I followed him-not because I believed him or didn’t believe him but because there was nobody else out there to hear or see me. He was the only one that knew I existed, and somehow that put me at ease.             It was difficult to keep up with him. He had a long, lanky stride that covered ground much more quickly than my own short legs could. Occasionally I got the feeling that he was trying to shake me off of his trail, even though it was he himself whom had invited me to where he lived.             “We are almost there…..” his words trailed off into something more, something deeper. I heard the question (even if it wasn’t spoken like one) peeking shyly out at the tip of his tongue.             “I don’t remember anything,” I said shortly. I still wasn’t sure whether to believe his tall tales or not.             He nodded, and I felt the disappointment hanging in the air.             We hiked up the side of a steep, rocky hill in silence, the sun beating down on our backs. I desired the forest’s dense, cool shade again. It seemed odd that I had never seen this hill, since I had lived in the village my entire fourteen years. When I took a moment to catch my breath, I looked back and saw the entire village over the small forest’s branches. Dizzied slightly, I focused my attention ahead again. He was far ahead of myself, scaling the steep side of the hill with apparent ease.             I trudged along, determined not to let my guard down or my exhaustion show.             He was atop the hill far before I was, and I wheezed and puffed upon my not-so-grand arrival. He didn’t seem to notice, and didn’t even offer a helpful hand when I scrambled up the rocks. Initially I was a bit offended, but then it occurred to me that I probably wouldn’t have taken it anyway.             He walked briskly off once I had gotten to my feet, and I followed him at a stumbling sort of pace. We turned around a sharp bend and met a large cave. My eyes widened as we walked inside.             It was very dark, but he pulled a pack of matches from his coat and lit several candles mounted on the walls. The cave was endless, it seemed, as the front portion was lit and the rest trailed off into a black abyss. There were two rocking chairs set up next to each other against one wall, a small table and two chairs against another. There was a wooden cabinet that I supposed held goods, and, in the very middle of the room, a bed that was precisely made.             “Does somebody else live here?” I asked, eyeing the rocking chairs.             He smiled in a grim sort of manner and gazed not at me but through me. “She used to,” he said, a hint of longing in his tone.             I opened and closed my mouth, unsure of what to say. He gave a little sigh and shook his head.             “Nevermind,” he said. He eyed my rumpled, dirty clothes and sweaty, flushed face. “You should wash up,” he said bluntly.             I pressed my lips together to keep from retorting. “Where can I?”             He gestured to the cabinet. “If you walk around in there for a bit, there is running water, three buckets and a sponge on the last shelf. You cannot really miss the sink,” he told me. Eyebrows raised in disbelief, I glanced towards the cabinet.             “I could never fit in there, let alone walk through!” I said. He smirked, an amused glint in his eyes.             “You will find some clean clothes on the shelf directly across from the buckets. Let me know when you are done,” he said. I rolled my eyes and strode to the cabinet.             I opened it and nearly shrieked. There was an entire hallway that was entirely shelved, and at the end there was a small sink. My sleeve pressed against my mouth in amazement, I slowly crept in and closed the door. It was already lit by candles. I wondered how this was possible, how it could be real. It can't be, I consented. It was all a dream I was in, everything was a dream.             But when I washed myself up with warm water, and I slipped a soft, white cotton nightgown over my head and looked in the mirror, I knew that there was nothing more real.