Living Nightmare

The Woman

I suddenly awake hours later in the middle of the night. My body is covered in sweat and I can smell a sour odor seeping in from under my door. I sit up, frightened by a slight movement in the corner of my eye. The curtains are swaying softly. The subtle ring of wind chimes creeps in the cracked window. The air is brisk; it feels thin against my bare skin.

I push myself off of the bed and let out a tired groan. Before I reach the window, everything goes still. All is quiet for a moment. But then I see her.

A woman wearing a dirty, tattered, white dress stands in the yard facing the forest. Her dark, messy hair tangles as it gets caught in the wind. She just stands there; motionless.

I creep up behind the curtain, hiding but still watching. I recognize it all too well. The wind. The trees. The woman. None of it was new; none of it any less terrifying.

The woman's dress began to sway once more before she turns her tall, skinny body slowly towards the house. But then it stops.

My body jolts forward as I awake to my rapid heartbeat. The room is bright and I can hear the birds singing cheerfully outside my window. Confused, I slowly get up and walk towards the window; there is nobody there. The yard is empty. Maybe I am crazy.

I stand pressed against the glass for a while. My attention is fixated on the deep shadows between the trees. It called to me in a way that I can't explain.

The eeriness of the nothingness is almost comforting to me. Avoiding my parents at all costs, I barricade myself into my bedroom all day, waiting for Annie to come to me. I need her now, more than I remember ever needing her before.

Hours later, I hear the front door slam shut. Assuming my parents had left, I cautiously leave my bedroom, heading towards Annie's. This house is impractically large. I find it next to impossible to find Annie's room in the maze of offices and bathrooms.

Eventually, I find her in the front room, curled up, almost falling asleep.

"Annie, do you have a minute?"

She jolts awake and lightly rubs her eyes, smudging a dark line of mascara down her cheek.

"What is it?"

"You don't think I'm crazy, do you?"

She takes a moment to respond. Her facial expression shows reluctance in answering, but she proceeds.

"What's this about, James."

"The dream...It's back."

Her face shows sympathy and fear. Her embrace is tight, but not as comforting as I remember it once being. As the conversation dwindles down to tears, I can feel her pulling away from me. I can tell that we are back to square one; she thinks that I need to go back to that prison-like hospital. After sitting in silence for a while, I exit the room feeling more uncomfortable than when I had entered.

Later that night at dinner, we sat in awkward silence. The scrapes of forks against ceramic plates echo through the quiet room.

Eventually, after my Mother's third glass of champagne, my Father excuses himself from the table. The tension in the air is slightly lightened. Annie clears her throat and speaks up.

"Did you tell mom, James?"

I stare at her, unable to respond. Before this, I hadn't planned on telling my mother. Having spent several dreadful years apart, I don't think things could ever be normal here again.

"Tell me what?"

"Uhh-" I mumble.

"What?"

"Nothing."

Annie glares at me from across the table. She means well, but my mother would only make things worse. It's always been that way.

After dinner, I help clear the table. Annie walks over with a handful of cutlery and carefully rinse them in the sink.

"Do you need help washing or drying?" I ask.

Annie doesn't respond. I repeat myself, but still nothing. I can tell that she's upset but she doesn't understand. She thinks I'm crazy.

"Fine then-"

Just as I turn to leave the kitchen, I see her. The woman. She stands with her back to me outside the bay view window. She looks the same as she did before, but this time, she's real.

"Annie look! Do you see her?"

Annie glances up from the sink outside the window. She turns her head to me and contorts her face into an annoyed expression.

"I don't see anybody."

I run up to the window and bang the palm of my hand against the glass and yell,

"Hey! Hey!" but the woman doesn't move.

Just as fast as she appeared, the woman is gone.

"Maybe you should go rest. You're seeing things now." Annie retorts.

I sigh in defeat and exit the kitchen, making my way back to my bedroom.