1 A Dreadful Dream

I hear footsteps in the corner of my room. Dazed, I light the oil lamp near my bed. I see a tall dark figure standing near the window. This is a dream; he isn't really here. The figure slowly creeps toward me, moonlight slashes across the right side of his face making parts of it visible. My heart pounds against my chest as I hear his whispers. "Sethie come closer, everyone has a story. Come listen to your…". Seth get up, wake up!

I gasp and awaken from the nightmare. I turn to the voice and see the outline of Anna staring at me with her big brown eyes and a concerned look. Even though she is five years younger than me she always worries about me. "Seth, please talk to Mervana, she can help you with the nightmares". I look at her, the moon is still up and the room is dark but the weariness in Anna's eyes is unmistakable, she can't sleep when I'm like this.

"Ok, fine. Tomorrow I'll ask her but if she turns my tongue green again, I'm never going back there". Her body sags with relief yet the dark under-eye circles seem even more prominent now, "Deal, now try to get some sleep." she says yawning. She slips into her quilt and within seconds her breathing slows as she falls back into a deep sleep.