The Next Morning
Dan woke to the soft, golden light of dawn filtering through his bedroom window. For the first time in what felt like years, he wasn’t drenched in sweat, his heart wasn’t hammering against his ribs, and his mind wasn’t filled with fragmented images of horrors he couldn’t explain. Instead, there was only stillness. Calm.
He lay there for a moment, staring at the ceiling, his breath slow and steady. The usual heaviness in his chest—the suffocating weight of fear and doubt that had followed him into every waking moment—was gone. In its place was a lightness, an unshakable peace that felt almost foreign.
Dan swung his legs over the side of the bed and planted his feet on the floor. The cool hardwood sent a pleasant shiver up his spine. Even that felt different—sharper, clearer. Every sound, every sensation seemed more vivid.
He stood and walked to the window, pulling the curtain back to let more light in. The world outside looked... ordinary, yet new. The row of modest houses across the street, the patchy lawns, the old oak tree swaying gently in the breeze—it all seemed brighter, more alive.
He smiled to himself, a rare expression that felt awkward on his face after so long. No nightmares. Not a single one.
Dan padded to the bathroom and splashed cold water on his face. As he looked at his reflection in the mirror, he noticed something else—his eyes. They were clearer, less bloodshot, no longer shadowed by the ghosts of sleepless nights.
The doubts that had plagued him—about his nightmares, about his mother’s strange behaviour, about the unnerving whispers he sometimes thought he heard in his quiet neighborhood—felt distant now, like remnants of a bad dream. He didn’t know why he’d been so consumed by them in the first place. It was as if Dr. Lane’s session had untangled something deep inside him, smoothing the frayed edges of his mind.
The thought of Dr. Lane made him pause. What had she done exactly? He couldn’t quite remember the specifics of the session—only the darkness, the light, and her voice guiding him. But whatever it was, it had worked.
Dan chuckled softly to himself as he brushed his teeth. Magic. It had to be magic. There was no other way to explain how he could feel so... normal. He’d gone into her office with his sanity hanging by a thread and come out feeling whole, as if she’d pieced him back together in a single session.
By the time he stepped outside to grab the newspaper, he felt a strange sense of unity with the world around him. The air was crisp and cool, carrying the faint scent of dew and freshly cut grass. He waved to Mrs. Keene next door as she watered her garden. She waved back, her face lighting up with a warm smile that made him wonder why he’d ever found her presence unsettling.
Even his house, which had once felt suffocating and full of shadows, seemed lighter, more welcoming. As he sat at the kitchen table with his coffee and the newspaper, he marveled at the silence. Not the heavy, oppressive silence he’d lived with before, but a peaceful stillness, like the world was finally letting him breathe.
He leaned back in his chair, sipping his coffee and savoring the moment. This is it, he thought. This is what normal feels like.
Dan’s phone buzzed on the table, breaking the quiet. He picked it up and saw a message from Dr. Lane:
“Good morning, Dan. I hope you’re feeling refreshed. Let me know when you’re ready for your next session.”
