Haunted By Ghosts

Insanity

I was walking down a long and dark alley when suddenly, an awfully distorted creature rushed out of its hiding place. The figure seemed extremely familiar but I couldn't distinguish it's face in the obscurity of the night. All I could see were little pits all over its flesh, as if it had take an acid bath. A few seconds after, all the lights in the street lighted on and I finally discovered the monster's identity. I screamed.

"Wake up! Wake up!" a voice shouted from above me.

Jerking awake, I saw my father looming over me. I screamed again.
I really thought I could do it, pretend everything was okay. But now that I'm facing my greatest fears, I'm not so sure about it.

"What are you doing here ?!" I yelled, still shocked from my dream and from seeing him in front of me. He took a step back when he saw the horror on my face.

" I just thought I'd come and see you. It's been a while." He said calmly, sitting at the foot of my bed.

"Not long enough." I said, feeling tears pooling in my eyes. "I told you already, I don't want to see you. It hurts me too much and it's worst every time."

A loud knocking on the door startled us both. Mom was finally coming to check in on me. He will finally go away for a while.

"I needed you to know that..." he started desperately. But before he could finish, he was interrupted by the door opening and my mom rushing in.

"Heidi! Heidi!" she cried. "I heard you scream. I came as soon as I could but I couldn't find the light switch in the hallway."

"Mom, I'm fine." I explained, not believing her excuse. "I just had a nightmare" I lied.

My mother mustn't know it happened again, she would send me to the nuthouse. The first time it happened, she said I had a really realistic nightmare. I couldn't blame her seeing the circumstances. The second time, she began to worry about my sanity. The third time, she went on for hours about sending me to a psychiatrist, until I finally managed to convince her I was alright and that it wouldn't happen again. Since then -it started 10 years ago- I only pretended nothing was happening.

"I heard you talk when I was getting near your door" she said disapprovinlgy. "Did you have another episode ?"

At first, I couldn't read the expression on her face. But after a moment, I realised it was fear. Was she afraid FOR me or OF me ?

"Mom, please, you know it didn't happen for years. Why would it now ? Plus, nightmares don't mean I'm crazy." I tried to convince her.

I thought it would work until, "Don't you dare lying to me ! I can see the madness all over your face !" she exclamed. "You always looked like this when you had those episodes of yours ! I can't keep you here !" I could hear regret dripping from her voice.

That's it, I was going to the loony bin or something.
Well, at least it was pretty funny how she thought she knew every time I have my 'episodes', as she calls it, when she only discovered tonight what I've been hiding from her for years. She always did that, thinking she knew everything about me when she really only knew my name and my shoe size. But she was my mother, it's what she's expected to think.

"What do you mean by you 'can't keep me here' ?" I said, almost crying but keeping my tears in. "Nothing happened tonight, I already told you that !" I was lying blatantly but I didn't care. I couldn't let her send me away.

"He came to 'visit' you, didn't he ?" she spat. Before I could act stupid, she continued. "Your father came to see you in this head of yours. I can't believe you're still believing this nonsense ! He will never come to see you again ! He is dead ! Why can't you understand that ?"

This time I couldn't help the tears from falling, and apparently, neither could she.
My father was a sensitive subject despite all the years that had pass since he died.