondered, is he dreaming? Or had reality mixed with the dream? I thought, this would be an interesting tale — a boy who could imagine things into being. I never did write that story.

Come February, the third Open Novella Contest had begun. I told myself, no, you're not going to participate, you have other stories to work on. You don't have time. You have upcoming exams! Then I read prompt 15, and all these memories came flooding back, and, well, here we are, at the end of The Dreamers and my first completed work.

We made it!!! And while it's a first draft, and definitely has many rough edges that need fixing, I'm happy.

First of all, I want to give a huge thank you to my readers for your support and for sticking with Sean and Finn's story. It's been an absolute pleasure reading your comments and feedback. Thank you!

I'd also like to thank the Open Novella Contest committee for creating such a wonderful contest, and for the community it fosters. This story wouldn't have been possible without you! Thank you for your hard work!

Finally, I wish you all the best. Thanks for joining me on this journey. Sweet dreams!

— Salem