Nightmare

Amber slept fitfully, her mind caught in a dream that was more nightmare than fantasy. She dreamed of her mother, but all she could see was darkness around her. She could hear her mother's cries, but couldn't see her face. The tears streamed down her own face as she tried to call out to her, but her words got stuck in her throat. The darkness seemed to close in around her, the air feeling thick and heavy, oppressive in its closeness.

She struggled to move, but the darkness was all-encompassing, leaving her blind and helpless. She called out, her voice thick with desperation, her mother's name falling from her lips like a plea. "Mama," she cried, "Mama, please, where are you? I can't see you!" The only response was the sound of her mother's inconsolable crying, echoing through the darkness in a mournful lament.