I stumbled a bit, but caught myself as I ran through a cold, empty forest. I could sense myself losing them, it, him- I didn't know- as I sprinted past leaf-less trees and heard the crack of branches beneath my feet. The road ahead of me was long and unruly, and I couldn't see anything beyond it. Not even whatever I was chasing with all my might.

A river materialized in front of me and I jumped so high the clouds tickled my face. As I came back down, my speed accelerated and it almost looked as though I would make it past the river. Then, it didn't. I waved my arms back and forth, trying to change my direction, but the water swallowed me whole. There was no splash, no cold sensation. Just the momentary feeling of choking. Then, that passed and my eyes searched the river, which had suddenly become an ocean. I swam, slowly, until I caught a glimpse of blond hair, swimming into an underwater cave.

I kicked the water and raced in that direction, but as I entered, the ocean drained and dry, hard rock touched my bare feet. I looked around in the dark, the path behind me closing up. I shivered as a mysterious wind that came out of nowhere blew past me. In seconds, I was running again, catching sight of a white light. I followed it, taking so many twists and turns I lost track of which way was which. The darkness opened up and I slowed, taking a moment to breathe a sigh of relief because I could see again. My sigh was cut short as I stepped out and right into a hole. The narrow path below me, slowly became wider and wider until I could spin, stretch and soar as much as I wanted to. It only occurred to me once that this could be the tiniest bit dangerous. The thought was quickly discarded though as my eyes found the familiar blond hair I had been looking for. They landed first, bouncing up as if on a trampoline a few times before taking off again. I landed with a loud thump and no bouncing.

My legs gave out under me and I crumpled to the icy ground. Everything blurred around me and suddenly, I couldn't breathe. All my running had finally caught up with me. I looked up as someone stepped up in front of me. He bent down, our eyes lining up. His mouth opened and he said, in a voice so sad my heart shook with it, "Game over, Alice."


My eyes opened slowly, but I was breathing hard. I sat up, shaking my head and made my way to my bathroom. Turning on the bathtub faucet, I placed my aching feet in the water. Dirt that was not there before I went to bed stained the water brown and I let out a strained sigh. I lost. Again.