Heart of Stone

Meaningless

The monsters. They're chasing me. With their long scary arms. They're gonna grab me. Mommy. I want my mommy. Help me. I'm scared. The monsters are getting closer. And closer. And closer. I look behind me and one of them, the scariest, is reaching out his scraggly hand and then-

I jolt awake. I quickly get out of my bed. I'm too scared to look behind me to check if the monsters are there. I open my door and walk down the hallway to mommy and daddy's room.

I quietly knock on the door and hear my mom after a while say, "Come in sweetie."

I hesitantly open their door, still shaking from the scary dream.

"What is it, honey?" She asks me as she sits up in her bed.

"I had a scary dream." I say quietly.

"Oh, it's okay. It's just a dream. It's not real." She smooths my hair.

"Can I sleep with you guys tonight?"

"Yes, of course. You're safe here."

I climb into bed with them. My dad wakes up.

"Hey, bud. Nightmare?" I nod. "Well you know what gets rid of nightmares? Tickles!" He starts tickling my belly and I giggle for him to stop.

I slide into bed between them and my mom pulls me close to her. "Better?" She asks me.

"Better." I say and fall asleep in her arms.

***

"Ryan. Ryan, wake up." I shift in my sleep. Not right now mommy. I'm tired. I feel a hand shake my shoulder and I reluctantly open my eyes.

I see someone's face directly in front of mine. Brendon. Oh. Right.

I notice I still have my arm curled around his waist and yank it back, embarrassed. "What?" I say with as much rudeness as I can muster.

"Let's go on a hike." He responds, not as weirded out by our current situation as I am.

"Why?" I get up, moving away from his soft brown eyes.

"I still need pictures for your movie. I figured I'd get better ones up in the mountains."

"And why this early?" I yawn.

"So we can see the sunrise, asshole. It'll be pretty."

"Oh, I thought it was because you wanted to catch the squirrels before they got dressed." I snicker. He gives me a dirty look.

"Fuck off. Grab your bag and let's go."

"What about breakfast?"

"God, stop asking questions. We'll eat it when we get up there."

"Alrighty, Penis Picasso." He rolls his eyes. I grab my bag and we head out.

The mountains aren't far from here. It's about ten minutes until we reach them. Brendon has his camera around his neck, poised to take some photos. The air is still chilled but not as cold.

We begin the climb, and it's a hell of a lot easier than I expected. It's relatively flat, having been traveled by past hikers. A sign of humans. That's good.