Wish it was just a dream

She heard her name being called swiftly, yet so far away. Her adrenaline began to rush while her feet quickened. Thoughts began to deluge her mind and fear consumed her body. Her breath grew heavy as she rounded the corner of a dead end street as the moon illuminated the sky. She could hear heavy footsteps close behind her, pushing her to prevail. “Ashlen, why are you running dear?” the stranger screamed in rage. The street seemed as if it was closing around her as she grew closer the dead end. She continued running until water was all that remained in front of her.

“What do you want from me?” she cried in a tone of despair. A mixed sound of heavy breaths and cruel laughter rose from behind her. Suddenly, a cold wind blew across her body, causing her hair to cover her eyes. The blindness from her hair only lasted a second, but it was long enough for a hand to reach out of the darkness and grasp her by the haunches. She let out a vehement scream and jumped towards the water. The water next to her splashed and her first instinct was to swim for her life. Her legs kicked rapidly while her arms attempted to paddle, but the current was too strong. Out of nowhere a hand curled around her ankle pulling her underneath the surface. Struggling, she tried to free herself from his grasp, but it seemed inevitable.

She watched her bubbles ascend to the surface one by one. Her air quickly disappeared and she knew that she needed it. As she descended deep into the water, she was hoping that God would succor her. There was no time left to devise a plan, so with her last ounce of strength she precipitated her leg down kicking the man in the jaw knocking him out, releasing his unforgiving grip. Frantically she attempted to make to the surface, to emerge from the depths of the river, but as she swam she could feel herself become weary. The surface slowly came into sight, just as she was about to break amongst the waves she felt her body shut down. She reached upward in hope that someone would reach back and pull her out of the water, but instead she sank with the water pushing against her immobile limbs. The current carried her still body to the bottom of the desolate river. As she sank deeper into the water’s core, her eyes slightly opened to see the dim light of the moon fade into nothing. Her back rested against the river’s floor as everything turned into black. Not aware of what was going on, she attempted to take a deep breath, causing the water to rush into her lungs, filling up any space she had remaining.

Her eyes bulged and she roused. Frantically she touched her body and clutching her sweating face as she rocked herself back and forth while looking around her somber room. “It was just a dream, it was just a dream” she repeated time and time again. Her heartbeat finally allayed and she rose from her bed. She awkwardly walked over to her window and looked out over the terrace and across to the river. The moon’s light reflected off the water, making the waves look impeccable. She gazed for a moment then turned away. She began to take a step then a clamor of deep laughter came from a distance. Ashlen ran to the window and looked down at the slough of the river’s edge. There stood only a gaunt man, the same man from her dream except this time she recognized him. He was the man who used to work for her father a few years ago. He toiled long and hard in the hot sun each day just in hope that her father would trust him. He was a strange man, immensely skinny and extremely pale. He was stealing from father and was soon caught. As a young girl, being frightened was the only emotion Ashlen knew He was fired on the spot then was never seen again. She blinked once more coming out of the flashback she had just experienced and looked down at the man. He looked up at her smiling; his countenance came off as evil. Her heart raced and she shut her eyes tight, waiting a moment before opening them once more. This time when she looked out the window the man was gone, but the laughing remained. Her body trembled as she clapped her hand to her ears, shaking her head side to side while screaming, “No, No, No!” The laughing subsided and she heard a menacing whisper, “No worries my dear, next time it won’t be in your dreams.”