A Light in the Dark: The moon

Chapter 8: Nightmares

The seasons came and went, Etta carried on with her lessons with Hansengrove. In no time, she had been able to jump up to 4 feet. Soon, the summer had come, and Tim came to keep Hansengrove company with November. Etta was upset to receive a letter from her father saying he couldn't come back for the summer like he usually did. Hansengrove had done her best to cheer the girl up, but in vain.

Etta woke up with a start, and lay awake in her bunk, wishing she were in her own bed at home, with her father in the other room. She could hear the rain's pitter patter on the roof. She'd dreamed she was being chased by dark figures.

-"Are you okay?" Asked a familiar voice.

It was Hansengrove. She stood leaning on the doorframe.

-"I heard you yelling from my room." She said.

She walked in.

-"Yea, I think I'm ok, I just had a bad dream." Etta answered, feeling unsettled.

Hansengrove reached Etta's bunk.

-"Tell me what happened." She said.

-"I was in my bed at home, and I heard a scream. Then, I was falling through the bed, the floor, the ground. I fell on a muddy floor and just had the time to get up, and the creepy hooded figures caught up to me. I was running in the dark, as fast as I could, but they were always right behind me. I tripped on something, then I woke up." Etta said.

-"Well, let's pretend the dream continues. You trip and fall on..." she waited for Etta to fill in the blank.

-"A pile of feathers!" Said Etta, beginning to smile.

Hansengrove smiled. She had always used this story telling method to calm Etta when she had nightmares as a child. It was comforting.

-"Something falls from the sky..."

-"It was a star! And it's blinding light makes the hooded figures dissolve." Said Etta.

-"When the light from the star fades, where do you find yourself?"

-"In a big castle! I am the princess, you are the queen, and Tim is your knight in shining armor." Said Etta.

-"See, it was a good dream after all. Think you can sleep now?" Asked Hansengrove, gently.

-"Yes, thank you." Etta said, and hugged her.

She never had that nightmare again.