250 Words: The returning Nightmare

Over the following weeks similar episodes occurred, each time the creature appearing in a different place in my room: various parts of the wardrobe, each drawer in turn, under the bed, on the lampshade, behind the teasmaid, even on the landing- entering the room slowly, its eyes shining brightly in the gloaming: always appearing accompanied by the awful scratching that would keep me awake in the dream and cause me to look up in its direction- and always the marks when I woke up: gradually my bedroom began to resemble that of someone who’s taken against the walls with a pair of scissors.

I began to become too scared to sleep, trying to stay awake all night in the hope of avoiding the creature.  Always, though, I would eventually succumb; always it returned.

I tried dousing myself with sleeping pills, hoping to dull my brain’s senses enough to halt the dream but that didn’t work either.

I googled the problem, visited forums.  Nothing.

I even started to try and take the creature on in my dreams but it was always too fast for me to even move.

In the end the answer came at work.  Gradually I became more despondent during the day.  Plus I was looking worse and worse.  Most people ignored this, kept their distance.  Not Fran, though; dear Fran.  She told me I was looking like her Grandfather had until recently, “Said it was all down to some night-time spirit, the mad old coot.  Fine now, though.”