The Interpretation of Dreams
Title: The Interpretation of Dreams
Fandom: Heroes
Rating/Genre: g/gen
Characters: Angela & Alice Shaw, and their father
Summary: Young Angela sees a book in her dad’s bookshelf. Does it have the answers she’s looking for?
Word count: 595
Spoilers/Warnings: No.
Notes: For oneshot challenge # 28 (Sigmund Freud) at heroes_contest.
Her first reactions when she found the book in her father’s bookshelf were relief and excitement. If she had known that answers were so close at hand…
‘The Interpretation of Dreams’, she read, by Sigmund Freud… Angela had heard that name. Freud, yes, this had to be real, not just some fortune cookie mumbo jumbo.
If only she knew why she always had those nightmares, if she could understand them, then maybe she could make them go away.
The book was heavy in her hands, and dusty as if her dad hadn’t read it in years. Angela held it, looking at the cover, almost hesitant to open it.
“Angela, what are you doing in here?”
The voice of her little sister startled her. She almost dropped the book, and she turned around swiftly.
“You know what dad says about taking books from here without permission.”
Angela sighed, sometimes thinking her sister unbelievably trying because of her submissiveness.
“That’s because he’s afraid we’ll read something ‘inappropriate for children’… But unlike you, I’m not a child anymore, and besides, this is just a book about dreams.”
Alice eyed her suspiciously before opening her mouth, filling her lungs with air.
“Dad! Daaad, Angela is in your room!”
“And where do you think you are?”, Angela snapped, clutching the book to her chest.
Alice took two steps back and when she was on the other side of the door, she made a face at her sister, who merely rolled her eyes in return.
The girls’ father came running, asking them what the problem was, and Alice immediately explained the situation.
“Really, Alice,” he said, “you shout like you were deadly wounded.”
Instead of chasing the girls out of the room full of books - usually it was Alice and not Angela who wanted to take a closer look on them, but she never got to choose freely - he joined his oldest daughter in there and asked her which book she was holding on to.
Angela showed the book to her father and explained why she wanted it.
He didn’t say anything for a while, he just looked at her as if he had some bad news to tell but didn’t know how to break them to her.
“Angela,” he said at last, taking the book from her, “I’m sorry, sweetie, but I’m not sure Sigmund Freud has the answer. I know that your nightmares keep tormenting you and your mother and I hate to see you like this. We can’t help you…”
He put the book back on its shelf and took both her hands in his, making her look into his eyes.
“But don’t worry. We have found someone who can help you, a doctor Suresh, and we have arranged for you to go and see him…”
Alice gasped, rushed into the room and flung her arms around her father’s waist.
“Oh, no, dad, are you going to send her away somewhere? You can’t, you can’t!”
“Hush, child, take it easy!” He pulled both girls in for a hug. “She won’t go to doctor Suresh alone, we’ll go with her. It will be like a summer camp for you, it’s a place where they help people with… unusual problems and conditions, like nightmares that won’t go away.”
Angela thought about it - a camp full of doctors? But anything to make the nightmares stop.
“Okay, dad,” she said, “thank you.”
Doctor Suresh. Did that person know the answers she was waiting for? Maybe. But it would have been easier if she could have just read about it in a book.
Fandom: Heroes
Rating/Genre: g/gen
Characters: Angela & Alice Shaw, and their father
Summary: Young Angela sees a book in her dad’s bookshelf. Does it have the answers she’s looking for?
Word count: 595
Spoilers/Warnings: No.
Notes: For oneshot challenge # 28 (Sigmund Freud) at heroes_contest.
Her first reactions when she found the book in her father’s bookshelf were relief and excitement. If she had known that answers were so close at hand…
‘The Interpretation of Dreams’, she read, by Sigmund Freud… Angela had heard that name. Freud, yes, this had to be real, not just some fortune cookie mumbo jumbo.
If only she knew why she always had those nightmares, if she could understand them, then maybe she could make them go away.
The book was heavy in her hands, and dusty as if her dad hadn’t read it in years. Angela held it, looking at the cover, almost hesitant to open it.
“Angela, what are you doing in here?”
The voice of her little sister startled her. She almost dropped the book, and she turned around swiftly.
“You know what dad says about taking books from here without permission.”
Angela sighed, sometimes thinking her sister unbelievably trying because of her submissiveness.
“That’s because he’s afraid we’ll read something ‘inappropriate for children’… But unlike you, I’m not a child anymore, and besides, this is just a book about dreams.”
Alice eyed her suspiciously before opening her mouth, filling her lungs with air.
“Dad! Daaad, Angela is in your room!”
“And where do you think you are?”, Angela snapped, clutching the book to her chest.
Alice took two steps back and when she was on the other side of the door, she made a face at her sister, who merely rolled her eyes in return.
The girls’ father came running, asking them what the problem was, and Alice immediately explained the situation.
“Really, Alice,” he said, “you shout like you were deadly wounded.”
Instead of chasing the girls out of the room full of books - usually it was Alice and not Angela who wanted to take a closer look on them, but she never got to choose freely - he joined his oldest daughter in there and asked her which book she was holding on to.
Angela showed the book to her father and explained why she wanted it.
He didn’t say anything for a while, he just looked at her as if he had some bad news to tell but didn’t know how to break them to her.
“Angela,” he said at last, taking the book from her, “I’m sorry, sweetie, but I’m not sure Sigmund Freud has the answer. I know that your nightmares keep tormenting you and your mother and I hate to see you like this. We can’t help you…”
He put the book back on its shelf and took both her hands in his, making her look into his eyes.
“But don’t worry. We have found someone who can help you, a doctor Suresh, and we have arranged for you to go and see him…”
Alice gasped, rushed into the room and flung her arms around her father’s waist.
“Oh, no, dad, are you going to send her away somewhere? You can’t, you can’t!”
“Hush, child, take it easy!” He pulled both girls in for a hug. “She won’t go to doctor Suresh alone, we’ll go with her. It will be like a summer camp for you, it’s a place where they help people with… unusual problems and conditions, like nightmares that won’t go away.”
Angela thought about it - a camp full of doctors? But anything to make the nightmares stop.
“Okay, dad,” she said, “thank you.”
Doctor Suresh. Did that person know the answers she was waiting for? Maybe. But it would have been easier if she could have just read about it in a book.