The Strangest Dream (part 16)

Jumping out of the truck fixing her hair, she ran to little Evelyn, and in a flustered voice, she said: "Evie, what are you doing out here it's cold." "What are you and daddy doing?" Evelyn asked as Autumn hurried her into the house. "Where's daddy? "Daddy will be along in a minute." "What were you both doing out there?" "Never you mind, nosey little girl, the question is what were you doing out there in the cold with no shoes on at this hour?"

Autumn took her to the couch and covered her in a blanket, sitting down next to her. She started blowing on her little hands and bare feet to make them warm. "Mama, I'm sorry," Evelyn told her, "I didn't mean to do it, I don't know what made me, but I did it, and I'm sorry." Autumn held her tight, "You see? Doesn't that feel better?" Evelyn knew it was the only way to get back into their good graces.

Clyde came in the house, saying, "brrr, it's a bit chilly out there." He looked over at them both, and that's when Autumn smiled and nodded her head, expressing to him that she fessed up, and all was good. "Thank god that's over!" he exclaimed, then walked over to the bookcase and picked out one of her favorite storybooks. Halfway through the story, Evelyn's eyes were shut, so Clyde carried her up the stairs, and Evelyn started to dream.

She saw her mother carrying her, and she heard her cries all around her, and her whole body was drenching wet, and there was blood.

So much blood.

As Clyde laid Evelyn in her bed, her body went stiff, and she opened her eyes with a look of terror, gripping the collar of his shirt tight, she screamed. Autumn hurried up the stairs before Clyde could even call her. Clyde was hunched over her with his hands on the bed, holding himself from falling forward. Autumn loosened Evelyn's grip she had on his shirt laying her arms to her side. "Evie! Evie, please come back to us." She just stayed there with her eyes fixed wide with her whole body shaking. Autumn, starting to panic, began patting her on the face, and Clyde ran to get a cold rag for her forehead.

She laid there for hours with her eyes fixed, not even blinking, and after a while, she stopped shaking, but her eyes stayed open and glazed, staring off into the distance.

Autumn laid next to her and Clyde sat in the rocking chair at the foot of the bed, it felt like the days when she was born after she came home from the hospital, they would stay there next to her crib watching her sleep every night. Clyde started nodding off, so Autumn told him to Go to sleep "I will call you if things change." "Are you sure, sweetheart?" "I'm sure, my dear." so he reluctantly went off to bed.

Autumn laid there, holding her little girl, begging her quietly to come back.

"Mama?" She said in a frightened voice. "Shhhhhh- don't say anything," her mother whispered after opening her eyes. Autumn knew they were no longer in bed. She found herself sitting upright on a wood floor with her legs extended out, and she felt her child lying in between her legs with her head on her lap. There was darkness all around them. "

Mama, I'm scared!"

The room was so dark Autumn couldn't make out where they were yet. She could feel the darkness swirling around them as she braced her hands on Evelyn's back, trying to protect her. Autumn asked her, "What's happening, Evie?" Evelyn responded with, "You're in my dreams." Pulling her close, she put her hand on the back of Evelyn's head. Her hair felt stringy and wet, and it seemed to cling to her fingers like a web. The darkness still swirling started to dissipate, and she saw glimpses of dim light coming through the half-moon window across the room, and at this point, she realized where they were.

Autumn then felt pain as if Evelyn was digging her nails into her legs. "No, Evie, stop! You're hurting me!" she screamed out. Autumn could feel the placement of her child's hands widen, and her fingers starting to