The Boy Made of Rags

Reuniting

        Abbey Farison had a dream about a boy made of rags when she was only six-years-old. Everything about the dream seemed so real, as if it was an event that she actually experienced, rather than just a dream. Even the scenery had looked exactly like her real home, exactly like the surrounding area.
        Now, Abbey is fourteen, and she still hasn’t forgotten a single detail of the dream. The only thing that still bothers her is that she never found out the boy’s name. She always remembered him as just “the boy made of rags”.
        Now imagine this; The date is December 6th, and you’re sitting in bed, about to go to sleep. No one knows about this dream you’ve had because you never told anyone. You can’t sleep. You look beside your bed and your alarm clock says 11:57. Almost midnight.
        Abbey typically had no trouble sleeping. This night, however, she sat in bed staring at the ceiling, as if something was forcing her to stay awake.
        I have to sleep. I have school tomorrow. Abbey thought to herself. Just then, she hears a thump outside her window. Thinking it’s just a stray cat or something, she ignores it. Thump, thump, thump, tap, tap. Someone - or something? - was tapping lightly on her window. Abbey ignored it and closed her eyes tightly.
        It’s just a dream, it’s just your imagination, just go to sleep. Abbey told herself. Nothing to worry about, right? Well, that was until the whispering begun.
        “Abbey… Abbey… forgot… remember…” Abbey heard the voice say. She couldn’t hear every word, but she could make out certain terms. The voice was childlike, calming… familiar. Normally, she would’ve screamed by now, saying there was some creep outside her window, but something about the voice stopped her.
        “It’s me… remember me?” the voice called out, still tapping on the window. Abbey stood up and opened her curtain. It was the boy made of rags. This must have just been a dream. Abbey was already asleep.
        Abbey went along with the dream. “Oh, hey, long-time-no-see, eh? How are you?” Abbey said casually. This was all just a dream. It didn’t matter how loud she spoke or what she said. No big deal.
        “Abbey! You’re here! Please, I need your help. I need to go home,” the rag boy said. His appearance hadn’t changed at all. He seemed exactly the same, except this time, more worried.
        “Okay, sure, let’s go! It’s the same place as last time, right? I can take you there again,” She started to climb out the window, and then signaled for the boy to move away, and proceeded to fall face first into the grass. Luckily, her window was only a few feet above the ground. Abbey mumbled and stood up. She was much taller than the boy now.
        “Abbey, I don’t think you understand-”
        “Sure I do! Come on, let’s go!” Abbey interrupted, grabbing his hand.
        “Wait, please let me explain first,” the boy replied.
        “No need, we just need to get you home, kiddo,”
        “Abbey! This isn’t a dream!” The boy blurted out.
Abbey hesitated with a response. “...What? What do you mean…?” She said quietly, “Of course this is a dream. I’m just dreaming. This can’t be real,”
The boy stopped for a minute. He let go of Abbey’s hand. He stared at the ground. “It’s kind of a strange story,”
        “I’ll listen,” Abbey said, finding a place to sit down. Somehow she knew that she’d want to be seated for the ride this explanation would be.
        “Well, I myself am a dream. However, this isn’t a dream, if that makes sense. The reality you saw when you were younger, where you saw the party and went behind the fridge, that was all a dream. But, seeing me right now, this place is real life. I’m a dream that has passed into this universe. Does that make sense?”
        Abbey nodded along, staying silent. She knew there was more to the story than just that. The boy paused for a second and sighed.
        “There’s a reason I’m here, Abbey. But… I can’t really explain right now. Please, Abbey, we need to go. If you need to take anything with you, get it now. Hurry!”
Abbey, hearing the urgency in his voice, quickly climbed back in through the window to gather things she thought may be necessary. She grabbed her book bag, which was already packed for school the next day, and removed all the contents. She grabbed a flashlight, her phone, and an empty notebook of her dresser. She quickly grabbed a few pencils and erasers of her desk and shoved them in the side pocket of the bag.
        Will I need food? Abbey wondered. Just to be safe… She told herself as she silently rushed into the kitchen. Four water bottles will be enough, right? Yeah, that’ll be fine. Abbey grabbed the bottles quickly and shoved them into her bag. She opened the cabinet to see what was there.
        Potato chips, cereal, granola bars… Perfect! Abbey grabbed all three of the snacks and forced them into the bags. Abbey headed back to her room and quickly changed clothes and put on shoes. She was wearing a mint green jacket, a black and gray shirt and blue jeans. She pulled her long, wavy, blonde hair into a ponytail and put her glasses on. She climbed back out the window.
        “Okay, I think I’m ready,” Abbey announced, slinging the backpack over her shoulder. She sighed and lifted her head higher. “Let’s go.”