Have you ever dreamt about anything so real that you were flabbergasted when you woke up? Ever wondered 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 jollily and little rabbits were jumping in the field near me. The field itself was eye-catching 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 chased him. Time flew by, but I did not find him. Instead. I got lost. I didn’t even remember how far I had come into this maze that surrounded me. Panic struck me. There were humongous trees that paved the way. How would I be able to find 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 deep slumber.

As soon as I opened my eyes, the view in front of me surprised me — I was back in my bedroom! 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 wandering in my dreamland when I slept.

Letting my gaze search my surroundings, I found myself in the same maze. The trees, atmosphere and everything were as 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 low branch of the tree. Bending down, I tried to set it free but instead, a thorn pricked me. Subconsciously, I wailed. Then I woke up from my dream, panting. What a horrifying dream!

I rushed to the washroom to wash my face before gulping 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 a nightmare that I could not even explain. It wasn’t the surroundings or the view that disturbed me, but rather it was 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 very simple: “Try to combat those negative feelings with all the good things that you ever had.”

Though unsure if it would work, I thanked the Almighty for all His blessings. I literary counted all the bounties I had and, pleasantly, I found many. With all the positive emotions surging, I dozed off. Finally, no maze or strange rabbit or baby deer came to disturb my sleep!

The next day, I was full of gratitude towards my grandma, but her response wasn’t some ‘Pleased to help’. Instead, she explained to me how my dream could be used as an analogy to compare with 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.

Thus, in any situation in life, we must remember to be full of optimism. Positivity and optimism can get rid of any fear and nightmare.

Published in Dawn, Young World, September 7th, 2024