text: [Themes: sci-fi, humor, science fiction, romance]
  
  You can spare a couple of moneys in this shit.
  
  You need to go sign up in person and you find the address online. So you go.
  
  And you are greeted by a mystic receptionist that tells you to get ready for the journey of your life and other bull.
  
  Maybe this wasn't a good idea?
  
  > You're already here
  Yeah, you're already here. Might as well do it.
  
  You pay the sign up fee and you take the first class which is actually right now!
  
  So you enter the room and it's filled with funny-smelling smoke. It doesn't smell like weed, but it does smell like some sort of unnatural vapor.
  
  You have two teachers, one is a man and one is a woman. They both look quite attractive and they're wearing nothing but underwear.
  
  You look at your three classmates and they too are half-naked.
  
  Everyone looks at you expectantly and you know you'll have to take your clothes off. The webpage didn't say nothing about this. Good thing you brought your good undies.
  
  So the male teacher speaks with a low, enchanting voice.
  
  "Welcome, newcomer, to the journey of you life."
  
  You nod.
  
  "Please have a sit next to Shalissa," says the female teacher as she waves her hand at the black woman in front of her. She must be Shalissa.
  
  You greet Shalissa and she greets you back. Then everyone closes their eyes and you do the same. Your teachers introduce themselves as gurus.
  
  Wolf, the male guru, has been doing this for the past ten years; and Raina, the female guru, has also been doing this for the past ten years.
  
  Shalissa's been taking the class for six weeks so she's about to graduate. Your other classmate, Ivan, a forty-something dude, has been assisting the course for five weeks. Greg started to take the class two weeks ago and Julia's having her second class today so she smiles at you with a "I know how you must feel right now" look.
  
  After a few minutes of slow breathing, Wolf tells you all to open your eyes and sit in a circle. And you do.
  
  "Tell us about your dreams," Raina asks.
  
  And you feel kinda shy. Maybe they won't find it serious enough. It's only a purple sky, but it does bother you. You explain that you've been having weird dreams that you can't quite remember and everyone listens.
  
  Wolf nods as he is about to share some wisdom.
  
  "Yes," he says, "Purple skies are often signs of stress. The internet might tell you different things about it, but you can trust me when I say I know more about dreams."
  
  Well, you have actually been a bit stressed lately, but that could be a coincidence.
  
  "Now, Julia, why don't you tell us if you've had any progress," asks Raina.
  
  And Julia proceeds to talk about her dream. She's been falling over and over night after night. Your dreams don't feel so troublesome now.
  
  Ivan talks about his dreams. He is now able to control most of the terrifying things he sees in his sleep, but he is still haunted by a mysterious dark shadow.
  
  Shalissa dreamt about a man that told her she looked like Beyoncé, and that meant the end of her nightmare streak. However, the gurus tell her not to get her hopes up to high because they might return, but she's made progress.
  
  After the class ends, you don't really feel like you learned anything but breathing exercises that you could've easily looked for online. Or that you could have just thought of by yourself.
  
  You dream about a purple sky again.
  
  > Next class
  The next week you go by and you take off your clothes before sitting next to Shalissa, but Raina stops you.
  
  "Today you'll sit next to Ivan," she says with her sweet voice that you actually like.
  
  And you sit next to Ivan. Today's class is different and you wonder if they actually plan these things, because it's supposed to be a course but everyone's in different levels so it wouldn't make sense for the gurus to give you and the more advanced people the same class.
  
  But no one seems to bother about it, not even Julia.
  
  "Talk to each other," Wolf says.
  
  Ivan then tells you about all the dreams he's been having. For the last couple of days he's been getting caught by the shadow monster in his dreams. You learn that he's from a foreign country in the Middle East and that he thinks that the shadow monster is a metaphor for the war.
  
  You feel kind of bad for Ivan and you're a bit embarrassed to tell him about your blurry purple-skied dreams. You remember that you dreamed about chickens and pie, and you try to make it sound more dramatic because you don't want to bore Ivan. For some reason.
  
  When you're done talking, you do the same breathing exercises as last week, but now you add a new step where you must hold your breath for exactly seven seconds before breathing out in your palm. Why? You don't feel like questioning it.
  
  It turns out that Shalissa and Greg wait for the bus in the same stop as you, while Julia and Ivan carpool to class from somewhere
  
  Good to know, you guess.
  
  > Next week
  This is Shalissa's last class and the gurus take her to the back room that you'd never noticed before. If your calculations are correct, this is her eighth class, so you still have six more weeks before whatever ritual they perform back there happens to you.
  
  Ivan's left in charge and he makes you do the usual breathing exercises.
  
  You're now sitting next to Greg.
  
  When you talk, Greg tells you about his dreams. He's been dreaming about zombies and you think that sounds kind of cool. He always starts in the same place: the subway.
  
  In his nightmares, Greg has no memory, but he know he has to get back to his wife and children. Sometimes he makes it out of the subway and into the city, but he always ends up being eaten by zombies before waking up.
  
  You don't remember him talking about this before.
  
  You remember your dreams and you know that they had something to do with you losing your keys or your wallet. And there's always a purple sky. Again, your dreams are kind of embarrassing compared to getting caught by a shadow monster (which reminds you of a series, but never mind that) or being eaten alive by zombies (which reminds you of a book you read once).
  
  At the end of the class, Shalissa comes out and says goodbye to all of you before disappearing.
  
  Wolf and Raina stop you and Julia before you leave.
  
  "You guys have been showing amazing progress," says Wolf, "I just wanted to congratulate you."
  
  You don't even know why they'd say that. They weren't even in class today and you're sure you really haven't been doing anything out of the ordinary.
  
  You're not able to lucid dream yet, but you have been getting better sleep.
  
  Maybe they just say that to all their students to boost their confidence.
  
  You walk out and you say goodbye to Julia before meeting Ivan at the bus stop. Shalissa is not there, but you don't ask.
  
  > Week four out of nine
  This is Ivan's last class, so he's the one being taken to the back by Wolf and Raina.
  
  Are those even their real names? You know Wolf can't really be named like that, but you've heard Raina somewhere before.
  
  Now it's down to Greg, Julia and you to talk about your dreams after the breathing.
  
  Greg's dreams are still terrifying, but they've stopped being so gory. Julia's dream changed to her being kidnapped somewhere in China or something. You've been recently dreaming about a tower and purple sky, but you're not ashamed of your dreams anymore.
  
  You actually like Greg and Julia, they're nice people. And they seem to like you back.
  
  Ivan comes running out of the back room and yells at the gurus.
  
  "Fuck you!" he says before storming off.
  
  Wolf and Raina stand there unfazed and apologize for Ivan's behavior.
  
  Raina sits next to you and Wolf sits next to Greg. You're now in a circle and the breathing exercises continue as if nothing happened.
  
  Julia seems a bit concerned and Greg asks to be excused for a moment. You don't blame him.
  
  The class is over and Raina asks to talk to you before leaving. Wolf is talking to Julia and Greg didn't return.
  
  "Will you be coming back next week?" she wants to know.
  
  > say yes
  You promised Raina that you'd come back and here you are.
  
  You're kind of surprised to see Greg back as well. You assumed he'd been scared off by Ivan's storming off.
  
  Julia is also back so it's now reduced to the three of you.
  
  You breath in and out and Wolf approaches you.
  
  "Can I touch your back?" he asks.
  
  You're kind of unsure, but you agree and he just places his palm on your lower back.
  
  And that's it. His hand sits there for a few minutes before he releases it .
  
  You're not sure how to feel, but you guess it was OK.
  
  Raina asked Julia to touch Greg's back and they agreed, so now they're kinda busy and you're left to do some breathing exercises by yourself.
  
  You still haven't been able to control your dreams and you're pretty sure that you should be doing so by now. The reality checks you've been doing at home are not really helping so you consider stopping them, but you've been trying for over a month so why stop now?
  
  You don't talk about your dreams that day.
  
  You're about to go to the bus stop when Greg walks up to you and asks you if you want to carpool with him and Julia.
  
  > Sure, carpooling is good for the environment
  You give them your address and, luckily, it is on their usual way.
  
  You talk during the ten minute trip and you get to know both of them better.
  
  Julia is single and she lives with a roommate in an apartment near a university, but she's not studying anything, it was just a cheap place.
  
  She is currently writing a romantic novel and she likes pop music.
  
  Greg is married and lives in the suburbs, but he works in the city. He has two young daughters and his neighbor is one of those crazy people who collect guns.
  
  You tell them about yourself, your music taste, your current status and your hobbies. And you finally get home.
  
  You wave at them goodbye and they drive away. Julia's the driver, by the way. Her car is red.
  
  > Sixth week
  You get early and you only see Wolf. He tells you that Raina will be late but he doesn't explain why.
  
  "Have you started lucid dreaming?" he asks.
  
  Every time you realize you're dreaming you immediately wake up and it's getting kind of annoying, you explain.
  
  He tells you that that's a normal thing and you'll eventually get the hang of it.
  
  Greg and Julia eventually show up and you all start to breathe together. You were sort of expecting to see a new class member today because the place feels kind of empty with only three students.
  
  Raina finally arrives and she hugs everyone including you for some reason.
  
  You talk about your dreams and Greg explains that he's been having lucid dreams all week. Julia talks about her only two lucid dreaming nights and you feel a little envious, but you're also happy for them.
  
  When the class is over, you carpool with Julia and Greg again.
  
  "Next class is my final class," says Greg, "I'm a bit nervous. I wonder what they'll do to me in that back room." he says only half joking.
  
  Julia assures him that there's nothing to worry about and you're not so sure, but you decide to remain silent.
  
  You get home.
  
  > Greg's last class or week seven
  Wolf and Raina take Greg to the back room and you're left alone with Julia.
  
  You breathe and you discuss your dreams. You're kind of excited about the fact that you finally had a completely lucid dream last night and you happily tell Julia about it.
  
  "I'm so glad for you," she says with a smile.
  
  She stopped having nightmares and most of her dreams are either partially or totally lucid, which sounds amazing. And it all seems to come from the breathing exercises and meditations.
  
  You thought it was all a scam and you now feel a bit more open minded about everything. Maybe you'll even read your horoscope one of these days.
  
  You laugh internally and you keep talking with Julia.
  
  She then asks you to touch her back and you agree. You do it for a few minutes before changing places.
  
  You know that you both look kind of ridiculous, but that's the fun part.
  
  The class is over and Greg still hasn't come out of the back room. You wonder if you should go see him, but you don't want to interrupt anything.
  
  You and Julia decide to wait for him and, after a few minutes, he comes out looking a bit exhausted. You're now more curious about the magic of that back room.
  
  Wolf and Raina both look satisfied with whatever went on in there and they wave at you.
  
  In the car, Greg suggests that you all hit a bar or something.
  
  Sure, why not.
  
  Greg, Julia and you go to your favorite bar and order some drinks. Greg looks fully recovered from before and he doesn't want to tell you about the back room.
  
  "Pleeeeease," asks Julia, who is already a bit drunk.
  
  "No," answers Greg, also a bit dizzy, "besides, you'll find out next week."
  
  "But I wanna knoooow."
  
  Suddenly you realize that the week after the next one you'll be the one going in the back room and you wonder if you're going to be completely alone for the next few classes.
  
  There's no newcomers and Julia's gonna be in the backroom with Wolf and Raina on week eight.
  
  You decide to enjoy yourself right now.
  
  After a few more rounds, Greg suddenly starts laughing and Julia asks him why.
  
  "We don't have a designated driver!" he chuckles.
  
  And you start laughing with Julia and Greg.
  
  Y'all gonna have to split a cab or something.
  
  Both Greg and Julia are super drunk and you think that you're a bit more sober, so you offer to call the cab service.
  
  The taxi arrives and all three of you hop in. Greg is the one who lives furthest away, so you give his direction and you tell the driver to make a few stops in yours and Julia's place.
  
  When you get to your place, Julia pulls your sleeve.
  
  "Wait, I think Greg might be a bit too drunk? Maybe you should stay and take us home safely," she says with a drunken smirk.
  
  "Please take me home!" says drunk Greg, laughing. Then he winks at you.
  
  > leave this heckers, you want to go home
  You know that it's gonna end up being sexy time if you stay with these dudes, so you know it's time to make like a check and bounce.
  
  bounce
  
  You say later alligator and after a while crocodile to the drunken lucid dreamers and you vanish in the dead of the night.
  
  > The next week
  You get early to the class but you don't see Julia or the gurus anywhere.
  
  You ask the receptionist what the heck and they tell you that Julia called a few days ago to say that she was dropping the course.
  
  That's weird. She really seemed into it and today was her graduating class.
  
  The gurus never show and you feel like it's kind of rude.
  
  You paid for this shit. They better come next week, which is supposedly your graduation.
  
  Or whatever.
  
  You make like a tree and leaf the place hoping to have a better class next week.
  
  By now you pretty much got the hang of lucid dreaming and now you can control at least four out of five dreams.
  
  And the purple sky is gone!
  
  > choose this ending
  I knew you'd pick this one.
  
  So you finally get to your final class and you find the gurus waiting for you near the back room.
  
  "We're sorry we skipped last week. We had to go take care of Julia." explains Wolf.
  
  Take care of Julia? What does that mean?
  
  "She eloped with Greg," says Raina, "she left her training undone and so we killed her."
  
  They're kidding, right?
  
  Killing people is illegal, unless you didn't get the memo explaining that murder was now a viable choice.
  
  Whatever, you get into the back room.
  
  No, wait. They killed Julia. They're totally not kidding about it. There's a heckin severed human head in the wall.
  
  And it's Julia's.
  
  You remember your training and you decide to take the next step in the evolutionary scale. You fall asleep while you're still standing and you start to have a lucid dream. Except this is not a lucid dream.
  
  You have an astral projection.
  
  "You fool!", talks Raina, who is also an astral projection, "We are the overlords of the dreamworld!"
  
  But they're forgetting one thing, and that thing is that you're heckin awesome and you have the broken powers of an anime protagonist or something like that. So you power-crawl to the next level.
  
  Wolf's projection transforms into a beast and Raina morphs into a storm, the back room starts to spin round and you get kinda dizzy.
  
  But you're smarter.
  
  You rush towards Wolf and he tries to bite you, but you go back to your body just in time and then you sweep both of the gurus' feet.
  
  They land with a loud thud and you take advantage of the situation to snap Raina's neck.
  
  Wolf comes to, but it's too late for him.
  
  You jump and you fly-kick the shit out of his face, twisting his whole head like 743 degrees.
  
  And you've won.
  
  The gurus' spirit come out of their bodies and look at you with an angry face, but you use your dream powers to send them both into the Shadow Realm.
  
  But wait.
  
  How did you know you could do this?
  
  You start to remember.
  
  Last week, after both gurus bailed on you, you went home and got some sleep.
  
  And that's when it happened.
  
  > Flashback time
  You are woken up by some knocking.
  
  You check the door, but it's nothing.
  
  You go back to your chambers and the knocking starts again.
  
  What could it be? You don't know. Maybe just the rain.
  
  Right, it's raining.
  
  So you hear the knocking and that's it.
  
  It's too much, man.
  
  You check the window and you find Julia.
  
  Greg is also there.
  
  They ask for your help.
  
  You don't know what they want.
  
  The gurus are trying to kill them because they escaped their class.
  
  The gurus are overlords? Of the dreamworld?
  
  That's crazy talk.
  
  But it's true. You know it deep in your heart.
  
  Julia kisses you and gives you all of her powers.
  
  Powers?
  
  Lucid dreaming is actually a superhuman ability. It's the first step.
  
  Next comes astral projection. But you need to graduate from the class.
  
  And the price is high.
  
  Greg kisses you and bestows upon you his powers.
  
  You can now project your astral self.
  
  What is the cost of such power, Greg?
  
  Your soul.
  
  The gurus ask for your soul and Greg caved in.
  
  So did Shalissa, but Ivan refused.
  
  Where's Ivan?
  
  He's dead.
  
  You're next if you don't give them what they want.
  
  Greg is gonna try to save Julia, but he's past the point of no return.
  
  It's up to you to stop the gurus for good.
  
  When your time comes, you must kill their bodies and vanish their souls.
  
  Where?
  
  The Shadow Realm?
  
  Is that where we are?
  
  The Shadow Realm is a graveyard for restless souls.
  
  Only dead people and fully-grown lucid dreamers can access it.
  
  You need a corporeal form to vanish others into the realm, and Greg is soon going to be dead.
  
  Julia might not be safe, so you'll have to do it.
  
  But won't the gurus be able to easily escape from there?
  
  Greg will not let them. He'll finish them off in their spirit form.
  
  He's already dead.
  
  Julia too, probably.
  
  They'll kill the souls of the gurus but only if you kill their bodies and cast them away...
  
  That's too much responsibility.
  
  But you feel ready for it.
  
  You're a lucid dreamer now.
  
  > Flashpresent time
  Right.
  
  After that, Julia and Greg erased your memory because they didn't want the gurus to read your thoughts and so they had to trust your instincts.
  
  Good thing you have good instincts.
  
  Now you can only hope that they were able to eliminate the gurus' souls.
  
  As for you...
  
  Well, you're a lucid dreamer now. You can pretty much do anything in the dreamworld, the Shadow Realm and even in the real world because your astral projection grows stronger every day.
  
  You're fulfilled and you never have nightmares again.