by Erin Botelho

Created on: September 16, 2008

Have you ever been afraid of the dark? Most of us have at one time in our lives. Of course it's not really the dark that scares us, but what's hiding in the dark. Knowing that an unseen stalker is patiently waiting in the shadows to grab you when you least expect it. The very thought, can scare the bravest of people. Most of us out grow our fears when we realize that our visions of terror were nothing more than a nightmare. Mom or dad come to the rescue and show us there is nothing there and we fall back into a peaceful slumber.

Sometimes however, there really is something waiting for you in the dark. Sometimes sleep is nothing more than a dream itself. Because sometimes your dreams remind you of something in your life that you've tried to forget. An omen,memory or fear. A dream can reach into the deepest, darkest of places in your mind and pull out the most horrifying of images.
My dreams are always the same. It's dark outside, with just a hint of moonlight. I'm standing in front of a pitch black ocean. I know something very important is in the water. I'm scared to go in, but the urge to find what I need pushes me onward. Fear washes over me like the black waves that lap against my thighs. I search through the black water, feeling desperately with my hands. My instincts tell me something deadly is approaching. In the corner of my eye, I think I see a sharks fin glistening in the moonlight. I turn to get a better look but all I see is black water. I give one last frantic attempt to find what I am looking for before I turn to head back towards the safety of the shore. As I push through the water I feel something brush against my leg. I want to scream but sheer panic tightens my throat. I push harder the with the feeling of a horrific death upon me like the mist from the ocean, surrounding my body with no escape. Before I can reach the shore, a hand reaches up out of the water, grabbing me by shirt and pulls me under. I struggle to break free desperate for air. I feel icy hands clasp over my throat with a grip as tight as a vice. As I feel the life start to slip from me, I try to see who has me in that deadly grip, but all I can see is blackness.
I wake up gasping for breath and paralyzed with fear. As I calm myself, I realize I won't be falling asleep again for the rest of the night. I then roll over with panic to switch on the light. I try to read to take my mind off of those frightening images but it is no use. The nightmare plays over and over in my mind. As the dream begins to fade, something more frightening takes its place. The knowledge he is out there and closer than I can imagine. Waiting for me like a serpent about to strike. As I finally begin to doze off, the sun starts to peak through the window. I hate the dark. Well, like I said, it's not the dark I hate, but what is waiting for me in the shadows.

Learn more about this author, Erin Botelho.
Click here to send this author comments or questions.