Waking Dreams

I, woke up to the sounds of my dog Bruce panting in my face. I sat up in bed, put my feet on the floor, slowly at first to get used to the cold hard-wood. When I had my feet down I rubbed my face,My hand grazing the scar on my cheek, then smiled at my dog and scratched him behind the ear, satisfied, he ran out of the bedroom door. I waited until the 'tac-tac-tac-tac' sound of his paws could no longer be heard.

I stood and stretched before making my was to the dresser. I looked into the mirror and thought to myself, 'I would have to shave before the day is over.' Then, I pulled a pair of pants out of the second to last drawer of five, I quickly slid them on hopping around the room on one foot, before sitting down to do the other leg. I also pulled a pair of socks out of the top drawer and a shirt from my closet. I place my boots on my feet and shuffled through the door, still unable to tell if I was awake or not. I made my way to the stairs, but not before passing my daughters room. Naked Barbie and Ken dolls were strewn across her floor and the doll house was tipped over, I stepped inside her room and picked up a doll. out of the corner of my eye through her bedroom window, I could see my wife, with our daughter under the apple tree they were reading together.

I immediatly left the room and went down the stairs, past the dining room where a small bowl sat on the table filled to the brim with Cheerios.
Past the living room, the T.V. was on, It was Al Roeker, that news anchor the lost all that weight,
in my opinion he looked better fat. past the kitchen, where my dog lay in that giant pillow I had bought for him maybe a year ago. Through the front door, Solid oak it keeps me felling safe
makes me fell locked away in a cell where no one can hurt me or my family, strong oak.

Past the garden where my wife had planted tomatoes and water melon, I could see her now she was maybe fifteen feet away holding our daughter.
I sat next to them and my daughter gave me what we call a 'Big Hug'.

"morning baby, how'ed ya sleep."

"I would have slept longer of the dog wouldn't have woken me up." I told her, while admiring her deep blue eyes and silky brunette hair, she was wearing a sun-dress and one of those hats you see in those old movies, where shes planting in her garden, and something terrible would happen inside the house.blah blah blah she divorces her husband yada yada yada she moves to Florida with a rich lover ten years older the her.

"Hey daddy? whats that?" she pointed to her bedroom window and I noticed a figure quickly move out of view.

"You two stay here I'll check it out." I stepped through the door past the kitchen where my dog Bruce was up, growling insanely, at me! teeth bared he seemed like he was going to rip my head off.
Past the living room where the T.V. had that snowy look like someone had un-hooked the cable. Past the dining room The bowl of cereal was now dumped out milk was dripping to the floor, it was one of the foulest odors that was ever my disfortune to smell, maggots crawled in and out of the soggy green cheerios.

I made my way to the stairs, that were now split and splintered, I was careful walking up so if by chance the broke I wouldn't be harmed, they bent and creaked as I walked up them towards my daughters room. The dolls on the floor now had the heads missing and the heads themselves instead of have that smile that blonds always do, were frowning and seemed to be, crying?

I approached the window where the figure stood and peered outside towards my family. To my surprise the orchard with its green leaves and appled trees turned to dirt and dead brown bark peeled towers, I noticed my daughter, and my wife, and another man. My daughter pointed to this window and yelled something I couldn't hear the man rushed to the house, I could hear him coming up the stairs, 'tump, tump, tump, tump!' I saw him at the doorway he now had a baseball bat, He raised to to swing! I ducked down hands over my head, but nothing happened, I slowly lifted one arm off my head and one eye creaked open I was in my daughters room everything seemed normal. My daughter stood in front of me smiling hands on her knees head cocked to the side, smiling.

"tee, hee, your funny daddy!." She hugged me. Her curly hair touched my skin and at that instance, I was in paradise.

I could hear a faint sound in the attic, a melodious tune. I kissed my daughters forehead and headed towards the pull down ladder. I grasped the string and tugged it down, the tune was growing. I navigated through the maze of photo albums and family air-looms to a box. The sound was the loudest in that area. I stripped off the tape on the box, and lifted the flaps.
Rifling through the packing peanuts, I stumbled upon a music box still playing it's song and turned it off.

"Great tune, isn't it child?" I turned, and saw a man behind him was a mirror, he was standing in front of me so I couldn't see my reflection in the plate of glass.

"Ya, great, wonderful.. How did you get in here?" I had never seen this man before and he was in my house. Is he the one that was in my daughters room?

"I live here child." He chuckled."Your mother is insisting I rent a room even though I am your uncle."

"My mothers been dead for five years Sir, and I must ask that you leave." I looked at him, he didn't budge.

"You have no authority to tell me what to do. And child. Your mother is downstairs making your breakfast." I was puzzled this man claiming to be my uncle is now telling me my mother is alive.

"Why do you keep calling me child!?"

"What do you mean! Look!" He moved away from the mirror and I could finnaly see myself. I was wearing my tennis shoes and overalls, I was ten again.

"Now you mothers down stairs waiting for us. Come it's time for breakfast." He started walking
towards the ladder, I followed. I was standing now at the front of the stairs, but something called me in the other direction, across my bedroom, with the window overlooking the orchard, I heard a child laughing, it was coming from the bathroom.

When I entered the bathroom I could hear water running, but It abruptly stopped. Running water at least. Red veins crawled up the wall from the faucet and to the door. They slammed it shut behind me! It was everywhere, I tugged on the handle.. It wouldn't turn it couldn't budge, I stopped, and soon I had no control over my body. That voice, that laugh pulled me towards the water. I peered into the crimson whirlpool, and I could make out a figure, a face. A man with a scar on the side of his face smiled up at me. But his smile turned to a frown as he reached out grasped my collar, pulling me inches away from the water. I could smell... copper? I soon realized that, this pool of water these veins reaching across the wall ceiling and floor.. Was blood. but my epiphany was short lived for now I could no longer breath. The crimson water had filled my lungs, My lungs exploded in flames with no oxygen to put out the fire. All I could think of was that time I drank some of mothers tequila.
But this was worse. I struggled, kicked and flailed, but to no avail.

When suddenly I felt him loosen his grip and I pulled myself free. But I was no longer in the bathroom, I was looking down in to a bowl of cereal, milk dripping from my face.

"Who taught you to eat like that?" The voice was behind me. I turned and there was my mother alive and well.

"Uncle said you where alive!" I hugged her tight.

"Uncle? you don't have an uncle darling." She looked at me puzzled.

"Must have been a dream." I sat back down. I placed my hands on the table pondering.

"Dreams? Evil dreams with pineapples spoil useful habits." I turned to my mom.

"What?" When I saw her she was no longer my mom she was pale skin rotting. She smelled atrocious.
I covered my nose with me right hand and felt a sharp pain in my left. I looked to see what cause it a eight inch knife pinned my hand to the table
I follow the blade up to my mothers arm, I watched her twist the blade.

I kicked her in the stomach, she fell to the floor, and I pulled the blade free with all my might feeling more pain the initial stab.
I ran up the stairs, mother close behind knife in hand, with me blood slowly sliding down from the tip, I ran up the attic stairs trying my best not to take my mother out of my sight. I again ran and strafed through the maze of memorabilia. Back to the mirror, dead end, nowhere else to go! I backed against the mirror my mother was still coming at me. I felt weightlessness as I suddenly fell to my back The mirror was now in front of me, and to change everything I was thirty again. I looked at the mirror, My mother still coming towards me! she swung her knife and the glass shattered blades shimmered and glistend as the flew through the air. Destracted by there beauty I was unaware when they all landed on top of me.

I closed my eyes. Bring on the pain. I felt nothing. I opened my eyes I was in the passenger seat of my car, my wife behind the wheel.

"Wha-whats going on?" I felt so tired.

"Your in shock we're on our way to the hospital."
Her voice was stern.

"For what?" She gave me a concerned smile as she pointed at my legs with her eyes. I looked to my legs, large shards of glass hung out of my legs.
Thats when I felt the pain, excrutiating pain. "ah. AH!"

"calm down where almost there, it'll be alright!"
She looked at me, taking her eyes off the road.
A large semi-truck flew into sight and slammed into us. My wife, with her beautiful black hair, jolted back and forth until her seatbelt snapped and her head flew forward into the stearing wheel or at least I think it did because I could hardly see her, I myself had crashed through the windshield and I was now on a one way crash course with the black asphault, I closed my eyes, hoping that it would all go away. I opened them back up, and my hopes were realized. I was again sitting in the passenger seat, but this time my wife wasnt as worried. I looked down at my leg, one shard of glass was sticking out of my left leg.

"What just happened!" I sat up as strait as possible.

"A mirror fell on you. You don't remember?" she looked at me puzzled.

"Watch the road!" She turned both hands on the wheel. But nothing happened.

"Calm down. They'll check you out at the hospital." We drove, nothing happened, no trucks, no crazy women, no blood, was it over?

The people at the hospital knew I was coming. They had a wheel chair at my door in a matter of seconds.

They wheeled me passed the automatic door that said 'emergency entrance only', though I wouldn't consider this an emergency, Then to an elevator
they pushed the button and after a few moments of waiting the doors slid open they pushed me inside.

The floors were labeled, 1: Entrance, waiting rooms. 2:minor burns, open wound etc. 3: O.R. But they pushed the one marked B, which plainly said basement.

"Excuse me, shouldn't we go to level 2?"

"Don't worry sir, you'll be just fine." The doors slid back open it was a dark room, lights flickered here and there and cells lined the room, it was like a prison. They wheeled me down the hall to the third door on the right. They slowly opened the steel door, it whined in laziness wishing to just sit there rest and not be disturbed.

"Hey Bill careful with this one." they grasped me by the arms, two men in white, and threw me into the padded cell, and the door shut with another lazy whine. A man stood across from me tapping his head on the wall. He turned and looked at me, he looked....Happy. He walked towards me and smiled, I had no time to smile back before he had seized me by the throat. I had no time to react he pummeled me with punches and kicks,and I could feel the breath escaping, or maybe it was my soul, I could'nt breath, I fell uncontious.

I woke up, tired and groggy, everything had been a dream, no doubt. But I was still in the cell, I tried to put my hands down to give myself leveridge to stand, but they were restrained. A straight-jacket was wound tightly around my torso.

The door opened with that familiar sound and, my wife stepped in.

"Hey baby." she knelt beside me. "I need you to sign something." two men in white entered the room and loosened my arms. I took the paper. It said something about power of attorney, I skimmed through it and few words registered in my head. Soul custody, all assets. I was still groggy I couldn't move, my wife put a pen in my hand.

"It's for our daughter, It's a... field trip permission form."

"O..k.." I signed it, I wouldn't want her to miss out."Say when can I leave this place? I don't remember anything being wrong with me." She walked out of the room, my words held no sway.While my jacket was being tightened and a Doctor came in with a needle. He stuck it into my arm, and rubbed it with a wet cotton. I felt his serum flow through my veins, the further it traveled the more drowsy I became.I drifted back to sleep. a lazy, whiny, sleep, to dream.

I, woke up to the sounds of my dog Bruce panting in my face.


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