Tom stared at the TV for a moment, before sighing and turning it off. Being woken up after such a surreal dream certainly did not put him in a position to fall back asleep anytime soon. I got up, threw on his robe, and walked over to his computer. His computer sat on a small brown desk in the corner of the room. He sat down at the desk and turned on the PC. Navigating to his text documents, he sat and reveled in the memory of his writings. He wanted to continue creating, continue to use his mind to craft a story, something with meaning. It became increasingly hard for him to do so however as all the fog in his mind covered what he wanted to reach for. Sitting now at a blank document, he visualized all the ways a story could take course, but no words came to him. He felt helpless. Wasn’t this what he was good at? It was beginning to seem like that was not the case anymore. With that thought followed two loud knocks at the front door.

He peered through his window, he certainly had not heard someone pull into the driveway and sure enough there was no car there. When he arrived at his door, he hesitated before slowly opening it, to find no-one there. How strange, Tom thought. Sitting back at his computer, he began to write.

“In a space beyond my thoughts, lies a land of pure solitude. Where no light nor darkness can reach me, the pure lack thereof is all I can know. It is not death; for it lacks beauty and disgust. Reach forth, grab hold of your head-”

Unexpectedly, he heard another two loud knocks at his front door. Despite this, he continued writing.

“Reach forth, grab hold of your head, and take apart everything you are. Dissect your body and leave only what’s good. Hold it tight, or it may all spill out onto the floor. Tape your mouth shut, so you may not speak what mustn't be said. Saw off your ears, so you may not hear what they know to be absolute truth. Gouge out your eyes, so you may not see what terrifies you most. Empty your mind, so you may not feel what hurts the most.”

The knocking continued to get louder, and much faster. Now not only did it come from his door, it also came from his windows, his roof, as well as his floor. It all intensified and echoed around him in a mocking tone. Standing up and opening his door again, it all disappeared abruptly.