Beauty in the Ring

"Word count is 1,250."

"Genre prompt is Romance, with word prompt of glimmer, quandary, and demur, as well as character prompt of protagonist fears something or someone."

An eight-legged animal then came crawling out of his mouth, sending shivers and chills up Angela's back and sweat dripping off of her forehead. None of this made any sense. Yet all she could do is scream. Scream so loudly she woke up to being alone in her own bedroom. Sweat laid on her sheets and her heart thumped. The dream was so real and it was only 3:00 in the morning. This couldn't ruin her day. She needed to get back to sleep.

Just then, she turned over so she was staring into the corner. Her eyelids fell heavy and she drifted off. This time she was with him at a zoo. They headed to the cave section with ice cream. She didn't want to face one animal they had and he had agreed with a glimmer in his eye. Then he spoke about a quandary and had a good demur. She felt as if nothing could touch her while he was there by her side. Her beautiful dress shimmered in the light. He was her boyfriend for a year now and his name was Joaquin. She had trouble remembering his name even now, especially since it sounded so feminine. He had explained the name belonged to his grandmother, and he was the only child. Still, they went into the rocky structure.

Immediately, the floor swarmed with eight-legged animals and he was no longer by her side. The animals swarmed around her and then started tickling her skin. Despite her cries for help she started laughing. And then pain started wearing through her legs. She screamed, louder than before. The pain grew more powerful and threatened to swallow her whole. So much so that she woke up. Banging rattled her door. Grumbling, she put on her slippers and headed to the door. It had better not be the police. Her neighbors were light sleepers, she knew. The banging continued until she opened it up wide.

"What's going on? Nightmares again?" Freddy inquired.

"Yes. Wonderful dreams about Joaquin and then spiders come crawling in. Only more monsters than ever. My big day with him is coming and these nightmares are persistent. What will I do?" Angela waved her hands around before settling them by her side.

"Well, it's 4:30 a.m. and I want to go back to sleep for another hour. How about count your sheep before falling asleep this time? That ought to do the trick." Freddy offered her a dream catcher to hang over her bed.

"Thank you! I'll try my best here. Maybe this will stop the nightmares from coming. I wouldn't want to meet that animal in person you know. Spiders are dangerous and the one that keeps showing up in my dreams is poisonous." Angela huffed. No going back to sleep easily for her.

"Stay awake then. Drink some coffee." With that Freddy left.

Now, Angela didn't know what to do. Sleep was all she thought about. But her fear of that animal coming back to her and the pain that she felt lingered in her mind. Of course, she wasn't going to let the dreams get to her. Not now. Still early. Her neighbors must have been asleep now. Then she heard another sound. A knock on the door. Who could it be this time at so early in the morning? Sighing, she went back to answer it. It turned out to be Joaquin himself. Still, she wondered if he would accept a name change for a more male name.

"Good morning sleepyhead. Get ready quick and chug down coffee, because I want to show you something." He smiled and she couldn't resist. Curiosity got the better of her. She changed into her casual dress and drank two cups of coffee. 5:30 a.m. now. "To my car. Night is being wasted. Don't worry about makeup or anything. This is urgent."

Angela swiftly followed him to his car. He had parked in the visitor parking lot. Good. Just as she reached the car, she saw something crawling on the door handle. A spider. Not quite like the monstrous version in her dream. Still, she screamed and thoughts raced through her mind. Immediately, her boyfriend came running by her side and saw the spider. In one motion, he flung the spider into the grass nearby. It landed on the pavement instead.

"Still scared of spiders, aren't you? Where I'm taking you there won't be any spiders. There is a cliff to walk across which can be scary but safe and rewarding," Joaquin spoke gently.

"A cliff? That place? No thank you." Angela considered turning around and going back into her home. But then she had done it many times before. Scary? Not really.

"It will be worth it. You and I. The place where we first met."

"Okay. Sorry, I am just tired and want to go back to sleep. But I will go."

Muttering under her breath, Angela wondered why she couldn't get some more sleep. Still, she hadn't expected him to appear so early in the morning either. Grabbing the door handle, she opened the car door and went inside the car. Maybe she should tell him about these nightmares that plagued her tonight. And that spider didn't seem to be very friendly either. What was going on? Still, she was happy to see him. It seemed like forever. As he drove he seemed to be preoccupied on something. But what could it be? He didn't seem so quiet before and he did say they were going to the cliff. Sure enough, he pulled into the parking lot at the cliff side right at 6:00 a.m. He was telling the truth.

"What are we doing here? Is there something urgent you have to say to me? You can say it not in front of these people." Angela pondered as she followed him across the invisible walkway that connected the two cliffs together. Still, he didn't answer her. She was recognizing faces left and right. These people were in fact his and her friends. Why have they gathered around here at this time of day? There were a few strangers about as well who didn't seem to take any interest in them. Just then, rays of light started filling the sky and he turned around and took out a ring with a stone in the middle of it.

"In the best of days, in the worst of nights, we were together since we just first met. This ring has the potential to unlock dragon magic within you and make happy dreams come true. Away with nightmares into a wonderful life of living and adventure. I just have one question for you. Will you marry me?" Joaquin smiled for a moment and then held his breath. Angela was shocked. The ring shown in a variety of colors, but especially gold and silver.

"Yes, I will marry you." Angela gave a shout and then clung to him, accepting the ring. As the rays of light in the sky gave way to a big giant star in the sky proclaiming daylight, she put on the ring. Immediately a ball of fire came from her hand and landed on the ground, starting a patch of fire. Someone was ready with a bucket of water to put out the flames. She laughed. The ring was totally worth the trip. Her nightmares couldn't ruin this moment. Now, if she could learn how to fly in the air with the power of the ring.

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