The Torturer and the Target
Dream Stories: Part 5
Act I
He took aim, and his pain escaped, dissolving into the flow state of target practice.
The weapon of choice? A bow and arrow.
Some would say it’s too old school. Some would say it’s ineffective compared to modern weapons. Some would say, for what he wanted to do, it was a tool of savages.
He let the arrow fly. A silent, slight arc. Then a THUD as it hit the bullseye.
Yes, this would kill his torturer. It would also earn him his prize.
Act II
The next day, the practice was the same, but the experience was different.
He obsessed over his torturer as he traveled to the training ground. Thoughts of what had been. Thoughts of what could be. Worries about how his torturer might appear at any time.
He also obsessed over his prize. But he quickly realized the futility of it, as it would hinder his ability to execute.
"Presence," he whispered to himself as he steadied his bow and loosed another arrow. THUD. Bullseye.
Act III
The realization struck him, like IT was an arrow and HE was the bullseye.
As adept as he was, he would only be able to fend off his torturer while holding the bow and arrow…
Terror swallowed him whole.
The world blinked into an unfathomable cyclone of whirling chaos.
His torturer manifested in infinite forms.
Thoughts and emotions of his past and future latched onto him before he could run.
But there was nowhere to run anyway. Not now.
“Not… now?”
An invisible lightning of a different kind of thought struck him, compelling him to do… Nothing.
Instead of running. Instead of fighting. He sat.
Remembering the presence of his archery practice, a stillness emerged from the depths of his consciousness.
Then, in a flash, the torturer disappeared.
"Here,” a knowing from beyond. “I am..."
This is the fifth installment of my Dream Stories series.
Did you catch the lesson?
Also, let me know what you think of these dream stories.
With gratitude,
Stephen Parato
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