when you were my father

sweet dreams

It's late at night, wind blows gently through a bedroom, creating a slight chill.

Mai is laying in bed, about to fall asleep, with her eyes are about to close.

Suddenly, she hears a noise coming from her closet, a strange noise that can't even be put into words.

Thinking it's just the wind, she walks towards it to make sure it's closed all the way, as she sees a little crack between the two doors.

The noises continue until she is about to touch the closet door, but as soon as her fingers touch the wood.

Silence fills the room.

Mai has opened the door, but what's inside isn't visible, except she can see a terrifying sight.

Afraid, Mai starts to scream. Her screams fill the room, but nobody seems to come.

So scared, her feet are almost glued to the ground, making it impossible for her to run away.

A great shadow engulfs the entire room.

**********

I wake up to screaming. Loud, but quiet screaming. It causes me to practically jump out of bed and run down the hallway, trying to find the seemingly terrified source. I end up in Isla's room, where she lays asleep, but screaming. Quickly, I try to shake her awake, but it doesn't seem to work. She's still fast asleep, but moving around as if she is in excruciating pain and screaming like she was in even more.

Debating my options, I either let her sleep because who knows what's safe mentally or wake her up and spare the rest of my house. "ISLA!" I yell, deciding, as loud as I possibly can without startling the whole neighborhood. Hoping it will wake her up. And luckily it does. But, she doesn't really seem normal.

"You woke Isla up." She tells me, angrier than I've ever seen her. There almost seems to be fire in her eyes, and she doesn't look like the sweet young girl that I know.

"What?" I ask, deeply befuddled.

But she's asleep again. This time calm and quiet, no more screaming. She lays there as if nothing had happened.

Slowly, I creep out of the room leaving her to sleep. I don't fall back though, I can't help myself from worrying and thinking about her and my mom's confusing behavior today.