In Loving Memory
I shook my head and looked away from the car outside. Whether there was someone there or not, staring at it was not going to help the situation any. I pulled the curtains across the windows and went upstairs to get my baseball bat, just as a precaution. I was probably imagining things, but on the off chance I wasn’t, I needed to be able to defend myself properly. I carried it down the stairs and lay it next to the pillow and blanket fort I had constructed on the couch in the living room. All that remained now was to choose a movie that would make my heart stop racing, something that would calm me down and make me laugh. We had tons of movies, so I wasn’t really worried about that, but choosing just one could turn into a chore. After many minutes’ contemplation, I chose Austin Powers - the perfect movie to distract you from reality and make you laugh. I popped the movie in the DVD player and snuggled back into the fort, lugging my popcorn bowl behind me, grabbed the remote, turning the sound up as far as I could while still feeling like I could here creaks in the house. Wow, you really need to calm down, I thought. This particular dream seemed to be affecting me more severely than most, for no particular reason. Maybe all the events of the day had piled up and just made everything have that much more of an impact on my psyche. The movie started, and I willed my mind to let go, sit back, relax, and enjoy the ride.
After about 15 minutes, I realized that while I knew what was going on, I really wasn't paying much attention to the movie itself. I had seen it so many times that it didn't hold my attention as much as I thought initially, and my mind still seemed to be going off to weird places, where I was being followed by people who were torturing my friends to get to me. I shook my head again and closed my eyes, massaging my temples. I really needed to calm myself down, and I forced my eyes to the TV screen, blocking my peripherals with my hands, vowing that the only reason I would move one was to grab a handful of popcorn. It wasn't a very comfortable position, admittedly, but it did work well. There was nothing I could distract myself with, and I was able to sit and enjoy.
Some time later, after I had finished the entire bowl of popcorn, and was just thinking about getting up for some water for my now salty and dry throat, I heard a scratching at the door. My common sense went out the window, as did my previous calm, and I bent down to grip the baseball bat. A million horror movie scenes jammed themselves into my head, causing my brain to jam. Whoever this mysterious shadowy figure in the car outside happened to be, he was obviously some sort of creep, and I would do anything within my ability to keep him from kidnapping or killing me. I snuck as quietly as I could through the living room and out into the hall, hugging one wall and sneaking up behind the door. I heard strange clicking noises, and then the knob began turning. I tightened my grip and steeled myself for what was to come. It was probably not going to be pretty, but horror movies rarely are.
The door slowly creaked open, and I slipped into the shadow it created, waiting patiently.
After about 15 minutes, I realized that while I knew what was going on, I really wasn't paying much attention to the movie itself. I had seen it so many times that it didn't hold my attention as much as I thought initially, and my mind still seemed to be going off to weird places, where I was being followed by people who were torturing my friends to get to me. I shook my head again and closed my eyes, massaging my temples. I really needed to calm myself down, and I forced my eyes to the TV screen, blocking my peripherals with my hands, vowing that the only reason I would move one was to grab a handful of popcorn. It wasn't a very comfortable position, admittedly, but it did work well. There was nothing I could distract myself with, and I was able to sit and enjoy.
Some time later, after I had finished the entire bowl of popcorn, and was just thinking about getting up for some water for my now salty and dry throat, I heard a scratching at the door. My common sense went out the window, as did my previous calm, and I bent down to grip the baseball bat. A million horror movie scenes jammed themselves into my head, causing my brain to jam. Whoever this mysterious shadowy figure in the car outside happened to be, he was obviously some sort of creep, and I would do anything within my ability to keep him from kidnapping or killing me. I snuck as quietly as I could through the living room and out into the hall, hugging one wall and sneaking up behind the door. I heard strange clicking noises, and then the knob began turning. I tightened my grip and steeled myself for what was to come. It was probably not going to be pretty, but horror movies rarely are.
The door slowly creaked open, and I slipped into the shadow it created, waiting patiently.