The dancer wafted off, sweeping Annie, Derek, and Jess with her, right into the center of activity. Music exploded into the air: an intoxicatingly sweet melody wrapped warmly around them. Colors swirled in a dazzling display as other dancers spun and leaped, their laughter mingling with the rhythm.


    Annie''s heart was racing; this was a world alive with possibilities, far removed from the sterile hospital room where Robert lay. She felt the energy well up in her veins as they pressed deeper into the throng.


    "Do you think they can really help?" Jess asked, barely audible over the lively commotion that surrounded them. She looked around at the bright faces surrounding them, uncertainty creeping once more into her expression.


    Derek shrugged, his gaze fixed on a group of dancers forming a circle. “We’ll find out soon enough.” He stepped toward the circle, curiosity igniting his spirit.


    As they joined in, Annie felt herself swept away by the collective joy. The movements were fluid and instinctual, pulling her into a rhythm that felt ancient yet new. Laughter erupted as she stumbled slightly but quickly regained her footing.


    “See? You’re getting it!” Derek grinned, spinning to face her before rejoining the dance.


    Jess stood back for a moment, watching them both with a mix of admiration and trepidation. She took a deep breath and stepped forward to join in too, her smile tentative but growing bolder with each passing moment.


    After several spins and twirls, one dancer caught Annie''s eye: an older woman with silver hair cascading down her back like waterfalls of light. She moved with an elegance that spoke of wisdom and experience. The woman beckoned to Annie, gesturing for her to follow as she danced gracefully away from the circle.


    "Come!" she called out above the music. "There is much to learn."


    Annie exchanged glances with Derek and Jess but found herself drawn toward this enigmatic figure.


    “I’ll be right back,” she assured them before slipping through the crowd.


    The woman led Annie toward a quieter corner where vibrant flowers bloomed in impossible colors under an ethereal sky. As they stepped away from the festivities, the sounds of laughter faded into a gentle hum.This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there.


    "You want your friend healed," she said without preamble, peering into Annie''s face. "But everything in life that heals comes with a price."


    Annie nodded fervently; she would do anything for Robert.


    "What must I do?"


    Her eyes held constant, weighing in the question from Annie with a careful decision. "For what you seek to attain… first, you must face your own fears."


    The eyes of the old woman sparkled like the stars that speckled the sky, and Annie felt herself drawn to them.


    "Confronting fears isn''t simple," she said in a low, melodious voice. "What haunts you most?"


    Annie hesitated. The image of Robert''s frail body in the hospital flashed through her mind—a specter of despair she could not shake off. "Losing him," she finally admitted, her voice barely above a whisper.


    She nodded knowingly, as if she had seen this pain many times before. "Then you must face that fear. Only by acknowledging it can you find the strength to fight for him."


    Annie swallowed hard. How could she confront the very thing that shattered her heart?


    "Do you believe in the power of your love?" The question hung between them, heavy with significance.


    "Of course," Annie replied hastily, though the flutter in her chest told otherwise.


    "Love can transcend time and space," the woman continued. "But first, you have got to allow yourself to feel the depths of your loss."


    Annie firmed her fists at her sides. She couldn''t afford to sink into despair, not when there was any kind of hope she might get from Robert. Something in the woman''s eyes, though, begged her to dig deeper.


    "What do I have to do?" Annie asked, her resolution beginning to set.


    The woman leaned in closer, her voice assuming a conspiratorial whisper. "You will enter a dream state—a vision where your fears manifest. You''ll need to embrace them."


    Annie''s heart quickened at the thought of such raw emotion. Yet deep inside, a flicker of courage sparked.


    "How?"


    “Sit beneath that tree,” she gestured toward an ancient oak nearby, its gnarled roots twisting like serpents in the earth. “Close your eyes and breathe deeply. Let yourself drift into the depths of your mind.”


    Annie glanced back at Derek and Jess, who still danced in blissful ignorance of what lay ahead for her.


    “I’ll be fine,” she assured them silently before taking deliberate steps toward the tree.


    The coolness of the bark finally hit her like a soothing balm as she sat down on the ground with her legs crossed under her. She closed her eyes, starting to draw breath deeply into her lungs—regular and slow—until everything around her dimmed into darkness.


    Images were starting to swirl in her mind—flashes of shared laughter with Robert, moments of quiet intimacy intertwined with shadows creeping closer, whispering doubts about their future.


    Annie held onto every memory, refusing to allow fear to get a stranglehold as darkness threatened at the edges of their happiness.