dream ✿ 001
Rose rubbed her eyes and blinked at the harsh red glare of the alarm clock. 1:33 AM. She looked tired and dishevelled, having been unable to sleep all night. The silence was broken when the door creaked open and a small silhouette padded in from the hallway, barely discernible as her son. He slipped into bed with her in a rustle of fabric.
"John?" she whispered. He wrapped his little arms around her, burying his face against her. "Why aren't you asleep?"
"Can't."
"You're getting a little old to sleep with Mom now. Did you have a bad dream?"
"No..."
"Then what's wrong?"
He blinked up at her with a solemn expression. "Everyone at school today was saying there's a monster under the bed. It has big teeth and claws and it'll come out at night and eat me."
Rose smiled and reached to stroke his hair. "You're not afraid of any monsters, are you?"
"No! It came out to grab me but then I got my sword and I hit it! Pow!"
"Ssh, don't wake Roy up."
"But I really did. You should've seen it."
"That was very brave of you."
"Dad fights monsters and stuff, doesn't he?"
Her hand froze. "I don't know. Maybe."
"I'm gonna ask him when he beats all the bad guys and comes home."
Silence; Rose couldn't promise him something that was more and more unlikely every day. Instead, she pulled the covers around him more comfortably, and he drifted off to sleep with the tiniest hint of a smile on his face.
---
[Rose wakes up with her hand exactly where her son had been. She's motionless, disappointed it was just a dream. She hasn't noticed her Dreamberry is switched on yet.]
"John?" she whispered. He wrapped his little arms around her, burying his face against her. "Why aren't you asleep?"
"Can't."
"You're getting a little old to sleep with Mom now. Did you have a bad dream?"
"No..."
"Then what's wrong?"
He blinked up at her with a solemn expression. "Everyone at school today was saying there's a monster under the bed. It has big teeth and claws and it'll come out at night and eat me."
Rose smiled and reached to stroke his hair. "You're not afraid of any monsters, are you?"
"No! It came out to grab me but then I got my sword and I hit it! Pow!"
"Ssh, don't wake Roy up."
"But I really did. You should've seen it."
"That was very brave of you."
"Dad fights monsters and stuff, doesn't he?"
Her hand froze. "I don't know. Maybe."
"I'm gonna ask him when he beats all the bad guys and comes home."
Silence; Rose couldn't promise him something that was more and more unlikely every day. Instead, she pulled the covers around him more comfortably, and he drifted off to sleep with the tiniest hint of a smile on his face.
---
[Rose wakes up with her hand exactly where her son had been. She's motionless, disappointed it was just a dream. She hasn't noticed her Dreamberry is switched on yet.]