Something flashed. Something shiny caught my eye. It was a single gold coin. Flickering with all its might, it lay by itself in the grass by the sidewalk. How tempting! I lifted my eyes and glanced around me. No one. Besides, it was just a little gold coin. Who would miss it anyway? Taking one last glimpse to make sure nobody was watching, I snatched up the coin and quickly hid it in my pocket.
All of a sudden, I found myself in a bed. Something was wrong. Strange waves floated around the room. The curtains wrapped themselves around the window, refusing to let the sunlight come in. An outlandish stench curled its fingers around my nose, blocking the air passages. My lungs begged for a breath of air. I struggled to get up but couldn’t. I was paralyzed, unable to move. My sides throbbed, and a twisting sensation filled my stomach. It was crawling upwards, bit by bit. Something wrapped itself around my lungs and squeezed. Slowly, painfully, it coiled itself around my heart like a snake. I gasped and struggled to escape. I was being strangled, like a mouse. I couldn’t even scream.
At present, a bright light glared into my face. I heard a voice calling, “Roy, Roy, wake up.” I stretched out my eyelids. “It was just a dream.” My brother grabbed my shoulders and pulled me off the bed. So it was just a dream. I hurried to get dressed and eat breakfast, following the usual routine. I grabbed Diddle the dog and yanked him outside for his morning walk. Then, in the grass by the sidewalk, I noticed a gold coin. This time, I knew not to touch it.