I opened my eyes,  
Searching for light in the dark.  
A nightmare had bound me,  
Cold as ice where I lay.  

I blinked once,  
Then a few times more.  
There it was—  
Light, peeking through a distant door.  

My legs, weak from frost,  
Urged me to crawl.  
I needn’t open the door to see—  
A man stood outside, waiting for me.  

Tears fell, uncontrollably,  
Like it had been stored  
In a reservoir of longing and affection,  
Yearning to be reached.  

The familiar stranger smiled at me.  
His eyes looked sad but entirely happy,  
Like he'd been waiting for this moment,  
After years of life in torment.  

He held out his hand.  
I lifted mine.  
The moment they touched,  
I woke—and he was gone