Fiction

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Rose’s breathing races faster than her legs can carry her along. She dodges into alleys and cuts through people’s yards, trying to lose the man who is chasing her. He seems like a mind reader, knowing her every move and each direction she’ll be turning. Although she runs as fast as she can he keeps gaining on her. Rose’s heart feels like it’s going to explode as she falls to the ground, exhausted. His hand reaches out to grab her. Echoing screams pierce the night air.

Awakening with a start Rose immediately begins to hyperventilate from fear that holds her in its grips. It’s
the fifth night in a row that she’s had the same awful nightmare. Afterwards it takes many hours for her to go back to sleep. Some nights she doesn’t dare to sleep at all, afraid the nightmare will return to hound her.

Her lack of sleep is beginning to show in her work. She’s always so tired she finds herself dozing off at her desk. Her boss caught her one day and shouted his warning, “Get on with the program or you’re out of here. We need people who will carry their weight, not those who sleep on the job and expect to get paid.” She didn’t explain the reason she was so tired. She knew he wouldn’t care.

Rose had heard somewhere that dreams have meanings, yet she couldn’t begin to imagine what this kind of a nightmare meant. If she had enough money she’d go to a dream therapist, but she’d been at this job less than six months and her insurance hadn’t kicked in yet. Besides she wasn’t sure it would cover that type of treatment. Maybe a shrink would be better, she thinks. Sometimes I sure feel like I’m going crazy.

******

“Hey Daisy, want to have lunch together? I really need to discuss something with you.”

“Sure thing, Rosie, girl. I was just heading that way. Let’s go!” After getting their lunch they move to a secluded table for privacy. “You don’t look so good. What’s on your mind, girl?” Daisy always calls everyone girl regardless of their age.

Of course hardly anyone guesses that I’m already 40! At least I have one thing going for me. Rose thinks. She tells Daisy about the horrible dreams she’s been having.

“That’s really something to deal with, Rosie. I’d suggest you go to the library to use one of their computers if you don’t have one of your own. You’ll be surprised at what you’re able to find by using ‘google’. The best of luck to you, girl.”

All Rose can think about the rest of the day at work is going to the library to search the web. She has a computer on lay-a-way, but she has a few payments left to make. It’s what happens when she keeps moving from city to city and job to job.

Well, Daisy’s right about finding lots of information on the web, she thinks as more and more dream sites pop up. Now to wade through them to find something that may help me. Oh, here’s something interesting. She reads aloud, "Recurring chase dreams oftentimes represent avoiding difficult emotions, situations, or feelings." Hmm, interesting. I wonder what else I can find?

The next time Rose checks the clock it’s almost 7:00 p.m. She’s completely forgotten about dinner and her rebelling stomach is growling its discontent. Quickly she gathers the information she’s printed to take home with her where she can relax and study it more thoroughly. After eating a quick T.V. dinner she settles down to read over the pages of information.

She reads aloud, "A major cause of nightmares is anxiety or stress. You need to be aware of your waking life to figure out what you’re running from or if you’re avoiding something by not confronting it’. Well, that’s sure food for thought. Hmmm, here’s something else that's interesting. "You can feel imprisoned by a situation or an obligation and run away instead of facing a difficult situation. You can actually project your own feelings unto this unknown pursuer. The chaser can also represent a part of yourself and your emotions. Chase dreams can manifest from your response to physical threats, anxiety, or pressure in real life. They represent the way you cope with fears and stress. You may be filled with anger or have some kind of self-destructive behavior and dreams are one way of calling attention to these actions." I sure didn’t realize all of these things. Rose continues reading. “When you’re being chased turn around and confront your pursuer.” It looks like I’d better get busy finding out what’s bothering me so much that I’m having these awful nightmares.

Rose falls asleep that night thinking about what she's learned about dreams. She wonders, What haven't I faced in my life that could be causing bad dreams? For once she sleeps peacefully, awakening the next morning feeling rejuvenated and happy.

At lunch that day she tells Daisy about the cause and effect of nightmares. “Of course this is just the beginning. Now the real work starts when I search for things from my past that are bothering me, so I can learn to face them. I’ve always been the kind to sweep things under a rug, so to speak, or I tend to hide my head like an ostrich thinking if I don’t see things around me I’m safe.”

“Good thinking, Rosie girl. Now go catch a dream instead of letting it chase you and scare you silly! I know you’ve got it in you to conquer this!”

“Thanks for your confidence. You’re a real friend!” Rose thinks, As a matter of fact, you’re the only friend I’ve allowed myself to have.

That night, after dinner, Rose digs out her picture albums that she’d buried way in the back of the closet so she wouldn’t be reminded of her past. The first album shows her as toddler. With each page thereafter, another part of her life is revealed. She watches herself growing up through the pages of photos. These are the ones Dad shot on our trip to Canada. For someone who loved to take pictures, as much as he did, he wasn’t very good at it, she smiles reminiscing. It’s just like dad to hold the camera so low he always chopped off part of everyone’s heads. She continues looking at all of the pictures in that album, then starts on another one. Seeing more pictures of her parents, tears well up and overflow from her eyes. She didn’t realized, until now, how much she’s misses them. Mom died first and a few months later dad followed as he wasn't able to live without her. Being an only child it had been hard on Rose. She didn’t really have anyone else to depend on. Now she ponders, I wonder if that has anything to do with my nightmares?

The next album shows her highschool friends including her first boyfriends. She takes out the last album with trepidation, dreading to look at it. She’s tried so hard to push the memories, of those recorded pages, deep inside of herself. She opens the first page showing pictures of Steve when they had first met in college. Each page shows the growth of their relationship from dating, falling in love, and getting engaged. She stares at their wedding pictures, caressing his smiling face. Suddenly all her pent up buried feelings explode as racking sobs overtake her causing her body to convulse. By the time her tears subside she is weak, but strangely feeling better. It's time to face the awful day Steve rushed off to work without as much as a backward glance or a good-bye. We’d never left each other without sharing a hug, a kiss, and the words... ‘I love you’ until then.

Rose was at work the day the police officer came to explain that her husband, Steve had been killed in a head-on-hit-and-run collision. He told her, "He died instantly. He probably didn't even know what hit him. We found these flowers in the seat next to him. They have your name on them." Rose opened the box which held her favorite burgundy roses. Then she noticing the card she read it. It simply stated, ‘To my lovely wife, the love of my life. To commemorate our first anniversary and my happiest year ever’. Buried beneath the roses was another card and a small box. The card said: This diamond ring is to replace the tiny one I could only afford to buy you when we were in college. It reminds me of your beautiful sparkling eyes. I love you, now and forever. Steve’ The police officer went on to tell her that they’d found the plane stub showing he had just returned home that day. He had gone on a three day business trip on the last day she’d seen him.

Oh, my darling Steve. I love you more than words can say. Why oh why did you go away? Rose sobs as she thinks of her lost love. Still, with her tears comes the beginning of her healing.

******

Rose’s breathing races faster than her legs can carry her along. She dodges into alleys and cuts through people’s yards, trying to lose the man who is chasing her. He seems like a mind reader, knowing her every move and each direction she’ll be turning. Although she runs as fast as she can he keeps gaining on her. Rose’s heart feels like it’s going to explode as she falls to the ground, exhausted.

He keeps running towards her. Fear overtakes her as she quivers prostrate on the ground. She knows this time she is not going to escape. Her heart pounds rapidly and she’s certain she’s going to pass out. Then someone is touching her and familiar voice is calling out, “Baby doll.” Rose turns to look in the direction of the voice. Steve is gazing down at her, then he kneels, takes her in his arms and smothers her face with kisses. “Finally I’ve caught up with you, my love. I had to see you and hold you one last time. Now I will be able to rest in peace!”

“Oh, my darling, If I’d known you were my dream chaser I wouldn’t have be so afraid!” Rose tells him as she watches him float into the light.

The shrilling alarm awakens Rose. A smile covers her face. “Oh, what a beautiful dream. Thank you, Lord. Finally the nightmares are gone.”

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