Since I was a child, I always had many problems related to being alone anywhere, especially at home. One might say it’s common for children but my motive was far darker than anything I can imagine others might fear. Whenever I was alone, be it night or day, strange things started to happen. Visions, voices, sensations and above all, the one that gave rise to the title of the story, the dreams/nightmares.
As soon as I fell asleep being alone, and I always fell asleep the nightmares would start. Not just ordinary nightmares but of a disturbing kind and most of all so real as to be worse. In the midst of a traumatic childhood, in the midst of so many disturbing scenes of visions in my mind, I ended up acquiring a kind of defense. When I was in the midst of these nightmares I just closed my eyes and I was awake, ready and safe in my bed. I remember using this technique so many times that I didn’t even feel afraid when I had nightmares.
And I really wanted it to stay that way, too bad that after that nightmare it never felt safe again. It was supposed to be just another common nightmare, although from the beginning I felt that there was something wrong, something different. The setting, the feel and most of all its greater threat was a mixture of fear and persecution. A man was chasing me and clearly wanted to take my life in a very unpleasant way. I ran and ran until I finally remembered my precious ability, I just needed to close my eyes and wake up like I always did. In the midst of the chase I confidently stopped and turned towards him, with a smile on my face I just closed my eyes and declared my victory, I was in my bed… that was my biggest mistake. I was in my bed and it really was my room exactly as it was, I remember that despite being relieved I still felt something wrong in the air. It was when I sat on the bed and was about to get up to have a glass of water when looking to the side I saw that silhouette that froze my body in pure dread.
He was there, sitting in a chair with his legs crossed. My nightmare stalker was standing there looking at me with a bizarre smile on his face. That’s when he got up and slowly walked closer to me and with each step I felt more and more terrified and with a terrible feeling in me. He walked up to me, looked into my eyes and with that bizarre smile he said.
— Did you really think that you would deceive me? That this would work for me?
At that moment I woke up totally sweaty and taking deep breaths. I was terrified and didn’t trust if I was really awake or asleep anymore. I went into despair and that’s when my parents came and calmed me down. From that day forward I was never able to use this skill again and above all, since that day I always ask that I never have such disturbing and real nightmares again because I know, those weren’t just dreams…