By: Patrick Dang

I spent day and night daydreaming of love. I dreamt of what the perfect girl would be like. We would be like two peas in a pod. The bestest of friends, with a bond stronger than blood. Distance wouldn’t be enough to separate us. She was the half that I need to make me whole. No matter what comes between us we would be inseparable. Just like a family. Everyday I would hug her and smile just at the sight of her. But I knew it couldn’t last. It was merely a dream after all. Dreams eventually fade. When I woke up, I was once again trapped in this place that was my “home.” I was never allowed to leave the place. With no knowledge and contact with others I could only dream about what loving someone would actually be like. Hoping to escape from my imprisonment I would scream at the top of my lungs praying that someone, anyone would hear me. But no one ever did. I was alone with my thoughts and in my own world. I thought of what life would be like outside. A perfect world, someplace I could feel truly alive. Suddenly the door burst open and daylight had shone in. My body froze in shock, petrified. I took a breath to calm down, stared at the doorway, and saw someone standing by the broken door. The stranger walked towards me covering the bright daylight and extended out her hand. As I reached forward to take the stranger’s hand she grabbed mine and pulled me up. As we walked towards the exit I smiled to myself and thought, “Maybe there’s a life outside of dreams after all.”