"Sam... Sam... hey Sam, wake up!"
Sam opens his eyes and asks curiously:
"What happened, Ethan?"
Ethan, in a hurried tone:
"The corporal just came and woke us because the captain ordered us to gather outside. Everyone has started getting ready, but you're still asleep. Is something wrong? Are you okay?"
Sam, in a sad voice:
"I... I had a bad dream."
Ethan, surprised:
"That's all? Just a nightmare, Sam. Forget it. I'm telling you, we need to hurry!"
Sam, upset:
"But this nightmare brought my memories back... I can't shake it off."
Ethan hesitates at first because the captain called them, but he doesn't want to leave his closest friend like this:
"Well, Sam, do you want to tell me about your nightmare? Maybe talking about it will make you feel better. You know, happiness grows when shared, and sadness diminishes when shared."
Sam nods up and down in agreement, takes a deep breath, and begins to tell the dream he had:
"At the beginning of my dream, I was back in my childhood, in a forest with my family. They were walking ahead of me, and I was right behind them. Everything was beautiful at first. The lush greenery of spring, the fragrant flowers among them, the bright blue sky, and birds flying as if shouting in joy, the comforting warmth of the golden sun balanced by a gentle breeze... It felt like heaven. I was so captivated by the beauty around me that I walked more slowly. At one point, I looked ahead and realized I was falling behind my family, but I kept looking around excitedly, unable to take my eyes off the scenery. Colorful butterflies flew among the flowers, swaying gently in the wind, and even the soothing sound of a distant waterfall reached my ears."
Sam hesitates, feeling a lump in his throat. He swallows, takes a deep breath, and continues:
"Strangely, my attention kept wandering, and I continued looking around. For a moment, I glanced at my family. They were far away from me. Seeing that, a wave of anxiety filled me. So I walked faster, but even with the worry inside me, the enchanting beauty of nature kept turning my face toward it. It was as if... as if nature was a trap, trying to pull me away from my family. The more anxious I got, the more I tried to focus on my family, but nature seemed to force me to look away. I would forget my family when I looked around and feel relief, but then sudden longing would snap me back to them. This kept repeating in my dream. Every time I managed to free myself from nature's trap and looked at my family, I realized I was even further behind. The distance grew, and my anxiety grew with it. The more anxious I became, the faster I tried to run to them, but instead of closing the gap, it only widened."
Ethan sits beside Sam and listens carefully:
"Then somehow I forgot my family. I don't know how long it lasted, but for a long time, they were gone from my mind. And of course, along with that, my anxiety remained. So I lost focus again and continued scanning around."
Sam hesitates again, lost in thought. His eyes start to fill with tears, but he forces himself not to cry. After a moment of silence, he continues, his voice trembling:
"Then... (takes a deep breath) I remembered my family again and looked at them one last time. They were far ahead, disappearing into the depths of the forest. I was so scared when they vanished that I ran after them with all my strength. I shouted, 'Mom!' and 'Dad!' but there was no answer. Every moment I couldn't see them made me even more anxious, so I ran as fast as I could, but no matter how fast I ran, I could never reach them. My anxiety grew so much that nature could no longer deceive me, and I focused all my energy on finding them. I kept running until I finally reached the last part of the forest where I saw them and, without thinking, ran deeper into the woods. I kept running straight, weaving through the trees, scanning around to find my family. Then I noticed a dark shape moving toward me, swallowing the trees behind it. I panicked, not knowing what to do. As the shadow drew closer, I realized it was black fog. Helplessly, I kept doing the only thing I could—running. My only hope was to reach my family before the fog reached me. As I ran, I noticed the fog wasn't just behind me, but coming from my left and right too. I shouted again, 'Mom, Dad!' hoping for a reply, but still none came. The fog moved so fast it got terrifyingly close. I wanted to take refuge with my family, but I couldn't find them. Finally, the fog reached me and surrounded me. It was so dark that it felt like night had fallen instantly. As it enveloped me, I felt as though all my energy was drained. I was exhausted and stopped running. A cold wind blew with the fog. It was so cold that I started shivering. I wrapped my arms around myself, moving forward in hope of a way out. I was so tired and freezing that I felt I might collapse any moment, but I had no choice but to keep walking. I was so exhausted that I couldn't even scream for my family. My energy was fading. My steps slowed to a crawl. I staggered from side to side in my fatigue. On top of that, the fog made it difficult to breathe. Cold, tired, hopeless, and utterly alone in the darkness. My strength was failing, and I was about to collapse when I saw an orange light through the fog ahead. Maybe it was the way out—I clung to hope and started moving again. As I approached the light, my hope of reaching my family grew, and the fog seemed to dissipate. I gained enough energy to first walk, then run. I ran as fast as I could toward the orange light."
Sam can't continue narrating the nightmare and bursts into tears. He quickly wipes them away, collects himself, and continues, holding his head in his hands and sniffling:
"Fire... As I approached the light, I realized it was fire. Black smoke rose to the sky. When I got close, I saw my family's house burning. I was so devastated that I collapsed to my knees. The fire was so intense that I didn't even think to try to put it out. Then, through the burning house, I heard my mom calling, 'Sam... Sam... Sam!' with pain in her voice. With every 'Sam,' her voice faded, and gradually, her voice turned into yours, Ethan."
Ethan, sorrowfully:
"I'm so sorry. What happened to your family... we can't bring them back, Sam. But know this—you're like a brother to me, and I'll always be by your side, okay? I promise."
Sam looks at Ethan gratefully:
"Thank you, Ethan."
Ethan sees Sam, pale from the nightmare, eyes red from crying, nose running. He stands, reaching out his hand:
"Come on, brother. Let's wash your face first. Then we can get ready and head outside. If the captain woke us in the middle of the night, there must be a reason. We can talk about the nightmare later, okay?"
Sam nods:
"Okay, Ethan. Let's go."
He takes Ethan's hand, stands, and they begin getting ready together.