"Drake, do you want chicken or a steak?"
"A steak would be nice."
"Thanks, come eat with us, don't stay in the grill the entire day."
"Alright, alright, I am getting the last things done…"
Today was a special day, it was my sister's birthday.
Almost half a year has been since I evaded my death in that avalanche…
I still think about that dream.
But I cannot do anything over it. I guess I have to eventually move on.
But for now, I just try to forget about it and have fun with the family.
It has been a while since we had a barbeque on the outside.
Today is summer so the sun is pretty bright, feels good.
My parents are here, even my grandma, and my sister's family. There's even my brother's fiancée. She seems to be pregnant; I am a bit excited to see his kid in the future…
The family is growing bigger…
I wish I could have a kid too.
Well… I had one… with Benladann…
"David, how have you been, dear? How's work?" asked grandma, as she sat near me.
"Ah, everything has been fine. I ended investing in a small company which suddenly rose up, so I quickly took out all the money and got a lot of capital, perhaps I might start a new project… I don't know yet."
"I see, I don't really know all about that weird thing about stocks. But it seems very complicated… And kind of like gambling, isn't it?"
"Erm… Well, yeah… But not really! If you're smart and invest well enough, you can really make it big there."
"I see… Well, I know you're a smart man, so I know you'll do well."
"He's the big business guy in the family now." Laughed my brother.
"Hahaha! He's the CEO." Laughed my father.
"Come on, I am nothing like that. I just recently bought a second department." I sighed.
"Sheesh, that's a lot already! If you rent it, you'll get your life already done by then." Sighed my mother.
"Haha, I guess so. But it's not only for me, I just want to help everyone, so what I make is also for everyone's need. Brother is already soon to be father, so we have to get ready for the new kid."
"David, you're so considerate… Thank you." Said my brother's fiancée.
"Don't worry about it, you're part of the family now. That's what we do in the family."
"You've really grown from back then, haven't you?" said mother.
"Ah? Y-Yeah… I guess…"
"Anyways! Let's celebrate this little girl's birthday already! Here's the cake!"
My grandma quickly brought my sister's birthday cake, she was turning 37 today… Damn, she doesn't look 37 at all.
Well, the cake didn't have a number, most women don't like to be reminded of their ages, yet they like to celebrate their birthdays…
"Happy birthday to you!"
Everyone began to sign, and I joined too.
This is all I could ever ask for…
That was my dream's name…
I suddenly realize that everyone… froze in time?
Am I… hallucinating again?
But they stopped long ago…
What does this even mean?
My hands begin to tremble, as a dreadful feeling encompasses my back.
I move towards my family, and I try to wake them up, to make them move.
But they're all quiet, frozen, they don't move.
They're like mannequins…
"Please… No! Don't… No! No! No!"
I try to move them, anything…
But my sister is still quiet, smiling as she sees her cake.
Suddenly, the voice of someone familiar which I had not heard in a while breaks into this space.
"Drake, you have to get out of that dream…"
"What? Who… What's going on?!"
"T-They're not real… Dear… This is a dream."
"Please… come to me… I miss you."
I suddenly begin to fragment into pieces.
My entire body starts to fall apart.
"Please, wait for a second!"
I try to crawl back. I try to grab them.
I manage to reach my mother.
And I hug her tightly.
"Don't… Don't leave me!!!"
"Please… Don't leave… me…"
I hug my mother as tightly as possible.
But I begin to lose strength.
I cannot hug her anymore…
She slowly begins to fade away, and everyone else.
"Please… Don't go away!"
"I don't want to be alone…"
"You've never been alone…"
Suddenly, I feel the presence of someone behind me.
"I know that it hurts a lot… But you have to move on…"
"Benladann… you're not a dream?"
"Of course I am not a dream! THIS was a dream!" she said.
"I… I… But I… It was so real…"
"It was a fabrication of your own power… of course it felt real, you wanted it to be like that."
"Ah… No… I… I want to go back… Let me…"
"I don't want them to go…! I…"
I suddenly fall into pieces, as I end up in the form I had as a child.
"I don't want them to go…"
"Drake… My love… you have to come back… You already have so many people out there… You have me and… our baby too!"
Benladann suddenly grabs me.
"I know it hurts a lot. I know it feels like you want to stay here forever… I know how much you went through, and I know how much you love them… But you don't belong there anymore… You have to accept it… Dear… you died, and reincarnated… And you're now a dragon and my husband… And the father of our child…"
I was being so childish and foolish.
I feel so ashamed of myself.
I am no longer there…
The past… belongs to the past.
I should move on already.
"It's fine… You had it saved up, didn't you?"
"Come now, let's get out… We have a lot to live yet!"