The man in the black top hat

I was alone. It was dark, so dark that I couldn’t see my shaking hands. I heard soft footsteps, then a ‘pat pat, pat pat.’ A low voice then said, “There you are, I’ve been waiting for you.” I forced my dry lips together, but no sound escaped. “Come with me” the man then said. His wrinkly fingers wrapped around mine, forcing them to stop shaking. “This way” the man whispered. Without hesitation my feet floated in his direction. I still could not see anything, not the man, not my feet, nor even right in front of me. Then there was a light, a light so beautiful and white as if angels created it. As we got closer to the light my eyes captured the image of the man holding my hand. He was tall, with a black top hat, and tethered clothing. His face was as white as his hair. His wrinkly skin and black eyes made me cringe. The further we went into the light the man began to change. His top hat and tethered clothing began to fix themselves, almost looking brand new. His pale skin began to fade into a golden tan and the man’s white hair dyed itself into a shiny blonde color. His wrinkles disappeared and his black eyes transformed into a baby blue. The old man that was once holding my shaking hands was now young, beautiful, and perfect. “You look confused my dear! Don’t you recognize me?” the man shouted with surprise. I tried to reply, but my lips could not move. I began to notice that my bare feet were being tickled by long blades of grass. The light turned into a meadow, a meadow that went on for miles and miles. The baby blue sky was accompanied by only two white fluffy clouds and one amazingly bright sun. As we walked on I noticed the temperature rising. I small bead of sweat escaped my forehead and slid its way down to my nose. The man handed me his handkerchief to wipe my face, “Come on my dear, there’s still much more to see.” We reached a tall hill and the meadow suddenly stopped. All that was in front of the man and I was another light. This light however was not like the one I saw before. This light was not white, but blue, a dark blue. As my feet tiptoed into the light all I could see was blue, I felt as if I were entering the bottom of the ocean. No longer were my bare feet floating on tall blades of grass, but they were now trudging through thick snow. My body felt frozen, and my teeth chattered causing fresh blood to escape from my tongue. I looked up at the man questionably and noticed he looked like the old wrinkly man I met before. “Almost there!” the man said through his rotting teeth. The snow began to melt, reveling warm rough sand. I heard crashing noises then a seagull yelping up ahead. A few feet in front of us was a roaring ocean, crashing against the rocks, washing away the innocent beach. I jerked my head up at the old man holding my hand in excitement, but notice he was not an old man anymore, he was young and beautiful again. “You made it” he said. The man let go of my once shaking hand and smiled at me. He gave me a small wave then little by little the man started disintegrating in front of me. As the wind whisked him away I reached my arms out, trying to grab him. Then I woke up.