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Maniacal Dreams

by Nina M, San Franciso, CA, USA, Age 15

There was an itch in one of those hard to reach
places, and she desperately wanted to scratch at it,
however Maya was undecidedly torn-she did not want to
move the mummification of knitted blankets that had
taken her hours to perfect. They were warm and cozy
and the snugness of the wool against her cold limbs
was wonderful, yet suddenly it struck her that the
itch was spreading and an overpowering wave of heat
was enveloping her as well. It was probably a spider
itch, but if it wasn’t it was most certainly an itch
caused by the bite of some poisonous insect and if she
did itch, ruining her warmth and covers and coziness,
the bite would probably infect and the doctors would
decide to amputate. This did complicate things, for
the bite was most certainly near her neck, and all
that sounded like quite a nasty business.

Maya closed her eyes in defiance-of course itches and
heat would come in the way to ruin her perfect blanket situation. She opened her eyes, on an impulse, and the itch dwindled away and the heat subdued to simply become beads of perspiration sliding down her pink forehead. Looking up, she was annoyed to find a tremendous wave crashing out of the plaster wall facing her. “That’s not very pleasant” Maya said to herself. “I suppose I’ll become wet and cold now, instead of simply cold. How aggravating.”
But the wave slid over her gently, and the water
rushing over her head was not at all unpleasant. It
seemed that she was in a type of bubble, and she could
witness fish and turtles and tortoises swimming and
running their fins along the side of her face, without
feeling the slightest bit of nasty fish scales sliding
around her face. It was very beautiful, and Maya found
herself wanting to talk to a particularly colorful
fish.

“What nonsense. Fish can’t talk you idiotic girl,”
the fish whispered to her. Maya was very confused,
however this did not stop her from a retort of some
kind. “I’m not idiotic! I dare say you are, you slimy
sea swimmer, you are talking when you say you can’t,
you know.” She stuck out her tongue, which was not a
wise thing to do because when water sees an open hole
to go on, of course it will enter and having the ocean
pour into your mouth is an experience you can do
without- especially now a days when the oceans are
full of rubbish like tin cans and the tops of baby
bottles.

The fish smirked and swam into Maya’s mouth. Now,
Maya had a dreadful stomachache. “Bother!” Maya yelled
and sat there, enlarged three times her normal size
and began to look around for her blankets. She spied
them beneath some sand a way off and it struck Maya
that she was no longer in her bedroom, but on a sandy
beach.

Maya also noticed that, as she ambled along to
retrieve her blankets, the darned things seemed to
continue to travel farther and farther away. In the
distance, she could see a wooden legged fellow,
doubtlessly a pirate, reaching down to take them. You
must know, these blankets were hand knitted by Maya’s grandmother, so naturally she was very possessive of them.

She drew her sword from her side, and began to charge
at the thief but then started down at the blade in astonishment. “How did I come by this weapon?” she asked herself, throwing the mysterious object down on the sand (she was a non violent child) and sat down on the sand.
“Why are you crying, me lassie?” the pirate asked,
now only a few feet away and twirling his moustache
with an expertise that would astound any deck hand.
“I’m not crying!” Maya shouted, for she was getting in
a bad temper. Itches and drinking entire oceans did
not suit her as a restful evening, which is what she
had wished to have, as she was very stressed from the
school work that was due to days ago.

The pirate was offended, as he had only been trying
to help, and began to cry. Maya was a very polite
child, and felt so very badly about it that she
offered to give the old pirate a massage with the palm
tree she kept in her back pocket. “That would be very
nice,” the pirate told her with a smile, “I did so
like a palm tree massage when I was a mere bakers
son.”

She was confused, but did not argue and proceeded to
take the palm tree, found in her back pocket, and roll
it along the pirate’s back. It was hard work and Maya
sat down to rest. The pirate did not seem to mind,
however and continued to mutter “Ah yes…. Very good…
thank you missus” as the girl sat and did nothing.
She was feeing very alone and confused, so Maya
decided to try and figure out how she had gotten so
muddled. She closed her eyes in concentration, and
when she opened them she was sitting on her father’s
feet.

“How very odd.” Maya muttered to herself, and twirled
her blond hair around her pinky. “There nothing odd
about it!” her father roared. “This is the eighth time
this month you’ve landed on my feet, sneaking and
slithering about as you do. I have half a mind to lock
you in your room nights if you don’t stop with this
nonsense, young lady! Enough is enough”
Maya began to laugh for her father looked so much
like the irritable pirate it was impossible not to
burst into convulsions. She stopped laughing. Her
parents were staring at her, looking confused as if
Maya were some type of monster. “Come on then, Jane”,
her mother said and hurried her into bed, wrapping the
blankets around her- gentle and without judgment.
“How did these blankets get all wet, Jane?” her
mother sighed. ‘Please tell me you didn’t…” her mother
sat down on the bed. “Aren’t you getting old for this,
Janie? Aren’t you getting a tad bit old?”
Maia bit her lip to keep in the tears. “It was an
ocean.” She saw her mother inhale for another r
scolding. “My name’s Maya!” she cried, scared and
alone. “My name is Maya.”
Her mother held up a mirror and Maya began to scream.
“My hair is black!” She cried “Why is my hair so
black?” She was sobbing and crying and so terribly
alone. Who were these people? Where was the fish? Her
mother sighed, for it had been this way every night
for the last eight days. “It’s okay, Janie. Don’t be
so scared.”
But Jane was frightened, so terribly frightened, and
when she was tucked into bed and the blankets wrapped
all around her, she noticed the blankets were a
different colour, and she was lost. She didn’t know
who she was, she was muddled, she was wildly
frightened and she realized she was caged in maniacal
dreams.