First, the thunderstorms. I woke to one playing around the atmosphere this AM at who-knows-what time. I’d gotten to bed a little after ten and fell asleep almost immediately. Waking to the rumble of thunder stopped being scary in college when my depression was at its zenith or should that be at its nadir? — had to look that up. Anyway, I was spending more time in my dorm room bed than I was in class. Days blended into night without much notice so when one of those spectacular, southern thunderstorms (I’ve only ever experienced the true majesty of a thunderstorm while down south) would roll in, the angry, window rattling force of the thunder was a wonderful accompaniment to my dark mood. I fell in love with the sound. So, back to this morning, It was a quiet storm (no R&B music radio slow jam reference intended); the thunder just minor rumblings. The wind and rain however were doing their best to make up for it so that was kind of cool. All of it lulled me back to sleep with relative ease.
Yeah. Then the first nightmare hit. I’m in a house with a woman I know, her child and her dream husband – as in, the dude in the dream wasn’t her husband as I know him in real life, but some other dude my subconscious chose to put in his place. Go figure. Anyway, guess my inner mind knew what was coming and didn’t want to do that to someone I actually knew? Or perhaps, if I’d dreamt of her real husband, I wouldn’t have been able to do what I did thus the horror of the nightmare might have taken an even scarier turn. Who knows. Anyway, in the dream, we’re in the living room. I’m on the floor playing with the goober when something dark and thick – think that demon oil slick from Stephen King’s short story, The Raft (later filmed for Creepshow 2).
Okay, so this darkness appears on the floor next to where I’m sitting and sure enough, it grabs me by the feet and starts dragging me toward it, I’m kicking, trying to break free when the husband ends up on the floor next to me. Was he trying to save me? I have no idea. But I do know that at some point this thing latches on to him. I drag myself free sacrificing dude so I can get away. I know that’s what I did – that somehow I communicated to the thing; asking it to take him instead of me.
Okay, so heart pounding, pulse racing, feeling somewhat guilty but not all that ashamed I wake up a bit. Thunder rumbles, rain pelts, it’s all good in the Dragon’s Lair, Queen’s nest, right? Not so much. You see, I only thought I was awake. You know how it works. I’m looking around the familiarity of my bedroom when I feel what should have been a pet walk across the bottom of my bed. I know something’s fishy because we don’t have a pet in the Lair anymore and haven’t for quite sometime. Now, this wouldn’t be the first time I’ve felt this sensation. In fact, more times than I’d care to admit, there is the feeling of a cat walking across my bed by my feet, or worse, at times, the sense that someone or thing I guess has come into my room and sat down on my bed. Most times I wake up, offer up a telepathic plea that whatever it is doesn’t touch me, then drift back into a rather restless doze. I’m all set to do that this time but instead, I turn to look at the foot of the bed when this formless yet somewhat solid dark mass leaps at my face. I grab it around what could have been a neck, throat…whatever, I grab the area just south of what I’m fairly sure was the “head”. At least that particular blobby part held the glowing sparks I assumed where eyes. I’m holding it at bay as it shifts and tries to envelop me. All the while I’m struggling, I’m saying quite loudly, “No! Stop trying to scare me. Leave me alone! No! Go away!” It doesn’t until I come fully, really awake. Hands clinched, heart beating even faster than before. I don’t believe I spoke out loud.
Needless to say, I turned on the lamp there on my nightstand. I make note that I have a freakin’ hour before I’m due to get up and get ready for work. The thunder is less frequent but the wind and rain are still going at it fairly strong. I know I could be late to work if need be so I could probably squeeze in a few extra winks. But nope. The sensation of being grabbed by the darkness from the first nightmare along with the idea that the second darkness had eyes and was SO NOT going to give up made it impossible to fall back into restful sleep.
I’m nervous, still afraid and all of that happened three hours ago as of this writing. My legs continue to tingle where they were slimed…clutched? And I can’t get the image of the second dark thing out of my head. I’m somewhat exhausted as well. Sigh. At least the rain picked back up, maybe there’ll be thunder to ease my weary mind.
****Side note. Adding to my discomfort? There’s something off with my computer screen. It’s displaying things way larger than they were before. I’ve made some adjustments but now nothing looks “normal”. I am surrounded by fun house mirrors or so it feels. If this were a movie, I’d swear something other worldly was going to happen. *****
Dana Ellington, MAPW 