Rose shot up from a not-so-restful sleep with a shriek. The echoes of the Bald Man's laughter carried over into her waking hours, and she knew his face all too well. Although awake, she could feel the lash of his whip against her back. Without thinking, she reached one hand around to touch where the lash in her dream would have landed.
"Honey, are you alright?" Lucille, Rose's mother called up the stairs.
"Yeah, Mom. I'm fine." Rose called back. She couldn't help but replay the horrific scene over and over in her mind's eye.
