H E R D R E A M :

  SHE AIMLESSLY wanders through the Enchanted Garden. It was beautiful, with lush greenery lining the pebbled pathways and meadows blossoming with yolk yellow daffodils. Shrubs of lipstick pink peonies were dotted with early morning dew which glittered under the sun's rays.

  She sauntered along the cobbled path and endless rows of blueberries greeted her. Lightly gliding her hands across the underbrush abundant with blueberries, she heard a muffled melody floating towards her further down the path.

Captivated by the light strums of a harp, she followed the origin of the sound and there —a young man in his early twenties sat under the shade of a pavilion. His nimble fingers plucked each string delicately and every note he played quilted together, forming a blanket of peace and tranquillity which draped over her.

It surprised her that the musician's name resounded in her mind clearly as the three syllables: Kwon Ji Yong. She knew who he was, yet her familiarity with him was much like that of a distant relative.

Closing her eyes, she immersed herself in the music. It brought a smile to her face and she felt safe, warm and free.

  Right then, something fell and tickled her nose, and when she opened her eyes she found the source of it: a single blue feather. She gasped as she saw that feathers had begun to drift down from the sky; a flock of blue birds had joined her. A few chirped on the limb of a birch tree while others plucked at their feathers on the mossy ground.

  She turned her attention back to the performance before her but much to her dismay, Jiyong still hadn't noticed her arrival as he was engrossed in his playing.

Just then, a pair of arms s around her waist midway through the composition and she tilted her head backwards. She came face to face with another dashing man not much older than she was.

His eyes were accentuated by dark circles but they sparkled as he gazed at her lovingly. Her heart pounded wildly in her chest: but it was not out of fear.

She knew he was her lover and her smile widened when her eyes connected with his.

Enraptured by each other, it took her a while to realise the music had stopped.

When she finally turned back to where Jiyong once was, his face was scrunched up in despair as he fixated his eyes on her.

  The atmosphere changed.

To her horror, the garden which once had its flowers blooming and fruits growing in all its glory began to wither and shrivel. The suns rays were clouded over by dark brooding nimbostratus clouds and the light breeze became a fierce rustling, loud enough to drown out the chorus of the birds.

Whipping her head around, she took in the devastating scene which unraveled in seconds.

When her eyes landed on Jiyong, he was no longer under the pristine white pavilion and instead curled into a ball on the greyed grass.

His face was obstructed from her view but she could feel the pain he was exuding right to the core of her being. Gnarled vines and creepers began to surface from beneath the ground and started to surround Jiyong.

Either he didn't feel or he chose not to, he laid motionless, his arms wrapped around his knees.

  Worried, she tries to take steps forward, but the arms around her waist begin to constrict her abdomen.

Glancing down, the body of a boa constricter slithered above her hips and it tightened its hold with every step she took.

She couldn't breathe.

On the other hand, the vines seemed to work in sync with her footsteps and they coiled faster around Jiyong with every step.

opened in a soundless scream for Jiyong's attention but he lay on the ground, sobs wracking his body as he remained in his  fetal position.

Move... please... move! She shrieked in her mind.

It agonised her that he was in so much pain, but she couldn't take any more steps forward... for if she did, they would both die.