Dark Encounters

I sat staring at the classroom blackboard, my mind in a whirl of chaos as my nightmares resurfaced again. For the last month I have been having recurring nightmares, where I am standing in a clearing. The day had been overcast and as the sun re-emerged from the overhead clouds, everything surrounding me sharpened. The clearing was entirely encircled by bushland, thick unwavering scrub and eucalyptus trees. There had been birds singing and crickets chirping but once that sun slid back behind those clouds everything became eerily quiet. It was as if nature itself sent out a warning, shouting at me that something is wrong, that something slunk through the shadows. My hairs rose along my arms in the cool breeze and out of the corner of my eye o thought I saw a dark shape rushed between the trees. The tension that I could feel bubbling up dissipated and dissolved as the bushland became full of activity once more. Whatever that it was, had vanished. I had to blink several times for my vision to clear up from the nightmare and when I looked up, I found my teacher staring down at me. At one glance I could tell that he was not happy, he stood with his hands clasped in front of him. His left foot tapping, glowering at me. Right then I felt small and very insignificant. His icy gaze made me flinch inwards a bit, “I am waiting, Miss Bennett.” His voice had a sharp edge to it, but it never wavered. His deep green eyes that were usually soft and had some semblance of warmth to them, now have hardened to emeralds. Making it hard to meet his gaze. “I’m sorry, Sir.” I said sheepishly, “I wasn’t really paying any attention to the subject.” No, my mind was and a part of it is still a million miles away. He gave me a small smile, and watched as his eyes returned to their normal liquid green. The teacher turned his attention to the next kid, most likely giving out the same question. A small chill sent a shiver seething down my spine and an open window nearby drew my attention away from the class. A soft breeze rustled strands of my long hair across my lips. Eventually the bell rang, initially ending the day and ending the last class of forever.