15 Night Terror

Three a.m.
Darkness permeates every inch of the room.
The only sound comes from the snore of a lazy hound.
My body had longed for sleep and got it.
The mind–
not so quiet.
Strange dreams of people I have never met,
Places I have never encountered,
Colors mixing together wildly,
Heart pounding in response to unknown threats.
And then,
it happens.
A slow creak heralds the arrival of a shadowy figure.
Edges blur without recognition
Nothing is clear anymore.
Slowly and quietly, it creeps across the floor
until it reaches its destination–
It lingers for a beat, as if unsure of its purpose.
And then, with great certainty,
it leaps,
Landing solidly beside me.
Shrieking loudly,
Enough to bring terror to any soul
Its slinking black liquid form
curls up beside me.
My reluctant self unable to pry my lids and mind open,
Until, with a jolt, heart-pounding all the while–
I see the shape of my protector,
And realize I was never asleep at all.