Fallen From Grace

Like Mother like - DAUGHTER?

Around early November Annie got in contact with me and said about putting money aside for our parents anniversary.

"I was thinking about putting money into a Centre Park holiday for them."

"Where?"

I'd never heard of this so I asked some more questions and it sounded exciting that we'd be by the fire in the winter in Sherwood Forest and it sounded cozy and lovely because she painted a vivid picture in my mind so I said yes. So, Annie announced this to Mom and Dad and it was really well received.

When I arrived I moved from room to room. The living room was amazing as the sofas were angled towards the patio doors which was a perfect angle of the Forrest where I could just imagine a deer standing in the middle of the trees at the back oggling our window or a couple of foxes could then come walking past in the night which was a really cool thought as it could be a family of foxes. I went past the kitchen into a double room and as soon as I got in there Annie came behind me with her suitcase.

"Kim can I have this room?"

I only had to look to my left at the full length window.

"Yes!"

Because what I saw freaked me out. Despite anyone telling me how dreams are just dreams I'd dreamt I had been in this exact room sleeping in this same bed before, without knowing that this exact same room existed because outside of the window was the exact same image I had in my head whilst I dreamt before.

In my dream there was this big lake amongst the greenery of tall, really tall trees all around it like a Forrest but I couldn't see how much was in fact grass because the greenery had covered parts of the lake over in like a damp moss so although the view looked lovely and tranquil, I had a moment where I was standing and then the ground underneath moved!

It was a huge thirteen foot crocodile and staring it back in its toothy jaw dropping mouth I'd made a big mistake and then of course then I started noticing a lot of other crocodiles all around the area - so I may be crazy but because of that reason I just knew if I slept in this room my worst nightmare had the potential to come true so I opted to sleep in another room to feel safer so Andy and I shared the next room along which were two single beds and to try and make it work for us we pushed the two beds together.

I had always been fascinated by crocodiles since I was a little girl, from the scales on their bodies to their natural habitats - to me crocodiles and alligators both sparked a life long interest. Andy always thought it was about my life long interest with the Disney Peter Pan because I'd watched it like a gazlion times and then the TV show Peter Pan and The Pirates as a child. I was a young teenager when the film Peter Pan came out, and then rewatching Hook I guess there may have been some truth to his perceptions but I would watch documentaries on crocodiles and alligators whenever I saw them on the telly, and watching Steve Irwin things he'd done on the internet which was also a learning curve. It would be something I'd Google and because of this I found a crocodile and alligator newsletter which I signed up for for weekly updates.

I didn't expect it to be quite so cold though in the evening over in Sherwood forest though, I got bundled up in a coat which fitted me like a tight sleeping bag by Andy on one of our walks (so perhaps I really did need to lose weight.)

Andy, on the other hand was very cold because I hadn't thought to pack things like long John's and underneath layers for him to put on so I got stick from my parents because I didn't think to do that.

"Poor Andy," Mom said. "He's shivering away because you didn't pack warmer things."

I looked at him over on the couch and felt terrible. He got up and moved into our bedroom then and then I also wanted to tell Mom to shut up and piss off so I could go and check on him. I found him in the bedroom lifting things out of his suitcase.