text: The sky is an unsettling dark gray with very thick clouds. Nothing about this beach is right. The sand isn't that beautiful white sand I remember from my visits to Florida's gulf coast. Instead it's the dingy brown sand you'd find along the eastern seaboard. The waves crash violently instead of gently lapping the shore like they did previously. The shore line itself is covered in washed up seaweed. Ever since that one conversation I have a lot less control over the environment. I can pick the location, but not the details. At least Vanessa looks nice. She's wearing the same green dress that she had on when I first met her. Her jet black hair is tied back in a lovely braid. The contrast of her tan complection with her green eyes is still incredible. Except now I see a deep seated despair in those eyes. She glances down at the pistol in my hand. "How do you want to do this?" she asks. "I really don't want to do it at all." "I know, and I hate to put such a burden on your shoulders. But, we already tried the other way, and it didn't work. This is the only alternative I can come up with. I think that you have to push me out of this reality for it to be permanent." "Are you sure this won't kill you in real life?" "I didn't die last time. I just woke up. I think that's a good sign." "Vanessa, I..." she cuts me off, already knowing the words before I even speak them. "Don't say it, please." "I understand. We'd better go ahead. Just turn around and look at the water." I wish I could have given her a better view. Like the beach we stood on before. She turns to face away from me. I take one last look at the way the dress shows off her shape nicely. I raise the gun and take aim at the back of her head. I'm holding it less than six inches away. At this distance I can't miss. I hesitate for a moment and I'm not sure if I have it in me to do this. I have to force it to happen. I feel my finger slowly begin to put pressure on the trigger. \*\*\*\* Vanessa and I are on the rooftop where we danced before. Except this time there's no sound of a Latin street band below, playing that song that she sang along with in Spanish. Now there's mostly just the noise of a heavy wind. There's a sharp chill in the air. This feels more like New York weather than Miami. She sits on the roof ledge and explains her idea. "If I die in here then that should sever this link between us. Then I can live my life, and you can have your own dreams again. You can build the world you want." "I wish it didn't have to be this way. For what it's worth, I'm sorry for the pain I've caused you." "It's not your fault. I got carried away, and I should have been honest with you from the start. I hope that you'll find someone new, and give her the kind of experiences that you gave me." "If I ever figure this out, I'll definitely try it." She turns herself around facing the ten story drop below. "Goodbye Kevin." she says as she pushes herself off of the ledge. She doesn't scream as she falls. Suddenly I hear the impact. It's a loud thud of something smashing against metal as if she landed on a car below. It jolts me awake, and I lie in bed feeling my heart pounding inside of my chest. \*\*\*\* We're alone in a deluxe hotel penthouse suite. I'm still lying down in the wonderful king size bed. Vanessa is up and looking out the window. I can see in her face that something is bothering her, but I'm not sure what it is. She turns and looks at me. "Kevin, " she begins, "I can't keep doing this." "Why not?" I inquire. She walks over and sits on the edge of the bed. "I need to tell you something.” she says. “Out there in the real world, I'm married. I'm sorry, I shouldn't have kept that from you." She pauses for a moment to let the news sink in. I'm silent, not knowing what to say. Vanessa continues. "I justified this little adventure we've been having because we weren't doing it in real life. But when I’m awake, I'm starting to think about you more often. I can't do that, my husband is a good man, and we have a good life together. I can’t let things that happen in a dream interfere with that." I take a deep breath before speaking. "I understand. This leaves one big question though. How do we stop?" "I don’t know. We’ll have to figure that part out." \*\*\*\* The beach sand is a pristine shade of white, that looks amazing in the sunset. Waves of crystal clear water gently roll in and back out. The air temperature is perfect. I'm relaxing in a beach lounge chair with lots of cushioning, covered by a big blanket. The lounger is double the normal width, which is great since it allows plenty of room for her. She's lying next to me, and my arms are around her. She looks into my eyes and smiles. "This was fun, " she says. " and the beach scene was a nice touch." "I'm glad I wasn't the only one enjoying it." "I'm getting that feeling, like we're gonna wake up soon. Or, at least I am." "Yeah, I'm feeling it too. Hopefully we'll meet up again." "I'm sure we will. It's been pretty consistent so far." "Well, I'll tell you what. While you're awake, think about some different environments you'd like to try, and places to see for next time." "Will do." We lean in and end things with a kiss as I hear the sound of my alarm off in the distance. \*\*\*\* I've been experimenting with lucid dreaming for about five months now. I'm starting to get the hang of it. I've finally reached the point where I can start to control the environment, so I've been exploring different places. This time I'm in a park, looking at a pond with a dozen or so ducks swimming around. "Nice day." I hear a woman's voice say. I turn and look to see her approaching. She's 5'8 and slender. She has a tan complexion, and jet black hair going just past her shoulders. The dress she's wearing is emerald green, and fits just right, showing off the contours nicely. Its color matches her eyes perfectly. "Yes it is." I reply, "I'm Kevin, nice to meet you." "I'm Vanessa. It's nice to meet you too." "So, Vanessa, what brings you here?" "I don't know. This is where my dream started." "Your dream? What do you mean by that?" "I'm a lucid dreamer. I haven't actually had a full conversation with a dream character before, so this is new to me." "Ah, well, I'm not sure how to break this to you, but I'm not a character, and I'm dreaming right now as well. In fact, this is the environment I created for my dream." "What? How is this possible?" "I have no idea." "Well, what are you planning to do while you're here?" "I don't have a set plan, I'm just exploring. Since you're along for the adventure, maybe we should take a walk, and get to know each other better." I reach out my hand for her to take hold of. She looks at it and grins. "Okay, but we have to come to an understanding on one thing first." "What's that?" "Under no circumstances are you getting into my pants." she says, trying to sound very serious. I can't resist the opportunity to say what I'm thinking. "You're not wearing pants." I reply. She gives me a mischievous half smile, and takes my hand anyway.