Spiritual Wounds

Chapter 7: At the foot of your fountain's endless light

I run, I run, I run. I escape. My heart beats so hard I hear it resonate throughout my body. My pulse has quickened, I feel like it will explode my neck with its power. I'm barefoot, barely dressed. It's dark, it's cold, it's damp. I climb over some kind of barriers, the few clothes on my back catch on barbed wire. I hear voices, I think they're calling my name. Some barks accompany them. They get closer and closer, I've surely been spotted. I hear them breathing right next to me. Their lights blind me, their strength seems invincible. But I'm determined not to let myself be caught. They grab me. I struggle and run as fast as I can... I fall into a puddle, I'm soaking wet. The puddle leads to a pond. I head there quietly so they don't hear me. I swim in the dark to reach the other side. The voices and barks seem muffled, I think I'm far enough away from them. Their dogs have lost my trail. Everything has become very quiet, it makes me even more suspicious. I get out of the water and hide in the tall grass just in case. I crawl through the muddy vegetation for what feels like an eternity. I'm cold, wet, and dirty. I can't see much. The glow of the stars and the moon, hidden by a covered sky, barely helps me find my way. I think I'm far enough to be safe. A tall fence separates me from freedom. I don't have enough strength to climb over it. With no stones or sticks at hand, I dig with my bare hands under the obstacle for a chance to get through. My nails bleed, my hands are all muddy and cut. Yet I don't give up until the hole is big enough for my body to pass through. I find myself on the other side of the fence. I run across a plain that seems deserted. The clouds of the night have completely covered the stars and the moon, it's now too dark to see anything. The hidden bushes tickle my legs, the unknown ground scrapes my feet, invisible tree branches scratch my arms. I bump into something. The faint light of the moon, escaping from behind the clouds for a moment, reveals a gigantic wall. I can't climb it, it's too high and I'm exhausted. The voices call out to me. I hear their footsteps. I see their flashlights. The barking has caught up with me. Their arms grab me and lift me effortlessly. Something pricks my neck. I no longer have the strength to struggle. My eyes close. It's total darkness.

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I feel like something is climbing on me.

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The darkness disappears with an overwhelming light. A door creaks.

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I'm half awake.

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Pressure felt on my shoulder. Hands on the mattress.

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Face touched. Kisses planted on the cheek.

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Eyes fully open: my room.

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Garage door slammed. Car engines. Parents left for work.

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That nightmare again... I'm glad I was woken up. Just thinking about it gives me cold sweats... It's weird though, I feel like the more I have this nightmare, the more detailed it gets, as if all the elements follow and complete each other. Well, I don't know what I'm talking about, since when do nightmares follow each other? Oh, I need to stop... it's just another silly dream! It's been years since my knee scar reminded me not to trust morning impressions! When I was little, I dreamed I had built an inflatable balloon with plastic bags and could fly off the roof of the house. Yeah well, it didn't turn out so well, let's say. When I got up in the morning, I gathered all the plastic bags I could find, taped them together. My mother was on call at the hospital, my father was working on a project with Eve in the garage, they thought I was still asleep. I jumped off the roof thinking I'd quickly fly and touch the clouds. I fractured my right knee. It was a good lesson, I suppose: don't always trust your dreams. Well, especially not to make decisions influenced by a dream or nightmare. Anyway, in an hour I'll have forgotten all about it. And I really think I need to stop watching movies, it must be influencing me with these kinds of things. Nightmares this detailed can't be made up. Alright, it's over, from today, no more TV for me! Well, maybe I can watch stuff that won't give me nightmares, we'll see...