What Am I?

It all started in 1985 when a child was born. It was an unusually cold and dark night. The temperature was so cold you could swear hell had frozen over. Under the lights in her hospital bed, a mother was lying in wait to welcome her little miracle into this world.

A few hours later as she held him in her arms, she gazed into his eyes and said, “I feel with all my heart that he is here for a special purpose.”

As tears of joy fell from her eyes, she passed him around to her mother. She held him and her eyes grew big with fear.

She said, “This one will be trouble.”

They all paused for just a moment then laughed in disbelief.

• • •

Later that week, they took him home. All was calm. His mom and dad were so happy with their perfect little family. Now five years had gone by without a single issue, but then one night, their son had a very rude awakening when he felt a big pinch on his backside.

He sat up suddenly and shouted, “Mom! Dad! Something bit me!”

They rushed to his room still half awake.

“What’s wrong? What bit you?” they said in a groggy voice.

Their son looked at them with fear in his eyes. “I think something under my bed bit me.”

His mom and dad took a look around the room and under the bed. After a quick look to make him feel better, they turned to him.

“It’s okay. Just say your prayers and go to sleep,” they told him, giving him a hug before they tucked him back in.

The next night, he made sure to say his prayers before he slept. He had fallen asleep and had a dream that felt so real. The dream took him to a place of fire and blood. In this dream, he saw a beast and it comforted him.

The beast said, “Never fear my child. I will keep you safe.”

They walked to this river filled with blood. The beast also told him that all he had to do was dip his finger in the river and then place it on the piece of paper that it had in it’s hand. So he did.

When he woke up, he felt at peace and all was calm. Now ten years had passed since that night and not a single thing had happened to him or his family.

• • •

One day, his mother called him to the living room. She said, “Son, we have to move.”

Now when he heard this, he was thinking this could be fun. When they got to the new house, it felt like home and everyone felt safe except for him. When he walked in, he had this uneasy feeling set in. He decided to just shake it off, thinking it was just the new house heebie-jeebies.

That night they all went to bed and everything was fine except for when he was dreaming. He was dreaming that he was in a tropical paradise. He was walking through this tropical island when he came across a volcano. Now for some reason or another, he felt like he had to go to the top of it. Then the next thing he knew, he was at the top with this shadow figure looking down inside the volcano.

“Go!” it shouted.

It shoved him in. He fell into the lava and ended up back into the place of fire and blood. He saw this cloaked figure standing next to an entrance of a cave. It pointed at a table.

“Go to the table,” it hissed. Reluctantly, he started to walk to the table. When he got there, he heard a voice say, “Welcome back, my son.”

Now, he found it a bit odd, but he kept hearing it out. Then, it asked him to follow. When he did, he looked at a river of blood. He couldn't help but feel like he had been there before. He blew it off and continued on. The next thing he knew, it was demanding him to sign his name on the contract in the blood of the river. He did and then heard a deep laugh.

When he woke up, he thought to himself, “Man, what was I on last night?”

As he went on with his day, he couldn’t help but feel a change going on inside. That night, he was trying to get some homework done when his dad started to nag him about what chores had to be done.

He kept replying to his dad, “I will in a minute.”

Finally, his dad came to him and asked him what was holding him up. The son stood up and got right in his dad’s face.

He told him in a deep dark voice, “GET OUT OF MY FACE!”

He swung his fist, hitting his dad in the face. The dad backed up looking dazed and shocked.

“If you EVER and I mean EVER hit me again you are out,” his dad said.

He left. The son sat down, thinking about what just happened. All he could remember was darkness. He decided to let it be and talk to his dad in the morning. The next day, he went down the hall to talk to his dad.

“Son, it’s okay this time, but if you ever hit me again, I will throw you out,” his dad said.

The son walked up to his dad and gave him a hug. “It won’t. Thanks Dad.”

• • •

Over the past couple of years, all he could feel was rage. If he got into a fight, he would never remember, because all he saw was black. This continued for a long time.

On the night of his eighteenth birthday, he had another dream. This time, it started with him, standing at the river of blood. He looked to his left and saw the beast. He looked to his right and saw a light. When he looked back at the beast, he saw that the beast was looking at the light.

“He’s mine. He signed the contract,” the beast said to the light.

Then the boy felt this force shoot into him. The next thing he knew, he had the severed hand of the beast grasping the contract.

“My son, don’t do this,” it said.

At that moment, the boy ripped the contract and the whole room was filled with light. When he woke up, the boy realized that for the first time in years that he felt no rage. His mother came into the room and sat next to him.

“Son, your father passed away in his sleep last night,” she said before breaking into tears.

His eyes started to fill with tears. His mother left the room and he started to reflect on his life with his dad. While he was doing this, he started thinking about that dream he had the night before. Was there a connection?

Only time would tell.