All the students on campus know about the café. How can we not? It’s oddly the only thing open twenty four hours within a fifteen mile radius of the University. Not even the diners are opened twenty four hours here. It’s officially called The Sun and Moon café, but people either call it “the café” or “Sun and Moon”. It’s never the full name. 

Anyway, it’s a good place to come if you can’t fall asleep. It usually has a few people scattered about the lounge areas inside the shop, but tonight it’s just Charlie and I. 

Charlie motions to the tables. “Go find us somewhere good to sit. I’ll order for you.”

I hand her a few dollars and search the room for a comfortable place to sit. “Thanks.” I say before completing my scan of the room and decide on a booth right next to the fireplace, which is lit tonight. 

I throw my coat on the seat beside me and lay my head down on the booth table, staring into the fire. The way the flames lick the air soothes me. Almost like how watching goldfish swim is soothing. Is that strange? It might be, but it doesn’t matter I guess.

About five minutes later Charlie appears with two mugs. One filled to the brim with hot coco and whipped cream, which is for me, and another with a warm Chai for Charlie. “So what did you dream about that you had to come out to the café at 2 a.m.?”

I raise my head from the mountain of whipped cream I’m trying to drink through. “Huh?”

“The dream.” Charlie repeats. “What was the dream?”

“Oh.” I wrap my hands around the warm mug and stare into the melting cream. “I dreamt about the time I woke up in the middle of the forest back home. You know the time I told you about? When I was four?”

“Ohhh. Ok. I thought you basically forgot about that though? Not in like a bad way or anything. I just thought you, like, got over it?” Her features distort in confusion.

“I thought I had too. I’m not sure what triggered it honestly. I thought people forgot memories from that long ago by now.” I take another sip of the hot coco.

Charlie stares into her Chai. I can almost see her sorting through questions in her head. “Do you think your subconscious is trying to tell you something?”

“Like what?” I ask.

She shrugs. “Uhh, I dunno. I’m not your subconscious. Ask your subconscious!” 

I stare at her, stunned. “You are just so good at giving advice Charlie. You should have become a therapist. Or even better. A life coach. Bravo.” 

“Ok. Ok smartass I’m not the best at giving advice, but I’m serious. Maybe you shouldn’t forget about it.” She scoots closer to the table and leans in on it. “You think you should start trying to figure it out again? Thanksgiving break is soon. It might not hurt to go check out the forest. Maybe it’ll trigger something.”

“And what would be left in the forest after 18 years? After going back so many times? I doubt I’d find anything, and I’m not sure I want to. I like my life. What if I ruin it by looking deeper into whatever it is?” I watch the whipped cream melt into the hot coco until it disappears. 

“Maybe you will-” she starts

“Gee thanks.” I interrupt.

She swats my words away. “Oh let me finish. Maybe you will. Maybe you won’t. But what is guaranteed is that if you don’t satisfy whatever curiosity is left deep down inside you that dream is just gonna keep coming up right as you’re about to forget about it and make you wonder all over again. It’s gonna be like a cycle of forget and wonder.”

I ponder on what she said for a few minutes. Maybe it will be good to check into it one last time? If I truly don’t find anything this time then fine. I’m done. Guess I won’t be bored over break. “For somebody who sucks at giving advice you can say some pretty nice things every once in a while.”

A wide, cocky grin spreads across her face making me regret complimenting her. “Yeah. I know.” She stirs the film of cinnamon sitting on top of her Chai and finally begins to drink it.