1
I woke up sweating profusely. My breathing was hard. My eyes staring at the ceiling. I wanted to look around, to make sure I’m safe but my body wouldn’t move. It was as if I was stuck, as if I was in a trance. I took a deep breath as mom always told me to whenever I was troubled or scared, then with an effort I craned my neck to look around, there was nothing. The room was dark but I could see a little through the sunlight which was seeping through the window. Something glinted back at me from the floor, I leaned my head sideways, my spectacles exactly where I had dropped them last night. My Rubik’s cube at some distance from them, unsolved. The aluminium glass I had left was still upright on the floor in front of my table. My clothes as I had left them on the chair beside my bed, and my books lying right beside the chair as an amateur pyramid. There was no one in my room except for me and it was exactly as I had left it last night. A sense of relief swept through my body and I moved my legs a little. I had the same nightmare again. The one I hate the most. For someone who is 19 years old, having nightmares for no reason isn’t a very normal thing, at least I don’t think so, maybe some people would disagree. At the age of 19 boys get dreams, dreams of getting rich, dreams of having s*x, dreams of travelling the world with the love of their life, not dreams of their whole family murdered in their own very room while they were fast asleep. They wake up exuberant and cheerful not shaky and scared. I propped myself up on the bed , threw the blanket away and got up, took another deep breath and moved towards the curtains dodging all my belongings carefully sprawled on the floor. I pulled the dangling cord beside the switch panel and the curtains crisply gave way to a flood of sunlight. I stood there with my eyes closed not daring to open them against the invading light, a warmth circulated my body and the fear gradually ebbed away. I reached up with my hand and switched off the air conditioner then I turned around and started collecting all my stuff from the floor. It took me about an hour to pick up each and everything and arrange it as it should be. The books back on the shelf. The clothes folded neatly and inside the cupboard. The Rubik’s cube back on the table, alongside the aluminium glass and my squeaky balls back in their plastic bag. I looked around once and made sure everything was neat and tidy. Once done with my morning ritual I turned around and headed for the door. I pulled at the handle and realised it was bolted. That was the only moment every day when I was reminded of how unnecessary and stupid my thought process is. I shook my head and turned the lock, pulled the handle all the way and then walked out of the room. When the door is locked from the inside how can anyone enter the room?
