A Winter Dream

The library closed at seven that evening and Lila made it home just after 8pm. She’d lucked out. The library had installed vending machines in the lobby, and she’d managed to scavenge $4.27 before she headed to the long line of computers on the second floor. There was no wait to reserve one since the bad weather kept most people at home during the winter months unless they were going to work or had enough money to travel by personal vehicle.

Lila applied for more than a dozen seasonal jobs posted online in her town. Only about half were within walking distance of her home, but maybe she could rummage up enough to take the bus if she could get enough hours.

She removed her soaking wet boots and socks in the entryway but kept the coat on as she rushed to her bedroom to get dry socks. She sighed as she pulled the thick wool over her feet and rubbed her toes through the fabric until they were no longer numb and tingling. The socks were nice, also formerly belonging to her grandmother. It looked like they hadn’t been worn much, which meant they were a good hand-me-down for Lila.

She wondered if there were any other twenty-year-olds in her town living like she was. It was unlikely. Even though it was a medium-sized town of about twenty thousand people, most seemed financially stable due to the three factories on the outskirts of town that employed fifteen thousand all together. Theirs wasn’t the only town that had workers at the factory. She would have applied there herself if it weren’t on the opposite side of town. It was definitely too far to walk and the bus to the other side was too expensive. Their town was too small for anything like a monthly bus pass and each trip had to be paid separately based on distance traveled. They were sticklers about it, and it made it hard for people without at least a tiny bit of means to take the bus, but they wanted to keep the business in profits. It wouldn’t benefit anyone if they had to shut down operations.

After Lila’s toes were dry and unfrozen, she padded over to her mom’s room to check on her. Dana had eaten the ramen and drunk the broth and had fallen asleep again with an extra blanket over her pile of covers since this morning. At least they had no shortage of quilts and blankets. Lila’s grandmother had been a quilter and left piles of them behind in the house when she passed.

Lila checked Dana’s pulse again and found it the same as earlier in the day, so she left her to rest. While she’d been at the library, Lila checked the balance of minutes on her old flip phone and hoped the two hours remaining would be enough for her to take calls about her job applications.

She rinsed her mother’s bowl and spoon in a splash of water then poured herself a glass from her jug and gulped it down. The day’s activities were catching up to her, so even though it was early, she decided to head to bed.

After she removed the coat and scarf, she climbed under the covers still wearing her jeans and hoodie. She didn’t want to be cold anymore, so she didn’t bother undressing. She pulled the blankets over her head, as usual, and waited for the pocket of warmth to carry her off to sleep.

Lila opened her eyes in her dream. It was the snowy wonderland again, but this time she was seated on a log underneath a canopy of trees. The branches and leaves were coated in snowflakes, but again, she didn’t feel cold.

Looking down at her lap, she noticed she was wearing a silver dress with a lace overlay. It was sparkling and beautiful. The dress had no sleeves, but the temperature felt absent, so it hardly mattered what she was wearing. Her brown hair fell over her right shoulder and was a stark contrast to the shimmering light-colored gown.

Lila breathed in deeply and was surprised that the air smelled more like spring than winter. She looked around and found nothing but barren winter trees, her log seat, and snow. But why did the air smell like flowers and freshly turned earth?

She stood up from her seat on the log and began to walk. It was only a dream so she might as well explore.

Lila loved the way the dress moved around her legs and covered her all the way down to the tips of her toes. She wasn’t wearing any shoes, but the snow didn’t make her feet cold at all. As she strolled through the trees, she occasionally reached out a hand to run it along the bark of a tree out of curiosity. The bark was solid, but strangely soft on the surface as if it were covered in the thinnest layer of soft velvet. It was also an ash gray color that reminded her of her grandmother’s hair.

The woods were silent except for the rustling of her dress and the crunch of the snow beneath her feet. After some time, Lila got the feeling she was being watched.

Rather than being frightened, she felt strangely exhilarated by the suspicion. It didn’t seem like she was in danger, so she continued to stroll and explore. It mattered not how far she went; she couldn’t find an end to the forest.

Lila took a break and found another log to rest upon, even though she wasn’t tired. Her eyes scanned through the trees searching for the person or persons who might be watching her. She found no one.

“Hello,” she called out over the blanket of snow that covered the forest floor.

“Lila,” echoed the response.

She jumped at the sudden response she didn’t expect. The voice was familiar. It was a man’s voice and the way he said her name made her feel something.

“Who are you?” she called back.

A sudden soft nudge rubbed against the edge of her shoulder that was bare. The warmth and softness didn’t startle her. It comforted her.

Twisting around to see what had touched her, she found herself looking up into the golden eyes of the giant white lion-hybrid beast. His eyes were glowing with warmth and his expression was almost human. It felt as if he were smiling warmly down on her, and she felt safe. He slowly and gently stepped over the log to come around in front of her.

She watched him with a smile on her face, suddenly remembering how they first met in another dream and how soft he was.

Once he was over the log in front of her, he lay down beside her, rested his chin on her lap, and began to purr. She buried her hand in his mane and began to run her fingers through the smooth, soft fur. His purring grew louder, and she felt comforted and…something more.

Lila suddenly realized she wanted to learn everything about this giant, beautiful beast and asked, “What’s your name, handsome?”

He chuffed in amusement and his voice sounded without moving his mouth as he responded, “My name is…”

Lila opened her eyes to find she was in her bed shivering from the cold. She was still under her pile of quilts and blankets, but her toes and fingers were already beginning to go numb. The temperature must have dropped in the night. Peering out from under her coverings, she could see the darkness outside her window. It was still nighttime.

She gritted her teeth and jumped out of bed, wrapping her arms around the pile of blankets. After gathering them together, she rushed down the hall to her mom’s room. Dana was sound asleep under her own blankets, but Lila could see she was shivering, too.

One by one, Lila placed her own blankets across the top of her mother’s blankets. After she had done so, she lifted one side and climbed in next to her mom. Scooting across the queen-sized bed she reached out and gently pulled her frail mother against her. Dana was very cold to the touch. She barely stirred when she felt Lila’s warmth nearby and burrowed against her in an attempt to quell the bitter freeze.

Lila gritted her teeth as Dana’s cold skin pressed against her face, but she didn’t pull away. Her mother needed the heat and she had to provide it.

It was a long while before her mom’s shivering ceased and her deep, even breathing became warm again. Only then, did Lila feel comfortable and confident enough to allow sleep to drag her into unconsciousness.