Have you ever dreamt about anything so real that you were flabbergasted when you woke up? Has it been difficult for you to understand if what you saw was real, or just a part of your creative imagination?

Dear diary, today, once again I had a nightmare. Everything was perfectly normal at first, the sky was clear, birds were singing joyfully and little rabbits were jumping in the field near me. The field itself was scenic, with green blades of grass swaying with the wind in rhythm. I was busy looking at the sky when a baby rabbit hit my leg. I turned my gaze down to check if he was injured, but there was no sign of any injury.

That rabbit was a true definition of beauty. It had long ears, a chubby face and a smile showcasing a pair of shiny teeth. As I sat down to have a good look at him, he ran away. I stood up to chase him. Time flew by, but I did not manage to find him. Instead, I got lost. I did not even remember how far I had come to this maze that surrounded me. Panic struck me. There were humongous trees that paved the way. How would I be able to search my way back?

Suddenly, the rabbit reappeared; he stared at me coldly before vanishing again.

What does his stare mean? Can’t he just help me out? My flustered self could no longer hold so I began ranting. Ranting turned to weeping and I fell into a slumber.

How could a dream seem so real? My day continued like any ordinary one; going to school, doing homework in the evening then playing table tennis with friends and sleeping at my usual time.

Again I found myself in the same maze. The trees, atmosphere, and everything were as usually identical as before. Why would my dream not move away from this place?

I examined the trees around where a baby deer was struggling to free himself from a lower branch of the tree. Bending down, I endeavoured to let it free, but instead, a thorn pricked me. Subconsciously, I wailed.

I woke up from my dream, panting. What a horrifying dream!

I rushed to the washroom to wash my face off before going to the fridge to gulp down some water.

Unable to sleep again I headed to my grandma’s room. She was resting peacefully. I couldn’t disturb her just because of some minor nightmare. It wasn’t about the surroundings or the view that I imagined, but rather the intense feelings of suffocation and restlessness. Therefore, I spent the entire night shifting sides on my bed.

Once my grandma woke in the morning I explained my troublesome thoughts of the night. Her reply was too simple: try to combat those negative feelings with all the good things that you ever had.

Not wanting to believe until I try, I thanked the Almighty for all His blessings, I literary counted all the bounties I had and, pleasantly, I found many things I was grateful for. With all the positive emotions surging, I dozed off.

Finally, no maze or strange rabbit or baby deer! It surely made me glad.

The next day, I was full of gratitude towards my grandma, but her response wasn’t some ‘Pleased to help’. She explained to me how my dream could be used as an analogy to compare our lives. When presented with new challenges, we are sometimes unable to surmount negative emotions, be it fear, or such. These emotions are the reason we fail. We can surmount the challenge, but our emotions of negativity bring us down. In any situation in life, we must remember to be full of optimism. Just like how I got rid of my nightmare by filling myself with positivity and optimism.

Published in Dawn, Young World, September 21st, 2024