9-1-1 ᴅᴀᴜɢʜᴛᴇʀ ᴏɴᴇ sʜᴏᴛs

Nightmares - Henrettia Wilson

Abby Wilson - 7

Hen sat at the kitchen table, the soft hum of the refrigerator the only sound in the dimly lit room. She glanced at the clock, which read 3:27 AM, and took another sip of her now lukewarm tea. Nights like these had become all too familiar. Her seven-year-old daughter, Abby, had been struggling with nightmares for the past few weeks, and it was taking a toll on both of them.

Hen had tried everything she could think of to help Abby sleep better—night lights, bedtime stories, calming music, even a dreamcatcher that Abby had picked out herself. But nothing seemed to work. Almost every night, Abby would wake up crying, scared of the monsters and shadows that haunted her dreams.

Hen's thoughts were interrupted by the sound of soft footsteps padding down the hallway. She turned to see Abby standing in the doorway, clutching her stuffed bunny tightly to her chest, her eyes wide with fear.

"Mommy, I had another nightmare," Abby whispered, her voice trembling.

Hen's heart ached as she set her mug down and quickly walked over to her daughter, scooping her up into a comforting embrace. "Oh, sweetheart, I'm so sorry," she murmured, gently rocking her back and forth. "Let's go sit on the couch, okay?"

Abby nodded, resting her head on Hen's shoulder as they made their way to the living room. Hen sat down on the couch, holding Abby close and brushing her hair away from her face. "Do you want to talk about it?" she asked softly.

Abby shook her head. "It was the same as always. The big, scary monster was chasing me, and I couldn't get away."

Hen sighed, feeling a surge of frustration at her own helplessness. "I'm so sorry, baby. I wish I could make the bad dreams go away."

"Why can't they stop, Mommy?" Abby asked, looking up at her with tear-filled eyes. "I just want to sleep without being scared."

Hen hugged her tighter, trying to think of something—anything—that might help. "You know what? When I was little and I had bad dreams, my mom would always tell me that the monsters in my dreams couldn't hurt me because they weren't real. She said that I was the one in control of my dreams, and that I could make them go away if I wanted to."

Abby frowned thoughtfully. "But how do I do that?"

"Well," Hen said, "it's not always easy, but one thing that helped me was imagining that I had a special power that could make the monsters disappear. Like a magic wand or a superhero power. What do you think your special power could be?"

Abby thought for a moment, her brow furrowed in concentration. "Maybe... I could have a light that shines so bright it makes all the monsters go away."

Hen smiled. "That sounds like a great idea. How about we practice using your special light? Close your eyes and imagine it glowing inside you, getting brighter and brighter until it fills the whole room."

Abby closed her eyes, her small face scrunched up with effort as she imagined the light. Hen watched her, gently stroking her hair. After a few moments, Abby opened her eyes, a tentative smile on her lips.

"Did you see it?" Hen asked.

Abby nodded. "Yeah, I think so. It was really bright."

"Good job, Abby. Whenever you feel scared, just remember that you have that light inside you. And if you ever need help, I'm always here for you," Hen reassured her.

Abby snuggled closer to her mom, feeling a little more at ease. "Thanks, Mommy."

Hen kissed the top of her head. "You're welcome, sweetheart. Now, how about we try to get some more sleep? I'll stay with you until you fall asleep."