The Never-Ending Dream

I've decided to give you a sample of my writing.  I found this under "Your Weekly Writing Prompt" from Writer's Digest Week in Review Sept. 28, 2013.  I normally don't participate in the writing prompts but this one interested me.  

At an old bookstore, you find a book that helps you interpret your dreams. But something is strange about it. You fall asleep reading the book, and find yourself in a dream that you cannot wake up from. What is it? And how will you snap back to reality?

Strange enough, I had a dream like this once when I was a child.  I was able to wake up, but I kept falling back to sleep and right back into the dream.  I knew it was a dream, but I couldn't wake up!  I remember trying to open my eyes, but I couldn't.  I do not remember how I finally got myself to wake up, but I'll let my imagination take over with the retelling from an adult POV:

Autumn leaves crunched under my feet as I entered an old bookstore.  A bell on the door announced my arrival.  The scent of old books and a couple of gray cats greeted me before the wizened shopkeeper did.  He directed me to a miscellaneous section of used books.  In perusing the selection, I was able to find what I had been looking for:  A Guide to Interpret Dreams.  The book was an old, brown hardcover with black embossed lettering on the spine and yellowed pages. I paid for my purchase and gave a farewell pat to the cats before I left.   
When I got home, I changed into my pajamas and sat down in my favorite reading chair.  I held the book in my hands, studying the cover.  I had been having a reoccurring dream as of late, where I am alone on a dark night.  The only thing I could remember about the place was a courtyard with a stone fountain.  As I opened the book, I wondered if it would provide me with answers.  After reading a few pages about symbolism, I began to feel drowsy . . .   

I find myself in the dark of night, in the courtyard of my dream, wearing only a white gown.  I suddenly sense that I am no longer alone.  I am frightened because I know a man is looking for me and what he wants from me.  His seductive lure beckons me.  I cannot escape him.  Out of the darkness, he emerges.  His pale skin is a sharp contrast to his midnight black hair and cloak.  He takes a step towards me.  I back away into a hard stone surface.  I look behind me to discover it is the fountain.  I look into the water and I suddenly see myself asleep in my home with the dream book.   
It's only a dream! I tell myself.  
I attempt to open my eyes, but they feel as though they are glued shut!  I look back at my pursuer who is closing in faster than humanly possible.  Was he not just ten feet away?  He is right in front of me!  I will not run.  That will only entice the hunter in him.  Besides, I have nowhere to go.  He will catch me before I can take one step.  If flight is out of the question, the other option is to confront him.  
"Why are you keeping me here?!"  I demand.
He smiles and I can see the hint of a fang glinting in the moonlight.
I attempt to open my eyes again, but I cannot.  No, there’s another way.
He reaches out to touch me.  I tumble backwards into the fountain.

I woke up in my chair, with the dream book in my hands.  I went to the bathroom to splash water on my face.  As I stood in front of the mirror, I discovered two small puncture wounds on my neck!  
       

Just in time for Halloween and the Dracula series premiere!  I wanted to give you an idea of how I can spin a tale.  As I mentioned above, my inspiration was from a childhood nightmare.  The most challenging part for me was figuring out how to wake from the dream.  After a few days of sitting on it, I figured out that a body of water was the key, something that would show her that she was dreaming and showed the way out, thus I created the fountain.  I decided to use past tense for her conscious parts and present tense for the dream.  I would love to describe the bookstore with more detail, but we were only allowed a maximum of 500 words.

Happy Halloween!

Veronica