The Dark Side of Dreams

Something dripped continually from the ceiling staining everything it touched. Hawthorn woke with a start sitting straight up in bed. He frantically looked at the sheets and then at the ceiling. Even with the dim light that found its way through the drawn curtain he could see that there was nothing. With a sigh of relief he climbed out of bed still pondering the nightmare he had just taken part in. Thinking back through his dream he realized it was not water or dye that had trickled down, but blood. Even more uneasy he quickly opened the curtain to let in some natural light from the clear Rio de Janeiro sky.

Hawthorn, a sophomore at the University of Phoenix, vacationing in Rio for the Olympics, found himself flustered after the first night of his stay. He had a slender build and stood no more then five foot six, with light brown hair, and eyes that were blue like the clear Caribbean Ocean, partly blocked by the glasses he wore. Vacationing alone was not his idea but after finding no one interested in his adventure he decided to go alone. Lacking no self- confidence and fearing nothing he began saving for this once in a life time experience. 2016 came and he set off for the opening ceremony. The dream the night before puzzled him. He could not remember a dream feeling so real, nor had one ever frightened him. He could not figure out why it scared him so much.

After sight seeing for the day and trying many of the local cuisines, Hawthorn realized   the trip would indeed have been more pleasurable with a companion. Finally the time for the ceremony came. It was a splendid event with Brazilian dancers in bright colored dresses and the different countries in their festive outfits. By the time the ceremony ended, the clock on his phone read 1:00 A.M. Leaving the Olympic grounds, he took a deep breath satisfied at what he had witnessed. By the time Hawthorn arrived at his hotel the clock had passed 2:00 A.M. Too tired to think about the odd dream the night before, he laid down hoping for a refreshing night sleep. Again the dream came. More real this time, he began to sweat as the blood dripped onto him and his bed. Yet again he woke in the early morning finding nothing to be alarmed about.