"Hmm... where is this?" "This isn't my home; where am I now?" Aliff found himself standing in the middle of a devastated street. The asphalt beneath his feet was cracked and full of holes, as if struck by something extraordinary.
Fire. Fire everywhere. The place looked like a city that had been completely destroyed.
The sky, which should have been blue, was now a reddish-orange, as if it too was burned by relentless flames. Thick black smoke billowed upwards, making the air feel heavy and suffocating.
"It's so hot! Where is this actually?" Aliff stood still, looking around.
A sharp smell assaulted his nose.
"It smells so bad..." Aliff covered his nose and mouth with his small hands, trying to hold back the nausea that was rising.
Aliff looked around; where he stood now, there was no one else, just him alone in an unfamiliar place.
"Am I dreaming again? Is this another nightmare?" Tears began to well in his eyes. Why... do I keep having nightmares?!...
Suddenly, something cold and wet touched his shoulder.
"What is this?!" Aliff froze. His heart raced, and cold sweat trickled down his temples.
"Whose hand is this?!..."
With slow and stiff movements, he turned around. What he saw made his blood run cold.
"What is this?... Who is this?!..."
Behind him stood a creature staring at him. The creature had long, tangled black hair that covered its entire face, and its body was smeared with black, foul liquid. Its body was riddled with large wounds, emitting a stench that made Aliff's stomach churn. The creature's skin was a pale blue, with burn marks marring its surface.
*What should I do... I am so, so scared...*
Little Aliff trembled violently. His legs felt frozen to the ground, unwilling to move even though his brain screamed to run. This was the first time he felt such overpowering fear. Tears flowed more freely from his eyes due to the overwhelming dread.
"No..." his voice trembled, barely audible. "Someone... help..." anyone... please...
"Human?!... Are you a human?!" The creature spoke in a foreign language, but somehow Aliff could understand it.
*Why is it asking like that? What does it mean?!...*
"I asked if you are human?!..."
The creature stretched out its long, slender fingers.
The creature opened its mouth wide, as if wanting to devour Aliff.
"Ti...
"NO!!!"
"STAY AWAY FROM ME!!!"
At that moment, Aliff's eyes turned white, and the creature before him seemed to turn into white sand and slowly disappeared in front of him. The place he was in now shattered like broken glass.
***
"Aliff! Aliff!" Sarah gently shook her little brother's body. "Wake up... my dear brother, wake up." She pinched Aliff's cheek gently, trying to rouse him.
Slowly, Aliff's eyes opened. For a moment, he looked confused before the fear that flooded his eyes became apparent. Without warning, he burst into tears.
"What?!" Sarah was startled by her brother's reaction. "Hey, why are you suddenly crying?" Quickly, she pulled Aliff into her embrace, rubbing his back to soothe him.
Hearing Aliff's cries, their mother, who was in the kitchen, hurried into the living room. "What's wrong with Aliff?" she asked worriedly, sitting beside her two children. Why is he crying?
"I don't know either, Mom," Sarah shook her head in confusion. "He suddenly cried when he woke up. He was sleeping soundly before."
"Did something happen in his dream?..."
Their mother reached out, gently stroking Aliff's hair with affection. "Hmm... hey, my handsome boy, did you have a bad dream?" she asked.
Aliff, still in Sarah's embrace, nodded slowly. Small whimpers still escaped from his trembling lips.
"Is that so?" their mother asked cautiously. "What dream did you have, dear?"
"Hmm..." Aliff tried to remember, furrowing his brow. "Aliff... Aliff doesn't know, Mom. Aliff can't remember it at all." His voice was weak and fearful.
"Strange," their mother commented, still holding him. "This is the first time he has a dream but can't remember it at all."
"Does Aliff usually remember his dreams, Mom?" Sarah asked curiously.
Their mother nodded, her face showing concern. "He always tells me about his dreams. Usually, they are happy dreams, like fighting monsters and winning. Like other children's dreams. But why is this time different? What made him dream but not be able to remember?... Their mother looked at her child with a worried expression.
Razak, who had just come out of the bathroom, joined them. "What's going on here? Why is Aliff crying?"
"Nightmare," Sarah answered briefly. "But he can't remember it."
Aliff still curled up in Sarah's embrace, his body trembling slightly. Although his crying had subsided, the fear was still clearly visible in his eyes.
"Calm down, calm down," their mother wiped the tears from Aliff's cheek. "Because you're awake now. There's nothing to be afraid of anymore. Let's eat now," she said in a gentle voice.
"Hmm...
"Meow..."
A soft voice sounded from behind Sarah. A white cat with gray patterns entered the room.
"What?! Cica!" Sarah exclaimed happily upon seeing her cat. "Where have you been, huh?! I thought you were lost!"
The cat approached, rubbing its body gently against Sarah's leg. Its bright green eyes looked at her affectionately.
"I want to eat. Cica wants to eat."
"Huh?!" Aliff jumped from Sarah's embrace, his eyes wide in disbelief at what he heard. The fear from his nightmare was instantly forgotten.
"Mom! Mom!" Aliff shouted with a trembling voice, pointing at Cica. "That cat... that cat can talk in human language!"
Their mother, Sarah, and Razak exchanged confused glances.
"What's wrong with him?..."
"What? What happened to you, dear?" their mother furrowed her brow. "The cat doesn't speak human language. It just meows like any other cat. Maybe you misheard, right?"
"But... but..." Aliff stammered, still in disbelief. "Aliff heard it himself! It said it wanted to eat!"
"Maybe you're still shaken from your nightmare," Sarah gently stroked her brother's head. "Or maybe you're just tired after all the activities."
"Calm down, calm down," their mother added. "Let's have dinner first. I made chicken soup; let's eat before it gets cold."
They walked to the dining table, and during dinner, Aliff kept glancing at Cica, who was eating from the cat bowl in the corner of the room. Occasionally, he caught the cat staring back at him.
After dinner, Aliff lay on his soft bed. The room lights had been turned off.
"Mom doesn't believe a word I said," Aliff whispered to himself. "But I clearly heard the cat named Cica speaking in human language." He took a deep breath. "Never mind, it's better to sleep."
But just before he closed his eyes, Aliff saw Cica's shadow at the half-open door of his room. The cat was sitting there.
"What does this cat want?" Aliff pulled the blanket higher, covering his head.