Short Story: Real or Nightmare

     Mandy looked at her hand, not her hand, but a child’s hand, she was eleven again. She was alone in her pajamas, she was standing against the wall in her apartment bedroom in the present, dark, low light, then the door open, fear, fear, fear, she sees her uncle walked in her room starring at a sleeping child in a small bed, her bed. Confused, her uncle walked over to the bed, suddenly reaching out and took hold of her tiny throat. Mandy’s eyes widen, her mind screamed, her soul gasped for breath, then as if she was not there, she opened her eyes to see her uncle above her, chocking her, she couldn’t screamed, but her mind yelled, ‘WAKE UP!’

      Mandy raised from her bed, not screaming but gasping for air, coughs and rolls over trying to breathe. She felt someone stirring in bed, she recognized the shadow, her lover, and she was here by her side asleep. Mandy slide out of bed onto the floor catching her breath, her dream was so real, it was like a memory, but it couldn’t be, confused she sat next to the bed on the floor and starred into the dark bedroom, wondered, was that real or just another nightmare?