Forever Silenced

Nightmare

I was visited by a Nightmare.

That nightmare has stopped visiting me for quite a while. In fact, I couldn't clearly recall the last time that I had it. I couldn't pinpoint the exact time when it stopped occurring to me but I guess that was when Fredrick started to work for us, which was three months after my mother's death.

I was only five then when mother died. It was one of the most shocking news of my life and until now, I couldn't find it in myself to forget it. I felt so alone and vulnerable. If I were the sun before my mother's death, then, after that, I was the eclipsed one. There was no one to truly comfort me when I was in distress. I felt so incompetent and useless. When she used to be alive, she would tell me these fairytales to distract me from the fear of sleeping alone in that insanely huge room. Instead of the frightening monsters that my mind had created, it was her fairytales that replaced them as I ventured the world of dreams. It was her stories that kept me firm but when she died…it was as if the merry dreams were defeated by the nightmares.

In that very singular dream, I was walking inside a very beautiful garden that held lots of flowers in various form, size and color. I even think that some were out of this world. The place was very welcoming and calming, with the sunshine casting perfect midday warmth. Birds flew freely from tree to tree, humming and chirping songs of glee while they danced in the process. The breeze was cooling and it carried with it the scents of the flowers around. With a clear blue sky and fluffy clouds adorning the dome above, it was paradise.

It was such a prelude that for someone who never had this dream before would find it unbelievable to know that this is a nightmare.

As I walked on the garden, I felt the familiar touch of the grass as it occasionally swayed to my arms, giving me that tingling sensation which never failed to give me a smile. The fragrances of the various flowers bushes engulfed me like a solemn wave and nostalgia filled me. Somehow, it seems like I've smelled this fireworks of a fragrance before. I'm just not sure but I know I've encountered this.

Then, I heard the sound of tiny laughing voices. It was very faint but very distinct. I followed it and walked along a path, surprised that the path did lead me to where the source was. The voices were like children's giggles. I reached the end of the path and found the clearing I was expecting. The grass was much greener and butterflies hopped from flower to flower on the immense sea of flora.

There on the center of the field was a small gazebo with a single swing and a table accompanied by two seats. There were two figures on that gazebo: one was a boy with black hair and one was woman with long wavy hazel colored hair that reached up to her waist. Her head was adorned with a golden crown with vines that bloomed of fresh flowers. She also wore an immaculate white gown that seemed to be one with the wind. The boy was like five years old in height and built. He was swinging with such elegance that one could not believe he was pushing himself.

I stopped on my tracks as I watched them…with their backs on me. It was always like this. Everytime I had this dream, it would end up with me just staring at them. I wasn't sure how long I was doing that before waking but time didn't really matter in my dream. I was contented with what I saw.

The truth was…I saw my younger self and my mother with the two figures. Oddly enough, I had the same black hair and my mom was always praised for her hazel hair. But hers was straight, and not as wonderfully wavy as this one.

"Do you want to hear a story?" the woman called to the kid who had just stopped playing in the swing. A sudden chill filled me as I recalled on what would happen next. The boy nodded and ran to her mother who then carried him to her lap. She stroked his head and kissed his forehead. "Once upon a time…" she began. She had had barely finished the phrases when suddenly, the sky grew dim and fierce winds batted the fields. The woman hugged the boy and protected him from a gray cloud of wind and cloud encircling them.

I forced my feet to move but they just wont. I wanted to run to them and save them but my body wont respond. For the times that I had dreamt this, it would always end up in one scene: the winds would totally destroy the place and when the winds would subside, the gazebo was empty.

But this time, I wont let that happen. I pushed myself to move until finally, I was able to sprint. I was nearing the gazebo when a strong wind blocked me and pushed me away. I flew for a few feet but landed on a soft heap of tumbled grass. I stood and ran again but the same thing kept on happening until a glow appeared on the spot where the two were. The winds soften for a bit to let me approach the gazebo much easier. I walked up to them but the woman held up her hand.

My eyes widened when I saw a very familiar sapphire ring adorning her ring finger. I could never be mistaken. That ring was my mother's wedding ring. I immediately looked up to her but her hair kept on covering her face. The boy's hand held to me and when I looked down, I felt all reason depart from me.

The woman was my mother and I was the kid, when I was five years old.

And the scene went pitch black.