[ WP ] You are immortal however if you die in a dream , you die in real life . You have mastered the ability of lucid dreaming , however one night , you are faced with your worst nightmare .

Part 1 of 3: 
 
 
 `` Give me your wife, and I give you life,'' spoke the old gypsy woman. At the time, I did n't take her seriously, but can you blame me? She seemed like just another homeless person; tattered clothes and a face so filthy you'd think it barely human. `` I'd like to see that,'' I said with a sense of indifference, almost amused. I would n't even say that I agreed with her. I just sort of spoke, but it did n't mean anything. 
 
 I spent that night in a hospital next to my dying wife. She had suffered a heart attack and no one was able to get to her in time. She had brain damage, and her life was in my hands. Honestly, it was an easy decision to make. It would have cost thousands of dollars to keep her on life support, and there was very little chance of recovery, with no chance of full recovery. I pulled the plug without hesitation and I was alone. Alone at last. 
 
 No, I did n't regret my marriage. I simply needed a break, and my wife's death gave me a breath of fresh air at a time when I was gasping for life. 
 
 I left the hospital and took a deep breath, and as I exhaled the world away she appeared. It was the old gypsy woman. `` As promised. Life.'' She reached up to my face with a murky palm, and I grew more still as she drew her hand closer. 
 
 When at last she touched my face, I was in a different world, with someone else. The gypsy woman had become as beautiful as our surroundings, wearing colors just the same. “ You live a dream, ” she said. “ What? ” I answered. I ’ d never been so confused. So, baffled. She faced me and said, “ You live a dream. ” Her face seductive and kind. She stepped closer to me. “ You live a dream. ” I stepped back, almost frightened. Again, and again she repeated those words, “ You live a dream. ” My mouth hung open, but no words but hers could fill the air. Until, finally, she seemed to lean in to kiss me and said, “ And you will die a dream. ” 
 
 Part 2 of 3: 
 
 
 Every night my wife comes back to kill me. I tell her it was an accident; that I didn ’ t mean to trade her life for anything. She doesn ’ t listen. She doesn ’ t care. I don ’ t know how all this is possible, but if I die in my dream – if my wife kills me – I will die here. 
 
 It has been almost 3 months since I ’ ve last slept. I am immortal, but my body doesn ’ t think so. I still get tired. I still want sleep. The answer? A sea of caffeine and energy drinks. But, the more I take, the more I need the next day. This can ’ t go on. 
 
 I once craved excitement, but everything has gotten so boring. So different. I ’ ve been shot. Run over. I ’ ve fallen off a building. I once even spent 10 minutes under water, just to see if I could. Now, I live my immortal life in fear, and I hate it. I ’ m constantly battling sleep and depression, but I don ’ t want to die. Oh, God. I don ’ t want to die. 
 
 Part 3 of 3: 
 
 I can ’ t run away forever. The life I live is no longer worth living. 
 
 I lie in my bed and fall asleep with absolutely no effort. I ’ d needed this for a while. My body feels like it ’ s floating on open water. I open my eyes, and I awake in a lake in a dream world. Everything here is missing authenticity, it ’ s fake. I feel the water, it ’ s cold, but something ’ s missing. 
 
 “ You ’ re finally back, ” I hear a woman say with words as soft as cotton. I turn my head, knowing it could only be her. “ You killed me, John, ” she says, a face like stone. “ I haven ’ t slept in weeks, Claire, ” I tell her as I rise to my feet. “ Please. I didn ’ t mean to make you like this. ” 
 
 She walks towards me, with nothing but the hospital gown she died in. Her walk, calm but menacing. “ Claire! ” I screamed, but there is no reasoning with her. She reaches for my throat, and all I think is that I can ’ t let her kill me. I punch her face with enough force to break bone, and a crack is heard. 
 
 She falls back, but she gets back up, seemingly unscathed. Again she attacks the throat. I slap away her hands and punch her once more, only this time I don ’ t stop. I punch, and I punch, and I kick her as she falls to the ground, screaming my lungs out. 
 
 My hands hurt, and I can ’ t keep this up. Still, she rises. I need to end this, but there ’ s nothing around for miles. 
 
 I kick at her legs, and she falls. I grab her head and force her to turn over. Then, planting my foot squarely on her back, I pull clumps of hair with all the force I have, and only I scream. The hair is pulled off of her head, and I lose my balance. She will not stop, so neither can I. I place my knees on her shoulders and pull. I feel her fingers digging into my skin, but I do not stop. 
 
 Finally, the vertebras crack and you hear muscle begin to tear with sound like that of paper. Then, you see the result of your actions: the skin pales and then turns bright red as blood begins to seep through. You keep pulling, and in the last big tug, it comes off. 
 
 “ Yes, ” I think to myself “ It ’ s over. ” I sit there, enjoying what might at long last be my freedom from this curse, but something ’ s wrong. A cold chill runs down my spine as I hear a woman say with a voice as soft as cotton, “ You killed me, John. ” 
 
 The voice comes from behind me. I stand, but I don ’ t know what for. I ’ m afraid to turn around. “ You killed me, John, ” speaks the woman whose calm voice makes sweat drip from my brow and tears flow from my eyes. 
 
 I turn to face her. I know I ’ m powerless, I know this won ’ t stop, and I know how this must end. 
 
 I drop to my knees, and she walks closer, her hands reaching for my throat. I dropped my head. 
 
 “ I ’ m sorry, Claire, ” I said. “ I ’ m sorry I did this to you. I ’ m just… I don ’ t know. I ’ m so scared. ” 
 
 “ Scared? ” said Claire with radiating benevolence. “ We ’ re all scared. ” 
 
 Her hands clenched my throat with warm, forgiving fingers. I looked up at her and all around me the world grew dark, until there was only her face… and then nothing. 

