I shut my books and turn off the light
Slip into the covers, sighing
The sheep turn into checklists as I close my eyes
Sliding into an uneasy sleep
The tap tap of my shoes against the hard pavement
Dilapidated apartment buildings in disarray
Paint peeling off the stairways, exposing the ugly black beneath
Suddenly, the scene fades
my feet are sinking into the ground
and lifeless trees reach out to me with their spindly fingers
a muddy swamp, orange like the color of vomit
slipping and sliding
its sucking me in
a slither
I hear it
Dark shapes that appear from nowhere
Lurking in the murky waters
I shiver and swallow
but my mouth is dry
They smell the fear and feast upon it
Crawling closer…closer
I’m trapped.
surrounded.
Great scaly backs
small treacherous eyes
the mouth that opens to swallow
the pointed teeth that smile at me
Frantic inside
the fear chokes me
But I can’t move.