Penelope’s life had been quiet, predictable, and a little lonely — until she slept and entered another world entirely.
Every evening, she returned to her sparse apartment, microwaved dinners, and the hollow echo of silence. One morning, though, she woke somewhere entirely different: a café called Café Lumière, sunlit and full of life — and a handsome stranger named Thierry offered her coffee with a smile that felt like sunshine.
They talked, laughed, and strolled through a vibrant market where flowers spilled color into the air. Thierry’s kindness, curiosity, and gentle French accent made Penelope feel alive in a way she hadn’t in years. They wandered through art museums, shared pastries and cheese, and eventually found themselves in a romantic park where the connection between them deepened with every breath.
In this dreamworld, their love blossomed. They picnicked by a lake, danced under stars, and even shared an impromptu wedding where Thierry proposed with a ring that glimmered like the night itself. In that world, they became husband and wife, honeymooned on a tropical island, and lived out the kind of romance that felt miraculous.
But every dream has to end. Penelope was jolted awake not into sunshine, but a hospital ward — strapped to a gurney as worried voices rushed around her. She had collapsed, dehydrated and exhausted, waking to the harsh buzz of reality and the worried tear‑filled eyes of her mother.
Days of tests revealed the truth: her body had been failing her while her mind chased a vivid, beautiful dream world that felt more real than her waking life ever had. Doctors treated her for severe dehydration, exhaustion, and ultimately, depression triggered by how completely she had lost herself in dreams.
Therapy became part of her recovery. At first, reality felt flat compared to the vibrant life she shared with Thierry. No warm café sunlight, no flower markets, no whispered promises or laughter under stars. Sleep no longer carried her away — it was just darkness.
But slowly, she found healing. With encouragement from her therapist, she began writing about Thierry and the dream world — turning those vivid visions into a story, capturing the longing, beauty, and emotional truth behind her dreams.
Months later, Penelope stood before a publishing house editor, manuscript in hand — a love story born from dreams that had nearly cost her life, now transformed into something real, something creative, and something that helped her reconnect with the world she had once abandoned.
She would never see Thierry again — not in dreams, not in waking life — but through her words, she found a way to keep the magic alive and bring a piece of that dream into her reality.
