Nightmares

Last night I had a dream. A nightmare, rather. I always have nightmares when I get cold while I sleep. That’s why I take extra care to stay warm at night; my subconscious seems to take delight in finding things I fear most and presenting them, and taking things I love most and tormenting them. Last nights misadventure was about being stalked by a tall man with a variety of metal good for stabbing people. I think being stabbed would be the worst way to be murdered (without getting creative). I love my horses, so of course the man in my dream slit their throats. This dream wasn’t TOO terrible tho, since I managed to get Leah (my little sister) onto the back of one horse and thus escape.

I’m getting much better at escaping in my nightmares. I used to dream, rather often, of a dark, strong man who appeared behind me and choked me and beat me until I’d wake up in a sweat. Every  time I had the dream it was very much the same; I knew just how he’d grab me, how he’d throw me to the floor, and how he’d choke me, his hand fitting almost all the way around my neck. Even tho I knew how the attack would go, I never knew how to escape from my attacker.  But recently I have been learning a little bit about fighting, from my lover, Chad. The last time I had that dream, I fought back. In my dream, the dark man had come from behind, as always, he’d gotten me to the floor and even gotten his hand around my neck, but I remembered a move that Chad had taught me recently, and I threw the man off of me.

I’m sure the dream will come again, but this time I will be ready.

In last night’s dream, I escaped on horseback. I had the chance to run in the dream, but in real life I am a terrible runner, and my subconscious knows that. If I ever run from an attacker, I am captured. Good thing there were horses!

But I got to thinking; what happens in tomorrow’s dream, where there are no horses?

So I went for a run this morning. I am still as bad as ever, but I am going to work at it. If I am never fast, I will run long. And then later, when I dream, maybe I will be able to escape on foot. Maybe others don’t literally run from their nightmares during daylight hours, but if you had the dreams I do, I think you would.