[ WP ] Every night in your sleep you meet a successful-looking future you who tells you what you should do the next day . So far your life has gone well indeed , but one day you fall asleep during the daytime . You meet a tired , disheveled version of yourself who begs you not to listen to the other .

I blinked again. She still stood there in her brown coat, soot had blemished the arm and torso part of it. Her wrinkled eyes looking at me with a penetrating look behind a pair of thick out-of-date style cheap glasses. 
 
 `` What did you mean by --'' 
 
 `` You heard me once. Do n't play deaf.'' Her crisp voice cut my sentence off. `` She is a master of trickery. You gave her that power.'' 
 
 I knew I creased my eyebrows so hard that it made her look softened a bit. 
 
 `` 5 months eh?'' 
 
 Since I started my dreams? I nodded as a confirmation. 
 
 `` I have been trying to tell you about her, but you could n't hear me. I figured that she had me blocked from your awareness.'' The old lady now conjured a tray of small half egg shaped crystal cups filled with clear golden liquid. She laid it on a table between us both. 
 
 `` Drink.'' 
 
 I picked up one of the cups, a solid milky one with green circle stone ornaments etched around its midst. And without protesting drank the liquid at one gulp. 
 
 At once I felt an excruciating pain exploded from my forehead. I remembered that I fell into a sliding tunnel. Then felt the end of tunnel opened into a total nothingness that had me blanketed in dense chill fog. 
 
 I cried and screamed in fear, tried to move but again I realised I did n't have a body to do it, around me the thick mist of white prevented my sight to see clearly. 
 
 When my breath finally slowed down, I could a see two figures loomed above my face. 
 
 `` She just lie there like a pig.'' 
 
 `` A statue more likely.'' 
 
 `` Or a vase?'' 
 
 I raised my hands to reach them but I had no energy left. Only a bit of awareness to see I was back in my body again. So I strained my eyes to see them more clearly and the mist started to lift. 
 
 I saw the shabby old lady and my familiar future self that had been mentoring me the past few months, both were standing side by side like lab scientists measuring their research object. 
 
 In one look I realised they both were the same lady, with the same apparel just with different physical look. 
 
 My mentor was a shiny beautiful woman, with glowing face and hair looking like being freshly styled by a professional born-to-be hair dresser, her slim and fit body was wrapped with a glorious looking brown leather coat, tailored with quality looking material. Her dress was embroidered with golden threads with perfect circle of precious stone beads etched on each curve. Her feet were wrapped with tight brown leather boots accentuated with bronze and brass. 
 
 And the other woman.. I paused my mind. 
 
 The old lady addressed my critical look with open mirth. She was daring me to judge her style. 
 
 Similar face but more wrinkles, and uses glasses. She has a more intense pair of eyes though. Greying strands of hair, ordinary hair style, brown shabby coat, plain dress, brown boots.. That were all the points that my mind dared to address. 
 
 `` Why --?'' 
 
 `` Are you bothered by the difference between me and her?'' 
 
 I nodded. 
 
 `` What is it exactly that bothers you?'' 
 
 `` Are you... my future too --?'' 
 
 Suddenly my mentor laughed and stopped my question with her derisive snort. 
 
 `` Quit playing the victim game. I have taught you enough.'' 
 
 Huh? 
 
 `` You do n't want to feel guilty for what you are doing to her, do you?'' 
 
 I felt my right chest burst into hot rage. `` What do you mean? I do n't play victim! What did I do to her? I did n't know anything abo --'' 
 
 `` You do n't want to hear what you know,'' she replied icily. And then a softer voice followed, `` You did n't try hard enough.'' 
 
 I started to feel faint and a seed of doubt inside me suddenly grew. `` I listened to what you said! Like all the steps you've told me to do!'' I shouted back. 
 
 `` Yea, that's because my job is giving you the easy ones! And you did n't even think why you should follow my advices besides the fact they were easy.'' 
 
 My head spun, and then I looked at the old lady. She had a thin smile on her lips. 
 
 `` Enough.'' 
 
 This made my mentor stopped talking and turned her head to face her counterpart. 
 
 `` I think we all can see that your mentorship actually helped her to see that she's not going anywhere anytime soon.'' With a chuckle she flicked her fingers and a window opened on the right side of the room. `` That is her dream destination. But what you were doing,'' she nodded at me, `` is gon na make you end there,'' she pointed to the other side of the room where a TV was showing a global event where the flood and storm was wrecking havoc in a northern state. `` With the speed of your unconscious actions, the domino effect of your doing will play back on you like that.'' 
 
 What does that have anything to do with me? I asked with fear creeping up. 
 
 `` Everything in this life is interconnected. When you choose to do something without awareness, that action will comeback to you, whether you like it or not. It will be in any form. Not necessarily apple to apple. But it can be guilt, it can be shame, it can be depressing news, or a fruitful return.'' She paused to regard me with her pair of witty eyes. They were more compassionate and warmer now. `` You have to know that you are held responsible for every action you do, but you ca n't play small because of it.'' 
 
 Sure why would I play small? I objected with a weak smile, while a shameful feeling grew to replace fear. 
 
 `` Because you only do what feels comfortable for you!'' My mentor chimed in with an utter disgust look on her face. 
 
 I felt my face hot with embarrassment. `` Well you have been helpful were n't you? Toying with me, and now throw everything back at me with the intention to humiliate me!'' 
 
 `` Only you who can let me humiliate you. Only you who can let me toy with you.'' 
 
 I cried in anger and jumped to my feet to attack her. My mentor slid away from my punches easily. 
 
 The old lady was looking at our antiquities without being perturbed, she even conjured another tray now filled with baked red velvet cake slices, a hot tea pot and several pink and yellow tea cups. Then she poured tea on one of the yellow cups while both me and my mentor were playing cat fight. 
 
 *** 
 
 I woke up covered with sweats. My heart still raced as my memory replayed the last scene where I finally caught my mentor's hair and pulled her into my claws. I stayed still, focusing on my breath and my dream. 
 
 What the hell... 
 
 I shut my eyes again and felt a rush of tingling warmth moved from my lower back up to my crown. 
 
 Then a breeze of air passed by the side of my ear. It reminded me that I was safe. 
 
 The sun just set and my digital clock showed three passed seven on it. 
 
 I decided to put everything on my dream journal.
