Sleep To Dream
I’m walking the hallways of my old high school, giving little waves and head-nods to the people I recognize.I walk past an open door.
It’s a pale blue with chipped paint along the frame.
No labels, just empty.
No room number or class title – only a small window in the top left corner.
Something about this open door pulls me back, slowing my steps.
The soft sounds of my foot steps come to a halt.
My breathing slows.
I can feel her.
I sense her eyes on the back of my neck and they send an unrecognizable shiver down my spine and to the small of my back.
I turn on a pivot and our eyes meet.
It can’t be.
She’s gone.
I know she’s gone.
And she’s right here, only a few feet in front of me.
My cheeks are damp with tears from overwhelming emotions; fear, confusion, love, relief.
I can hear my heart beating heavily.
Her eyes are still and she looks as though she is at peace.
The hallway is now vacant and deafeningly silent.
My body is automatic.
Slowly, I walk toward her and I envelope her in my embrace.
Her arms are tight around my neck and she starts to tremble.
My tears run over my chapped lips and I can taste the salt.
Suddenly, I feel as if I’ve been kicked in the heart.
I grasp her tighter and my tears become ecstatic and uncontrollable.
My entire body feels uneasy.
This can’t be real.
I know this.
But still, she isn’t gone.
Through the silence, I hear a voice say “Rest in peace, my friend,” and with that I awake.
The same tears from my dream are flowing down my face; jumping off my chin and making it hard to distinguish fact from fiction.
I feel her touch fade and disappear.
I clutch her dark brown teddy bear, an attempt to slow the trembling.
I lay the bear beside me and straighten the burgundy bowtie around it’s neck.
The sun beats in through my bedroom window, warming the bear’s smile.
“Rest in peace, my friend,” I hear myself say.
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