{"sf1_id":371425,"sf2_id":"214aJwde","title":"Daydreams","author":"Rtlstien","words":2401,"posted_at":"2012-04-30T11:34:00.000Z","tags":["Canine","Clean","Dream","Friendship","Highschool","Human"],"url":"https://fse.anthro.fr/stories/371425-daydreams","original_url":"https://sofurry.com/s/214aJwde","image_url":"https://cdn.sofurryfiles.com/submissions/thumbnails/95/3c/953c1da7-03a9-4fb7-a597-cec5c217b66b","description":"A boy who learns about himself with a little help from a new student","content":" **Daydreams**\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\nA mutt is what I am; a misfit in life who can't do anything right.\u0026nbsp; I'm not strong, I'm not smart, and I can't do anything of interest.\u0026nbsp; I'm just a daydreamer who prefers fantasies than reality.\u0026nbsp; I often dream about being the most popular guy; liked by everybody.\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\nIf the others knew that I had thoughts like this I would be ridiculed.\u0026nbsp; They know that I'm at the bottom of the social pyramid.\u0026nbsp; Even I know that.\u0026nbsp; Personality?\u0026nbsp; Apparently I don't have one, or at least not one that keeps people around.\u0026nbsp;\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\nI should feel lucky that I'm only ignored and not bullied.\u0026nbsp; I haven't done anything embarrassing, but neither have I done anything noteworthy.\u0026nbsp; But what can I do?\u0026nbsp; Besides daydreaming I'm rather short on quirks.\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\nEvery day is a routine to me.\u0026nbsp; Go to school.\u0026nbsp; Stay awake in class... or at least most of it.\u0026nbsp; Have lunch.\u0026nbsp; Daydream.\u0026nbsp; More classes.\u0026nbsp; Go Home.\u0026nbsp; At the end of the day I look at my notebook.\u0026nbsp; I'm sometimes surprised that I managed to write down any notes.\u0026nbsp; Even when I'm paying attention my mind seems to drift into another world.\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\nOne day the routine was interrupted when a new student arrived.\u0026nbsp; She was a distraction for everyone.\u0026nbsp; She was one of those creatures who had no fur except on top of her head.\u0026nbsp; It was long and brown, almost the same shade as my fur.\u0026nbsp; She introduced herself as Emily.\u0026nbsp; She had a peaceful look on her face, but she didn't seem to want to open her eyes.\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\nI had never seen a blind person before, so I didn't realize until I saw her white cane.\u0026nbsp; I saw looks of discomfort on the faces of my classmates.\u0026nbsp; I couldn't tell if they were disgusted or just felt uneasy.\u0026nbsp; I admit I felt a bit uneasy as well too.\u0026nbsp; The teacher told her where she would sit- right next to me.\u0026nbsp; The teacher offered to have someone bring her to the seat, but she refused and started walking down the aisle.\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\nHer cane went back and forth and the ground, sometimes hitting the side of a chair or desk.\u0026nbsp; My desk was at the very back of the classroom.\u0026nbsp; When she approached I looked at the chair next to me and pulled it out for her.\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\n\"Thank you\" she said with a smile.\u0026nbsp; She placed her bags on the table and I watched as she folded up her cane.\u0026nbsp; \"What's your name?\"\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\nIt took me awhile to answer.\u0026nbsp; \"Milo. \"\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\n\"Nice to meet you Milo.\" She held out her hand.\u0026nbsp; I cautiously grabbed it and shook it.\u0026nbsp; I probably held her hand longer than I should have.\u0026nbsp; I just couldn't believe that someone was being friendly to me.\u0026nbsp; I let go of her hand.\u0026nbsp; I guess it takes being blind to talk to me...\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\nI managed to stay awake for the entire class.\u0026nbsp; I would occasionally look over to Emily.\u0026nbsp; I watched as she slid her fingers over the bumps in her book.\u0026nbsp; I couldn't imagine how long it would take to learn to read with your fingers.\u0026nbsp;\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\nWhen the lunch bell rang Emily asked if I could show her the way to the lunch room.\u0026nbsp; I didn't refuse.\u0026nbsp; She stayed close to me as we walked down the hall.\u0026nbsp; For the first time I noticed the eyes of others looking at me.\u0026nbsp; Or maybe it was the blind girl walking next to me.\u0026nbsp; Regardless of whether the gazes were directed towards me or Emily, it made me feel a bit uneasy.\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\nShe asked me if she could eat lunch with me.\u0026nbsp; I couldn't help but ask why she wanted to.\u0026nbsp; \"Well... you're my only friend right now.\"\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\nFriend?\u0026nbsp; We had met not two hours ago and she calls me a friend?\u0026nbsp; I thought friends were people you've spent days, weeks, or even months with.\u0026nbsp; Could you really consider someone a friend in such a short amount of time?\u0026nbsp;\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\nDid I consider her a friend?\u0026nbsp; Well... I'd like to.\u0026nbsp; I lead her to the table in the corner where I normally sit.\u0026nbsp; Again I see people staring at us.\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\n\"So tell me a bit about yourself, Milo\" said Emily, her voice distracting me from everyone else.\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\n\"Oh... um.\"\u0026nbsp; I was having trouble getting words out of my mouth.\u0026nbsp; \"There's nothing really to say about me.\"\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\n\"Nonsense!\" she said with a smile.\u0026nbsp; \"What do you like to do?\"\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\n\"Dream...\" I said reluctantly.\u0026nbsp; She's the first person I've admitted this to.\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\n\"Really?\u0026nbsp; What do you dream about?\"\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\nI don't know how long it went on, but I ended up telling her some of my more extravagant stories; ones that deal with fantasy in another world.\u0026nbsp; I keep the dreams of me being the most popular kid to myself.\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\n\"You have an amazing imagination Milo.\"\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\nMy tail started to wag.\u0026nbsp; It was nice receiving a compliment from someone.\u0026nbsp; Soon the lunch bell rang again.\u0026nbsp; This is where we had to part ways.\u0026nbsp; A member from special needs came along to lead Emily to her next class.\u0026nbsp; She waved goodbye as she walked off.\u0026nbsp; I watched her leave, wishing she could stay.\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\nDuring my next class my mind started to drift.\u0026nbsp; I began dreaming about being popular again.\u0026nbsp; Everyone in the lunchroom was at or close to my table.\u0026nbsp; They were all laughing at my jokes and having a good time.\u0026nbsp; But then they start to fade away.\u0026nbsp; I watch as one student after another fades into nothing.\u0026nbsp; When they're all gone, only Emily remains.\u0026nbsp; I don't remember her sitting across from me earlier.\u0026nbsp; She smiles and starts to say something, but I can't hear it.\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\nMy eyes focus back to the classroom.\u0026nbsp; I look at the clock.\u0026nbsp; I must have been out for twenty minutes.\u0026nbsp; I look down, and sure enough the notes that were written on the board were on my paper.\u0026nbsp;\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\nI continue having that same dream for the rest of the day.\u0026nbsp; When I go to bed I have another dream similar to it.\u0026nbsp; The entire school is empty except for me and Emily.\u0026nbsp; We sit next to each other in an empty class.\u0026nbsp; I guide her down the hallways.\u0026nbsp; Then we eat in the lunchroom.\u0026nbsp; It's then that she starts to talk again, but I just can't make out the words.\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\nThe next day at lunch I try to avoid talking about my dreams and instead decide to ask Emily some questions.\u0026nbsp; \"What's it like to be blind?\" I didn't realize how insensitive that question was until it had left my mouth.\u0026nbsp; I was sure she would be offended, but instead she just kept on smiling.\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\n\"I've spent more of my life blind than when I could see.\u0026nbsp; I was five years old when I lost my sight.\"\u0026nbsp; So she's been blind for over ten years.\u0026nbsp; I couldn't imagine life without being able to see.\u0026nbsp; \"But it's not so bad.\u0026nbsp; I'm able to live life the same as anyone else.\"\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\n\"Do... do you ever wish you could see again?\"\u0026nbsp; She was silent.\u0026nbsp; \"Sorry...\"\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\n\"Don't be sorry\" she said.\u0026nbsp; \"It's a nice thought, but I can't think about that...\"\u0026nbsp; She stood up, her face showing a bit of sorrow.\u0026nbsp; \"I do think it would have been better to have been born blind.\"\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\nI don't say anything as she makes her way out of the cafeteria.\u0026nbsp; Yesterday she needed someone to guide her, but now she has the path memorized and is following it reflexively.\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\nI felt bad for the rest of the day.\u0026nbsp; Because of Emily.\u0026nbsp; Because of myself.\u0026nbsp; I shouldn't have ever talked about her blindness.\u0026nbsp; What must Emily be going through since I brought up bad memories?\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\nI had a new dream.\u0026nbsp; Emily was trapped in a maze.\u0026nbsp; She wanders aimlessly; using the walls as guides, but always comes to a dead end.\u0026nbsp; I enter and lead her out of the maze to the prize.\u0026nbsp; A potion that cures any ailments.\u0026nbsp; She drinks it.\u0026nbsp; As her eyes start to open I wake up.\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\nWhen I see her again she's smiling.\u0026nbsp; She doesn't talk about the conversation we had yesterday so I decide not to either.\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\nOver the next few weeks my dreams become similar.\u0026nbsp; Emily is in a trap.\u0026nbsp; I rescue her.\u0026nbsp; She thanks me, and something ends up curing her blindness.\u0026nbsp; But before I can see her eyes I wake up.\u0026nbsp;\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\nEmily notices a change in my behavior.\u0026nbsp; She tells me I've started to talk to her differently.\u0026nbsp; I tell her that it's because of dreams I've been having.\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\n\"Go ahead and tell me about the dreams\" she said.\u0026nbsp; \"I might be able to figure out what's been troubling you.\"\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\nI think about it for a moment.\u0026nbsp; All my dreams deal with curing her eyesight.\u0026nbsp; Perhaps she'll see this as a nice gesture.\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\nOne after another I tell her about my dreams.\u0026nbsp; At first she listens intently but then her excitement fades and then disappears.\u0026nbsp; By the time I reach the middle of my fourth dream she stands up.\u0026nbsp; I look at her face and see tears rolling down her cheeks.\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\n\"You're a jerk!\" she says bluntly.\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\n\"But- but- I was only dreaming about curing your blindness.\u0026nbsp; I didn't think that would upset you.\"\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\n\"That's not what's upsetting me!\" she wipes the tears from her eyes with her arm.\u0026nbsp; When she puts her arm down I see her eyes for the first time.\u0026nbsp; They're pale green, a contrast from my brown eyes.\u0026nbsp; The eyes have no focus; they just stare at my general direction.\u0026nbsp; \"You see me as a pitiful girl who needs to be rescued.\u0026nbsp; You see me as someone who can't do anything without help.\"\u0026nbsp; She closes her eyes.\u0026nbsp; \"I don't need your help.\"\u0026nbsp; She storms off.\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\nMy hand begins to reach out for her, but I stop myself.\u0026nbsp; There's nothing I can do now.\u0026nbsp; I can tell everyone in the lunch room was looking at me, but I didn't care.\u0026nbsp; I just folded my arms and laid my head on them.\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\nI'm a mutt.\u0026nbsp; A misfit in life who can't do anything right.\u0026nbsp;\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\nA new dream... I'm in a room all by myself.\u0026nbsp; No doors.\u0026nbsp; No windows.\u0026nbsp; Not even a single piece of furniture.\u0026nbsp; I wait and wait, but no one comes.\u0026nbsp; I wait in that room by myself until I wake up.\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\nEmily doesn't say a thing to me in class.\u0026nbsp; Her smile is gone.\u0026nbsp; I dare not say anything to her.\u0026nbsp; I'd only make it worse.\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\nShe doesn't eat lunch with me.\u0026nbsp; I'm not even sure if she even came to eat.\u0026nbsp; I just keep my head in my arms.\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\nOver the next few days I have the same dream where I'm in a room all alone.\u0026nbsp; The only difference is that the room becomes slightly darker each time.\u0026nbsp; After two weeks the room in my dreams in completely black.\u0026nbsp; I can't see anything.\u0026nbsp; I walk around the room, but can't seem to find any of the walls.\u0026nbsp; I just continue to walk until I collapse to my knees.\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\nI give up on moving.\u0026nbsp; I just resign myself to standing on my knees.\u0026nbsp; Suddenly I feel a hand grab my own.\u0026nbsp; It lifts me up to my feet.\u0026nbsp; It leads me through the dark for a bit until we stop.\u0026nbsp; I hear the sound of clicking and a door knob turning.\u0026nbsp; Suddenly all the darkness vanishes.\u0026nbsp; I'm blinded momentarily.\u0026nbsp; When I open my eyes I see Emily looking at me with her eyes open.\u0026nbsp; Whether she can see me or not I cannot tell, but I'm happy to see her smile.\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\nI wake up with a smile as well.\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\nAfter class I decide to follow Emily for a bit.\u0026nbsp; She heads in the opposite direction of the lunch room, so there aren't any other students.\u0026nbsp; As I summon the courage to say something she turns to face me.\u0026nbsp; \"I know you've been following me Milo.\u0026nbsp; Please leave me alone.\"\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\n\"I can't do that Emily\" I say.\u0026nbsp; \"I know it's my dreams that put us into mess, but I want to tell you about a dream I had last night.\"\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\n\"Milo... I don't want to hear another dream about-\"\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\n\"Please!\" I interrupt her.\u0026nbsp; She doesn't say anything for a while.\u0026nbsp; Eventually she gives me the go-ahead.\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\nI tell her about the dreams I've had since we last talked.\u0026nbsp; About how the world got darker and darker until she came and brought the light.\u0026nbsp; I didn't need her to tell me what these dreams mean.\u0026nbsp; She isn't the one who needed to be rescued.\u0026nbsp; I was the one who needed it, and she's the one who helped me.\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\nI closed my eyes when I finished.\u0026nbsp; I waited for her response.\u0026nbsp; No words came, but my eyes shot open when I felt her arms wrap around my neck.\u0026nbsp; I held my breath.\u0026nbsp; This was an entirely new experience for me.\u0026nbsp; No one outside my family had ever done this to me.\u0026nbsp; I look down at Emily and see her smiling again.\u0026nbsp; Why ruin the moment?\u0026nbsp; I gently hug her back.\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\nThings return to normal.\u0026nbsp; We decide to go get something to eat before lunch was over.\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\nA few days later at lunch I found myself dozing off again.\u0026nbsp; It was one of the old dreams I had.\u0026nbsp; Emily and I sitting next to each other in an empty classroom, except now her head is on my shoulder.\u0026nbsp; We walk down the halls, except now holding hands.\u0026nbsp; We sit together in an empty lunchroom and she speaks.\u0026nbsp; This time I can hear clearly as she says three words.\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\nI wake up.\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\n\"Doze off again?\" asked Emily.\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\n\"Yeah\" I respond wiping my eyes.\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\n\"Have any interesting dreams?\"\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\n\"Yeah.\" I smile.\u0026nbsp; \"But I think I'll tell you another time.\"\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\n----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------\n\nAnd here's another story I can only write when I'm tired.\u0026nbsp; Lol\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\nIt's been a while since I've written a story about a boy and a girl. (Reminds me of my first series.)\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\nWell I hope you enjoyed reading.\u0026nbsp; Feel free to comment.\n\n  \n  \n\n"}