Lost and cold I look around,
but I see nothing
of my surroundings.
All is dark,
black,
for a moment,
I fear I am blind,
but I can see myself,
if nothing else.
I listen,
in hope I will hear
anything
to give me an idea where I am.
There is nothing to hear
except for my own
rapid breathing.
No,
wait,
there is something faint,
a sibilant hissing,
almost
but not quite words.
A cold wind blows
bringing a shiver out of me.
I must be outside,
although I can still see nothing
but myself.
There is no smell on the wind,
just the cold
that chills more than my flesh.
I call out,
more fear in my voice
than I had hoped,
but my voice falls flat.
No echo,
no reverberation,
just a dull, flat noise.
No response,
either,
just that continued hissing,
almost words,
I can almost make them out.
I close my eyes,
not that it makes any difference,
but somehow it seems
to help my concentration.
I can’t remember
how I got here
or why I am here,
the last thing I remember
is going to bed the night before.
The wind blows again,
and the hissing grows louder,
almost
I can make out a word.
“coming”
and another
“soon”.
They have no meaning
to me,
no relevance
to my situation,
still,
they fill me with dread.
I feel as if the sky,
the sky I cannot see
presses down on me
leaden and ponderous.
My breathing
quickens
and become harsh,
panting from fear
rather than exertion.
I call out again,
fear adding strength
to my flat sounding voice.
But still,
no echo,
no response.
Just the sibilant hissing,
coming clearer.
Almost,
I think I understand,
I think I know
where I am,
why I am here,
and what the hissing means.
Just as the revelation
is about to burst through,
I wake.
I see my bedroom,
still shaking
I sit up in bed,
reveling
in the familiarity
of it all.
And as I lie back
to try and sleep again
I realize
the insight
into the meaning of the dream
had faded away,
leaving me feeling
uneasy
and with a deep sense
of loss.