The Recurring Dream
I have become apprehensive of falling asleep, for this single, most horrific nightmare, more so because it recurs every night! It might seem petty now when you hear it, but at the dead of the night, when you are all alone and darkness has engulfed not just your room, but the entire world as far as you can see, and you are alone - every person who cares about you, or every person you know is fast asleep - at that time, even the ticking of the clock is enough to upset your nerves. My nerves are already quite weak and jumpy, as they are. Now, this dream, that has stolen the appeal of sleep from me, is set in the dark damp bottom of what seemed to be a cave or well. I am not bound or tied up, but I'm unable to move. I hear indistinct whispers, as if some people are quarelling in a language not known to me. Just as a feeling suffocation starts to swell up because of the blinding darkness, the whispers grow closer. Very soon, a few men, with fire lamps in their hands, dark, scantily dres...