Beatrice Furnell “Paralysed”

I’m trapped. I know that is not true; I can feel and think, but when I think harder, I realise that I can’t move. Not a leg, not a finger; I can’t even open my eyes. I panic inside my head for a moment, and then realise, if I can’t move, then what am I going to do? Nothing; that’s the answer I give myself after a while.

I try to listen; there is a beeping that I can hear; what is that? There are voices, three I think, they sound upset. I try to speak, but my mouth doesn’t move, no words come out. The more I focus, the more I can hear, words like ‘injuries’ and ‘years’, but that one was said as a question, and I don’t quite know what that means.

I stay like this for a while, not moving, silent and listening intently, the beeping is still there, but the voices have left, and, I think, without them I feel almost lonely.

I don’t know how long I am there, but being there, in the dark, unable to move, scares me a little, and I try to speak, but the words, no matter how hard I try, just won’t come out of my mouth.

The voices are back, someone is weeping I think and I try to call out for help, to get anyone to pull me out of whatever is happening to me. But nothing happens, no one saves me.

Joey Leahy Break from Reality

I’ve been having dreams for a while. Each one is different, but also the same. They all start the same way, with it appearing. What happens through the rest varies, but the ending is inescapable. She always goes, and the screams are painful to hear.

I lived with my mother for most of my life. We lived away from the city in a little house on a hill. It was a secluded area, and the nearest town was a good half hour drive. We were almost cut off from the outside world. That is what made the events I am about to describe infinitely more terrifying.

On the 12th of October 2015, I had the first nightmare. It was just a month after my mum told me she had schizophrenia. She had been on the decline and I had started to take over the housework. I was considering getting another job, but mother refused. She said I should stay in school as that would benefit me more. I didn’t agree but alas, I complied. My situation worsened when her condition started to get worse. It seemed like she didn’t have schizophrenia but something else. The night before the nightmare, I had seen a horror. This woman that I called my mother had turned into a beast. I could not sleep that night for the fear of seeing that beast struck me too hard. Believe me when I say if you had seen what I saw, I doubt you would sleep again.

The beast was giant, I would guess 9 feet tall. However, it would never stand on its full height, it would be on all fours patrolling the halls of the house. I wondered what it would do if it found me. So, I hid in my cupboard and prayed that my mother was alright. It was the next morning when I saw her lying on the floor as if she had passed black out drunk. I tried as hard as I could to get on with my day, but it was nearly impossible. That image kept returning to me. The image of that thing crawling around.

The nightmare itself was the worst. I woke up in the middle of the field. I could see the silhouette of my mother in the distance. I chased after her and when I finally caught her, she let out a deathly scream. Then I saw it again. That thing. It chased me through the dark fields. I could hear my mother trying as hard as she could to break out of its control. When it finally caught me, I knew that was it for me. As I was torn apart, I could hear my mother screaming that she was sorry. Then I would wake up.

Then one day, the same exact thing happened. But this time it was not a dream. Everything felt too real. The smell of field was too strong for a dream. Then I saw her. My mother. I knew this was my end. I had tried to escape the dream before and it always ended the same way. It was hopeless.

Florrie Lewis “Panic”

I started to taste blood. The skin on the end of my fingers had turned to a paste. My nails were no longer visible: I had bitten them so much. I didn’t know what else to do. I could feel my eyes watering. My eyes felt like someone had poured a bottle of soap in them. I dared not to blink in case it came back.