It was a dark night, black as pitch, with Orion's belt glowing in the sky. The birds called softly, the grass rippled slowly. I let my mind drift to the sweet melody of the nightingale, sitting high in the oak tree above me. But my rest was short lived; a strong force tugged at my heart. It drew me to rise, and walk down the winding forest path to the old log cabin that I knew well. Though it had been abandoned for over fifty years, today it was alive. Soft candle light flickered in the windows, casting shadows on the deep green grass outside. Smoke billowed out of the stone chimney, and a lone man, tall and proud, walked toward me, a book in his hand. A buttery warm breeze cradled me as he walked ever closer. I blinked. Suddenly I was in a bustling market square. Silent shouts of market men rang around me, as the ghosts of people who once were, walked about from store to store. Amidst all of the action, a single platform stood gray and distant in the scene swirling around me. Upon seeing the old structure, everything melted away. I was left to watch the slaves being sold, like old baubles at a garage sale. A white-hot spotlight, laced with malice, shone down on the scene that crushed my heart into millions of tiny fragments, like a child's toy under the wheel of a car. I cried out, but my voice went unheard. Then, it stopped. It was as though someone had hit pause. The painful scene in front of me faded, a newer, brighter one in its place. It was a simple picnic area, but the simplicity of it all is what made it beautiful. People of all races mingled and chatted like friends should. Children ran about in the fading light, not caring who was what color. As the crushing pain in my heart receded, a single, glistening tear rolled down my cheek, reflecting the vision of change.

He had a dream. A dream deemed impossible at the time, but it came true. If so much hate and pain could turn into brotherhood and fellowship, then anything could happen, even the most unattainable of dreams. The two scenes stood silent, still, next to each other as a quiet reminder that no one is alone, and anything can happen.

The two scenes morphed into one, and faded to black. Then I was floating down a dark tunnel, wrapped in a warm blanket. The force that carried me gently set me down on the dewy grass. I opened my eyes and looked at the sky. It was a dark night, black as pitch, with Orion's belt glowing in the sky.