Vignettes From A Dream

A Novel by Charles Adrian Trevino
Copyright November 2021

PROLOGUE

IN THE BEGINNING, there was darkness... darkness and warmth.

He had begun to become aware of his existence only a little while ago, it seemed, and with this awareness had come a newly born feeling of pleasant contentment -- and security. He had started to awaken from a non-sentient dream state, one that had no discernable beginning or apparent end. But that was in the beginning.

This wonderful new sensation of awareness had come at a disquieting cost; a gradual realization that he was growing -- but the parameters of his dream world were not expanding to accommodate his growth. As more time passed, it had started to become harder and harder to ignore the pressing reality of what was becoming an increasingly cramped confine. And a new feeling had entered his consciousness; the feeling of concern. If his situation continued to unfold as it was, something profound and cataclysmic was surely going to happen... something had to happen. And he could feel that impending cataclysm drawing closer with each passing breath.

In a moment of epiphany, he realized that he possessed some sort of appendages; limbs that were attempting to stretch themselves away from the center of his dream. And he had dared to allow those limbs more freedom; he had begun to try to move them, to kick. Although respiration was a thing he had yet to even conceptualize, let alone recognize, something inside of him was drawing in a life-giving substance. That life-giving gas was oxygen, which was somehow being fed to a fast developing pair of lungs; these organs were demanding more and more oxygen to sustain and build what he was becoming. Gradually the boundaries of his world had started to become more clearly defined; he began to detect some sort of confining obstruction enclosing his dream world, and as his dream began to give way to a more well-defined perception, that new feeling of concern began to more strongly assert itself, coming to the forefront of his consciousness, demanding his immediate attention. Now he was absolutely certain; something extremely fateful indeed was about to occur.

He began to experience the feeling of movement, as the unseen walls began to push in on him, but in which direction he was moving he hadn't the slightest notion. Then he started to feel a new sensation penetrating through the walls, invading his cozy world. The pleasant warmth that he had taken for granted for as long as he could remember was rapidly ebbing away now, being superseded by something that he hadn't known before, and didn't welcome... the sensation of cold. It were as if he were entering into another realm; some kind of previously unfelt force was pulling him in a direction that he instinctively realized was down.

Now he was being hit with another deviation from the norm -- but this one was not so unwelcome. For the first time, he began to experience light, and color. A dim but very pleasing vision was beckoning him into this unknown new realm, the color of green; it seemed to be moving upwards to meet him. Something inside of him, something at the very center of his being that had gone previously unnoticed, was beginning to palpitate; then he realized that he was falling. It was a sensation that he had never imagined before, but before he could even begin to feel fear, it was over. He had quite abruptly struck something hard and solid; the sense of falling was gone. He had landed on terra firma, the grass-covered soil of the earth.

He was a faun... a newborn gazelle.

Immediately he began trying to kick; but his appendages were being held in place by something that was soft yet unbreakable, something that wouldn't give in to his demands for release. He began to feel panic, also for the first time. Then he felt another new sensation, something that quickly calmed his intense anxiety.

Something from above was reaching down to caress his newborn body, an object that felt moist, warm, and friendly -- something that felt very soothing to his fast-awakening senses. An enormous feeling of relief was flooding through his now thoroughly enthralled mind, as his unknown savior began to gently pull away the tight sack that had been holding him captive, using something that felt hard and not so friendly, something he would soon come to appreciate more -- its teeth. Slowly he felt his limbs being freed, and he immediately began trying to move them about, as his newly-found friend from above completed its nibbling task and resumed the soft, moist licking that was making his body tingle, stimulating him into action. Something was telling him to rise above the greenery that loomed all around, higher than his head. With a great effort he stood up, shaking, and took a few wobbling steps... then immediately stumbled and collapsed back down to the ground in a heap.

His towering attendant quickly resumed its warm licking actions, encouraging him to try again. As his body continued to tingle under the gentle stimulus, he attempted once more to stand up. Succeeding, he decided to wait a few seconds, balancing on all fours legs and getting used to the feeling of equilibrium, before attempting to walk again. It was a wise decision; as he stumbled along, he quickly learned to resist the gravitational force that was insistently trying to pull him back down to the ground. He had learned fast, and it was a good thing.

There was danger all around; that was why his mother had tried to safeguard his birth by delivering him in tall-standing grass, to better hide him from the fearsome predators that would soon be searching for him, hoping for an easy meal. There were many different types of predators, but each was possessed of an imperative hunger that drove it onward in a never-ending quest for sustenance... and these hunters always took the path of least resistance. A newly born arrival unable to swiftly take flight or strenuously fight back was invariably their first target, if readily available.

But a newly born faun didn't know this yet, and he was completely oblivious to any danger. As more time passed and he became stronger and more aware, his mother cautiously led him out of the tall grass and into a large meadow, where one marvel after another exploded onto his senses, each one filling him with joy and delight. A big, beautiful blue sky stretched overhead for as far as he could see; white, wispy clouds drifted slowly about, looking as though they were meandering absent-mindedly through some kind of pleasant dream of their own. Whenever he remembered to look up, he would find himself almost overwhelmed with astonishment at the infinite vastness of the sky, and would wonder where it began, and where it ended... and what had created it. But the concept of infinity seemed too large to grasp, and it upset his sense of almost perfect contentment; and so he would move on to another thought, like a bird fluttering from tree to tree.

When his stomach growled for nourishment, he merely had to glance around to find something to satisfy his hunger; there seemed to be an abundance of wonderful-tasting things surrounding him, things that he could eat to fill his small stomach. And there were other life forms that looked just like his mother; now he could clearly observe them in all of their majestic beauty. They were large, long-legged creatures, with coats of soft and dappled light-brown fur that glowed in the magnificent light that generously cascaded down from the heavens above. Magnificent, stately antlers curved upwards from their noble heads; soft brown eyes regarded him with curiosity and amusement. And he quickly discovered with delight that there were fawns more or less of the same diminutive stature as himself; he was not alone in his smallness.

They were new also, these small companions, and like himself were full of newly-born energy and wonder. They frequently came together to play games, preludes to the future competitive mating rituals that were their legacy, the things that had been passed down through the ages. He had yet to engage in those combative antics himself... and never would do so. Just as fortunately as creation had blessed him with a mind that was quick to ponder the beauties and wonders of life, fate was to cruelly deal him an equally unfortunate hand.

On the morning of the last day of his brief life, he was as usual preoccupied with one of the myriad of amazing things around him, things that constantly vied for his attention; this time it was the flight of a honeybee moving busily about, in search of something sweet. The soft buzzing noise it emitted piqued his curiosity, and his young eyes followed its carefree flight in hypnotized fascination.

He didn't see the lion until it was too late. Prancing playfully about as he followed the honeybee, his mind meandering in a daydream like the absent-minded clouds drifting overhead, he didn't respond or even notice when the leader of the herd rose up and stamped his hooves violently into the ground before turning to flee, swiftly joined by the rest of his large group, including the faun's own mother. He just continued to concentrate on the bee, enchanted by its curious buzzing sound. Then he heard something else; some kind of inner voice was commanding him to turn and look around.

What he saw filled him with awe and wonder; the most splendid animal he had ever seen was moving swiftly towards him, crouched low to the ground. Spellbound, he couldn't take his eyes off of it, and remained motionless as it rapidly drew closer. Then, when it was almost upon him, the beautiful creature suddenly came to an abrupt halt, just inches away.

The two specimens regarded each other with curious eyes, barely moving. He felt no fear or trepidation of any kind as the exquisitely adorned cat stared nonchalantly back at him. They remained motionless for a few moments; then the cat raised one paw, and very gently cuffed the side of his face.

More curious now, and still feeling no alarm, he drew yet closer to his amiable antagonist, sniffing its fur. His nose almost touched the cat's face; looking directly into its eyes, he was almost hypnotized by the bottomless depth he perceived there. The seemingly amiable cat raised its paw again, and gave him another gentle tap on the face. Puzzled, but still unconcerned, he stood motionless; time seemed to be standing still.

Suddenly the cat looked past him, his mellow expression transforming into an angry mask. The faun also turned to see what had caused the change in his companion's demeanor, and saw his own mother swiftly running back towards him, her antlers lowered in a decisive, commited charge. The previously docile lion let loose an ugly snarl, a low, vicious sound of rage that chilled him to his soul. In a flash, the big cat exploded into a determined charge itself, heading straight towards his rapidly approaching mother. The sudden change in its mood caused something in the faun to awaken, something he had never experienced before... fear, and an overwhelming will to survive. Leaving his mother to fend for herself, he bolted away towards the tall grassy area where he had been born... where he had once felt safe and secure. Now he was experiencing another never before felt sensation; blind terror.

The tall grass was beckoning to him, bading him to come and hide in its midst, away from harm. Just before he reached it, he glanced behind him, and what he saw made him shudder: the lion had scared his mother into running away, but only for a short distance. He could still see her standing aside, watching from a safe distance what she knew was inevitably coming.

He saw the lion spin around, again searching for its prey. Instantly sighting him, it broke into a banzai charge; unimpeded this time by any attempt at stealth, it was coming amazingly fast. Its formerly nonchalant expression had vanished, replaced by an angry, determined scowl.

Panicking, he continued running full bore towards the tall grass, but his fate was already sealed. In a matter of seconds the lion had crossed the meadow and was almost on him; he could hear it coming. He let out a scream of terror, practically diving into the thick green blades, but there was no stopping what nature had ordained. He felt the lion's long, sharp claws seizing his hindquarters, flipping him upside down in one twisting motion. For a brief moment he saw the blue sky again... then the cat's jaws clamped around his neck, squeezing incredibly hard to cut off his air supply, and end his struggling as quickly as possible.

The end was coming very fast. He felt his head growing thick inside, yet he was still able to think quite clearly, and what he thought seemed amazing to him; it seemed as if the cat was clamping its teeth down harder and harder in an act of mercy, as if it didn't like inflicting the pain it was subjecting him to, and just wanted him to expire as quickly as possible. In a brief epiphanic moment, he clearly understood that nature was compelling the lion to consume his flesh and blood in order to go on living, just as he himself consumed the non-sentient but still living vegetation that grew around him, in order that he might keep on living. He saw now that it had to be so; it had to be.

It all seemed so sad... how he had been granted only a very short time to appreciate the awesome, splendid beauty of the world he had come to love so dearly. As his consciousness began to fade away, he found himself pleading to something; whatever, or whoever it was that had created this wonderland, in all of its inevitable, monstrous beauty.

"Please, please, please... it was all too short! I'm sorry I was inattentive... please, let me do it over... just give me another chance! I'll be more careful next time..."

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Vignettes From A Dream - Copyright November 2021, January 2026 by Charles Adrian Trevino.