Sweet Dreams Are NOT Made Of This.

Scene:

A country estate somewhere in the UK Perhaps this one...

image from here

The grounds are set up for a function; marquees and trestle tables.

I am dressed in black and white, with a waistcoat and tie. I am ready to serve guests at this swanky affair.

I stand by a white cloth-covered table, joking with my nameless friends. The table is set with all sorts of silver cutlery, serving spoons and jugs. Crystal glasses twinkle in the candlelight.

*shift*

I am running through a garden maze in the dark. It must be on the estate grounds somewhere.

image via here

I am terrified. My breath is coming out in white puffs because it's so cold. My heart is pounding in my chest.

I am being chased by something, I can hear it just behind me. Just around the last corner. It is getting closer.

I wake up. 

This it the recurrent nightmare I had from about the age of 7 to 15. It never changed, not one iota. The creature chasing me was definitely a werewolf. I woke in terror as a child, and needed to see my mother, but would be unable to get out of bed because the werewolf was underneath it. As I got older, I found I was able to leap from my bed to the doorway of my bedroom, thus avoiding the grabbing paws from under my bed. But then I had to make it to my parent's room at the other end of the house. I would creep through the family room, past the kitchen and then stop at the entrance to the hallway which led to my parent's room. This hallway was open on one side to the formal living room. It was the toughest part of the journey. I would hesitate before the long hall for what felt like hours, until I found the strength to race on my toes to mum's bedside.

Eventually I was able to resettle myself. I found that my teddybear was just the right size to cover the exposed skin on my neck, protecting it from possible vampire bites. 

Sorted.

Even the word 'nightmare' reminds me of my childhood dreams. It's interesting that I can remember every frame, as if it was a movie. This is an interesting article about why we have nightmares.

I don't have this dream anymore, though of course I still have nightmares from time to time. Poppet has been having a spate of bad dreams lately, who can blame her! Everything is unsettled and a little crazy in her life as we wait for those blessed documents from Services Canada. We are pushing things close to the limit at the moment, but we firmly believe that change is a good thing. Character building and all that.

image via pinterest

Poppet has always had a bedroom close to ours, I guess because she's an only child. That will certainly make her nighttime journeys for solace easier than mine. 

Of course, I usually end up going to her. I've always found her mattress pretty comfortable anyway.

Does a particular dream from childhood still haunt you? I'd love you to share.

J.