I run through the forest. A small branch hits my cheek. I feel the trick of blood slide down. I feel the hot breath of the wolf on the back of my neck. An animal fear drives me on. I can see the pale tendrils of mist coming towards me. Beyond them is the end of the forest and the sunrise. The trees pass in a blur. I trip over a root. The wolf is on me in a second. I smell the blood on his breath. Strength I did not know I had pushes him off. I get up and run again. The light seems farther away than before. A tree looms before me, blocking the path. A low hanging branch provides a way through, but I am unable to climb. I turn around and press my back against the trunk and squeeze my eyes shut. The wolf leaps on me, but I feel nothing. I open my eyes in time the see the forest fade. I am falling from a cliff. I see the sharp rocks jutting up to meet me. My body misses every rock I pass. I can see nothing now. I am still falling, but slower. My feet touch the floor of the abyss. The only sound I hear is the sound of my breathing. I slowly turn around. There is a light at the end. I begin walking toward it, but it only gets further away.


I wake up. Sweat is pouring down my face. I am panting. I sit up. The more I try to get rid of these nightmares, the worse they become. I turn to my nightstand. The lamp is on. I must have fallen asleep while I was reading. My Bible is open beside the lamp. I pick it up. It is open to Psalm 23. I turn to Psalm 4 and read down to verse 8. ‘I will sleep in peace, because you, keep me safe.’ I close the Book and turn off my lamp. I lay back down, repeating the verse over and over until I fall asleep. The nightmares still happen but they are not as bad. Maybe someday they will end.