The Strangest Dream (part 18)

On this black mass, as it soaked into the corner of the wall, then paused. It's neck quickly extended its head across the room close to Autumn's face to take one last whiff of her before dissipating back into the corner fading away. "I'm sorry mama, I'm sorry mama," Evelyn cried while caressing Autumn's face with her little hands but Autumn didn't have any words, she just sat there shaking.

Evelyn started to pull her mother's arm, "Mama, we have to go!" She grabbed her mother's hand and dragged her to the attic stairs, cautiously walking her down the hall to her room. "We will be safe inside here." Evelyn took Autumn to her closet, and they both hid in there behind her clothes. She held her mother's shaking body most of that night, praying that they would wake up soon.

When Evelyn opened her eyes, she saw her mother still sleeping in bed beside her. She knew that this was a dream she could not share with her. "Mama?" She put her little hand gently on Autumn's cheek. "Wake up, mama." Autumn jolted up, looking around the room with terror in her eyes, then grabbed her daughter tight, pulling her back onto the bed. "You're squishing me," Evelyn told her while nervously laughing.

She could feel her mom tremble. "What's wrong, mama?" Autumn got real close to her face and whispered: "Is it here?" Evelyn didn't know why she was saying this. "Is what here?" she asked her. "That thing! That thing in the attic. Is it here? And where is your father?" looking around the room with fear in her eyes. "Daddy's at work, don't you remember?" None of this wasn't making any sense to her. That thing is only in HER dreams, she thought, how does my mother know? Was she there with me? Pulling back the covers, she looked for blood on her mother's legs.

Evelyn saw her mother was shaken up by this. Still, in the back of her mind she somehow felt validation, Evelyn started to move off the bed knocking her brush off the nightstand that made her mother scream and jump, Evelyn leaned down to pick it up, but when she looked at her still curled up in her bed, she looked wild. "It was just a bad dream, you're safe now," Evelyn told her. "Is this what you see every night when you sleep, Evie?"

Evelyn just stood there looking at her "I see things Mama, but they are just bad dreams." Then she turned around and went downstairs, leaving Autumn laying there. Autumn cried. She felt helpless and confused as to why Evelyn just brushed it off like it never happened, and in her mind, she wondered if it indeed did happen and if she shared the same nightmare with her daughter.

For the rest of the day, they didn't speak about their experiences, which was odd, because Evelyn always shared her dreams with her mother.

Later that morning, Autumn was putting away the dishes from breakfast, and Evelyn was doing her lessons when all of a sudden, she threw up in the sink. "Oh my gosh, I'm sorry!" cleaning up her mess. "I don't know why that happened." As the day went on, Autumn couldn't shake feeling uneasiness, nausea, and fatigue. Thinking that if she could just lay down for a bit, she would feel better, so Evelyn played in the living room while she laid on the couch. "Mama, did it hurt you?" Evelyn asked her.

Autumn propped herself up and looked at her, hoping for answers, "Did what hurt me?" She replied, "I don't like that moon room." Autumn then sat up. "You were there with me, weren't you?" "Yes, mama, don't worry, I am right here." then she started humming to her doll, "Holly is my favorite."

Clyde came home early "There are my girls!" "Daddy!" He came over and kissed them both and sat on the edge of the couch "Are you feeling alright?"

Autumn went on to tell him that she was feeling a little under the weather and felt like she needed to lie down. Clyde stood up to put his coat away and chuckled as he was walking over there. "What's so funny, Clyde?" Autumn asked, "Well, for a moment there, I thought you were going to say you were pregnant."