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Day # 91
Theme: crime
The dream is always the same.
I’m running through the forest. In the distance, between the breaks in foliage, I can see the hints of a cottage. There’s a jolt from my heart and I press myself just a little harder, somehow finding one final burst of speed. I break past the tree line--into sunlight and a carefully maintained yard.
I dash onto the porch and pound desperately on the door. I can hear someone moving inside--quick footsteps against hardwood--and then the door is thrown open. A man stands there. He opens his mouth as if to say something but I shove past him into the cottage.
I hear the door close and I turn around to face the man, shuddering breaths wracking my body.
“Did you tell?” I ask.
“What?” He looks taken aback.
“Did you tell, Asiah?”
“No! Of course not!”
I shudder, leaning forward with my hands on my knees, gasping.
“Sala.” Asiah gently placed a hand on my back. “What happened?”
I straighten up and face him, dragging him closer to me so I could feel his warmth. For a moment we just stand there--me clinging to him, desperately hoping that being close to him will chase away the cold that’s enveloped me; and him patiently waiting, though I can feel the tension in his body.
“I…” My voice trembles. “…saw it.”
“What do you mean?”
I push away from him, frustrated and terrified, but also needing him to understand. “I saw it. It’s real!”
He gently grabs my shoulders, pulling me closer to him again and quietly shushing me. “It’s okay,” he says. “You’re spooked. Just tell me what you saw.”
I pull away, shoving his hands off. “Don’t patronize me! I’m not crazy!”
Asiah holds his hands up. “I’m not saying you’re crazy, but you’re obviously scared, so tell me what happened?”
My heart is still pounding, but now that I’m here with him the overwhelming fear has abated somewhat and I can breathe more easily. My body is still trembling and that coldness still clings to me, but being with him--the only person who can possibly understand--has saved me from suffocating from my own emotional turmoil.
“I was crossing the bridge over the river on the west side of town and I saw it…in the water. I mean, it’s reflection.”
“What did it look like?”
“Well, I…It was distorted by the water’s movement, so I couldn’t see it clearly.”
“You see?” Asiah sounds so sure of himself. “You didn’t really see anything.” He pulls me into an embrace, one hand tracing small circles against by back. “I know you’re scared, but no one will find out so nothing will happen. We’re safe.” He tips my face up toward his. “You’re safe.”
I shake my head. How could I possibly explain this to him? I didn’t even know how to explain it to myself, but I knew--somehow, they had found out what we had done.
“We should have listened,” I said, my voice just a whisper.
He kisses me gently on the lips and then pulls away to look at me again. “How is this wrong?”
I look into his eyes, searching for any hint of uncertainty, but as far as I can tell, he completely believes what he’s saying, and maybe I can take comfort in that.
Finally, I relax, body slumping against him as all the tension and adrenaline leave me. Asiah holds on, guiding me gently down to the floor. We stay like that for a few minutes until I finally work up the strength to get back to my feet. The man stands up with me, his expression concerned.
“I have to go,” I say.
“Why don’t you stay for an hour, give yourself a chance to calm down.”
I shake my head. “You know I can’t do that. I need to get back to Leo.” I turn away from him and head to the door?
“Are you sure?” he asks and I look back over my shoulder to see him leaning against the wall.
“He’s expecting me. We can’t have him asking questions about where I’ve been, can we?”
He sighs. “No. No, we can’t.”
I open the door and step out into the night. Now that I’ve managed to calm down, I feel entirely foolish for getting spooked by a reflection in the water. Asaiah was right, of course. We’ve always been really careful when we met; there’s no way anyone could know what we’ve done.
And the stories of the Watcher…well, everyone knows those are just myths; stories told to scare people into obeying the Laws.
My breath catches in my throat as a horrible realization dawns on me--the sun shouldn’t have set yet. So why was it so dark?
Slowly, I tip my head backward, looking up up up until my terrified gaze finds the gaping maw of the Watcher.
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