"Adira."
The whisper of my name danced in my ears, and my eyes suddenly began to fill with unannounced tears. The sound seemed to echo through the vast emptiness that surrounded me. I stood in an open field, encircled by thick rows of naked trees. Snow fell gently, creating a surreal scene reminiscent of the snow globes my grandparents used to give to me every Christmas Eve. However, instead of the familiar harmonious jingles, an eerie silence enveloped me.
The frozen ground crunched beneath my feet with every step, a sharp contrast to the serene snowfall. Desperation fueled my search for the source of the whispered voice. I spun around, my eyes scanning every tree and rock in the distance for any sign of movement or life.
"Hello?" I called out, my voice bouncing through the stillness.
"Adira, I need you to wake up." the voice called out again, this time with more intensity.
I quickly spun around, trying to catch the voice.
"I am awake!" My voice caught in my throat, breaking up the words. Tears stood at the edge of my eyelids, threatening to spill out onto the icy ground.
I waited, but the silence persisted, almost deafening. The only sound was the squeak of frozen earth beneath my feet. An unsettling buzz lingered in my ears as I braced myself for a response.
"ADIRA!!"
The voice screeched loudly, a piercing sound that sent volts of electricity through my body sending me tumbling to the ground. I covered my ears with my hands, eyes shut tight against the intensity. The scream echoed, vibrating both the landscape and the air.
Suddenly the weather shifted and snow began to flurry feverishly. The wind began to roar through the trees and I braced myself. The branches of the naked trees began to shake violently as the wind and the snow rushed through them.
I balled myself up on the cold ground like a small child, tucking my head into my knees. “This isn’t real,” I whispered to myself as I kept my head down.
I looked up from my knees but I could barely see the trees now. The white wall of swirling snow made it impossible for me to keep my eyes open and the cold wind bit my cheeks. I squeezed my eyes closed again and held my hands over my head, trying to bury it into my body.
“ADIRA!” the screams came again, pulsing through my head. The shrill sound ached my whole body as it soared through me. My heart began to pulse violently and my whole body began to tremble uncontrollably with fear.
“Stop!” I yelled, my eyes still squeezed shut. “Make it stop!!”
Suddenly, as if my wishes were answered, the wind came to an abrupt halt. The screaming voice stopped and the snow dropped quickly to the ground. I looked up and everything was still again. My head was throbbing and spinning. I felt sick to my stomach. Before I knew it, I collapsed to the ground and suddenly everything went black.