My Book Of Quickies.

The Dream.

She was running.

Running from someone or something.

She ducked under branches and jumped over fallen trees.

She fell as she tripped on her black night gown.

His laugh carried through the wind as she scrambled to get back up.

“What do you want from me?!” she screamed into empty air as she started to walk backward, fearful tears running down her face.

“You” Came a whisper from behind her.

She spun around to find no one there.

His sad laugh echoing around her once again.

She started running, faster than before.

She saw dim lights coming into view from the depths of the forest.

‘Come on,’ she chanted in her head to herself, ‘almost there.’

She heard twigs snapping behind her.

‘Faster!’ she urged her legs.

“Run, Kitten! Run!” he taunted her.

She burst through the edge of the forest, a small wooden cabin only a few metres away.

She sighed in relief, ‘Safe at last’ she thought to herself.

She ran to the cabin, opening the door and went inside.

Everything was how she remembered it, the brick fireplace burning wood logs, warming the house.

She slammed the door shut and slide down it as tears of joy overflowed from her eyes.

“I made it” she whispered to herself.

She wiped her eye and yelled, “Grandma’ ma?”

“I’ll be with you in a second dearest. I’m just getting something from the garden.” Her grandmother yelled back from the kitchen.

She heard the back door open and close as her grandmother went out to the garden.

She took a deep breath in, the scent of jasmine and honey floated throughout the house she called home.

“Well, that was fun” he said in a bored tone.

She turned around to find him lying on the couch as if he owned the place.

Fear struck her heart as he stood and walked slowly to her, like he was stalking prey.

She backed away slowly.

“Granma’ ma” She called out. There was no reply.

His sad laugh bounced around the room as he shook his head, still walking towards her.

Her back hit the wall, “Grandma’ ma” she called out more urgently.

He was still walking towards her until he was right in front of her.

“Grandma’ ma!” she screamed out hysterically, tears racing down her face.

He bent down and whispered in her ear, “You shouldn’t of runaway” and bit down on her neck.

She screamed at the top of her lungs, struggling to get out of his iron grip.

She screamed and screamed and screamed until she couldn’t scream any more.

She started to fell dizzy and want to sleep.

Her eyelids started to close as the darkness surrounding he vision started to close in.

She focused in a picture of her and her grandmother. It was taken on her sixteenth birthday.

Her grandmother had just given her the keys to her first car and she was jumping around, so happy.

He let go of her and she crumpled to the ground.

She couldn’t move, she was so tired.

Tears unconsciously running down her face.

“Grandma’ ma” she whispered before letting go, falling into her eternal sleep.

I woke up, my heart racing.

I sat up from my spot on the couch in front of the fire and sighed in relief.

“Thank God. It was only a dream” I said to myself.

“Oh Darlin’ it wasn’t a dream” he said standing behind me.