The woman welcomes them with open arms. After that, she raises her hand to Selene and looks at her. After a brief hesitation, Selene gives it a good shake.

“I am Cordelia.” she smiles kindly. But it bothered Selene, and the way Cordelia looked at her made her feel uneasy; it was as if Cordelia knew her before she even introduced herself.

Selene returns her smile. She wishes she didn’t look stiff. “I’m Selene, and this is my best friend, Dorothy, who contacted you.”

Gratefully, she finally releases her hand and turns Dorothy to shake her hand. “Good afternoon, Cordelia. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

“The pleasure is mine. You must be tired. Please come inside. I prepared some refreshments.”

Inside the house, they quietly trail Cordelia. The interior, like the façade, is warm and cozy, with a simple, natural, earthy design. It appears to be a typical vacation house with basic amenities, with a large chunky wooden beam for a ceiling that evokes nature at its finest when looked up. The living room features dense wood furniture like accent chairs, side tables, and a kitchen that is both rustic and elegant, made of raw logs, boards, and stones. From where Cordelia is standing, there is also a small dining area and a rustic but elegant kitchen.

Dorothy takes a seat next to Selene on the couch, who is anxious. Although the house appears ordinary, Selene's attention is drawn straight to the altar. It contains crystals or a special stone of some kind. Displays of candles, incense, and dried herbs are also available. It must be emanating the warm, musky, honey-like aroma that is making her queasy.

Selene feels a sharp stab from her side. “Are you alright?” Dorothy murmurs beside her ear. Before she can even reply, Cordelia suddenly comes into the room with a refreshments tray. She set the tray on the table and seated in front of them.

“You must have many questions that you wanted to ask me.” Cordelia’s soft and melodic tone of voice surprisingly calms her. Selene faintly nods.

Cordelia delicately spoons black loose tea leaves into the cup, and Selene observes as she slowly pours hot water from the little pot. After that, she brings the teacup close to her and looks at her with an unexpectedly serious expression.

“Tell me what you want to know?” she urges without breaking eye contact. Selene swallows the humungous lump that suddenly forms in her throat. She wants to know many things, but the first thing that comes from her mouth bothers her most despite her unconscious denial.

“My dreams. I want to know what those dreams mean,” Selene replies honestly.

Cordelia smiles, holds out her palm forward, and urges her to drink. “I think it's fine to drink it now. While drinking, please concentrate on your question and leave a small amount of tea in your cup.”

Selene quietly held the cup for a few minutes and did as Cordelia instructed. When she nearly drank all the liquid inside the teacup, she placed it back in its saucer. Cordelia grabs the cup's handle and gently swirls it in a clockwise pattern around three times.

After that, she turns it upside down on the saucer before tapping it. After a few taps, some of the remaining leaves fell out. Cordelia silently looks into the cup for a few minutes before whispering.

“Hashi,” Her attention is completely absorbed in the teacup that she’s holding.

Selene is taken aback, and she’s not sure if she heard her right. That’s a Japanese word, right?

“Hashi? Wha—what bridge?”

Cordelia puts the cup down and looks towards her. She leans to the backrest and clasps her hands together.

“Past and present that connects alternate two worlds. It seems like you will be in for some great adventure.”

Selene inhales deeply, her hands in a tight fist at her side. She suddenly feels suffocated. “What does it have anything to do with my dreams?”

Suddenly, Cordelia points towards the necklace she’s wearing hidden beneath her clothes. Selene automatically recoils and anxiously grasps the signet ring on her neck.  “It seems like you have forgotten someone. A long-forgotten memory of someone important that constantly haunts your sleep.”

Selene stiffens. She can’t wrap her head around what she’s saying. There is no way she can just forget someone. If Selene could, her life would have been easy. If she can only forget, she wants to erase the vivid memory of her mother’s death as she held her lifeless body in her arms while drenched with blood. 

Selene clenches her fist tightly until the pain reverberates to her skin. She needs to calm herself.  “It’s not like I’m boasting or anything, but I have a pretty good memory compared to an average person. I can even vividly recall events from when I was still a child. That is why there’s no way I will be unable to remember someone.”

Cordelia doesn’t look convinced. “But you just did. That’s why something is trying to make you remember again through your dreams.”

“I don’t understand what you’re saying. Can you please—”

Cordelia immediately cut her off. She feels something different from her, a different aura from earlier. All her hair stands on end. Cordelia’s eyes darken, and her kind smile from before vanishes like thin air.

“You always feel a permanent hole in your chest that couldn’t be filled with anything. You cry and feel sad for no obvious reason. It’s like you long and ached for something you don’t know. Am I right? I assure you it’s not just because of your mother’s death, but because of a completely different reason.”

Selene feels like she has completely turned into stone. Her body feels heavy, and she can sense all the blood rushing to her head. Her stomach churns, and she's about to puke everything she had eaten earlier. And the rapid beating of her heart abruptly turns cold, and still, it’s getting harder to breathe. Selene pounds on her chest to ease the icy hot pain when dark spots appear in her vision. When Selene thought that the dark would swallow her, a soft but firm hand held her.

“Selene, please breathe.” Dorothy gently pleads, and just like that, everything becomes clear again.

She was completely taken aback. She has been going to therapy sessions with several doctors for a decade now. She has been emotionally unstable ever since her mother passed away when she was thirteen years old. Some people think of her as a fragile, easily agitated person who requires constant attention. It's also the reason Patrick can't tear himself away from her, even after they finish college.  It all started with a few words spoken by an unknown person, and now she feels this way. 

Selene turns towards Cordelia while fighting back her tears. She can already feel a throbbing headache attacking her. “How did you know that? You learned all that information about me just by looking at that teacup?!”

Cordelia purposely ignored her question and continued what she was saying from earlier. “It looks like you’ve gotten yourself into a binding contract that is impossible to break. You have no choice but to fulfill your promise. And your dreams are the key to retrieving your memory. Only then will you be free from it.”

Selene couldn’t take the pain anymore. She promptly stands up and almost falls flat on her butt when she is suddenly overwhelmed by dizziness. Dorothy stands by her side and firmly holds her waist to keep her from falling. 

Selene slightly hangs her head to apologize. “I’m sorry, but I don’t feel well. Thank you for giving me your time. I believed this conversation could continue on a later date.”

Cordelia walks towards her and inspects her face. “You’re getting pale.” She touches her cheeks, and creases suddenly form on her forehead. “You also have a slight fever. All right, let’s — “Cordelia freezes mid-sentence. One minute her eyes widen in surprise. The next, she suddenly became silent and motionless.

“Is everything alright?” Selene asks, her voice tainted with worry. However, she didn’t get a reply. She lightly touched her shoulder which immediately made her snap out of it.

Cordelia awkwardly tucks some of her loose hair behind her ear.  “I’m sorry. Please, wait in the car. I just need to give you something.”

She runs towards the room from their left side and leaves them confused with the sudden change in her behavior. The sun was about to set when they left the mountain and headed straight home.

Selene scrutinizes the amethyst stone given to her by Cordelia. It’s almost the same size as her palm, and the smooth cut of the stone feels perfect in her hands. Since earlier, she can’t stop herself from touching it. When holding onto it, it somehow calms her nerves.

“What did she give you?” Dorothy suddenly asks while her eyes are still focused on the road ahead. It’s already dark, and they’re traveling along the dark mountain road. It’s taking them some time to reach the highway below since Dorothy reduces the car’s speed. In an unfamiliar path like this, it’s safer to drive at an average rate.

Selene lifts the stone within the eye level of Dorothy. As soon as the amethyst crystal hits the light inside the car, the stone displays a gorgeous sparkling flicker of colors.

“It’s an amethyst stone. Cordelia said it’s supposed to help me have a good night's sleep. Though, it doesn’t necessarily mean that the dreams will completely disappear.”

Dorothy spares a glance in her direction. “Hmmm…I guess that’s enough for now instead of going home with nothing. Is there anything else?” she probes, her voice laced with worry.

Selene closed her palm and hid the stone in her coat pocket. She opened the car window and slightly stuck out her head before breathing in deeply. 

“Nothing else,” she replies in a quiet voice, her voice drowned out by the noise of the car.  Selene can’t bring herself to say it, those last words of warning from Cordelia. She can still hear her ominous voice leaving her with nothing but growing fear.

“In the moment of life and death, you must desperately pray and make a wish. Hold the hand of that someone who reaches out, and she will save you.” Selene murmurs.

The words felt alien the more she heard them, even when they came out of her mouth. Her skin prickles with fear. Selene hugs herself to stop her body from quivering.

Dorothy must have sensed her discomfort because her eyes glued to her longer than necessary. “Are you cold? You should close the window.” 

“No, it’s okay. I like the co—“Selene's eyes widen like saucers when she sees a tall hooded figure standing in the road a few meters away.

Selene slaps her best friend’s arm.  “Dorothy! Look out!” she screams, her hand instantly fastened tightly to the handle beside her.

In her relief, Dorothy abruptly steps on the brake. If not for the seatbelt, they could have been hurt because of the impact.

“Woah! Wait! What is it?!” she asks frantically, looking over the direction in front of them. Selene did the same, but the road remained empty, to her surprise. Aside from having nightmares, she is also starting to hallucinate.

Selene breathes out in exhaustion and looks over to the still-confused Dorothy. “I just saw someone standing there in the middle of the road.”

Dorothy rolls her eyes. “I don’t see anyone. Are you half-asleep?”  

Selene is sure of what she saw. She took off her seatbelt and came out of the car to check the road while ignoring Dorothy’s rants about how scary it is to go outside when it’s completely dark. However, as her best friend said, no one is there as she examines her surroundings. The hooded figure standing in the middle of the road earlier disappeared. Also, there is no place where he can hide.

Dorothy calls out to her from the open car window. “Selene, go back in the car! It’s getting late, and this is scary!”

She took one last look around before she reluctantly returned inside the car. It seems that Dorothy is about to bust a fuse.  When Selene adjusted herself in the car seat, another problem popped up.

Dorothy anxiously starts the car engine, but it dies down instantly. She repeats it a few times, but the same thing happens.

“The car won’t start,” Dorothy replies horrifically. “But the tank is still almost full. What’s wrong? Don’t tell me we're going to be stuck in here.

Dorothy is already starting to panic. It looks like she’d seen a ghost because of how pale and aghast she seems. “Let’s call for a highway patrol for help” Selene pulls out her phone from the inner pocket of her coat. However, to her dismay, there is no signal in the area.

“Did you hear that?” Dorothy whispers, her voice suddenly trembling with worry.

“What are you talking about? Stop scaring—“Selene stops short when she hears a loud screech of tires and metal moving in their direction. A massive truck came out from the curve at breakneck speed. Selene instantly processed in her head the time they had left to get away unscathed. They have at most two minutes to get out of the car. Selene immediately removes her seatbelt but freezes in her tracks when she sees a dumbfounded Dorothy in her seat.

“Let’s get out of here!” Selene screams.

Dorothy’s lips tremble and tears start trickling down her cheeks. “I--can’t remove my seatbelt.”

Selene cries out in terror as she frantically searches for the push button, her hands trembling with fear. But just as she manages to free Dorothy from it, she sees a beam of light approaching from barely a few meters away, nearly blinding her. The realization that it is too late to escape has dulled her mind, and Cordelia's final words ring in her ears like an alarm. Clutching Dorothy close, Selene tries to use her body as a shield, knowing that it won't make much of a difference, but she is determined to hold on to the small hope that it will keep Dorothy safe. Now she prays that God will hear her prayer.

Selene prepares herself for the impact. Their vehicle was sent careening down the road after a heavy truck slammed into them before she had a chance to blink. Insane agony radiates throughout Selene's entire body. The shards of glass hurt her like a knife since the windshield must have shattered into many pieces. She was taken aback when she sustained a severe cut to her head and forehead. For the second day in a row, Selene gives in to the void of night.  

She didn’t know how many hours had passed. She can feel the paralyzing pain that wraps her whole body. A voice jolts Selene out of the empty darkness with heavy fluttering eyelids and far-off distance. She can dimly see the flickering of lights of different colors, and she can almost hear the wind faintly whisper, “I’m here to save you.”

Selene feebly flails her tattered hand in the air. She feels too weak to speak, but the only thing that matters is her best friend’s safety in her mind. Whoever is there to save them, she just needs to say to her savior to keep Dorothy safe.

“Ple-ase sa-ve Dorothy.”

She heard a faint melodic laugh from a woman and then a soft murmur, but she couldn’t quite catch what she said before quickly sinking back into the dark, empty void.