I could feel that there’s something tapping my cheeks. I swatted it with my hands and continued to sleep. It stopped for a moment but came back again. So, I frowned. I chose to just ignore it and to continue to sleep because of the softness of the bed.

“Bed? What bed? Why did I think of bed?”

I thought back to what happened the night before and I could remember that the last thing I did was sitting still on the sofa after not wanting to move anywhere and everything is cut off from there.

“So, why do I feel the softness of the bed at my back?”, I thought confusedly.

I could feel the tapping on my cheeks were stronger than before. I tried to open my eyes slowly and looked at who or what is the reason for it.

As soon as I opened my eyes, I could see that the room is still dark. But I could still due to some light slipping through the windows despite the presence of the dark curtains.

“Thank goodness you finally woke up”, the person who woke me up said. I looked at her stunned.

She looked at me for awhile and said, “Get up now. We still need to go to an appointment.”

She stopped speaking for awhile and asked, “Or do you prefer to stay here?”

I did not answer for I was still stunned.

She raised her arm and touched my cheeks. She then started to stretch my cheeks and said, “I will accept your silence as a yes. So, get up and prepare now. We’ll be going by 10 am”.

She put her hand down, stood up and walked towards the door.

I followed her movements with my eyes until she reached the door of this room. I summoned my courage and called her.

“Mom?”, I called.

She stopped and looked back at me with her eyebrows raised.

“Hmm, what is it?”

I tried to smile despite the tremors I could feel on my cheeks as I did the action.

“Nothing”, I said.

“If there’s nothing, then, hurry up and start getting ready now.”

She then continued going out.

I looked at her until the door to the room closed.

I averted my eyes from the door and started looking around the room that is both familiar and unfamiliar.

After looking around, I soon realized two things: First, this was not the room I fell asleep with. Second, this was my room when I was still in the last year of high school.

I was dumbfounded. It has been 3 years since I was last in this room.

I slowly got up from the bed. I stood up as soon as my feet touches the floor.

I tried to be as calm as possible. I tried to do some breathing exercises.

But it was useless.

Because as soon as I saw my mother’s face right in front of me, my emotions were already in chaos.

I walked towards the bathroom. I stepped to the sink and opened the faucet. I washed my face with water. I closed my eyes and straightened up.

“This is just a dream. I am already 22 years old. My parents died in a car accident. I just broke up with my long-time boyfriend. This is just a dream because this is impossible,” I repeatedly said loudly to myself even when I find it painful to do so. But I need to wake up. I need to face reality. I need to be strong. I need to be brave.

I sighed and opened my eyes. Only to see my younger self looking back at me. I am shocked.

“What the hell is happening?”