Character Exploration #2

Anne and Eric took the bus in the early morning, arriving at least a half hour before class started every morning, which they spent wandering the library. One day, the two stumbled upon a book on lucid dreaming, which Eric checked out just moments before the first bell rang, and the siblings split ways. In the mid-afternoon, Anne met Eric outside nir Language class, and they shared a seat for the bus ride home as per usual.

With pop music blasting from their little silver radio perched over the stove, they did chores, made dinner, and ate together when their uncle came home. Marcos was a tall wiry man with a dark farmer’s tan from working outside all day fixing roofs. Eric did the dishes while Anne took out the garbage and recycling. Afterward, the two did their homework together, and when Marcos went into the living room to lift his fold-out bed from the couch, they settled into the single bedroom for the night.

“Goodnight!” Anne called cheerily. She turned off the kitchen lights upon request, and disappeared into their room. Inside, Eric sat on the ground propped up against one of the twin beds, already pouring over the dream book. Ne signed for Anne to hurry up. She smiled, and joined nem on the floor. Anne tapped nir shoulder for attention, and when ne looked up, she signed, Have you found anything useful?

Ne shook nir head. Just how to sleep. I know how to sleep.

She peered over nir shoulder, her long dark hair falling in front of her face before she absentmindedly curled it back behind her ear. Maybe that is part of it? Anne suggested, If we want to control them, we need to start from the beginning.

By the night’s end, Eric first dreamt of falling; just hands and hands and hands before everything faded to black. Anne dreamt of flying through the air. She swooped down and twisted onto her back low enough to glide through a field of flowers. When she stopped, she turned her head to find someone lying beside her. The shape was dark and blurry. Anne reached out to touch. 

From the beginning, neither knew what they were getting into.