The Dream.

“Mother, I’m pretty tired.”

“Oh wow, that’s an excuse!”

“No it’s not. It’s Friday night and I came home late from school and I just don’t feel like driving out late this night…I’m sorry-”

“No, don’t apologize.”

“I promise I’ll-”

“No. No promises either.”

I sigh uncomfortably and look at the clock. Its half past ten in the night and mother has just called me with the sad news.
She’s been calling all night, but I’ve just been busy. First, I had to wash the dishes. Then take out the garbage. Decide what I’ll wear tomorrow, although it’s Saturday and look over a few junk mail catalogues.

“Then tell him,” I start, “I’ll see him soon hopefully.”

“Yeah, well, let’s just hope so, Sabrina.” My mother tells me through gritted teeth.

I shake as she slams the phone shut, the sound ringing in my ear. I pull the phone away from me and safely set it down.

I stand there for a moment, debating whether or not to call her. To tell her I was taking the extra car and I’d be there in twenty minutes to see my dad.

Then I physically decided against it. I forced myself to pick up the empty bowl that resided next to me and make my way to the kitchen. I set the olive bowl on the kitchen counter and toss a bag of popcorn into the microwave.

AMC was having a classic horror Halloween marathon. Currently, The Shining was playing.

As the popcorn popped in the microwave I lounged around the kitchen, making my way to the window. I flick the curtain to the side and look out into the night, dressed with a stream of blue by the moonlight. I sigh again, suddenly on edge.

I turn away from the window and cross my arms over my chest, “It’s Halloween. Who knows what might be out there.”

“I should be inside.” I tell myself.

Dad wouldn’t even notice that I wasn’t at his bedside this time. Mom and the doctors tell me all the time that he’s always unconscious. He doesn’t even recognize that I’m his daughter anymore. I mean it hurts, but I just try not to think about it.
I’ve moved on.

When the microwave dings I jump, lost in my daze.
I cross the kitchen and take the bag out of the microwave, setting it inside the bowl. As I make my way back into the living room, I think about mom some more.
She’s so different.
She’s always there, at his side. Dad would be lucky if he saw me in person for father’s day instead of a hallmark card.
She calls me selfish and unforgiving…I try not to think of her words. I feel too guilty.
I decide to turn on the lamp light beside me, suddenly afraid of being in the dark.
As I open up my bag of popcorn, I watch the movie. I watch as Jack speaks to his son, his son sitting on his lap was listening.
Pretending to forget, I smile a bit and then laugh. Jack was so creepy.
For a second, I imagine what it would be like if Jack Torrance was my father. If he was around the house more often and not always in the hospital.
Despite what my mother thinks of me, I don’t wish for it.
Just as I lean back into the sofa, the doorbell rings.
I jump up. Mom’s been gone for hours and she just called not too long ago. It couldn’t be her. Everyone that lived around this neighborhood where mostly middle-aged adults or grandparents. No kids.
My brows furrow and I lower the volume on the television. I run a hand through my hair and secure the knot at my waist from my snuggly, light pink robe.
I near the door a bit, “Who is it?”
A hear a creak, but no answer.
I come closer, “Who’s there?”
Still, I get no answer.
Was I hearing things now?
I close the distance between me and the door and stand up on my tip-toes to look through the peep hole. There was no one on the porch.
Slowly, I unlock the door while looking through the peephole. I crouch down and peer outside.
I see no one.
I wasn’t sure if this was a prank, but I suddenly felt braver. I open the door even wider. And that was when it happened.
A gruff shout came from the side and I yelled too. I saw a shadow near me and frightened, I banged the door in the person’s face. The person skidded back onto my porch in fury.
I lock the door instantly and catch my breath.
“Oh my God,” I say to myself, “I’ve-I’ve got to call the police. Someone was trying to attack me-my life, it’s in danger. Oh God…my parents are going to kill me. No Keeping up with the Kardashians for a week.”
I hear a groan from outside and footsteps. My next thoughts are that this person could be hurt suddenly. If I called the police right now, I could turn out to be the murderer. I couldn’t do that; I wouldn’t be able to go to prom in a few months.
Shyly, I open the door and poke my head out.
The person was just beginning to get up. He turns and my mouth drops.
His nose was filled with blood as he covered it. Had I done that?
But that’s not why I was astonished.
Jack Torrance stood at my door.
“What the-?”
“You got a tissue or something that I could use. Or are you just going to stand there and gape at me all day?” He asked me wryly.
I fished in my pocket and pulled out a crumpled tissue.
I watched him fix up his bloody nose with the tissue and in the next instant the whole mess disappeared. His nose was fine again.
“I tell you, it feels worse than it looks!” He laughs.
He steps through my doorway and I stand back, “Well, Here’s Johnny!”
“Am-am I dreaming right now?” I utter.
He looks over my shoulder at the TV, “Oh, you didn’t get to that part. Well, forget it then. You are dreaming. What are you doing falling asleep during my movie, huh? Couldn’t wait until Mike Myers popped up on screen?”
“I-don’t know.”
“Figures.” He steps around me and into the kitchen.
I follow him, “Are you gonna…are you here to kill me or something? Or are you here to wake me up?”
“The second in a few minutes. You’re mother will call you again.”
“Oh, good, because I hate nightmares-wait, did you say my mom is going to call me again?”
“That’s right and when she does answer the phone this time and for christsakes go up to that lousy hospital and visit your old man for once.” He pulls out a plate of sugar cookies.
“Aren’t you supposed to be bloodied up or something like that?”
“What?” He says on a mouthful.
“You died in the movie, right?”
“Yeah, but not because someone killed me-I froze to death. If I showed up at your door like that you wouldn’t have invited me in-”
“Actually, you-”
“Besides, I don’t want to walk around freezing my tosh off all day. This is a 24 hour job, you know.” He makes his way to the couch.
“So, what are you? Some sort of ghost that hops into people’s dreams trying to change their minds on certain subjects.” I guess amused.
“Mhmm. That’s me.”
“Bring it.” I sneer.
“Well, Sabrina, there’s nothing much to bring. You know what you have to do. I’m just here to convince you not to be afraid about it.” He tells me casually.
I raise my chin up high in the air, “Oh yeah?”
“Correct-o-mundo, Sabrina. It’s understandable that you wouldn’t want to see your dad go through these last, painful few stages of dementia, but if you would go sometime you would hear him talk about you all the time.”
“Ma never told me that.”
“She’s burdened enough,” Jack mutters leisurely, “With losing her husband and you, there’s never a right path to keep everything intact. Sometimes, it’s just out of your hands.”
I look down and sigh. I didn’t know dad spoke of me all the time. I wonder what he says. If I showed up, he probably wouldn’t recognize me, but it would be nice to hear the stories he would mention. Their probably the same ones I keep close to my heart, too.
“I should’ve gone with the beige jacket Steven sent me. This red in the picture makes me look like I haven’t taken a shower in years.” Jack breaks my train of thought.
“I hate the fact that everyone’s coming down on me.” I frown.
“Boo-hoo, poor you.”
“I’m serious. I’m tired of everyone making me feel so guilty for the way I feel. It’s tough stuff to visit a man you look up to, your father, not the same anymore. I don’t want to remember him like that.” I defend myself.
“No, you don’t want to remember him at all,” Jack tells me the truth, “What do you say to the kids at school who makes fun of your father, Sabrina? Oh right, nothing. You’re ashamed of him. You just want him to go away. A small piece of you actually don’t want to remember him in that way, but the majority is otherwise.”
“You still can go see him, Sabrina.” He adds. “Let him be your dad again. Don’t let anyone take that away from you.”
And all of a sudden I knew what I was going to do as I watched Jack watch the television.
“Did anyone ever tell you you’re pretty bright for a psycho?” I ask him.
“It’s all in the same line.”
“You’ve got crumbs around your mouth.”
He looks up at me and smiles.
And then I’m no longer facing him. He’s no longer on my couch.
I was on the couch with the plate of cookies in my hands. My neck was twisted away from the TV, it ached a bit.
At the sound of a ring, it rises.
The phone, it was ringing.
I wiped my mouth of drool and crawl over to the cabinet to receive the call.
“Mom?”
“Sabrina? How’d you know it was me?”
I rise and look around the dark room, “Lucky guess.”
“Well, I’ve been calling you all day. How come you didn’t answer the phone?”
“I fell asleep. I’m sorry.”
“Well, I-I know, Sabrina, it’s Halloween and it’s a bit late and I’m not coming home for the night, but it would mean a lot to me if you joined me with your father. He just woke up.”
“…He did?”
“Yeah.” I could hear the smile in her voice.
“What’s he doing?”
“He’s eating dinner. I’ve got to go. He needs my help.”
“I-I’ll be right over then.” I rush to say suddenly.
“Thanks, Sabrina.”
Slowly, I pull the phone away from my ear and hang up. I walk across the room and to the front door, unlocking it and then opening it.
No one was there.
I look back at the TV.
My hand finds my pocket and I pull out a bloody tissue. Slowly, my eyes widen.
“What the-?”