Nightmares

Episode 3.2

I was in a peaceful deep sleep when I felt someone shaking my shoulders in an attempt to wake me up. I looked with squeezed eyes, Joshua was staring stunned at the bedroom door, "What happened, baby?" I said and shut my eyes again. 

"I just saw my mother's ghost," he whispered in my ear. I sat up and frowned. "She went in the wardrobe," he said pointing a finger there.

I know there's no one. But, to solace him, you'll have to get up from the bed, turn on the lights, check into the wardrobe, and around it, then under the bed, behind the door, outside in the balcony, say, "I scared it away. No one's here now," he'll smile and hug you. Then turn off the lights and go back to sleep. He says ghosts do not come near me.

"You weren't sleeping?" I asked him with closed eyes. 

"No, I couldn't," his head was on my chest. I was stroking his hair lightly.

"Had a bad dream?"

"Hm,"

"What did you see?" I turned and spooned him.

"Someone was chasing me with a knife and you weren't there,"

I kissed him on the temple, "Because I'm here,"

It's the end of July. The monsoon season is at its peak, and with this comes the soothing sound of light rain on grass. Joshua was sitting on the backyard porch, coloring a sketch with his fingers, humming a song. I was lying on the couch, searching for a job on my laptop. Only one semester remains, then my college is over. So I'm trying to find a decent company. 

"I'm making noodles, you want some?" I said going toward the kitchen.

"Ok," he said without looking.

I filled a pot with water, put it on the stove, opened the cabinet to take out two packets of ramyeon, then went to the kitchen table to cut some vegetables. I make Joshua eat a lot of veggies. I take care of his good health all the time.

Suddenly, something fell behind me. I turned, it was packets of ramyeon. I moved my head right to left, in case Joshua's around but he wasn't there. I stared at the packets for a moment, must be a rat or something. Without thinking much, I picked them up and emptied them in shimmering boiling water. Then I went back to cut the carrots. 

Wait- Where'd I put the knife? I looked around the table, under it, and in the whole kitchen. It was nowhere to be seen. How can a thing disappear just like that? Looking for it, I came out in the living room. And then what my eyes saw, it couldn't be any more dreadful. My breath got stuck in my throat.

The knife was just at the edge of the header of the door frame, balancing itself barely, its sharp blade just above my Joshua sitting under it, engaged in his drawing, still humming a tone. A little thump of feet and it'll directly fall on him. How in the universe did it get there?

Well, now is not the time to think about any of the questions. I gulp and cautiously take each step, like walking on eggshells. I don't call his name, he'll move and there's a certain chance it will fall on him. I don't take risks with him.

Slowly, slowly, I reached there, stood on my tiptoes, and stretched my arm up to it. Suddenly, Joshua looked behind to take something, his shoulder collided with my legs, I landed on my heels, and the knife fell.

 "No!" I shout. Fortunately, I caught it in the air just mere inches above his face.

Phew, it was close. I took a breath of relief. Joshua was looking at me bewildered. Me, holding a knife in my hand, its point towards him. I instantly hid it behind my back. What do I say about what just happened here? When I don't even know myself.

"Um, uh, do you want something to drink with noodles?" I asked instead.

"No, it's fine," he said.

"Ok, cola it is," I said going back to the kitchen.

So, now is the time to ask so many questions.

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