Before I begin I have been getting comments saying I should do more if these so I will in time
But for now I'm going to focus on jokes
The alarm clock buzzed at 7am bringing young Ellen Nolan back from the world of nod. A world she doesn't want to visit any time soon. Usually, she didn't suffer from nightmares but this thing, that's taunted her in her dreams, has no intention of going. Every night it gets closer and closer and poor, frightened Ellen fears she won't wake up before it gets her.
She struggles to see what's in front of her as she reaches for her big, round, thick glasses; the same glasses that cause her to get bullied by Gabriella Marlin. She's tall with long blonde hair and big green eyes, and can easily stand tall over Ellen's tiny, brunette frame. Gabriella makes life really difficult for Ellen. They used to be the best of friends but then Gabriella just changed and not for the good. As good as friends as they were, Gabriella seemed to prefer to use Ellen as her punching bag. First it was name calling and then next came physical contact as Ellen was once trapped in her locker for 4 hours. Nobody came to help her under the instructions of her popular tormenter. It was the janitor that let the tiny, crying moppet out and into his arms. Holding her till she calms down.
Luckily, today is not a school day. Ellen always gets up early; it gives her more things to do in her day. She looks to her dresser and picks up the dream catcher. Lately, she's been reading about dream catchers and how they would filter out all bad dreams and only allow good thoughts to enter our mind and once the sun rises, all bad dreams just disappear. Sure, it may be superstition but with every night, the thing takes one step closer, with its jaws hanging wide open and salivating. Who knows what world her dream tormenter came from or why it picked her? She took the risk in buying one to protect her and hoped that it worked because Ellen HAD to get her plan to work. If not, then tonight would be her last night alive.
Today, she's planned to go into the town for a bit of shopping - or so her Dad thinks.
She comes out of the house in the early afternoon holding a bag with the dream catcher in. Her Dad looks down at her curiously.
"Bad dreams?" he asked her.
"So far, the worst ones yet." She replied in a matter-of-fact tone.
She thinks about the word of warning the shop owner gave her a few days ago.
"Be very careful, child. If this gets broken then the goodness of the net won't stop the nightmares. They'll filter through and haunt your dreams forever" said the elderly Native American lady.
For most of the car ride Ellen sat in silence whilst clutching her item. A few blocks away from their house, Ellen makes a decision.
"I don't want to go to town, could you drop me off at Gabriella's?"
"Gabriella? I haven't heard about her in years, how is she?"
"Fine. Just here will do, Dad."
He pulls over to the side and stops.
"Do you need a ride home?"
"No, we're going to study."
"Okay well, have fun."
He beams his big smile as she gets out of the car. She waves him off and turns to face Gabriella's house.
She walks up the cobble stone pathway and gets to the front door just in time for Gabriella's Mum to open the door.
"Oh Ellen, how are you?"
"Fine, thanks Mrs. Marlin. Is 'Gabby' in?"
"Sorry sweetie, you just missed her. She's gone out with her friends. I would've thought you'd be out with her."
"No, I'm not very well" - she lied - "I just came by to pick up my text book."
"Oh well, go on in. You know what room she's in."
Ellen smiles and enters the house. She walks up the stairs and into Gabriella's room. Shelves filled with dance trophies and photos from the cheerleader squad she's part of. Ellen looks at the class photo and something she sees boils her blood.
Scribbled over Ellen's shy smile in lipstick reads "Stupid bitch" - along the shelf is another photo with graffiti over it.
"Die you stupid c*nt" The asterisk was clearly there so her Mum couldn't see what little hellion her daughter really is.
Ellen hadn't done anything to be spoken about like that. She is completely innocent.
She takes the dream catcher out of the bag and starts to rip at the fabric and twigs. Not completely, but just enough and then she places it down beside a pillow near the bed.
She leaves the house and goes back to her house.
Later that night, Ellen gets out of the shower and dries herself off. She gets into bed and reads a book until she gets tired. She goes to take her glasses off but looks at the photo she has in a frame next to her bed. It's of her, her younger brother Lewis, and her Mum and Dad on a happy summer's day. Ellen begins to pray that her plan has worked and that the family can have great days like the one in the photo again.
The next day, Ellen got her wish. She woke up at 7am and felt around her face. No cuts or rips or anything disgusting. She can't remember her dream but is pretty sure that the monster was nowhere near her.
Epilogue
A couple of blocks away from Ellen's house, Gabriella's older sister went into her room to take some make up and found Gabriella ripped to shreds and torn from ear to ear in her bed. Her screams echoed around the town.
The dream catcher was next to her in one piece.
The End
