Dream On

I'm sorry, mommy. Goodnight

As the next night comes, Tommy gets more and more anxious. He doesn't want to go to bed, and his mom is getting impatient.

"Tommy, what the hell. I think we explained that boogeymen don't exist."

"That's not what you said," he mumbles.

"Oh, common, we were just teasing you. Grow a sense of humor, for God's sake."

Tommy nervously shifts the weight from one bare-foot leg to another. "But it's not about boogeymen. It's about the girl. I told you in the morning."

"You're still thinking about that? You said yourself that it was just a little girl!"

"Yes, but she had black hair and black eyes and a white dress, and she carried this..."

"Enough with the nonsense," his father raises his voice. He puts down a bottle of beer and stands up from the sofa. "If I miss the beginning of Law and Order because my son is afraid of some girl —"

Tommy doesn't hesitate for a moment longer. He runs to his room, tears rolling down his cheeks. His mom follows him there.

"You know your dad is right," she says when she enters the room. "You need to buck up. It's just a dream, after all."

Tommy doesn't say anything. His mom tucks him in and turns the light off.

"Good night," she says. Tommy doesn't respond. She sighs. "You know it hurts me when you don't talk to me. Mommy loves you, Tommy Toomy," she whimpers.

"I'm sorry, mommy. Good night."

She nods and closes the door behind her. The room is suddenly so dark. Only a sliver of moonlight is creeping on the floor all the way to a wardrobe. It reflects in the mirror there, and the reflection goes straight to Tommy's toys. A plush bear, plastic figures of Ninja Turtles, and a cloth clown all look lifeless right now. Tommy doesn't notice that a new toy joined the group. It's a little ginger-head doll with big pink shoes. She's semi-hidden behind the clown, but one of her eyes is peaking out and gazes straight towards the bed.