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Dancing in the Moonlight

It was always the same when the nightmares came. It was always the same routine. The door to my bedroom would open, revealing a narrow sliver of light that would crawl up my carpet and slide onto the duvet. A pair of lamp like eyes would shine through the darkness, searching. Slamming the door shut, the soft rhythmical pad of footsteps would draw ever closer to my bed, ever closer to my haven. Then, silence, the footsteps left hanging in the air. A clammy cold hand would then encircle mine, gripping on for dear life. I would close my eyes, hoping to shut out the outside world, but one word would doom my efforts to failure,
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With an inaudible sigh, I would lift her bodily onto the bed and embrace her tightly so that no one could harm her, so that I could protect her. A trembling girl would then look up at me and tell me what was wrong. I could do nothing else but look into her eyes and tell her that everything was alright,

‘You’re safe. Nothing will hurt you, not ever. Not when I’m here. Now, close your eyes. Can you remember what we are doing?’

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‘That’s right, dancing. Where are we dancing?’

‘In the middle of town, but we’re all alone so no one can see us. The moon is watching over us but he doesn’t mind. We dance and dance, ‘till the sun comes up and the dreams disappear.’

‘You’re right, darling. Just keep dancing and let the dreams fly away.’

This would be the routine that would occur for up to a month at a time, and I wasn’t sure whether it was the insomnia or my daughter, but I soon found her dreams seeping into my mind. It was always the same. A shadow at the window. A man, solid and solitary, just waiting. Waiting for her. Waiting for me. Sometimes, in my desperate bid for sleep, when I turned over, I could swear that there was a dark shape at the window, silhouetted by the moonlight. It could just have been the old apple tree, but there was always something nagging at the back of my mind. Often, stricken with fear, I resorted to what technique I used with my daughter. I would close my eyes and imagine us dancing, under the thoughtful observation of the moon. Nothing could hurt us there. Nothing.

Day brought back the glorious sun and a much needed normality into our lives. I was reassured with the knowledge that she could escape the nightmares at school, something that was almost impossible as soon as night fell. However, such escape was not possible for me as I found myself racked with guilt and worry, clutching at my every pore, second guessing each move I made. I did think to check the old apple tree to gain some much needed insight, however, to no avail.

It was late at night and after putting her to bed, I lounged on the couch watching television. The noise emanating from the small screen was loud and brash, and even though I was exhausted, I felt terrified to go to bed. However, I finally plucked up the courage and made my way to the bedroom, tearing my eyes away from the screen. Clutching my cup of tea desperately I walked down the hall then at last through the door. Yet again, there was a silhouette at my window. Telling myself it was just the same old tree, I got ready for bed. For reassurance, I took one last stare at the window. It was gone. I shut my eyes, cramming them closed and then open again. Nothing.

My stomach lurched and I burst out of the doorway and raced down the hall. I had to make sure. Twisting the doorknob, I opened the door to her bedroom. The very same shadow was at her window, staying perfectly still, leering in. The strong moon created long shadows that fell across the carpet, creeping towards her. ‘No’ I thought, ‘you can get at me but you cannot get at her.’

In a sudden moment of rash thought, I knelt down and started shaking her gently, ‘Come on darling, you have to get up.’

She yawned, moaned and sat up very straight, her eyes dilating in the half darkness,

‘Where is he?’

‘Nowhere, darling’

‘He’s here, isn’t he? You saw him too!’

‘I just need you awake. We need to go somewhere.’

The only place to go was the car. We had to get out. I picked her up and held her close,

‘Listen, darling, we need to go away for a while. Don’t ask questions, just trust me.’

Out of the corner of my eye, I could already see the silhouette moving. We had no time. I dashed with her in my arms to the front door, but to my horror, I saw a looming shadow mounting the steps. Kneeling down, I looked straight into her eyes,

‘I need you to be brave. Can you do that for me?’ she nodded, ‘Now, what are we doing? We’re dancing, always dancing where no one can see us.’

She screwed her eyes shut,‘¶Ù²¹²Ô³¦¾±²Ô²µÃ¢Â€Äô

‘Yes, just keep dancing and everything will be alright.’