backpacking through Taiwan had been an experience so far
people were kind and the weather had been amazing
summer wasn't hateful during your trek
all in all a nice vacation
one night you decided to camp on the beach
exploring the beach for a nice spot led to an alcove, hidden in the undergrowth
rocks seemed to have buried the entrance but you'd pulled a few aside after seeing light
humans clearly hadn't set foot in here in possibly centuries
it was a beautiful
dusky sun cracked through the ceiling
it felt… holy
your eyes were drawn to a pool and past it a small humble shrine
this place felt ancient and you couldn't explain it but that shrine was the perfect place to set your sleeping bag next to
the water in the cave shimmered with the setting sun and you cleared your mind and watched it
the shrine itself had some tiny statue you didn't recognize
age had stolen the colors but it still persisted
it was a man or possibly a woman
the robe made it ambiguous
the figure wore a mask that had what looked like ears
almost like a rabbit
you admired the craftsmanship and felt the serenity of the tiny cave wash over you
it smelled like the ocean
that was your last conscious thought before sleep hit you like a freight train
you must have been more tired than you thought
you dreamed for the first time in ages
it was vivid
the first thing you noticed was… rabbits
rabbits everywhere
the room was covered in such a carpet of fluff you were afraid to move
what wasn't covered in rabbit resembled some of the older architecture you'd seen in the cities
ancient Chinese construction swarmed by bunnies
you wondered about the significance of the dream
but at the moment you didn't want to crush a rabbit underfoot
as if sensing your fear, the rabbits cleared a path to ornate double doors that had appeared
the doors opened outwards an ornate oriental garden
moonlight bathed everything
the smell of sweet flowers was relaxing
the garden was almost like a fairy tale and you walked further into it
sitting on a nearby wall was a figure that resembled that statue
same robe, only in vibrant red
same mask, only in stark ivory
their hands and feet didn't resemble human's
instead they were more like black and white paws
this was a dream after all
then he turned to you and you felt something deep welling inside you
you just knew his eyes were locked with yours even with the mask
you awoke after that and the first thing you noticed was a weight on your chest in the dark