It’s 2 a.m. and I’m having another one of those sleepless nights. This is the third night in a row and I’ve finally had enough. I raid the cupboards looking for something to help. Finally I find just what I’m looking for. I take two and lay down, ready for my long awaited sleep.

Suddenly I am awoken by what sounds like gun shots, bombs, and screaming. At first I’m angry, thinking someone left the television on, but as open my eyes I can see that I am no longer in my comfortable bed, but in a ditch with a bunch of men in uniforms. I stand up and try to soak in the scenery and find a way out. There’s someone screaming at me. “Get down!” He repeats over and over again until finally he tackles me to the ground. Four gun shots go over my head and at that moment I start to question whether this is a dream or it it’s reality. There are bodies all around me, and the stench is unbearable. It seems useless to try to talk to anyone, no one will listen; no one can hear me. I’m handed a gun by a big, older guy who’s covered in mud and what looks to be some blood. He tells me to go down to the end of the tunnel. I don’t understand why this man unknowingly handed this destructive and dangerous weapon to a seventeen year old girl, but before I could say one word, he disappeared. I sit down, overwhelmed about what’s going on. I start to tear up, wishing I could wake up out of this nightmare, but no matter how hard I pinch myself, every time I open my eyes I’m in the same place.

A younger looking man, who seemed to be another soldier, crawled over to me. By the look of his face, I could tell he knew that I didn’t belong here. He had short brown hair, and these magnificent blue eyes. His face was dirty and scruffy, as was his uniform. I could tell that he’d been through a lot by how worn out and exhausted he looked. He puts his hands on my shoulders and whispers in my ear. He tells me not to be afraid because we are all in this together. I’m still not sure what “this is”, other than some sort of war, but at this moment I stop caring. He is my friend now, the only one who has seemed to notice me, and I will do anything he says just to stay alive. I hold back my tears and straighten out my voice just to ask him what’s going one. He gives me this ‘are you serious’ kind of look, but he can tell by my ghostly complexion that this is the most serious I’ve ever been. There’s a pause; he looks away for a moment over to a body that I’m assuming was his friend. He looks back with tears welling up in his eyes and as he speaks his voice is shaky. “The year is 1940” he says, “we’re in the middle of World War 2”. I am speechless. How did I end up here? I keep telling myself that this is a dream. Finally the horrific noises come to an end. The gun shots, the bombs, and even the screaming men. They have all stopped and left us in this unsettling silence. My new friend tells me it’s time to go, but I’m frozen. He grabs my hand and I go with him, because right now, he is the only real thing to me.

We end up in an abandoned run down building with holes through the walls and shattered windows. Somehow this was claimed as a ‘safe place’. I’m still in shock and no matter what he says, I’m still terrified. I want to go back to those sleepless nights. There is so much blood, crying and even some men starting to fight. I hide my face into his dirty uniform and close my eyes tight. Within minutes I am asleep, hoping that my dreams take me anywhere but here. Once again, I am awoken by the same unpleasant noises that I thought I had escaped. This place is no longer safe for us. It’s in the middle of the night; cold and rainy. We have to leave. We have to find another place to hide out. I look behind me where my friend is still sleeping. I shake him wondering how he could not hear the craziness around us. I keep shaking and shaking him. Nothing. I scream in his ear. Nothing. As I roll him over blood starts pouring out. This isn’t happening. This isn’t a dream anymore. I need him to wake up but his eyes are glued shut. I can’t stay; I have to leave him, the only one here who made me feel somewhat safe. I get up and follow everyone out.

We’re all running, everyone panicking. It’s so cold and wet out. Lightening brightens the sky and for a few moments we are able to see where we are going. I look behind me. I look at where we were staying, I look to see if my friend is running behind us, but he’s not there. All of the sudden I am on the ground. Lying there, going in and out of consciousness. My eyes close and at this point I could care less if they open again. A few minutes later and I hear more noises, this time familiar voices that sound like they are coming from a television. I feel around me. Pillows, blankets, some clothes. I open my eyes and somehow I am home again, safe and sound in my bed. Its still 2 a.m. and I know that I won’t be getting any sleep this time.