The Dream.

It was a crisp Saturday night in August, and the fall breeze had just begun to set in, so the days were no longer humid and the evenings were just cool enough for a sweater. The sun perched just above the treetops, offering a stunning display of deep apricot hues against the dark green foliage. Unfortunately, such a view comes with the consequence of blindness if you stare too long.

I sat on the park bench, looking out at the murky lake water. Taking a moment to breathe in the evening air, I took out my silver cigarette holder and opened it, exposing eight beautifully crafted joints. I picked the best one out of the bunch, cradled it between my lips and lit the other end. Inhaling the bitter smoke, I admired the evening sky. The sun had just set, leaving in its trail a gorgeous exhibition of honey colored oranges, golden butterscotch yellows, and hints of blushing crimson, kissing the horizon with serene magenta tones. Truly a color palette that any artist would strive to achieve with mere paints, an absolute work of art.

The sun slipped away as I took another pull of my joint, devouring what little warmth the day had left to offer. As the nighttime chill begins to set in, so does a very sudden unsettling feeling. I am being watched.

My mind scrambles immediately, unresultedly trying its best to focus on the matter at hand. Countless Law and Order episodes replaying over and over on a loop. I am petrified, regretting that the last thing I watched was a crime documentary instead of a self help TikTok or something. My hands begin to shake as I try to put out my smoke, but I just end up crushing it instead. I felt around in my bag for the pepper spray I had purchased earlier in the day. My vision begins to cloud for a moment because I am holding my breath, trying to prepare myself for my clearly impending doom. Taking a deep breath I turned towards the offending aura, pepper spray at the ready.

No one was there.

Not a thing was there.

I stared off into the treeline, feeling more and more uneasy. The harder I searched, the more I swear I could see someone standing just out of my eyesight. Whoever it was blended in so well, I started to convince myself that perhaps I might be too high. I grabbed my bag and looked back at the trees one more time, hoping that perhaps I was right and nothing was there. The leaves crunched as I strolled hurriedly down the path, clutching the pepper spray for dear life.

I had almost persuaded myself that I had imagined the whole thing when I heard them. Footsteps, trying so hard to be in line with mine. I heard the crunch of leaves a few steps behind me and I quickened my pace, clutching the spray harder. I started to tear up, terrified that perhaps these were indeed my last moments in this life. Deciding I shouldn’t go down without a fight, I whipped around thrusting the butt end of the can out in front of me.

Nothing.

Fucking. Nothing.

I stood still for a moment, taking in my environment before I took off running for the entrance of the park. Not caring about any noise I heard behind me, I kept running until I was in the middle of the street. I caught my breath the best I could while simultaneously bursting into tears. My heart was beating a million miles per minute and my hands were shaking as if I had just downed four cups of coffee. I looked behind me, praying that I was not losing my mind and there was actually someone behind me. But there was nothing, only the unsettling and overwhelming darkness of the now quiet park greeted me, offering no comfort to my situation in the slightest.

My normal twenty minute trek was taking longer than usual so I stopped walking, despite my mind screaming not to do so. I was trying to think about how long it had been since I had left the park. Or even how long it had been since I left the house, realizing that I didn’t have any sense of the time. I have never been so confused in my life and I knew it wasn’t because of the earlier joint. Looking down, I was walking on a dirt path instead of the paved sidewalk I was previously on. I started to panic because this wasn’t the normal way back to my apartment, and in fact I had no idea how I got here or where I was. My heart began to pound, echoing through my head, the eerie feeling I felt before slowly returning. I turned around, ready to face whoever it was that was ruining my previously enjoyable night.

I was in front of my apartment building.

My breath seized in my throat, tears welling in my eyes. How the fuck did I get here? How long have I been standing here? My hands shook as I took out my keys, hurriedly and clumsily unlocking the front entrance of the building. I ran to the elevator, thinking if I took it then I could at least pretend I felt safe from whatever the fuck was happening to me. I repeatedly pressed the button impatiently waiting for the doors to open, suddenly catching someone's eye in the hallway mirror.

At first it was by accident, they were just walking by; then they reappeared in the mirror and held my gaze. Their face was obscured or maybe my eyes just couldn’t focus quickly enough, but they were definitely staring at me. Slowly their face stretched into a wide, discomforting smile, one of those fucking creepy ass Cheshire cat smiles. I felt so distressed as I walked onto the elevator, smashing the close door button. I hit the second floor button and just as the door closed, I saw them standing there in front of it. Smiling that big fucking smile.

The elevator moved in slow motion and the seconds it normally took felt like hours. I prayed this was just some sick joke my friends were playing on me. This couldn’t be real...this couldn’t be how my life ended. I hadn’t done anything terrible enough in this life to deserve this end. Brushing away my tears, I attempted to steady my breath and figure out my next move as the doors finally opened. The hallway was dark, illuminated by candlelight. My apartment was at the end of it. I clutched my keys in my hand as I walked down the incessant corridor. With each step, I felt heavier and heavier. As I got closer to my door, I saw something sitting on my welcome mat. I wondered if this was part of the sick situation I found myself trapped in. It was a mundane brown paper box. I stopped and stared at it, an unnerving feeling gradually making me prey to its cocoon. I picked it up, hearing something rattle around inside. My eyes started to well up yet again as I turned my unlocked door knob.

My fucking door was unlocked. I paused before walking in and looked down the now darkened hallway. This was the end. Whatever hell I had been forced into was now at its end. My hands shook like crazy as I pushed the door open, my usual warm welcome was now dark and unfamiliar. I knew immediately that my space had been invaded, and I shut the door quietly behind me. I blinked, forcing my eyes to adjust to the darkness while I felt the wall for the lightswitch.

The eerie feeling I felt at the park did not creep up slowly as it had before and instead sunk my heart into my stomach, instantly raising my hair on end. My eyes had begun to adjust and I could see someone standing at the end of the hallway. I still could not see their face but I clearly saw that smile. I tried to move but found myself paralyzed, my breathing was becoming stagnant and I was getting lightheaded. All I could do was sob silently as the figure crept closer. I heard them laughing, and it was then that I felt them tighten their hands around my neck. My eyesight began to blur out and I could no longer breathe. My thoughts wandered to the box that had been sitting in front of my door.

What was in it? Who had left it? The box dropped from my hand as I took my last available breaths. My mind was silent for the first time in days. I tried to force my eyes open to look at my sentencer, but they felt too heavy to move. Tears were rolling down my face as the world around me went dark. My heartbeat echoed loudly as the pressure around my neck suddenly released and I dropped to what should have been the floor.

I gasped loudly as I sat up in bed, clutching my neck and sobbing violently. My room was well lit around me, offering comfort in my distressed state, the brown paper box sitting in my lap. I threw it as far away from me as I could and it rattled as it hit the wall, tumbling to the ground. My heart sped up as I crept out of bed and towards the bathroom, my gaze never leaving the brown paper offender until I had slammed the bathroom door. I rested my head on the solid wood for a moment, trying to calm my body down enough to think logically.

A low, unsettling cackle began behind me and my previous efforts were nullified. My blood ran cold and I became paralyzed with fear when I recognized it as belonging to the Cheshire man from what should have been a dream.

“You didn’t like the gift, my love?”