It was late at night inside his dream and the two moons were beautifully glowing in the sky. Tonton found himself in the middle of a crowd somewhere which looked like a park. People were faceless, from the young to the old ones. They were endlessly talking, and this made Tonton dizzy. He looked around for a seat and found a bench. He sat in the only space available, beside a man and a woman.

"They know already," he heard the man said.

"What happens now?" the woman replied.

Tonton's left ear widened, as if some magical force wanted him to hear everything the couple said.

"I'm scared," the woman said. "Scared that they will part us."

"That is exactly they will do," the man answered. "Our laws do not allow this kind of relationship."

"What do we do now?"

"Nothing. I don't want anyone of us to go away."

"Neither do I. But will the authorities not do something?"

"Yes, they surely will. I will talk to my father about this."

"Arthur, I'm really scared."

"Don't worry. I won't let anything bad happen to you. And I can't let anyone take you away from me."

Gently, the woman sobbed while the man comforted her silently. Tonton was also saddened with what he heard. He did not really understand their story, but he felt sadness and fear in them.

"Help us," he heard a voice whisper.

Tonton sat up, feeling a little panicky.

"Please, help us."

His heart beat faster. Suddenly, a cold hand touched his arm and gently gripped his wrist.

"You need to help us."

Confused and alarmed, Tonton quickly stood up and ran. He ran and ran while trying to shake away the voices inside his head. He stopped after reaching a good distance from the previous crowd. He hyperventilated, letting more oxygen into the system, though the air seemed to be deficient with it.

When he recovered his breath, he looked around and found himself in a garden. Lush bushes were everywhere, thronged with bright yellow and red flowers.

"Search everywhere!" a man with loud low voice barked an order.

"Yes, Sir!" a large group of men roared in response.

Tonton hid among the bushes. He could not let himself get caught for a reason he did not understand. He did nothing wrong, so why hide?

When the voices and steps seemed to fade away, he crawled out of his hiding place. He tiptoed around the garden, careful not to step on anything that might create sound. From the corner of his eyes, he saw some silhouettes moving. He froze to suppress the panic building in his heart again. His sweat began pouring.

"Hold there!" a voice shouted.

Slowly, Tonton turned his head to his right and a group of burly faceless men were apparently looking at him. He could not see their features, but he sensed they were fiercely looking at him, making his entire body tremble. He could not take their gazes, and mustering all his guts, he sprinted to his left. Only then did he notice the pair of shadows running ahead of him in that direction.

"Take them!" the voice ordered which the men instantly obeyed.

Tonton ran with all his might but the two figures in front of him ran faster, the taller one seemed to be dragging the other. Tonton changed direction and led himself away from the commotion. He kept running until he came to a familiar place.

Roses were everywhere. There was a flood of red in a sea of green. It was beautiful. There was also one stray dog who kept digging a hole in the ground. It was exciting. Tonton turned around and there was the back part of a house. He gaped in disbelief. Finally, it dawned on him.

"Home."

Tonton felt sad. He did not know why but he was certainly sad, almost on the brink of crying.

"There you are!" Jamie boomed from his side.

Tonton looked at his friend. He looked young, like four or five years old.

"Why don't you want to see?" Jamie asked.

"I don't understand," he replied.

"Please, try to. I will only be gone for a short time. It's just two months. After that, I will be back here."

He kept staring at Jamie. He thought, 'What is happening here?'

Slowly, Jamie walked towards him. He spread his arms and hugged his friend tightly.

"Don't worry," he whispered. "I will be back very soon."

To his wonder, Tonton started crying. He could not help it.

Don't forget me," he implored. He did not expect those words to come out of his mouth.

"Silly, but I won't."

With a wave of his arms, Jamie said goodbye and left Tonton alone. Gradually, Tonton seemed to remember the event. They were young then and Jamie left for two months to spend his summer with some cousins.

Tonton went back inside his house. He was very lonely, enough that he opted to sleep off his sadness. He laid on his bed and covered himself with a blanket.

"This is all just a dream," he reminded himself. "I will just sleep, and once I wake up, I'll be back to reality."

Successfully, Tonton slept. No sooner, he roused. Again, he was transported to a new place, so it was not reality yet. It was his school, and it was nighttime.

From the corner of the sky, a blazing light appeared. It moved fast and seemed to strike the school.

"It's the falling star!" he exclaimed.

Reflexively, Tonton ran, trying to get himself away from the scene. He opened the school's gate wide and ran again. He did not look back, fearing the things he might see. However, he was certain that the falling star was near as the light behind him grew stronger, trying to engulf his shadow and all of himself. In a split second, the bright radiance overtook the school. Tonton screamed hard.

He curled on the ground and covered his ears. He screamed again but the light explosion had already ended. Instead, there were gunfires around him. Laser blasts splashed everywhere, and the supposedly dark night glowed with blasts and madness.

"Where am I?" Tonton asked himself. "Am I back in the war?"

Tonton crawled on the ground. Indeed, he was back in the war he had been in during his previous dream. He was also in the forest; tree stumps and sticking roots made his struggle even more difficult. He was wiser now and he kept his composure as he looked for a haven.

Finally, he found a large tree away from the war zone. He hid behind it and rested himself. This dream was more exhausting than the last. He was so tired that he slept fast behind the tree.

Somebody shook him and Tonton jumped out of his seat.

"Hey, Tonton," Bogart said, "you have been sleeping soundly for one hour already."

'I am still in the dream?' Tonton asked himself. He looked around and they were in the school canteen. It must have been afternoon because their table was empty, except for wrappers of Bogart's sandwich and a bottle of orange juice.

"You look really tired," Kiko said.

Tonton was about to say something when a loud explosion happened outside, followed by loud screaming from the students. Immediately, they ran outside and struggled along the way because the ground shook, as if some big feet were stomping the school.

They gasped at what they saw. A gigantic jellyfish-like creature was hovering over the school. The monster was red-black in color and its creepy tentacles were randomly picking up the children which it ultimately fed into its heavily-teethed mouth.

"Let's get away from here!" Jamie shouted.

Quickly, the boys dashed, trying to get away from the school. However, a tentacle reached them and picked Bogart by the foot. Kiko and Jamie grabbed him, attempting to release him but the monster was too strong. With one sweep, its tentacles lifted the boys in the air and instantly gobbled the boys.

Tonton cried in shock. He knew it was only a dream, but it felt too real. He crouched on the pavement and cried louder while the screaming around him continued.

Gradually, the noise subsided and an eerie silence enveloped Tonton. He sat up straight and found himself at the back of a stone building. It was like the marketplace from his previous dream. Faceless people were busy around him.

He strolled and after a while, he encountered the familiar couple. They entered what seemed to be a tent. Curiously, Tonton walked and hid behind the tent cover, but he could clearly hear their conversation.

"We need to do this," the man begged. "This is the only way."

"I'm afraid," she said. "Let's leave together."

"You know I can't. I must hold off the guards first."

"We can't get separated."

"This is only temporary. I will follow you and be with you as soon as possible."

"I'm not sure I can do this."

"You can, Elena. You are the bravest woman I know."

The woman collapsed into his arms and sobbed. Tonton closed his eyes and analyzed the meaning of his dreams. Things seemed to be random but somehow connected. As to how, he did not know. It was like a big jigsaw puzzle; all the pieces were there but he could not simply put them together.

When he opened his eyes, Tonton was back in Subangdaku. He was standing in front of the old, haunted house. He dreaded the house since the accident a few years back. It was night and it was silent, save for the crickets and the crawlies. The sky was dark except for a few stars. It was a new moon, and the skies must have blocked most of the stars.

Fear crept into Tonton. The haunted house was ghostly but something else made his hair stand. A big star suddenly appeared from the sky. It grew bigger with each second. Tonto's heart leapt for it was not just a star. It was a falling star.

"Coming," a voice whispered into Tonton's ears.