The Dreams that changed Ellie

The Conclusion

Months turned to years. My baby girl is now three. I was telling her about grandpa and showing her some pictures. She was obviously not interested in any of it. I was hoping, at an early age, she would get to know her grandpa, whom she never met. How great would it be if she did? She ran towards her Barbie doll and gave it to me. “Brush, momma.” The doll has blonde hair. It was so unkempt that every time I brushed it, Sabrina would go “Kerrful!” It was the cutest thing. “Babe? I need to go. Be back at 2 am.” Christian entered Sabrina’s room. He was going to take his clients to dinner and drinks before they sign a contract deal for another project. "Are you sure you're going in this rain?" The rain was pouring hard, there were thunderstorms. "Yeah. I'll be all right." “Please be careful. You can’t see clearly at night.” “Don’t worry about me. You two should get some sleep.” Christian kissed Sabrina on the cheeks and went downstairs. The rain was deafening. Thunder was making Sabrina uncomfortable. I had to let her sleep in my room. “Got the keys?” Christian shouted. “What? Oh all right.” I shouted. Then he went out.

I put Sabrina to sleep. I tucked her in bed with me, then I fell asleep.

I was dreaming again. I looked around and my bedroom was dark. I looked down and realized I was floating. I went downstairs and saw what appeared to be fresh blood on the floor. I looked to my left where the kitchen was, the drawers were open. I roamed around towards the dining area, then to the living room and then I froze. The door was open. I immediately looked behind me. There was no one there. Is this a dream? This is a dream! The rain was still pouring like crazy. It was all I could hear. I covered my ears and closed my eyes waiting for me to wake up. Wake up! Wake up!! I tried pinching myself. I screamed.

What happened? How did I get here? I can’t remember.

I opened my eyes. It was morning. My daughter was not with me. Maybe Christian took her downstairs. I went down and heard a lot of people below. I slowly tiptoed down the stairs and saw a huge crowd outside the house. Why are they here? What is that? I pushed forward and saw medics carrying two stretchers. When I leaned in closer, I saw human feet showing out of the blankets. They're bodies! I stepped back, shocked. One was a bearded man. He wasn't moving, he looked dead. Jerry? When I leaned in, I saw the other one. My body went numb immediately, but my mind was still trying to process what I was looking at. Impossible, is all I could mutter.

What is this? Wait. I remember now…

“Got the keys?” my husband asked. I thought he meant he was going to… What’s it got to do with anything now? I went to sleep, yes I did. But I woke up at midnight to get some water. I wanted to stay awake until Christian comes home. I went downstairs and walked towards the fridge. I poured a glass of water, drank it and placed it on the sink. Then I saw it was open. The door. It was supposed to be locked. Christian should‘ve locked it. I’ve heard it wrong. Then a figure was moving behind the curtains. Hands behind me, I quickly felt for a knife. It was inside the drawers. When I finally held it, the shadow charged towards me. I stabbed his neck and it went right into his throat. He struggled. I didn’t realize I was hit first, stabbed three times in my stomach. He had a knife too. I fell and moved but only managed to the foot of the stairs. I was lying there frozen, worried for my daughter’s life. I am fading away, am I? I thought. The rain was still pouring. Then I heard a car coming. Christian went to the door and paused there for a while. He went in and ran. Then he saw the man’s dead body right before he saw me.

Is this what dad was trying to tell me? The nightmare: was he trying to tell me this? And Jerry, how should I know? Those countless nights of drinking out and Linda complaining. Christian refused to lend him the money. He must have wanted to rob us, knowing that my husband was not home. My life flashed back to me, making sense of everything. I remember the red stain on the floor and the drawers. They were signs, but signs that kept me going. They made me hope. The man, the flowers… I married a great guy, have a wonderful daughter, and have an amazing home. Those dreams, they were my life-saver. They gave me strength when everything was in total darkness. The anticipation of dreaming of my dad again inspired me to look forward to the next days to come. That he is somehow telling me not to give up. It was a warning, if only I knew that too.

What’s it got to do with anything now? I lived a good life, that's what matters most.

My husband was trying to carry me but I told him not to. I just want him there. That face. I thought of how familiar that was. That man I danced with was not smiling, after all, he was crying. His face was clear now. It was Christian all along. "I lo..." I wanted to tell him I love him, and mom, and Sabrina but I was struggling to breathe. He kissed my hand. "I know, babe, I know. I love you too. We love you." he said. I was slowly closing my eyes when I heard someone humming from upstairs. Sabrina was crying and a voice was making her calm. Daddy? I smiled, then I finally let out my last breath.

My mom was looking at a box six feet below the ground. She was holding yellow roses and said goodbye. My daughter, without a clue of what was happening, was hugging her father. And my dear Christian, I would surely miss him too.

I took a final glance at everybody and I couldn’t help but shed tears. This is how it’s going to be. It feels good to finally make a sense out of something. I saw my family's faces for the last time, then I let out a huge sigh. I'm ready.

Goodbye, everyone. Thank you for that great journey.

I closed my eyes and shed one last tear. I looked up,

"Hi,Daddy."