Choking On Sapphires

71 Shotgun

You sit at the head of the table in your ornate dining room, the morning sun streaming in through the windows. Your posture slumps after a strong yawn as you pick through your bowl of berries and cream. You didn't want something sweet but the eggs were also not hitting the spot. You pick at the pork-free classic English breakfast in front of you, the toast being the only thing you didn't want to spit back out.

"What's wrong with you?" Claire demands, finally settling into a seat after seeing her move about the house all morning.

"Not sleeping well." You sigh, pushing around the beans on your plate.

"Any reason?" She says with a casual tone but you shift your eyes over to her anyway.

"Dreams." You answer flatly.

"Are dreams responsible for you being so picky with your food as well?"

"I'm tired and nothing sounds good." You mutter childishly.

"Are These dreams something I should be informed of?"

You shrug. "They're abstract." You groan and push away the plate. "I'm trapped in darkness. There are these sets of glowing eyes moving around and I can't tell anything about them. I hear men's voices, lots of different ones, but the eyes aren't human eyes. It feels like something is wrong, but I don't know what. I keep getting moved around but I can't feel anything or see anything. Then I hear Alfie's voice and it stops."

"What does he say?"

"It changes. Sometimes it's gibberish, sometimes my name." You shrug. "Then I'm suddenly back at home after feeling like I'm falling and getting dizzy. He's in bed with me and telling me it's okay. He's there. Nothing bad is going to happen to us as long as he's there. That's what he keeps saying. Sometimes in Hebrew, sometimes not."

"A dream within a dream?"

"So it would seem."

"Interesting." She nods and hums. "Reoccurring?"

"Yes. I always wake up nauseous and panting like I've been running. And I feel like hell the next day. But I have had a lovely dream about being in France with Altar though. Sitting in the lavender fields from my childhood, he comes and picks me up and spins me until I'm dizzy and laughing and when I open my eyes he's turned into Alfie." You give a content smile. "That one is rather nice though. Doesn't keep me from sleep." You shake your head.

"Does sound nice. Especially in comparison to the others. But it's nice Alfie seems to be a protective figure in them."

"He's in my dreams a lot."

"Good and bad?"

"Yes, some are just common nonsense. Some are sexual. Some are tragic."

"Tragic?"

"Yes ones where I die or he dies." You frown.

"And those aren't prophetic you think?"

"No, the prophetic ones feel different usually. I don't fade in and out of them they come hard and wake me up after. They don't feel... dreamy like dreams do."

"You must be tired." She chuckles. "Dreamy like dreams is entirely lazy and beneath you." She pats your hand.

"Well, I am tired, Claire. I'm tired and thus irritable and it makes me want to act like a child and pout. I hate it."

"You aren't the only one." She laughs.
————
You go to bed early and sleep hard that night. A dreamless sleep. Something you're extremely grateful for.