Door at the end of every dream

The dream always ended the same.
I'd get to the door, open it, and be blasted with a bolt of magic before my eyes could adjust to the flood of light on the other side.
It wouldn't both me so much if the rest of the dream stayed the same as well.
But no. Each time, I'm filled with this urgent need to get to that door, to get to whatever is on the other side. Sometimes I have to fight monsters, other times I pick my way through devious traps. The dream normally takes place over the span of a day, but I wonder if it would stretch through another day if I tried to go slower.
Or would I finally get a new ending, where my quest is cut short before I can get blasted by a magic from the other side of the door?
I don't know.
I think I have companions in the dream, but I've never seen them. It feels like I should have companions when I'm in the dream.
And another thing about this dream. It's so vivid. I can remember everything about it, long after I've woken up and gone through the day. I'm pretty sure that dreams are supposed to fade from your mind, or at least get a little fuzzy around the edges. I used to have dreams that would fade.
Now I only have the one.
The reoccurring dream that is never the same until the very end.
Besides, how many dreams have you had where you know that they're dreams? I always know in this one, underneath the urgent need, that it is the dream.
Sometimes the dream is so similar in form to other versions of the dream, that I can run through it on autopilot.
Like now.
I've dodged through the traps, traversed the maze, and finally reached the door.
Moving up the dimly lit steps, I have plenty of time to admire the dark wood and the iron framing it in the stone wall.
The gargoyle knocker fits in my hand like a well-loved brush by now, its every curve familiar to me.
I bang the knocker against the door once. Twice.
On the third knock, I let go and step back as the door swings toward me.
The light is blinding, my eyes watering as I strain to see something. Anything.
I wait for the bolt of magic to sear a path through my heart.
But instead of a bolt, there's a shadow.
"I am tired of going through this routine every night," a voice groans as the shadow solidifies into the form of a girl. As I squint at her, she glares and folds her arms. "So. Out with it. What do you want, hero?"
I step through the doorway, rubbing my chest as the urgent feeling fades. "I don't know. Usually I get shot with a bolt of magic and wake up by now."
The girl takes a step back as she laughs. "Wake up? This isn't some dream. Though how you keep surviving a my attacks unscathed is an answer I'd really like to have."
I frown at her. "Of course this is a dream. It's always been a dream."
Hasn't it?
No, it has to be a dream. I couldn't actually travel to some weird fantasy-land just to painfully die each night when I fall asleep.
"I don't know about your dreams, but in mine, I don't annoyingly show up from within the dungeon every night just to stand outside the door and patiently wait for someone to zap me through the heart." The girl shook her head as she sat down at a simple wooden table. "That'd be a painfully boring dream."
"Well, I don't just show up outside the door." I said, shifted my feet. I didn't want to sit and get comfortable, since the dream should have ended by now. But I was tired from dodging traps. "I usually have to go through traps and other stuff first."
The girl laughed. "What else would you expect from the dungeon?"
For it to be a dream. That's what it had always been, right?
Wasn't that what this was now?
What would I do if this wasn't a dream?

For a buffer

1. You won't have to worry about forgetting to post. Unless you forget to add to your buffer.
2. You'll have time to review each post with fresh eyes before it is published.
3. So you can go on vacation with the knowledge that people might not even notice you left.
4. You'll be able to properly plan for holiday-themed posts.
5. If your computer breaks, you'll have one less reason to cry.
6. You won't have to worry about posting weird ideas because you had to write a post while sick.
7. You can enjoy a nice breakfast while the post is automatically published.
8. No longer will you wake up in the middle of the night with the dreaded question, "Did I post something today?"
9. Because it means you can focus on other writing projects.
10. Because then you can enjoy your posts whenever they are scheduled to be published.

A Frantic Flight

The world was dark. Not a sound broke the night's calm.
Until the patter of paws in the brush, crunching brittle leaves in a frantic flight from some unheard threat. For only those paws broke the silence. Nothing else crunched through the undergrowth, nor did wings beat through the air.
A single set of frantic paws, clattering in fright from some unknown danger.
A glimpse of cream fur, of long ears pressed flat against a velvety head.
What is it running from?
For surely a creature in such flight must be running from something.
Clouds shift, and moonlight shines down onto the cream creature. It stumbles, tumbling head over feet in a frantic attempt to stop.
But the cream rabbit falls onto its shadow, which stretches before it like a gaping maw.
And in the steady beam of moonlight, the shadow shudders to life.
The cream rabbit struggles against its shadow.
Noise fills the wood, as the rabbit cries out.
Silence falls.
In the flickering moonlight, a shadow slinks into the gathering darkness beneath the trees as a tuft of cream fur settles to the leaf-covered ground.

Things dragons don't eat

1. Broccoli. Because even a dragon can be afraid of vegetables.
2. Kittens. A dragon knows better then to eat the young of a species whose entire army has nine lives.
3. Homework. Why would a dragon eat your homework, yet not eat you?
4. The moon. Dragons know that contrary to popular belief, the moon is not made of cheese.
5. Spiders. Cleaning webs out from between your teeth is far too annoying for any dragon to consider spiders worth munching.
6. Armor. Crunchy metal isn't very tasty, but the soft insides are worth the time it takes to melt the armor.
7. Dragon's bane. Because really, what dragon would want to eat something that promised to be its bane?
8. Mirrors. If the mirror was consumed, then what would the dragon spend time studying its reflection in?
9. Princesses. They're much too fattening, and so full of tears that they'll extinguish a dragon's inner fire.
10. Gold. Because who would want to eat their bed?

Doctor Steven Sweet

Dr Steven Sweet never thought anything was as important as dentistry. When he got the invitation to his sister Susan's wedding, he almost didn't go. What would his patients do while he was stuck on a ship for three weeks?
But he loved his sister, and so Steven went on the cruise.
The wedding was an unusual ceremony, what with the groom being some famous actor Steven had never heard of (since he was more interested in studying tooth decay than watching action films).
But as those weeks passed, Steven found himself drawn in by life on a cruise ship.
The salty sea, the motion of the ship.
He loved it. Almost as much as he loved a complicated root canal.
So by the end of those three weeks, Steven came to a decision.

He would figure out some way to either practice dentistry on a cruise ship, or find some other job that would let him sail the seas to his heart's content.

For cleaning

1. Because it gives you something to work on.
2. So that it will be easier to find things.
3. It gives you a chance to sort through your stuff.
4. Because afterwards you'll have more space for books.
5. It can be a creative way to exercise.
6. You'll be able to redecorate while you clean.
7. Because you might be happier after everything is cleaned.
8. While cleaning, you could finally figure out the answer to a problem you're working on.
9. You could find something that you lost.
10. Because sometimes cleaning can be relaxing.

A Strange New Parking Lot

The little piece of gravel was once part of a road. The road was worn by many years of cars driving on it, and a piece of gravel broke free. It sat atop the road it was once a part of, until a car caught it in its wheel. Then the piece of gravel went for a ride. Around, and around, and around. Up and down, being wedged deeper and deeper into the wheel. It clicked against the road, greeting its fellows who still maintained their purpose as part of the road. The car eventually stopped, and the driver pulled out a pick. The pick caught the piece of gravel and sent it flying away, to land on the ground of a strange new parking lot.

How to entertain a child

1. Watch a movie. This seems tobwork best if you let the child pick what movie to watch.
2. Play with toys. Be they dolls, dinosaurs, cars, or another type of toy, the child will have fun if you get on the floor and play with them.
3. Bring out the pets. Most children love animals, and so will be greatly entertain by whatever kind of pet you might have. Just be sure that your pet will accept having a child close to it first.
4. Cook something. Lots of children enjoy getting in the kitchen, even if they do tend to make more of a mess than a batch of cookies.
5. Read together. Books are great entertainment for both you and a child. You can both even take turns making up voices for each character.
6. Let them play outside. Children and the outdoors often make a good match, so why not let them run off some of that endless energy?
7. Work on a craft. Be it painting a rock or tying knots in some yarn, there are plenty of crafts that a child can do.
8. Go on a scavenger hunt. Just make them a list of some goodies you've hidden, and watch them tear up the house in their search.
9. Play a game. It doesn't really matter what the game is, so long as both you and the child have fun.
10. Ask what they want to do. After all, why try and figure out ways to entertain a child when they can just tell you what works?

Keys in the Sand

The keys, oh, where were the keys? The bride slipped on the sand, her heels not made for such a loose surface. She was supposed to be getting married today. Married on the beach, to the greatest guy she'd ever met.

But she'd shown up on the wrong beach. And now she'd lost her keys.

Bending down, she tried her best to dig through the sand without getting her dress too dirty. She shifted her weight, and that treacherous sand slid underneath her heel.

Down she fell. Sand itched against her arms, in her hair. Everywhere.

Who's idea was it to get married on the beach?

And on a beach whose name was so similar to another beach, thirteen miles away!

She had to find those keys. Find the keys, get in the car, and drive to the right beach.

Oh, she hoped her groom wouldn't think she'd gotten cold feet.

It would shatter her to break his heart.

There! A glint of metal.

The car keys!

She scooped them up, scrambling to her feet. Sand fell, while other grains stubbornly clung to her.

She grinned wildly, holding up the keys.

Her grin faltered.

Lowering her hand, she stared at the keys.

“These aren't mine!”