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Little nightmares: reality and fantasy.
Volume one: nightmare or reality? Chapter One: The Prelude to the Nightmare .

Volume one: nightmare or reality? Chapter One: The Prelude to the Nightmare .

"Painful!"

"My head! My head is pounding!"

"Where did I put the medication pills?"

Eve tried to feel the wooden table searching for her medication, but strangely, she felt that what she was touching wasn't a table. Instead, it was a smooth surface different from her rough-surfaced bedside table. Eve opened her eyes to see what she was touching.

"Why... why did the table vanish? And where is my bed?" she said with tension and anxiety, her headache increasing. As she searched for the light switch supposed to be next to her bed, she stumbled and realized it had disappeared completely. When she raised her head, she saw black fog surrounding her. Shock and fear paralyzed Eve to the point where her limbs went numb. But the worst part was hearing screams resembling children's cries echoing everywhere in this dark void.

"No, it's happening again! This nightmare haunts me every day. These screams, please stop this," Eve pleaded.

She tried to move her head to find any escape from this torment, but the more she tried, the worse the situation became.

"My head, I can't bear this pain."

"I'll try to stand, calm down, breathe," she whispered to herself.

After struggling, Eve managed to stand. She walked cautiously and quietly, fearing any sudden threat. This wasn't the first time Eve found herself in a place like this, but her recurring headache made her tense and unsettled.

"The place is damp and cold. Where's the door?"

Eve looked around, left and right, to find the wooden door. Despite being just a nightmare, she felt extreme fatigue. Her steps became heavier until she saw the door in front of her.

Eve couldn't contain herself when she saw her only refuge in this darkness. She began to run towards it, forgetting all her fears and pains when she realized she would escape. She had the chance to see what was behind that door as she usually woke up when it opened.

Eve felt a sudden strange sensation, as if she were being watched. She slowed down as she approached it. Eve glanced around, seeing strange stars, their appearance obscured by the thick black fog.

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Approaching the door cautiously, Eve noticed it was a wooden one, with a brownish-yellowish hue, with a shape somewhat resembling a curved line. Eve reached out to open the door, and at that moment, the curved line turned into a horrifying eye.

Shock struck Eve.

Everything around her changed, revealing the shapes of the stars turning into grotesque eyes, moving their pupils in all directions until they settled, staring at Eve with emotionless gazes.

Eve froze in place out of fear. She staggered backward, looking around.

"What... what is happening here?"

Eve began to hear whispering echoes: "Come back!"

Unable to control herself, Eve turned and ran, but the eyes appeared before her wherever she turned, wherever she went.

Eve stopped running, realizing that escaping was impossible.

She felt her legs go numb, so she sat down. Eve couldn't bear these screams and the sight of the eye. The painful headache returned, and the black fog gathered around her.

"Even if this is a nightmare, it will haunt me for life."

Eve's headache intensified, so she put her hand on her head. Tears streamed from her eyes. She couldn't control herself.

Eve tried to stand.

"Calm down, don't delve too deep into it, Eve. You're the reality, and it's the imagination," she said calmly.

Eve began to walk slowly and cautiously, placing her hands on her head in hopes of easing the headache, ignoring everything around her. She lifted her head slightly and saw the door in front of her. She noticed the eye was now still, not moving. She had escaped her inevitable fate, exhausted and in severe distress.

"I don't feel relieved. Is it from this headache or from these eyes? Or is the door the cause? I feel uneasy with myself, but why?"

These deep thoughts within Eve brought her misery and despair.

Eve approached the door feeling deeply depressed. A light shone from the crack in the door. Eve closed her eyes due to its brightness, hoping to see light after this torment.

Opening her eyes, Eve found herself lying on the floor in a very large room. To her right was a wardrobe filled with clothes almost her size. Beside her lay a wedding dress stained with blood, a formal black suit with a hat, and another one in purple. Strangely, all these clothes were oversized.

Eve turned to the other side, finding a box under a wooden desk.

She stood up and approached the box gently. Opening it, she found several clothes like ballet attire, a brown coat, a yellow one, as well as a long white skirt, a small anchor, and white fabric.

Eve felt a slight headache and looked behind her, finding a picture drawn in ink, as if it had passed three decades or more. Eve focused more on the thing drawn in the painting, resembling a figure with a black coat, a melting face, and a hat somewhat similar to its predecessor.

Eve trembled after staring at the painting. She turned back and saw a large door, a chair near the desk. This chair was familiar to her, but more importantly, she had to open the door.

"Why does this place feel familiar to me? Why do I even try to open the door? Perhaps the reason is the false curiosity and will."

Eve climbed onto the chair, then jumped and grabbed the door handle. When she let go, the door opened, revealing a large corridor filled with doors and pictures of strange creatures, making Eve shiver with fear. She looked cautiously left and right, her slow pace indicating her fear.

Eve noticed a turn to the left of the corridor. She hurried towards it, peering around the corner. She found two creatures advancing towards her. She couldn't see them clearly because of the fog in the corridor. However, the real feeling of fear began. Her heart started beating fast.

"Do you think she's wandering in an exposed corridor like this?"

***********

"Shut up, you idiot. She might hear you because of your loud voice."

Eve felt deep fear after hearing this conversation, realizing danger was inevitably approaching.

"Now, perhaps escaping might help."

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