Waking up in a bright room Zen look around. There is no one in sight but him alone. Looking confused, he observed his surrounding. He questioned why he is at the hospital of all places. He remembers that he was walking to the school until that excruciating pain comes, lasting a mere moment but an eternity to him. He hated it, that feeling of powerlessness. If he doesn’t have a goal before then now he wanted to be stronger, he wanted power!

Getting up from his bed, Zen notice that he was wearing a white loose robe. He recognized that it is the hospital cloth used for the patient such as himself. Walking ahead, abruptly he could feel a tug in his arm and a piercing pain. He looks over his shoulder and finds that a needle was tape to his arm, periodically injecting him with something.

Clenching his teeth, Zen pull it out with a whimper and throw it away. Weirdly he could feel that he is pathetically weak, like he hasn’t exercised for a week or even months.

Swinging the door open, he found an empty hallway with trolley, chair and a counter up ahead. The hallway is lit and seems well preserved. The smell of disinfectant waft through Zen nose making him light-headed and sleepy.

After a while of walking around, Zen conclude that there is no one here and that there is no window to look outside. He searches around the hospital for an exit or a clock. Unfortunately, to Zen distressed, there is no exit in this labyrinth. Yes, you heard it right, a labyrinth! Every place he visited is new and not the same, making him panic. Trying to find a way back also failed because every path he traversed change mysteriously.

Zen need to make sure of his situation so he finds a door, memorize the hallway he was at now, and get inside the room while closing the door. Waiting three seconds for the supernatural to do its wonder, he opens the door and what greets his eye is a new hallway, bigger and brighter. With this, he knows that he is not going to get back anytime soon.

Fortunately though is that in this new room there is a clock overhanging from the ceiling. Not that it helps Zen because the clock handle is missing and the number of time is misplaced with alphabet letter, not to mention in the wrong order.

The clock is in Zen reach, so he carefully pulls it down to investigate. Asking loudly to himself and no one else in particular, ” Why is it like this? ”

The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

Promptly, Hearing Zen questioned a voice answer.

*Ding*

* Investigating*

* Wait three second.. *

Umm, Zen thought. Am I finally going crazy?

• To answer host question: It is the clock of a dream. Stop time for three seconds.

The clock of dream? So does that mean I am in a dream right now? They say that to know if you are in a dream is to count your finger and find an abnormality in it, let try doing that now.

Let see.. Zen raised his hand up to his eye level and begin to count.

One.. Cmon

Two.. Ok..

Three.. Why is it so hard to count?

Four… Counting with bob Zen everyone. Who need painting when you can count right?

Five… Getting there.

Six.. You’re close.

Seven.. I am out of idea to motivate myself.

Eight… Arghh, just a bit more.

Nine… I can see the light!

TEN!!! Ha Ha! Everything seem normal..

Wait.. Am I seeing that right?

Elven.. You..

Twelve.. Got

Thirteen… To be

Fourteen, fifteen, absgqubehsu. Kidding me.

To Zen horror, His hand keeps growing more and more finger. It grows more and more and it creates a wave of the tsunami that swept Zen out of his feet and is pushing him onto the end of the room. His eye sharper than before from panic saw a wall of blade and skull at the end of the hallway. If this connect then he will be punctured to death!

Looking around, he can not find anything that can help him except a shrink clock of a dream that he quickly pocket in desperation. Nearing the end of the hallway, in fear Zen shouted out, ” Stop! It!”

The tsunami as if didn’t hear his plead kept on going. Closing his eye, Zen brace himself for the pain of being puncture. However, the pain didn’t come.

Opening his eye slowly, he saw that the tsunami made of countless finger stop. He didn’t know what is going on until seeing one of the trolleys seemingly stuck in midair. He concluded that the time stop. He stops the time!

It does make sense that he stop time since it is his dream after all but being extremely lucid, Zen couldn’t help but be very happy that he avoided an imminent crisis.

”HAHAHA! You started it dream! Continue trying! I got time in my hand. Hehe. ”

Suddenly!!

A splash sound echo throughout the empty hallway. Zen felt something piercing his chest. Glancing down, he saw tens of blade sticking out of him. In his last breathe, he uttered, ” You son of a.. ” before the light in the hallway gradually darken and falls to darkness.

Darkness.. Is all Zen could see. Doesn’t know how long he has to wait until finally he saw light. Following it. It get brighter and brighter until finally, Zen found out that he has open his eye and that he was in his room and in his pajama. Looking at the time ”5:00 a.m”, and seeing that it is the same day where he felt the excruciating pain. Zen sigh, relieved.

That is all a dream, nice...

• Ding! Say system to open the interface.