October 22nd

Now I lay me down to sleep

The young man closed his eyes in his bed, knowing the nightmares would plague his dreams. They always came, and he always awoke with bruises and scratches. The doctors called it night terrors, but he wondered how accurate this diagnosis was. All that he knew was that once he was in the realm of imagination, in the world where only his mind was in control, the monsters arrived. Sleep was inevitable. It came, and so did they, shrieking and screaming with their skull heads and bat wings.

I pray the Lord my soul to keep

It was only a dream. He knew it was, and this knowledge should have put him in control, but he couldn't get away from them. He ran and they charged, baring razor sharp claws. Some of them were the sized of crows; others, the size of eagles. The smaller ones were faster, and they reached him first. He batted them away, but one of them bit down on his hand, drawing blood with its sharp teeth.

If I should die before I wake

The ground shook as a tall figure approached, towering at least seven feet, looking down upon him. The dreamer closed his eyes and whispered to himself.

"It's only a dream. It's only a dream. It's only a dream."

"I am your dream master!" a voice boomed. "It does not matter if this is just a dream.  I control it, and I control your destiny."

BEEP! BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!

The dreamer shot up in his bed, the alarm awakening him just in time. It was time to get ready for work. His bed was wet, soaked in sweat. These dreams were getting worse — more real. He pushed himself up and winced in pain. Looking down at his hand he saw blood oozing, thick and red.

"It wasn't real," he said aloud to himself.

"It's always real," the dream master said. "I'm real. And you are mine."

I pray the Lord my soul to take.

Outside the house, a flame inside a pumpkin crackled and burned. The face of  the jack-o'-lantern showed eyes closed and sleeping. Inside the house, through the closed windows, one could hear the thunder of hundreds of wings fluttering and flapping. Muffled beneath this, one could hear the dreamer's screams.

Go to October 21st                              Go to October 23rd