requiem

I had a dream about you last night

We were in a house in the woods and the woods were dark, but we didn't mind too much. Mother and had to leave and when she didn't come back, Father left to look for her. He said that we weren't to go outside without them there and he put me in charge of keeping you inside. I was supposed to protect you, but you slipped away when we were playing a game and you ran outside. I was so scared for you, but I ran after to try to get you to come inside. But when I went into those dark woods to look for you, they were soft and full of yellow light and beautiful people holding relaxed court in the trees. Scattered on the ground were tiny treasures; small bright gems, pearls, discarded crowns, tiny keys, miniature hearts of gold and coins and feathers of the deepest blues and reds. At first I searched for them under ferns and beneath stones, but when I looked up, I realized they were all around. I picked up some of the prettiest, but my favorite was the tiny gold key with a red stone and an 'A' wrought in filigree amongst the delicate vines at the top. But when I looked up the trees were dark, the beautiful people gone, and you nowhere to be found. Instead I could hear the wolves in the distance and smell snow on the air. So I ran home and locked myself in the dark cold house behind the thick door and hid in the sofa, my head buried in my arms. Mother and Father came home and found me like that, but you never did.