"a dream iii"

​by C. Ikpoh

It was a nightmare. The one I will never forget. The one that maybe, forever, will remain unfinished and haunt my memories.

I walked up to a trailer and proceeded up the wooden stairs to the front door. When I opened it, I realized the entire inside was made of steel. It was a big, hollow room, and towards the back in the center was a singular chair. As I got closer, I noticed sitting in it was an old, decrepit woman. Adorning her body was a very old black dress which appeared to be from the 1800s, and her gray hair was pulled back in a bun. Her face dawned seemingly endless wrinkles.

I sat down in front of her on the floor indian style, and we stared at each other's eyes. This continued throughout the entire dream until things began getting intense. Suddenly, I felt my heart racing a million miles an hour. I was overcome by fear. My heart pounded relentlessly against my sternum, feeling like it was about to explode. Simultaneously, the skin around the old woman's eyes began to get darker. Eventually, they completely blackened and darkness spread around her eyes, sinking them into her head. The old woman dropped her jaw an unnatural amount, and a shrill scream exited her mouth but no audible noise was present. Though it was silent, I began feeling her scream deep down in my spirit as the old woman kept peering her black eyes at me, filling me with darkness. I was paralyzed and couldn't move. All I could do was hear my own voice in my mind, so I began feverishly reciting the Lord's prayer while keeping locked eyes with the old lady. As I did, transparent waves began emanating from around us and everything vibrated. My spirit was convulsing wildly, shaking my body and head. Her screams began increasing in volume and power but were still audibly silent. I could feel the change inside of me though. Then, suddenly, I was thrust from my dream and awakened.