Playing Pretend

33| Like Father, Like Son

Crystal

"Mom...?"

Her voice was soft, almost musical. "Hi sweetie," she said, her smile radiant. "It's been so long." She opened her arms, inviting me for a hug.

A rush of relief and joy surged through me. "Mom, it's really you!" I shouted, my heart pounding as I rushed toward her. But with every step I took, she seemed to drift further away, her figure growing distant and blurred.

"Mom, please don't go!" I screamed, desperation lacing my voice. "Mom!" I cried out, my pace quickening.

Without warning, I was violently yanked back, the world spinning out of control. The air was suffocating, thick with the acrid stench of burning rubber and twisted metal. Pain shot through my body, sharp and unrelenting.

An eerie voice whispered through the chaos, "Look to your right."

I turned my head with a jolt, my heart pounding in my chest. There, amidst the wreckage, was my mom. Her face was unnaturally twisted, her eyes shut tight in a way that spoke of finality and horror. The sight was a grotesque parody of the warmth I had longed for.

A scream erupted from my throat, I jolted awake, the remnants of the nightmare clinging to me. Tears streamed down my face as I struggled to catch my breath, the echo of the crash and my mom's distorted face lingering in the dark.

My dad burst into my room; his face etched with concern. "What's wrong? What's wrong?!" he shouted, his voice trembling. Without waiting for an answer, he pulled me into a tight hug.

I clung to him, my body shaking uncontrollably. "Mom... She was... Mom," I stammered, my words coming out in broken fragments. The memory of the nightmare was too vivid, too painful to fully articulate. The image of her twisted face and the suffocating darkness clung to me, a relentless shadow I couldn't escape.

My dad's embrace tightened, his arms offering what comfort they could. He stroked my hair, murmuring soothing words that barely pierced through my fog of terror. I buried my face in his shoulder, hoping the warmth of his presence would push away the image of her, but it didn't.

I pushed him away, my body trembling with despair. "It's all my fault," I choked out, my voice barley more than a whisper. "It's all my fault."

Tears streamed down my face as I repeated the words, the guilt wrapping around me like a suffocating cloud. "I should just die."

The crushing weight of the nightmares felt unbearable. "I barley sleep." I buried my face in my hands, "I should just kill myself." I sobbed.

"Crystal..." He tried to pull me back into another hug, "No! I don't want to be touched!" I didn't know how to process my own feelings, so I collapsed back onto the bed, pulling the covers over myself and curling into a tight ball.

He sighed heavily; the sound tinged with frustration.

"Just get out," I muttered from beneath the covers, my voice muffled and defeated.

"Crystal, come on!" he pleaded, his tone pleading and exasperated.

"Go! You can't help me anyway!"

He sucked his teeth, I felt him leave the bed and he shut the door, making me flinch.

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