Barnwell

I breathe gently as my head rests on my overstuffed pillow. My eyelids have given out on me and closed against their will. Blurs of bright colors pour into my mind, creating pictures of vivid places in my imagination. The sweet scent of nature flows into my nostrils as I run in the endless green field. I suddenly stop. There is a figure in the field with me but they are a distance away and I cannot make out who they are.

“Hello?” I call out. My voice was lost with the wind. As I step forward, exaggerated colored butterflies surround me while flying to the ocean blue sky in unison. A smile comes across my face at the beauty of these simple creatures. The sky then becomes dark as the butterflies disintegrate and the once green grass turns to ash beneath my bare feet. Wind begins to blow roughly against my body. I try to keep the wind out of my face as I approached the figure across the field of ash. A cloud of smoke swallowed me when I tried to touch the figure without a face nor body. It had just been a blur that was now smoke. The wind unexpectedly died. I gazed around the darkness, attempting to find light. A pinch of light was on the other end of the field, glimmering in the smokiness. I run to the light with incredible speed. Tears were streaming down my cheeks. I was afraid of the murk I was running through. The light consumed me and I end up in my kitchen. The ceiling fan ticked at every spin. It hung slightly from the ceiling, almost falling off. Someone was sitting at the small round table with their back to me. The only gleam was coming from the fridge that was cracked open.

“I never asked for this. All I wanted to do was help.” The person sitting at the table uttered to themselves while twitching as if being shocked by tiny bolts of electricity.

“Amir.” I recognized the voice of my best friend.

“Just wanted to help.” He said, his back still turned to me.

“Amir.” I took a step forward. My feet stepped into a thick cold liquid that seemed to ooze in between my toes. I lift up my foot and wipe the substance off cautiously. My heart began to bang against my chest as I noticed the liquid on my hand was blood.

“Amir!” I grabbed my friend’s shoulder.

“Just wanted to help!” When he turned around, he was missing several teeth and his face was severely scarred. I fell into the pool of blood out of fear. A bone was sticking out of his neck and dried up blood covered the left side of his neck.

“I never asked for this!” Amir creepily crawled to me, showing triple-jointed abilities.

“Never!” He was close to my face as he yelled. I abruptly wake up in my bed, sweating torrents out of my pores. My door swings open. A scream escapes my mouth.

“Jamila?” Uncle Barnaby pokes his head inside of my room, his marble silver eyes glared at me in a worried fashion.

“Oh, hey Uncle Barnaby.” I took numerous deep breathes.

“Are you alright?” He came and sat on the edge of my queen sized bed.

“Yeah I just had a nightmare.” I explained.

“Clearly. You’re sweatin’ like a pig at the slaughterhouse.” I let out a small laugh as I ran my fingers through my hair.

“Well, get dressed.” He climbed off the bed.

“For what?” I asked.

“The Barnwell County Relay For Life.” Barnaby replied.

“Ugh. Do we really have to I mean it’s a hundred and fifty degrees outside.” I whined.

“Aren’t you some kind of track star? Come on, this is like breathing to you Jamila. Do it for Barnwell and those diagnosed with cancer. Come on. Come on.” He repeated.

“Okay Okay Okay Uncle Barnaby, i’ll go.” I gave in.

“That’s my girl. You have half an hour.” He told me.

“What!?” I snatched my clock off the dresser.

“It’s 1:30. Are you kidding me? Uncle Barnaby, why didn’t you wake me up earlier?” I questioned, a little upset. “

You are seventeen years old. I think you’re capable of waking up on your own. Now you have twenty seven minutes.” He shut my door with a enormous grin on his face.

“Jamila?” Barnaby called up the steps.

“Present.” I slid down the railing and landed beside him.

“Wow, you even got the headband.” Barnaby observed my Barnwell Warhorses track suit that consisted of a black headband, black tank top with the red Warhorses logo, and knee length red shorts.

“I thought why not you know? But look at you.” He was wearing a white tank top and black knee length shorts. Both in which exposed his buff figure.

“No headband.” I noticed. His short layered light brown hair was lonely on top of his head.

“Nope, I want to show off my beautiful hair.”

“It is surprising you’re still single.” We started to walk out the front door.

“I choose to be single. A good looking man like me has to keep himself available.”

“You’re all talk Uncle Barnaby.” I said.

“Oh yeah?” He looked at me, raising one eyebrow.

“Yeah.” I replied.

“Alright alright, i’m all talk right? I’ll race you to the relay.”

“Uncle Barnaby, you really think you can beat me? I’m seventeen and you’re like 45.” I said.

“42 and yes I can beat you. I’m structurally designed.” He clarified.

“We’ll see.” I dashed down our long driveway.

“You cheater!” Uncle Barnaby trailed behind me. I ran backwards.

“Gotta be on your toes.” The trees that bent over our driveway created the perfect protection from the sun.

“Watch out kiddo.” Barnaby warned. I turned around and hurdled over our short brick wall.

“Into the forest I go.” I murmured to myself.

“Jamila don’t go into the woods!” I could not hear him as I disappeared into the green pasture.