The little full-sized bed looked inviting with its numerous pillows and fluffy quilt. I lay on my side on the bed and enjoyed the cool breeze drifting in through an open window. The sound of Naira’s laughing lulled me to sleep.
I stood in a room completely foreign to me. Neon stars and moons glowed all over the walls and the ceiling, giving the illusion of floating in space. A small bed stood in the corner, and next to it, a bedside table with a nightlight of a fairy sleeping on a mushroom. It was sweet and unusual. Inching closer, I touched the fairy’s colorfully lighted wings and was surprised they were cool to the touch.
A contented sigh drifted from underneath the covers and I froze, unsure what I should do. The person in the bed shifted and the covers pulled back to reveal a beautiful little girl. She looked about four years old. Her long blonde hair lay in ringlets on her pillow. Long black eyelashes lightly kissed her chubby cheek. She reminded me of Naira.
I leaned forward and stroked her forehead as my mom used to do to me when I was little. Her long lashes opened and she stared right at me.
“Hi Mama,” she said in a tiny, groggy voice and held her arms up to me.
“Hi,” I stammered and sat down on the edge of the bed. She climbed into my lap and began to suck her thumb.
“Daddy says I dream you,” she said sleepily.
“Dream me?”
She nodded and sighed. “But I know you’re real.”
I looked about the room, my eyes perfectly adjusted to the darkened room. Above her bed the name ‘Leigh’ was painted onto a little sign. On the opposite wall, just above a little desk and chair, hung a few family photos.
She began to twitch slightly and I knew she had already fallen back asleep. Carefully, I tucked her back into her bed and when I finished, walked across the room to take a closer look at the pictures.
In the first picture, she and Thayde were holding each other in a tight embrace, their faces smooshed against each other. The second was of my mom and Tammer. The third, was Thayde and I, lip locked in a cute kiss. I realized that this child, Leigh, must be ours.
The door cracked, startling me, and a dark haired man walked quietly into the room and knelt next to the bed. It was Thayde. Taking Leigh’s little hand in his, he kissed it lightly. She opened an eye.
“Mama was here again.”
He bowed his head and held her hand to his cheek. “Oh yeah, sweet pea?” His voice cracked.
“She stayed a little,” Leigh drifted back to sleep. Thayde kissed her forehead and stood. I followed him as he left the room. He walked into a small, cozy living room and stood in front of an open fireplace. On the mantle were more photos of us and Leigh. He was looking at one in particular – a lovely black and white picture of me, only it was an older me. He held his face in his hands and dropped to his knees.
“Morgan,” he moaned and began to cry. My heart sank as I realized I was dead.
The shock jolted me awake and I opened my eyes to the evening sun glowing amber across the lake. A flock of geese drifted in on the breeze, their funny feet outstretched as they touched down on the water. The smell of fresh coffee made its way over the open banister and I could hear Mom and Aletheia stirring a spoon in their cups as they talked.
So Thayde was going to live and I was going to die later? The dream confused me. They had always meant something in the past. I’d been led to believe he would die. Now I was dreaming of having a child together? It didn’t make any sense.
“You aren’t going to be able to do this.” The awful voice echoed in my mind and I closed my eyes, trying to focus on getting rid of it.
“Not only is Thayde going to die, but you are too.”
“Go away,” I said, holding my head tight between my hands.
“You can’t handle this.” It didn’t sound like my voice – it sounded deeper, but not a man’s voice.
“I can handle anything.”
“Really? Handle this.”
A sharp pain struck me in the heart, taking my breath away. I felt as if I’d been sucker punched. I clawed at my chest as the pain radiated upward through the side of my neck and made its way to my face. The agony of it crawling across my cheek made me want to pass out. I could hear myself sucking in tiny breaths of air through my mouth, sounding as if someone was choking me.
In desperation, I reached across the bed to the glass of water sitting on the edge of the side table. The tips of my fingers barely reached it and I batted at it several times before the glass fell to the floor shattering. Moments later, Mom and Aletheia flew through my door. As the blackness overtook my vision, my lungs began to scream for oxygen. Mom placed her hands over me and a silver glow seeped into my chest, dulling the pain. The sheer exhaustion from the incident left me feeling lifeless.