MY SLEEPING DEMON...

I WAS DREAMING…

IMMERSED DEEP WITHIN THE LUCID REALMS OF THE MOVING CINEMAS I USUALLY DREAMT. SOMETHINGS WITHIN SWIRLED, IMAGES CAME FLICKERING, PLAYING WITHIN THE TIME THIS DREAM WAS ALLOTTED TO RUN.

PLEASING BUSYWORK FOR THE MIND THAT I’D ALWAYS LOOKED FORWARD TO, CLOSING MY EYES EACH NIGHT TO FINALLY REST, ENDING WHAT USUALLY HAD BEEN A CRAP DAY.

AND I WAS AWARE! I USUALLY KNEW I WAS ASLEEP AND DREAMING, MANY TIMES DOING THINGS THAT , “EXPERTS”, INSISTED COULDN’T BE DONE. CONTROLLING THE DREAMING ME WITH THE SLEEPING ME, MAKING DECISIONS UNMADE, AND GENERALLY ENJOYING EXISTENCE INSIDE MY IMAGINATION, A WHOLE DIFFERENT WORLD, WHERE I FELT SAFE AND FREE AND FULL OF MYSTERIOUS MAGICS.

GENTLY THOUGH, LIKE TENDRILS OF SMOKEY FINGERS, A DIFFERENT FEELING BEGAN TO CREEP AND BRUSH AT THE EDGES OF MY AWARENESS. A CHANGE, SUBTLY SINISTER, DARK AND OMINOUS JUST HIDDEN FROM MY DREAM SIGHT, BUT THERE, WAS STIRRING.

I HEARD MYSELF MOAN A SOFTLY FRIGHTENED WARNING, AT LEAST I THOUGHT I HAD. MY SLEEPING BODY WAS STILL UNMOVING, AS COLD MARBLE, FROZEN IN AN APPARENT DEAD ZONE OF SLUMBER.

I WAS SUDDENLY WRENCHED FROM DREAMING, MY BODY TREMBLING, THOUGH NOT PHYSICALLY, REALIZING I WAS NO LONGER ALONE. I WAS NOW LOOKING DOWN ON MY BODY, MY FORM SNUGGLED DEEP INTO MY BLANKETS BEHIND THE GAUZY CURTAINS OF MY CANOPY BED.

I FELT DEEP FEAR, UNCONTROLLED AND WILD, SOARING THROUGH ME, AND ALL AROUND. I WAS AWAKE, BUT I COULDN’T OPEN MY EYES! I WASN’T DREAMING NOW EITHER, BUT I COULDN’T WAKE FULLY, SOMETHING HAD TRAPPED ME INSIDE MY OWN FEAR, AND WAS NOW STEALTHILY AND HUNGRILY CLOSER.

AWARE BUT HELPLESS, WATCHING FROM ABOVE, I TRIED CALLING TO MYSELF, SCREAMING, TO WARN THAT THERE WAS SOMETHING COMING. AS IF DREAD WERE A LIVING ENTITY, I FELT MY VOICE BEING CHOKED OFF BY IT’S STRENGTH. NO SOUND CAME FROM ME, NOR THE UNMOVING FIGURE I WEPT FOR BELOW.

I TRIED AGAIN, CRYING OUT AS I COULD SEE AN EBONY MASS BEGINNING TO FORM IN THE NORTH EAST CORNER OF MY BEDROOM, BUT MY FIGURE BELOW STILL SEEMED AS IF DEAD. BEHIND MY EYES, I WATCHED AS THE BLACKNESS BEGAN TO TAKE A BLURRY SHAPE.

IT WAS THERE! REALLY THERE, AND I BEGAN TO SCREAM, FELT MYSELF SCREAMING, KNEW I WAS SCREAMING, BUT NOTHING CAME FROM MY MOUTH.

A VAGUELY FEMALE FORM NOW SAT HUNCHED OVER, EVIL BLACKENED POWER CRACKLED AND BUZZED AROUND HER, WHILE SHE WATCHED AS I STRUGGLED TO WAKE UP! PLEASE! LET ME WAKE UP!

I SCREAMED AGAIN AND FURIOUSLY TRIED TO KICK OR MOVE ANYTHING, BELIEVING I ACTUALLY, FINALLY HAD MANAGED TO CALL OUT THIS TIME. STILL NOTHING, NO SAVIOR OR WAKING MYSELF UP…

“MOM! MOM!”

I FELT A SUDDEN BONE JARRING BLOW TO MY SHOULDER, AND PAIN, AS THE BLACKNESS LURCHED FORWARD, JUST AS I FINALLY WRENCHED MY PARALYZED BODY AWAY FROM IT, SUDDENLY WIDE AWAKE ABLE TO MOVE AND SEE.

“ ITS IN THE ROOM! “, I SCREAMED OUT, FEAR SO DEEP I FOUND I WAS SOBBING. I WAS AWAKE AND LOOKING DIRECTLY INTO THE MIRROR ABOVE MY BED.

SHE WAS STILL HUNCHED OVER AND WATCHING ME.

“ MOM, WAKE UP! “, MY DAUGHTER YELLED COMMANDINGLY, RIGHT IN MY FACE.

NOW! I TRULY OPENED MY EYES THEN, REALLY OPENED THEM, FINALLY ESCAPING THE GAZE OF THAT EVIL THING, THAT BLACKENED HAG, AND THE TRAP OF SLEEP PARALYSIS. A TRAP THE ENTITY LAID FORTH SO CUNNINGLY, WHILE AT MY WEAKEST AND MOST VULNERABLE, TO FEED APON MY LIVING ENERGY.

I LOOKED INTO MY DAUGHTER’S FACE, DIRECTLY INTO HER EYES, STILL SOBBING WHILE I REACHED OUT FOR HER, TRYING TO GET UP AND AWAY FROM THE HEAVY BLANKETS AND SHEETS, ANYWHERE ELSE BUT MY ROOM.

“HELP ME, IVY!”, I CRIED OUT SOFTLY, GRIPPING HER FOREARMS AND STRUGGLING TO FLEE. I COULDN’T UNSEE THE HAG’S GAZE, PIERCING THOSE WINDOWS THAT GIVE A GLIMPSE INTO THE SOUL, MY SOUL.

“OW, STOP IT MOM! YOU WERE HAVING A NIGHTMARE!”, MY DAUGHTER ANGRILY SCOLDED ME, PULLING HERSELF FROM MY CLAWING, DESPERATE GRIP. I RELEASED HER ARMS, AND LOOKED AT HER SLEEP REDDENED EYES AND TOUSLED HAIR, AND SAW THAT THROUGH HER ANGER AT BEING WOKEN BY MY GURGLING WEAK SCREECHES AND PITIFUL CRIES, I HAD BARELY BEEN ABLE TO VOICE, I HAD FRIGHTENED HER AS WELL. OR HAD I?

I LOOKED BACK OVER MY SHOULDER, WHERE YET I HAD ANOTHER MIRROR PLACED IN THAT CORNER OF THE ROOM.

OH, GOD!, SHE WAS STILL THERE!

I WRENCHED MYSELF UP FROM THE BED, PULLING MY DAUGHTER ROUGHLY ALONG AND FLEW OUT THE THREE STEPS TO MY BEDROOM DOOR, EXITING THE DANK PRESENCE LEFT THERE, STARVING AND WAITING FOR ME.

“MOM, IT’S OK! YOU’RE OK, NOW!”, IVY’S SOFT VOICE WAS LIKE WITCH’S BELLS, A BRIGHT YET SOFT CHIMING THAT WAS FILLED WITH GOODNESS, AND A PURITY OF MAGIC ONLY A BELOVED CHILD COULD CAST. HER CONCERN AND LOVE SHREDDED INVISIBLE THREADS THE HAG HAD SEWN, LIKE AN ECTOPLASMIC I. V., FOR FEEDING, SLOUGHING THEM FROM ME, SUBDUING MY TERROR.

SHUTTING MY BEDROOM DOOR, WE TURNED INTO THE DIMLY LIT HALLWAY. IVY HAD ONLY TAKEN ONE STEP, THEN IN TERROR, SHE SCREAMED! I JOINED HER, AT SEEING BEFORE US, WHERE EMPTY SPACE HAD BEEN, A PALE FIGURE LITERALLY LEVITATED SIDEWAYS IN FRONT OF US, FROM THE DARK KITCHEN.

“WHAT THE HELL’S GOING ON!? IS YOUR MOM OK!?” IT LOUDLY QUESTIONED US, AS AN OMINOUS AND LOUD CLICK ECHOED IN THE DARK LIVING ROOM. IT WAS THE UNMISTAKABLE SOUND OF A HANDGUN BEING COCKED, READY TO FIRE.

“HOLY SHIT! GOD DAMMIT, DAVE! YOU SCARED THE CRAP OUTTA ME!”, IVY YELLED AT OUR BOXER CLAD, GLOCK WIELDING ROOMMATE, WHO’S BEDROOM WAS ON THE OTHER SIDE OF MINE. HE’D EVIDENTLY HEARD MY CRIES AS WELL, THINKING SOMEONE HAD BROKEN INTO MY BEDROOM AND WAS IN THE PROCESS OF MURDERING ME.

“EVERYTHING’S FINE! GO BACK TO BED!”, SHE TOLD HIM, MORE GRUMPIER THAN EVER.

“MARY, ARE YOU OK?”, HE ASKED ME, CONCERN IN HIS VOICE. I FOUND I COULDN’T SPEAK.

“SHE’S FINE, SHE SUFFERS FROM SLEEP PARALYSIS, AND CAN’T WAKE UP FROM NIGHT TERRORS WHEN SHE HAS THEM.”, SHE EXPLAINED, OBVIOUSLY WANTING THIS WHOLE EPISODE TO BE OVER.

WE WALKED INTO THE KITCHEN, WHERE IVY POURED ME A GLASS OF COLD WATER. I TOOK THE GLASS, BUT DIDN’T DRINK.

“IVY?” I HESITANTLY LOOKED AT MY DAUGHTER, HOPING SHE WOULDN’T BECOME ANGRY WITH ME.

I STILL FELT DEEP TERROR, A FROZEN, MIND BREAKING THING INSIDE MY BONES.

“YEAH?”, SHE ABSENTLY ASKED, LOOKING AT ME WITH EXASPERATION, AND MAYBE A TOUCH OF PITY.

“AM I REALLY AWAKE?” I BEGGED TO KNOW, HOPING I REALLY WAS INDEED AWAKE, THAT THIS WASN’T YET ANOTHER PART OF MY NIGHTMARE. I COULDN’T TELL AT THAT MOMENT, HELPLESS WITH THE UNKNOWN, I BEGAN TO SOFTLY WEEP AGAIN.

“YES, MOM. YOU’RE AWAKE. REALLY, WIDE AWAKE. HELL, WE’RE BOTH AWAKE.”, SHE SOFTLY CHUCKLED.

“STOP CRYING, IT’S OVER. YOU’RE GOING TO BE ALRIGHT, OK.” SHE SAID FIRMLY, BUT NOT WITH ANY MALICE NOW.

SHE BEGAN BACK TO HER BEDROOM, SAYING AS SHE WENT, “ TRY TO MAYBE GET BACK TO SLEEP, OK”. HER VOICE TRAILED OFF, LEAVING ME ALONE IN THE KITCHEN. I KNEW SLEEP WOULD NOT RETURN THIS NIGHT.

I STARTED A POT OF COFFEE, AND WENT INTO OUR GARAGE, LIT A CIGARETTE FROM A PACK LAYING ON MY WORK BENCH. I TRIED AND TRIED, NOT SEE HER AGAIN. THAT THING THAT HAD BEEN THERE, AFTER IVY HAD AWOKEN ME. THAT WAS IN THE ROOM NOW, IN IT’S COMFORTABLE DARKNESS WAITING. HAD IT FOLLOWED ME OUT OF MY DREAMS, OR HAD IT ALWAYSS BEEN HERE, ON AND WITHIN THIS PLANE OF HUMAN EXISTENCE, UNSEEN BEHIND THE DARKNESS OF, AND NOT YET DREAMING, SLEEPING EYES?

I DID NOT KNOW.

LATER THAT MORNING, I COULDN’T EVEN SPEAK OF IT TO ANYONE, WITHOUT CHOCKING ON SOBS, AS FEAR FLOODED MY ENTIRE BODY. I HAD TO LEAVE.

I ACTUALLY HAD TO LEAVE MY HOME, MY FEAR OF BEING STRENGTH.

I DIDN’T RETURN FOR OVER A WEEK, AND WHEN I FINALLY DID, IT TOOK ALMOST ANOTHER TWO BEFORE BEING FRIGHTENED AS IF I WERE A WEE CHILD, AND FORCED MYSELF BACK INTO MY BEDROOM..

ALL WAS AS I’D LEFT IT, MINUS THE SEVERAL MIRRORS THAT HAD DECORATED THE WALLS ONCE. THE ONLY IMAGE I SAW IN THE ONE LEFT IN THE CLOSET, WAS MY OWN.

THE HAG? I NEVER SAW HER PHYSICALLY AGAIN.

AND MY SLEEP PARALYSIS?

THAT UNFORTUNATELY STILL TIPTOES IN OCCASIONALLY, AND SNEAKILY. SOMETIMES I CAN AWAKEN BEFORE SOMEONE ELSE HAS TO INTERVENE. SOMETIMES NOT, AND I AWAKEN TO MYSELF, TRYING TO SCREAM.

AND NOW, SEPARATED AND CONSIDERED AN , “EX”, I SLEEP ALONE. I DON’T FEAR FALLING ASLEEP, I HARDLY IF EVER THINK OF THE , “WHAT IF”, HAPPENING WHEN I TURN IN TO SLEEP. OR HER, THE HAG, WHO IS SOMEWHERE, I KNOW, WITH IN MY DREAMLESS AND DARK SLEEP, HUNCHED OVER, HER BLACKENED WATCHING EYES, STARING..

AND WAITING FOR ME…



THE END












© M.E.Purdy