Short Horror Stories

I don't want to dream tonight

"Now it is time to go to sleep." My mother whispers to me in a kind voice.

"But I don't want to." I answer slightly annoyed, slightly embarrassed, whilst looking away.

She gently places a hand on my lap: "But dear, you can't stay awake forever."

She doesn't get it.

She doesn't understand me.

"Mommy, I'm scared." I whisper to her, unable to look her in her face.

I have to let her know.

If I don't let anyone know, it will hurt me.

If she doesn't understand I will have to tell her.

Immediately after hearing the shaking in my voice, my mother's voice turns to a worried one: "Please dear, what is it that bothers you so much?"

"Everything."

The tears rolling down my cheeks hurt my skin, giving it an almost burning sensation.

"Is it the monsters?" My mother asks.

I shake my head and shrug.

"Is it nightmares?" She asks again.

Like before I shrug and shake my head at the same time.

"I'm sorry, but I can't really understand if you don't tell me. So please give me a hint."

"Everything." I repeat, feeling angry towards myself for being unable to tell my mother the real problem.

"Hmmmm..." It sounds like she's deep in thought.

Finally I find a moment in which my voice works with me: "Mommy, I'm scared of tomorrow."

"Tomorrow?" She asks seemingly surprised: "What will happen tomorrow?"

Ignoring her last question I answer: "And the day after that."

"A-and the day after that..."

"Ah!" She gasps all of a sudden: "Could it be that you're scared of the future?"

For the first time I nod.

It's something that terrifies me.

"That's okay, it scares me too sometimes." She wraps her arms around me, holding me in a warm embrace.

"But mommy, how can something like that scare you?"

She laughs: "I'm not fearless at all you know. No grown-up is. Perhaps it might even be so that adults fear more than kids your age."

"Do grown-ups fear monsters too?"

She giggles again: "Yes, we do. Sometimes secretly even the made-up ones."

"Really? Then what are the other monsters?"

"Things like taxes or kids like you getting hurt."

"But those aren't monsters." I say, wondering what she means.

"Oh, but they are in a way. They can even cause nightmares."

I don't get it.

"So, what is it that scares you about tomorrow?"

I look down, unable to answer her.

"Is it school?"

I shake my head.

"Is it... people?"

I shake my head again.

"Could you please tell me? Because I really don't know."

For a moment I take a deep breath and finally answer her.

"Mommy, I'm scared that something might happen again."

"What do you mean 'again'?"

Carefully I turn my head to look up, to look up at my mother's face.

My mother's half burned off face.

The flames ate her, I saw it when it happened.

They bit me too, but I got out.

Daddy says mommy isn't here anymore, but he is wrong. She sits with me every night before I go to bed.

She reads me bedtime stories or sings me to sleep.

She gives me a sad smile: "Honey, you are going to be okay. You are still here after all, you have the power to change our life, to shape it in whatever way you want to."

She lets me go and I lie down.

My mother gently places her hand on my forehead: "Now, please don't be too scared to dream. Just know that I will be right next to you every step of the way."