I awoke with a great start. These days sleep avoided me. I struggled to get none if not any sleep at all these days. My sleep was filled with visions of demons and spiders. Sleep was always difficult. I tried to focus myself and turned to my organiser for the week ahead. I liked to be prepared and ready for what was coming. Somehow, I wished there was a way I could be even more prepared. Even these nightmares would strike at the most inconvenient of times. If only they appeared at a set time each week then I could go to sleep ready and prepared. But no, they just appeared when they wanted to. One thing was for certain, these dreams were becoming more and more consistent.

 

I got out of bed and moved to my planner. Joshua Lee, it read. I opened the pages to see what the future had planned for me tomorrow, but my head still hurt from the repercussions of my nightmare. I could see a vision clouded in haze of a demon with great bulging eyes and a wide mouth which seemed to consume me and my thoughts. However much I tried to run from the demon I would just find myself lost in the fog.

 

Focus. I told myself severely. What did my planner have in store for me tomorrow? I gazed across the plethora of words sat neatly on the page trying to pick out something interesting, something I might enjoy the next day. Unfortunately, the only thing that jumped out at me was the following sentence: ‘Hand in your maths homework.’ I cursed quickly realising that my work was to be handed in and I had just about ten hours to sort it all out. My work was still wrong, that I knew. But how was I supposed to fix it? My eyes glazed over, the thick haze of the nightmare taking over once again. It was just too difficult. I needed to escape this frosty gaseous gloom surrounding me. I should go and get a glass of water I decided.

 

I opened my bedroom door slowly as I made my way through the house. It was strange though; I could definitely hear something. A funny sound which almost sounded like a horse maybe or some other paralysed animal which was finding it difficult to breathe. Suddenly visions of the great demon from my nightmare came back to me. Was it coming after me? No, it was just a dream I told myself. The creature didn’t know anything about me.

 

I stopped in the kitchen grasping around for the tap to get my water. I should really have turned the lights on I realised, but I was too busy worrying. A great gasp echoed from outside. The demon was here. It really was. And it had found me. I tried not to yell out in horror as the kitchen door handle started to move. What the hell? I didn’t want to die. Not yet. But the demon was definitely coming for me. I ducked down out of sight as the door opened. My eyes widened as a cloud of haze filled the door opening and wandered inside to greet me. It was the demon from my nightmares coming to get me. I wanted to wail in despair, but knew that would only seal my fate.

 

As the door opened further and the gaseous cloud filled the kitchen, I could hear heavy footsteps tread the floor. I nearly passed out wondering just what the monster wanted. Suddenly the monster turned and began to roar, a gruff throaty roar like a creature on the brink of death might create. It was coming for me. Trying not to make a sound I scuttled across the floor trying to make my way back to the safety of my room, whatever safety it may hold?

 

The demon let out another roar and the smoke began to fade. And as the smoke faded, I could begin to make out features. This wasn’t a monster at all. But then what the hell was my father doing late at night wandering about and disappearing off outside?