Rise and Fall

In the dream, I am riding on a flying carpet high above a moon-soaked sea. The stars twinkle brighter as I approach them, welcoming me into their glow as I rise faster and faster. There is something back on the ground that I am escaping from even though it’s not pursuing me, yet even when I am well away from it, I am still so afraid that I keep rising, drifting higher and higher, and when I’m finally as far from it as possible, I realize that I’m more afraid to be running away. I leap from the carpet and dive into the water, surprised at how close it was, like either I was taking it with me or I never really was flying away at all. Now I’m swimming in the water, diving deep into its darkness, unable to breathe, unable to drown, and still I’m escaping. I reach the bottom of the sea and find an old wooden chest there. It has a thick black lock and I have a glimmering gold key. I know it will fit the lock, but I don’t try. I already know what is inside. And why I was running from it.