by J. A. Areces
***
Late that evening, Jesse lay in his bed face up and wide-awake. He was exhausted, but afraid of falling asleep. He didn’t want to go through another nightmare, another near death experience. He repeatedly went over in his mind the day’s events, hoping to stay awake - - the return of the crystal ball; the death of the three people who also suffered from strange nightmares; the visit by the police chief; and the bizarre images and conversations in the crystal ball. Six wizards shrouded in long, dark robes concerned about a certain Lord Bane, who disappeared, or died, resulting in a vacancy in the group requiring a replacement. Very curious, he thought. Did this confirm the existence of the Secret Society of Seven Sorcerers that Beifar mentioned?
Jesse cleared his mind and focused on his breathing. He felt his fingers and all the way up to his shoulders. He could feel the areas that touched the bed, and those that did not. And then he felt his nose and nostrils. This is so cool, he thought to himself, and without noticing, he fell asleep.
Jesse heard a knock on the door. He was busy on his laptop taking orders. The sign on the door read CLOSED, and the blinds were pulled down. There was another knock. Jesse pushed away from the desk, and went to it. He didn’t want to, he tried fighting the urge, but he was already at the front door. Taking hold of the handle with one hand, he unlocked the door with the other. The bell swung and rang as he turned the knob. Slowly he opened the door. It was dark outside and a somber figure stood in the darkness. Jesse flicked on the lights to discover the same old man from his other bad dreams, in striped prison clothes. Jesse froze. Oh, no, he thought, I fell asleep! He desperately tried running away, but he couldn’t. His legs moved quickly, but he wasn’t going anywhere. The old man moved forward opening his mouth. His lips spread apart and his tongue dropped with his jaw. Jesse could feel a rush of warm, stale breath on his face. The mouth grew and grew, as Jesse lost himself inside of it. He felt everything tighten, his body pressing, his heart pounding. His head was being swallowed up. He yelled! But he didn’t wake up. Jesse panicked. He could only do one thing, yell. He repeatedly yelled hoping that someone might hear him and come to his aid. The pressure intensified as he felt his body being squeezed from all directions, his lungs compressed, his head ached, and his muscles tore. Jesse tried breathing. There was no air. His heart pounded. His last defense was to lash out at nothing. Jesse was about to die.
Jesse’s ears popped! The pressure disappeared as he franticly took a deep breath; his heart and body no longer in pain. The darkness faded and he woke up. The protective spell worked.
