Shifting sands of memory

In this place, I've come, don't know how or when,

Near my old school, memories ignite again.

After all this time, it feels so fine,

Familiar scenes, a blend of old and new entwine.

Near the road, I glimpse a cherished sight,

Popsicle man with treats of delight.

Once his loyal patron, those school days bright,

But he stares at me, in a puzzling light.

With a strange feeling in my heart, I walk ahead on a quest,

Before me appears an old friend, memories put to the test.

Our past we discuss, yet something's off, I confess,

Her words don't match my recollections, a mystery to address.

Onwards I move, the road unwinds to our town's famed lake,

A weekly ritual, and it's beautiful to partake.

As I arrive, a sense of fear starts to wake,

For what once was a lake, is now barren, memories at stake.

In this strange world, fear takes flight,

Reality shifts, casting shadows in the light.

Unknown paths and terror ignite,

A realm of uncertainty, where nothing seems right.

Turning away, escape I seek from this bewildering space,

Near my house, I stand, yet see someone's back, face a blur's trace.

Though distant, recognition sets the pace,

The figure, it's me, in this dreamlike chase.