imagination kind of hooked on to it.”
Ellen took a gulp of her coffee and wiped her mouth with the back of her right hand. “He’s not a nut job.”
“Oh, yes, he’s completely sane. Let’s invite the guy down the pub for…”
“Marla!”
“Okay, I’m sorry, but, seriously? Jesus.”
“Well, these dreams are scaring the crap out of me, and I want you to wake me up if I ’m screaming or moving around,” Ellen said firmly. “Then, if I wake up and you’re there, maybe I can go back to sleep like a normal person.”
“ Alright,” Marla agreed, trying to keep a straight face. “We can both sleep here on the sofas. Just as well I have two of the suckers. Deal?”
Ellen nodded, but she did not smile.
Saturday , 11
The scream pierced Marla’s dream and shook her awake. Sitting up straight with a start, she gazed around the room, waiting for her eyes to adjust to the dark. A wisp of faint yellow haze from a streetlight streamed through a gap in the black curtains. It flickered across the sofa where Ellen was sleeping and lit up her face. Marla gawked sleepily at her sister. Her mouth had fallen open and she was staring upwards at a spot on the ceiling. Marla instinctively glanced up, but there was nothing on the white-painted space above.
Rising , she stepped quietly towards Ellen whose body was motionless and her breathing shallow, but it was the expression on her face that sent a cold chill up Marla’s neck. The girl’s eyes looked frightened beyond fear and the gaping mouth yawned like a soundless chasm. Marla stepped closer and rubbed her sister’s arm, which felt cold to the touch and rigid. “Ellen, Ellen, wake up,” she said softly.
There was no response from the sleeping body, so Marla tried again. This time her efforts were met by the same piercing scream, but Ellen’s expression did not change and her body stayed still. Marla felt another chill run up her back. There was something wrong; this did not feel right. Her sister looked as if she were having a stroke. Fearful, Marla rocked Ellen’s arm with increasing strength, but there was no reaction at all. It was as if she were under some kind of spell, like Sleeping Beauty in the storybooks. Shaking her head, she ran into the kitchen. Returning with a cup of water, she flicked some on to Ellen’s face.
The girl woke wit h a gasp and began to splutter as her hands floundered around her cheeks, which were dripping wet. “W-what?!” she stammered. “W-what did you do?”
“I woke you up,” Marla replied, stating the obvious and still gripping the mug.
“By pouring water on me?”
“It was the first thing I thought of. Sorry.”
“Fine,” said Ellen, pushing her hair back from her face as reality gradually dawned on her. “The dream, I remember…”
Marla perched on the edge of the sofa next to her and placed the half-full mug down. “You scared me, Ellen.”
“Why?”
“You woke me up with this crazy scream. It was scary. Then I saw your face and… it was not like you.”
“How?” asked Ellen, frowning. “I have this every night…”
“Well, now I’m sorry for that,” Marla said. “Your face had this weird expression. Your mouth was wide open and your eyes were staring up at the ceiling, and you screamed twice. But each time your expression didn’t change and you didn’t move. Your eyes were empty and your body didn’t move an inch. It was like you were dead.”
Ellen stared at her sister and shivered. Drawing her knees up against her chest, she rested her chin on them. “I wondered. Wondered…”
“What?”
“Nothing, I’m sorry I scared you.”
“It’s not your fault,” soothed Marla. “But after seeing you like this, I’m sorry I didn’t take your fear of sleeping more seriously.”
Ellen nodded and then smiled. “Thanks for waking me.”
“Do you remember what you dreamed about?”
“Yes. It’s the same every night .” Ellen glanced down. “Ugh, my T-shirt is soaking and
Ellen took a gulp of her coffee and wiped her mouth with the back of her right hand. “He’s not a nut job.”
“Oh, yes, he’s completely sane. Let’s invite the guy down the pub for…”
“Marla!”
“Okay, I’m sorry, but, seriously? Jesus.”
“Well, these dreams are scaring the crap out of me, and I want you to wake me up if I ’m screaming or moving around,” Ellen said firmly. “Then, if I wake up and you’re there, maybe I can go back to sleep like a normal person.”
“ Alright,” Marla agreed, trying to keep a straight face. “We can both sleep here on the sofas. Just as well I have two of the suckers. Deal?”
Ellen nodded, but she did not smile.
Saturday , 11
The scream pierced Marla’s dream and shook her awake. Sitting up straight with a start, she gazed around the room, waiting for her eyes to adjust to the dark. A wisp of faint yellow haze from a streetlight streamed through a gap in the black curtains. It flickered across the sofa where Ellen was sleeping and lit up her face. Marla gawked sleepily at her sister. Her mouth had fallen open and she was staring upwards at a spot on the ceiling. Marla instinctively glanced up, but there was nothing on the white-painted space above.
Rising , she stepped quietly towards Ellen whose body was motionless and her breathing shallow, but it was the expression on her face that sent a cold chill up Marla’s neck. The girl’s eyes looked frightened beyond fear and the gaping mouth yawned like a soundless chasm. Marla stepped closer and rubbed her sister’s arm, which felt cold to the touch and rigid. “Ellen, Ellen, wake up,” she said softly.
There was no response from the sleeping body, so Marla tried again. This time her efforts were met by the same piercing scream, but Ellen’s expression did not change and her body stayed still. Marla felt another chill run up her back. There was something wrong; this did not feel right. Her sister looked as if she were having a stroke. Fearful, Marla rocked Ellen’s arm with increasing strength, but there was no reaction at all. It was as if she were under some kind of spell, like Sleeping Beauty in the storybooks. Shaking her head, she ran into the kitchen. Returning with a cup of water, she flicked some on to Ellen’s face.
The girl woke wit h a gasp and began to splutter as her hands floundered around her cheeks, which were dripping wet. “W-what?!” she stammered. “W-what did you do?”
“I woke you up,” Marla replied, stating the obvious and still gripping the mug.
“By pouring water on me?”
“It was the first thing I thought of. Sorry.”
“Fine,” said Ellen, pushing her hair back from her face as reality gradually dawned on her. “The dream, I remember…”
Marla perched on the edge of the sofa next to her and placed the half-full mug down. “You scared me, Ellen.”
“Why?”
“You woke me up with this crazy scream. It was scary. Then I saw your face and… it was not like you.”
“How?” asked Ellen, frowning. “I have this every night…”
“Well, now I’m sorry for that,” Marla said. “Your face had this weird expression. Your mouth was wide open and your eyes were staring up at the ceiling, and you screamed twice. But each time your expression didn’t change and you didn’t move. Your eyes were empty and your body didn’t move an inch. It was like you were dead.”
Ellen stared at her sister and shivered. Drawing her knees up against her chest, she rested her chin on them. “I wondered. Wondered…”
“What?”
“Nothing, I’m sorry I scared you.”
“It’s not your fault,” soothed Marla. “But after seeing you like this, I’m sorry I didn’t take your fear of sleeping more seriously.”
Ellen nodded and then smiled. “Thanks for waking me.”
“Do you remember what you dreamed about?”
“Yes. It’s the same every night .” Ellen glanced down. “Ugh, my T-shirt is soaking and
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