I was standing in a vast, empty space. All around me was a deep, foggy haze, and when I went to move, I felt the heavy sloshing of water between my legs. I looked down to realize I was almost knee-deep in dull, grey-looking water.

Where am I?

The fog was familiar, like I could be on the edges of the town lake, early in the morning. Despite its familiarity, I couldn’t see any of the local buildings nearby or feel the soft breeze that came down from the mountain. Everything about this space was stale and unnatural. I heard a splashing noise, and I turned to face it. It was the strange man from earlier. He was no longer talking, just moaning as he stumbled towards me, black liquid leaking from his mouth.

“Go away,” I yelled. I tried to run, but my feet felt heavy. With each step, I was sinking into the ground, and the water was rising to meet me. The man continued to approach, his skin falling from his body. Blood and black ooze began seeping from his wounds. I tried to free myself, and only sank faster. “No!”

The stranger's face began to change; his eyes were now a bright red, and teeth razor sharp. The skin that was revealed below was now a purple so dark, it appeared almost black. He expanded as he screamed, arms reaching towards the heavens. Everything about him screamed danger. I prayed that this was just a dream and that I would wake up soon. A large, unexplained root shot up from the watery ground, impaling the monster through its stomach. The creepy melting man looked down at the root but was somehow still alive. He reached out for me, yelling in a language I didn’t understand.

Casimir appeared suddenly, leaping at the monster from behind. In his hands was a sword that glowed as brightly as the sun. I watched, transfixed, as Casimir slew the monster, easily cutting off his head in one swing.

The creature slumped over, the root now the only thing keeping it upright. Small flakes of black ash began to fall from the corpse, floating up into the sky. Casimir had landed just behind me, and I turned slowly, almost afraid to look him in the eye. The water had loosened its grip, but I was still waist deep and sinking slowly.

“Casimir?” I whispered.

He heard me call to him and turned his head, a haunting sadness in his eyes.

A hole opened up below me, and I plummeted into the water below, gasping for air as the waves covered my face. I struggled for a moment in an attempt to swim to the top, but it was no good; a strong force had a hold on my leg and was dragging me under. As I reached out for help, Casimir stood there, a grim look on his face, as I was pulled under.

My eyes snapped open as a jolt of fear ran through me. Quickly, I realized that I was not drowning but instead was surrounded by warm, soft blankets, safe in my bed. The images from my most recent dream were fading quickly. Another new dream?

This last one was much like my other dreams, so vivid that it felt almost real. Except for this time, I was myself and not some strange, unknown woman. I was perplexed by the fact that after years of having the same set of dreams with almost no variation, that I would then have two new ones so close together. I hoped vehemently that this last one would not be a repeat offender. That strange man's body twisting, breaking, and then transforming into what seemed like a monster was too gruesome.

Things like that are just fantasy; it can't be real. Dark creatures and zombie men belong in the fictional world of books and films. The memory of Casimir slaying the strange oozing man with his glowing sword replayed in my head. How do I even come up with this stuff? Why can’t I just dream about normal things? My eyes glanced around my room for signs of the alarm clock that usually sat on my dresser. What time is it? I wondered. The crack of light peeking around the edges of my curtain told me it was midday, and a moment of panic overtook me.

"No, no, no, no, nooooo," I howled. I pushed myself up and threw my legs out of bed. I stumbled as my blankets clung to me, a tangle of blue fleece and cotton sheets. I kicked my legs desperately trying to throw off my entrapments. Lurching towards my dresser, I reached out for my phone, still attached to the charger. Sadly, it confirmed my fears that it was well past lunchtime. I had already missed part of school yesterday, and now I was skipping. This is something I tried very hard to avoid, no matter how tired I was. I was dangerously close to the amount of acceptable excused absences I was allowed for the year. Any more and I would have to go to summer school and would not graduate with my friends, or even worse, repeat my Senior year. I was getting too old for high school.

Text messages from both Zola and Sunita blinked on my notification alerts. I quickly texted them back to let them know I was alive, pausing as I grasped for an excuse. I never overslept; both my friends knew of my insomnia, but it was the truth. Yesterday I had gone to the nurse's office, so I decided to feign sickness again. I didn't like lying to them, but I also wanted to avoid a barrage of questions at the moment. Technically, I had passed out again, so it wasn’t like it was an outright lie. I really hoped my fainting wasn’t a sign of something more serious.

With my messages sent, I raised my head to look around my room. Everything appeared in order, but I had no memory of plugging in my phone or going to bed. I groggily replayed my actions before my collapse.

I was cleaning the kitchen and I went to take out the trash. Outside, I saw a man, or did I? Was the man part of my dream or real? Did I collapse again? Was it from exhaustion? I think I could remember bumping into Casimir before I passed out, his hands grabbing mine, and then nothing, only terror. Everything after dinner seemed so blurry, but the memory of my dream was crystal clear.

I could hear the clanking of dishes in the kitchen and assumed Grandfather must have come in for lunch. I slipped on my pale blue, terry cloth robe over my regular tank top and cotton pajama bottoms ensemble. I thought the tiny sleeping sheep that decorated the pants were adorable and ironic, seeing as I rarely slept, at least I used to.

As I shuffled down the hall, I decided it must have been Grandfather who helped me to bed, something he has done several times over the years. I stepped into the kitchen doorway, ready to greet the familiar figure of my guardian, but stopped short when I saw Casimir standing at the counter instead. He had his back to me, so he luckily didn't see my clumsy halt. This young man seemed very much at ease in my kitchen as he sliced off a large piece of tomato, humming to himself.

I slunk backward, my hand gripping the edge of the doorframe. I hated to admit that I was jealous of this newcomer who had come to apprentice under my grandpa. I had always been greedy for my guardian’s attention and fretted about him constantly, due in part that he was a very trusting person. I feared that this young man would abandon the farm at the first sign of hard work, leaving us both in a lurch. I worried about this mostly because over the years, we have had to hire people to help with the harvest, but they never lived with us, and this seemed like a big step to take. Grandpa George had told me Casimir was the son of a longtime family friend, but I swore that I had never heard of this guy before yesterday. My brow furrowed as I worried that perhaps I was so self-centered or sleep-deprived that I couldn't remember him talking about Casimir or his family before now.

I realized I had been standing there in the kitchen entrance for far too long. I briefly entertained the idea of fleeing back to my bedroom to sulk, but my curiosity currently outweighed my jealousy. I needed to know what happened to me last night and perhaps a bit more about this happy-go-lucky boy building this massive sandwich in my kitchen.

"Hello," I said, my voice cracking. I coughed into my hand to clear my throat.

Casimir turned around. "Oh, hey!" he responded. He grinned, holding the large sword from my dream in his hand. I was utterly befuddled, my eyes locked on the sword in confusion. I had to rub my eyes, convinced I must be dreaming.

"Hm, Diana, what's wrong?" Casimir asked. I reopened my eyes to see the sword replaced with a simple kitchen knife. I could feel a headache creeping around the corner of my eyes, and I was beginning to panic. I did not want to be hallucinating, that was never was never a good sign.

I was still eying the knife, and Casimir followed my gaze. He looked at it curiously before placing it down in the sink, apologizing for waving it around.

It was just a knife, I thought dully. The sword was just part of a dream.

As he washed the knife in the sink, I took a moment to glance at what he was wearing. Casimir was dressed in a simple white thermal and jeans, with a green plaid work shirt wrapped around his waist. I noticed a twig stuck in his ponytail, so I deduced that he must have just come from the fields recently.

Casimir was still smiling as he turned to look back at me, drying his hands on the towel near the sink. I felt my pulse quicken as I stared into his warm brown eyes. I wasn’t sure how to phrase my question about my possible collapse last night. I certainly didn’t want to explain my dreams to him. I found I was suddenly embarrassed by how disheveled I looked in my ratty old robe and pajamas, especially with no bra on. I looked away quickly and crossed my arms across my chest.

"So, you're skipping school also?" I asked, trying to sound cool as I leaned against the door frame to the kitchen. Casimir laughed loudly, and a smile stretched across his face. He had a nice laugh. Jeez, Diana. Get a hold of yourself.

Casimir was still laughing lightly as he responded. "Um, no. Well, yes, I guess I am," he reasoned as the young man reached into the sink to grab the bread knife he had just cleaned, placing it on the drying rack. A flash of light hit the blade, and for a moment, I was transported back into my newest dream. The image of Casimir holding a large glowing sword in the moonlight lingered in the back of my mind.

"When you collapsed last night, I decided to stay home and help Uncle George out," Casimir explained. As he spoke, he continued to clean his food prep. "I wanted to make sure you were okay." There was a heavy pause after he said this. I was struggling to respond, worried about my second collapse on the same day.

Casimir turned to face me suddenly. "Oh, I'm sorry! Did you want some?" He pointed to his sandwich, his face flushed with concern. I was stunned momentarily, and my thoughts derailed. There was no way this dude was so polite and nice.

"Um," I stammered when suddenly my stomach let out a huge growl. I could tell by his face that Casimir heard it, so there was no way I could say no now. Also, I was actually super hungry. "Sure, if you don't mind sharing," I said as I walked towards the giant sandwich to inspect its contents. Casimir nodded and grabbed a second plate from the stack on the shelf. He sure knows his way around the kitchen, so maybe he has been here before. I jumped forward, determined to help. "Let me grab some chips."

We had settled at the small kitchen table to eat our lunch, our conversation slow as we both ate silently. The boy in my dream was so different from the one sitting across the table from me, happily munching on his food. Monster-slaying-Casimir seemed much more serious. I was wondering if I should ask him if he had any sword-fighting experience when my grandfather entered the house through the back door in the kitchen.

"Oh, Diana," Grandfather said, smiling as he saw me. "You look better. How are you feeling?"

"Actually, pretty good," I answered, quickly chewing a mouthful of food. “I heard I collapsed again. I honestly can’t remember what happened.”

“Oh, we heard you shouting and found you on the path near the front gate,” Grandpa explained. “There was a man nearby who was lost, so I gave him directions back to town.”

“How do you manage to get lost in a town with one major road?” I asked incredulously.

“Tourists,” he muttered, shrugging his shoulders.

“He wasn’t sick or anything?” I wondered, glancing at my grandfather for his reaction.

Grandpa shook his head. “Not that I could tell, why?”

“No reason,” I grumbled, taking a slow sip of my drink. I guess I imagined all of that weird zombie shuffling and creepy black ooze. “Well, I’m glad you found me, sorry if I worried you.”

“You know I always worry, Diana.”

“I know,” I muttered, glancing over at Casimir, embarrassed that he was hearing all of this. “How are the Braeburns looking?” I asked, changing the subject. Those were a variety of apples that wouldn’t be ready for harvest until mid-October, but it was my favorite type. Always in time for my birthday.

“They are coming along nicely,” Grandpa remarked, heading towards the fridge. He pulled out the pitcher of iced tea, pouring himself a glass. “There are still some Honeycrisps left to sort if you’re feeling better.”

“Suuuuuure,” I answered slowly, not actually sure if I was up to stomping around the fields.

“Don’t sound too excited, dear,” Grandfather joked, taking a big swig of his tea. “Did you fix that fencing I showed you, Casimir?”

“Yep, it’s all patched up,” Casimir answered, wiping his hands with a napkin. He was finished eating, so he stood up and took his plate to the sink. “Although you might have to replace a post or two, they seemed rotted in places.”

“That’s unfortunate,” Grandpa grumbled.

As they began discussing a trip to the hardware store for new lumber, I excused myself, sneaking off to hide in my room and catch up on my reading. I was only a few pages into my book when I found myself distracted, reading the same sentence over and over. I kept thinking about Casimir, wanting to know more about his background. Part of me knew this was information I would only gather over time, but since he was living in my home, I felt a sense of urgency overtake me each time it crossed my mind. I hopped onto my computer in the hopes of searching the internet for any information I could find on the mysterious young man. The search brought up a listing for one other person, who was definitely not the Casimir I knew. Everything else was either a link to a historical article or a business.

I sighed and turned off my computer, deciding to get dressed and organize my new art studio instead. I guess I would just have to get to know Casimir the slow way.