In A Dream

I never liked sleeping. Maybe I used to but that was before the nightmares. Before they seeped into reality and became what I see now. During one of my classes I noticed the change.

For a brief moment I turned to the door. It struck me as odd when someone outside peered into the classroom. I couldn’t make out the details on their face except for the large toothy grin. It widened more as it caught my gaze.

Mr. Blaine stepped into view, “Are you listening?”

“Yes,” I meekly responded.

Mr. Blaine, unamused, went back to teaching.

I looked back but the person had disappeared.

“Are you listening?” Mr. Blaine asked again.

He repeated the question, his voice distorting more with each one. He sported the same grin of that person. Was I hallucinating?

I woke up from the haze to find Mr. Blaine— the real one still by the whiteboard. He hadn’t turned once.

I don’t think I was actually sleeping then or even now. It haunted my every waking moment. Does my mind belong to me anymore? I forgot the answer.

I reached the end of the hallway. Before me a staircase led to darkness. I can pick out a figure hidden below. My heart pounded erratically. There it was.

Gradually I sneak downstairs.

There’s nothing to be afraid of, it’s just a dream. Even so I never took my sights away from it. I had to be sure I was safe.

When my feet touched the ground, the figure snapped its head towards me. It closed the gap between us. Their cold hands clutched my arms tightly. Immense pain shot threw my arm.

Why wasn’t I waking up?

And for the first time, I realised, this isn’t a dream anymore.

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