Reality

Rushing up the stairs, pictures whizzing by my line of vision, I turn around to see the face of my pursuer gaining on me. I bolt towards my room since that should be the place where I'm the safest. That face of his is gaining on me, its ruggedness making him seem scarier than he really is. I search my brain, trying to figure out who this familiar man is. Slamming the door, I run into the closet - the place that I hid when I was little. Those strong legs of his kick down the bedroom door, and I try not to whimper as he creeps toward the closet.


"You think you can hide from me, punk? You just think that you can take something of mine and not expect me to get back at you? Well, you're wrong." He says, his voice booming throughout the room. The voice is the scary part of him, if not his body. As I watch him through the slits in the closet, my fear gets the best of me. A tear rolls down my cheek, and I stand up slowly and quietly. I see an opportunity since his back is turned to me.


Quickly opening the door, I sprint out of the room. His footsteps follow mine, though they are much heavier. I hadn't taken anything from him; I didn't know what he was talking about when he said that I did. Maybe, just maybe, he's mentally insane. Instead of paying attention to where I'm going, I'm thinking all of these thoughts, and I suddenly trip down the stairs. Every stair hurts - there's thirty four of them, and they are all wood. He stands at the top, laughing as I stumble down. Finally hitting the bottom, I struggle to get up. The pain shoots through every single part of my body, and I just want to stay on the ground. His slow descent down the stairs proves that he knows that he is powerful.


"Little girl, if you think that you can get away, you've thought wrong. I will get you. I am going to make that my goal." He rumbles, a grin spreading across his wicked face.


I scramble to get up, and eventually get to my feet without falling. He's ten stairs away. The front door seems so far away as I run towards it. Looking back, I see that he's speeding up so that he can have a chance of catching me. Though they're a gift to him, the same strong legs that kicked down the bedroom door are a curse to me. It's right there, the front door is right in front of me. Reaching out, I grab hold of it. Not for long, though. He dives and wraps his arms around my legs, bringing me to the ground as well. My life flashes before my eyes because I know that this is the end. Going down, my head hits the doorknob, and I black out.


Sitting bolt upright, I realize that I am drenched in sweat. I look around, my eyes wary and alert. Thoughts run through my mind, one of them being that everything had just been a dream. The clock says 3:42 A.M., and the closed door of my room says that I'm safe. Still scared, I lean over to turn on the lamp. Light floods every corner and crack of the room, illuminating everything. Even the man from my dream, my father, who I hadn't seen since I was three, sitting in the corner. He smiles at me as I scream, and I realize that it wasn't just a dream. This is reality.