Day Five- Write about a dream or nightmare that you’ve had. Turn it into a short-short story.
I’ve had some pretty weird dreams but one particularly stuck out.
It was the strangest thing, waking up before your alarm especially when you are as lazy as me. I stretched out my arms and legs, whilst turning to see out out the window. Through the window there was no sun inhibiting the sky but it wasn’t dark either. Instead the sky was red, blood red. The sky was bleeding.
I reached to my dresser to grab my phone to check the time. The sky was probably a weird shade like this from an odd sunrise combined with pollutants. It was dead, I had it fully charged before I fell asleep. My dad’s old analogue watch was in my dresser, it read 10.01. “Fuck”, I said under my breath. My mum would be pissed if she heard me. I’m already late for work, I didn’t look in the mirror or putting my phone on charge.
I scrambled out of bed and hurried to my closet where I pulled out a bunch of clothes and picked out any that looked barely presentable. I ran to the bathroom and quickly grabbed my toothbrush and washed my face, still not checking the mirror because I knew I wasn’t presentable.
No one was home. If you have three siblings then they tend to make a lot of noise, especially on Saturday. They play their tv shows or music really loud, something that constantly has the neighbours complaining.
On a usual Saturday my parents wake us all up to eat breakfast together. It’s always a disaster but we continue to do it every week. It concludes with me rushing to work.
However, on this Saturday, no one was home. They didn’t tell me, didn’t wake me, they didn’t even leave a note on the fridge.
I walked around the house not noticing before how my footsteps echoed when I walked on the wooden floor. They house look dull today not like a home. There was dust, a lot of dust even though mum was very concerned with keeping it clean (okay, she was totally OCD). Nothing in the house had changed but it seemed as if no one had been living in it, it was dirty, cold and empty.
I rushed out of the house because the house was freaking me out. I had to get air, maybe I’ll see a familiar face I thought and they’ll know where everyone is. I looked at the outside of my house; the paint was peeling, the drive was overgrown with weeds there was rubble on the path. My house was the only one that was familiar.
There were no other houses around, they were there when I went to sleep and now there is nothing. There are some pieces of technology and rubble scattered but other than that is nothing. Nothing and no one.
There was no mum. No dad. No little sister. No big brother. And no little brother. There was only me. I trudged back into the house. From there I learnt that there is no electricity, obviously. No running water. No food. And nothing to do. There were no answers to my never ending questions.
I saw something blinking from the corner of my eye. A device that plays videos with a small percentage of battery remaining. I was so surprised something worked, curiosity and anxiety spiralled through my body. Then I pressed play.
“Honey”, it was mum, her voice, it was really her. “I’m so sorry, honey, but they said that we couldn’t take you. We are really are sorry but they’ll keep you safe and well be back for you soon. Real soon. If you are listening, we love you. Our love will always reach you no matter where we are. We are never too far. We’ll be there soon to explain it, until then hang tight.”
My dad’s voice chimed in, a unfamiliar tone. His voice low and cracking. “Your mother said it, baby. But you’re strong so use that. Use your brain and don’t do anything stupid, just wait for us.”
It panned to my brothers and sisters all saying their goodbyes. Or goodbyes for now. They were no longer here though. Before it could finish it cut off. The stupid device died.
I don’t know what’s out there and I don’t know what’s going on. But I’ll survive until they come back. Because they will. They promised.
