Pre-elected story. Literature Contest 2010

The Jump

John Rupertonson lived in Argentina. After his hard work in a car factory, late at night, he used to look at those brilliant lights on the sky, the stars. One night, the heavy dark clouds ruled the sky, so John went to bed quite early.
One strange image crossed his dream: a building on the top of a hill. A lot of people went by a stone staircase that led to a city. A soft breeze filled the dark fields. Suddenly, that image disappeared.
The sun was about to rise in the horizon. A cockerel sang, which was an extremely strange thing in the city. John tried to grab a book he had left near his bed, but he found grass instead. He was uncertain of what was happening. He opened his eyes and discovered that he was on the hill he had seen in the dream.
John was shocked. He walked towards the building. He couldn’t understand what was happening. Possibly he was still dreaming. He reached the building and saw some incredibly high columns standing in front of him. The building looked like an ancient building. Some stairs guided the people to the main room. His fear was so huge that he couldn’t follow them.
Trying to escape he hit a rock and fell down. He had to escape from that place.
A car horn sounded. John opened his eyes and he was again in his room.
The following night, while he was sleeping, he felt cold. He tried to cover himself with a blanket he had left next to the bed. Instead, he touched grass. Opening his eyes, he realized he was under the dark sky again. He was on the hill for the second time. He ran down towards the village.
He found himself walking along a very crowded street. Many caravans filled the narrow way. Some tables with products were displayed on both sides of the road. Above the houses, some torches enlightened the crowded area. Some pottery had black drawings. Every drawing represented a Greek myth: Hercules and the Nemean Lion, Zeus’ fighting Chromos, and Theseus against the Minotaur. This was an Ancient Greek market.
The days went on. He visited this place also during the day, not only at night. Unless he stopped these strange events, he would live in Ancient Greece for ever. There was only one way to bring an end to this situation..
One night, John went to the highest cliff near the village. At the bottom, the sea crashed on the rocks. He took a deep breath, closed his eyes and stepped into the void.
His back hurt. John opened his eyes and found himself on the floor, next to his bed. The nightmare had finished.



Pen name: The King
Category B