Mae pulled the covers up over herself, she felt like she was enclosed in her own bubble of warmth, to her it felt like heaven, and she didn't want to escape from this moment. She was at rest and, in that moment of peacefulness, she felt safe for the first time today. Just earlier she and Gregg had helped Bea Santello avoid the wrath of the Possum Springs Elementary School bully Banes, and his henchmen, Gaz and Wayne. They had gone down to Sawmill Park, out by the tracks, to have fun on the rope swing where they found them tormenting Bea. Somehow Mae had dragged Bea out of what to her was an impossible situation and bring her to safety. From then on, Mae and Bea would be the best-est of friends, Gregg included. The rain fell lightly on her window. It was one of those nights, and with the heat being released into her room through her radiator, Mae began to slowly fall to sleep with a not a worry in the world. Her eyes became heavy, and after contemplating whether or not she should stay awake, she had already fallen into a sleep coma, mouth hanging open, hand off the side of the bed and, much to her parents dismay, her bedroom light still on. It was silent throughout the whole house. Candy and Stan were in their beds reading, and Granddad had gone to sleep earlier. As Mae drifted further into her dream world, the rain outside grew stronger, and so did the wind, and Mae began to dream. * * * "If I'm going to be a caged bird, I'll sing the best song I can" - Wes Craven * * * Mae's eyes flickered open. Ahead of her was a light, a light that as she walked closer to it, it went further away. She was on the floor, and as she picked herself up she noticed that her arms looked blurry when they moved as if they were out of focus. Her breathing was heavy, and she felt light. The light still stood in front of her beckoning her, teasing her, mocking her. Mae began to run. Run towards the light. And, like she had thought, it ran away from her her breathing became heavier and heavier, echoing in the darkness surrounding her.Suddenly, the light stopped, and Mae felt happy knowing now that she could reach it, and when she did, she was surprised to learn that the mysterious light was a door. She stopped, gripped the handle and threw it open, beyond the door was more darkness, and another light. Mae stepped forwards and fell. There was no floor, only a drop that Mae couldn't see, she continued to fall endlessly, not knowing if there was going to be a bottom. The wind rushed through her hair and she began to turn in the air, it felt nice like a cool breeze during the summer heat. In a way, Mae was flying, and as she began to get a grip of herself, she could control how she moved and how fast she fell. Hitting the bottom didn't hurt, as it was her dream world nothing could cause pain. She bounced onto it softly and fell on all fours. There was still darkness everywhere around her, and the door in the distance was still waiting for her. Mae sprinted to the door on her paws, she imagined she was a wild animal hunting her prey. Above her, large cloaked figures looked down in her direction, watching closely as she made her journey. She recognised two of the figures as her parents, and another being her Granddad. The final one however remained hidden, as if it didn't want Mae to know who they are. Just metres away from the door, a loud scream echoed around the dream world. Mae stopped and turned to look up at what had made the noise. A large brown owl flew down towards her, its wings slicing through the air. It landed in front of Mae in the direction of the door, blocking her way. The owl had blue eyes that pierced Mae's soul. Looking into them make you feel lost, and made you feel sorry for the creature, as it looked lonely.