I joined a forum online to learn about lucid dreaming and how to control your dreams. It was during quarantine and I had nothing better to do. I always asked questions about the things I was doing wrong like falling midflight or creating monsters and waking up out of fear.
Then I got a private message from a user called Dare2dream42. She told me how I could be paired up with a partner called a master dreamer, someone far more skilled than myself, and become an expert lucid dreamer. Seeing as she didn’t ask for money I felt I had nothing to lose.
“You could meet up in dreams with a master dreamer to show you how limitless the possibilities really are.” She wrote.
I thought to myself how this isn’t possible but let’s see what happens. I mean what endless possibilities for people to meet up with others in their dreams? The problem was you have to find someone you’re dream compatible with. The rules were simple, you can only speak in wake hours about lucid dreaming. No small talk, no getting to know one another, no sharing photos, and definitely no becoming friends. After your dream master helps you lucid dream on your own, you would no longer work or speak with them.
Within a week I was paired with a master dreamer. Cora was perfect, kind, and understanding. She saw potential in me. I told her what things I absolutely did not want to see in my dreams and all the reasons behind not wanting to see them. I mean not wanting to see blood or murder didn’t need an explanation but I told her about my fear of spiders because of a traumatic experience as a child. I told her my fear of drowning and other things I hadn’t shared with others. I asked her what things she did not want to see and she told me not to worry about her. That somehow simultaneously calmed and intimidated me. I was nervous but also I felt she knew what she was doing.
The first few days were hard because we’d be in the same dream but we had to find one another. After we created methods and signs to find one another we quickly began the process. She was beautiful, adventurous and so kind. I felt like I had a big sister showing me the ropes. It was like learning to ride a bike.
While learning to fly in my dreams I had moments I’d slowly begin falling and she’d grab my hand each time.
“Don’t overthink it Ava.” She must’ve said that to me twenty times in the first two weeks. It worked though and I stopped overthinking.
Once I mastered flying, she taught me to conjure up different items. It started with food which was my favorite. The first time I thought up an apple it was half green and half red, she laughed at me.
“I know, I know. I’m overthinking it.” I tried again and it was a perfect red apple. It even tastes like an apple but sweeter.
Then she wanted to place random vehicles around my dreams and I had to get in them and start them up. In most dreams, you don’t have to have car keys but the problem I always came across was the car changing. So first I’m in a big hummer and within a few moments, it’s not a tiny car without any walls. She taught me to keep the car consistent.
The next lesson was about animals and insects. I created a beautiful butterfly whose wingspan was bigger than mine. I was so proud and it was so beautiful. And then not a moment later, Cora made a spider the same size as my butterfly and the spider devoured my butterfly. I freaked out. I woke up immediately. I told myself she didn’t do it on purpose and it must’ve been an accident. I emailed her about the incident and her response was, “it must’ve slipped my mind.”
There was no apology but I believed her. The next few days went by pleasantly. We worked together in our dreams and we even made an island. As I was flying above it I saw Cora make a boat. I didn’t know why she was doing that so I went down to ask.
“Cora, are you going out to sea?” I asked nicely.
She turned around, gave me a blank stare, and then smiled. Within moments I was on the boat in the middle of the water and freaking out. I tried to fly off the boat but I was overthinking it and too anxious. I kept panicking and the boat slowly began filling up with water causing it to sink. I shouted for Cora and she was nowhere to be found. I began cupping the water from my hands and throwing it out of the boat but it was hardly doing anything. Did Cora do this on purpose? What is going on with her? Why is she changing out of nowhere?
I looked behind me and Cora was floating above the water smiling,
“Ava, you have to face your fears.” She then disappeared. It was at that moment that I feared her more than the water. I tried to wake myself up but I couldn’t concentrate. Now the boat was mostly submerged underwater and I couldn’t do anything to stop it. I sank with the boat and my heart began racing. As it was a dream I could breathe underwater and I thought to myself, “this isn’t too bad. I’ll be okay.”
That’s when I turned around and saw a whale shark. It opened its mouth and came right towards me. I closed my eyes tight and when I opened them I was awake. To this day it makes no sense to me but I had a gash on my left shoulder blade. It was as if the shark really did bite me. It was bad enough to be concerned but not bad enough for an ER visit.
I wrote Cora that I never want to see her again and that she cannot join me in my dreams. I was now incredibly fearful for my well-being knowing that I could physically be injured in real life. I figured she’d back off and leave me alone but she responded with, “Someone’s being dramatic.”
The next three nights I was afraid to go to sleep. I barely slept and when I did my entire dream consisted of me being on the lookout. I was fed up and wrote in the dream forum about what had happened to me. When I logged in later in the day I realized my account had been deleted without any reason. I didn’t know what was going on anymore.
I was livid and I was hurt and mostly I was exhausted. I was tired of letting some stranger make me feel so bad. That night I went to sleep early and was ready to see Cora. In my dream, I called out to her and was ready to fight.
I went from my bedroom to a dark empty hallway. I heard her voice call my name. But the echo came from many directions. Then the voice came directly behind me and I turned around quickly. It was Cora. But she was a big spider. My anger made me overcome my fear.
“I’m not scared of you.” I grabbed a knife I was hiding and stabbed her directly in the stomach. She pulled it out and laughed. Then she grabbed me by the throat, lifted me up off the ground, and then dropped me. She then disappeared. I began choking and coughing really hard. The hallway was slowly filling up with water. It now covered my hands. I was still coughing and then I felt something come up my throat. It was a spider. I was choking on spiders. I kept coughing up spiders and the hallway was still filling up with water. I tried not to panic but it was my two worst fears and they were both happening worse than I could ever imagine. I woke up covered in sweat and crying.
That was two years ago and now I am happily married with a baby on the way. I don’t think about what had happened often but I’m writing all this now because it’s four am and I woke up abruptly. I went downstairs to get some water and my husband had fallen asleep on the couch with his laptop on his chest. This happens when he has a big upcoming project. I took his glasses off his face, folded them, placed them on the coffee table, and kissed his forehead. Then I picked up his laptop and wanted to make sure what he was working on was saved before I closed it. That’s when I saw it. He was logged in on a sleep forum, one that I used before I had even met him. His username was Dare2dream42. My heart sank, and I told myself this can’t be real. I wish I had found out he was cheating, this is so much worse. I looked at him and he was still fast asleep. Maybe I remembered Cora’s username incorrectly. I looked at his past messages and he had messaged multiple people about helping them with their lucid dreaming attempts. In some, he introduced himself as Corey, some as Cora. It was him. I am married to my worst nightmare. I have no idea what to do or even how to bring this up to him or if I even should.