dreaming,” Anna said to herself. What a clear dream it was! Everything seemed so real. Her arms prickled with goose bumps. Somewhere in the neighborhood she could hear a dog barking.
“Anna!”
Emma called again. She was standing on the lawn now. Above her the bright, round moon looked like a coin in the sky, a shiny silver dollar. Anna was overcome with the urge to reach out and grab it. But —
“I can’t get down,” Anna said sadly. Oh, how she wanted to go out and play!
“Climb down.”
Emma pointed to the side of the house, where withering wisteria vines twined around a latticework trellis.
Anna had done this so many times in the bathroom at school she could have done it in her sleep. Hoisting herself onto the window ledge, she swung a leg over. She had to stretch to reach the trellis, but she managed to hook a foot in without too much trouble. As she climbed down, trying not to tangle her feet in the dry vines, she marveled at how real the leaves felt against her face, even though she knew she was dreaming.
Emma was back in the tree, hanging from a branch by her knees. Anna walked over to her, the cold grass numbing her bare toes.
“You came out!”
Emma sang, swinging gently back and forth.
“Yes, we can play now! What should we play?”Anna felt like a little girl again. Like magic was possible, and anything could happen.
Emma’s back was to Anna as she swung back and forth on the branch. Suddenly, she flipped over, her feet hitting the ground. When she straightened up, Anna stepped back with a gasp. Emma’s face was twisted in a frightening sneer — and her silver eyes were
glowing.
“You’ve been a naughty girl, Anna.”
Emma growled.
“You’ve been ignoring me.”
“No I haven’t.” Anna shivered. She was starting to not like this dream anymore.
Emma’s lips peeled back from her teeth in a snarl.
“So Benny’s your new best friend? Is that it? Anna and Benny sittin’ in a tree. K-I-S-S-I-N-G …”
she taunted. “I
thought we were friends, Anna. Best friends.”
“We are friends!” Anna cried, stumbling backward.
“Not just friends. Bessssst friends.”
Emma came closer. In the moonlight her braids seemed to twist like snakes.
Anna clamped her hands over her eyes. “It’s just a dream,” she told herself. “Wake up!”
“You shouldn’t have left me, Anna,”
Emma hissed.
“You’re going to be sorry. You and Benny, you’ll both be so ssssssorry….”
“Wake up!” Anna yelled at herself. “Wake up! Wake up! Wake up!”
“Wake up, Anna!”
Anna opened her eyes. Her room was filled with early morning light. Someone was knocking at her door. “Mmmm,” she groaned sleepily, hoping they’d go away.
“Time to get up!” Her father opened the door and came into her room. “Jeez, kiddo, it’s freezing in here. What’s the window doing open?”
“The window?” Anna sat up in bed. The sash was thrown all the way up. She didn’t remember opening it in the night.
“Brrr.
It must be forty degrees in here,” said her dad as he shut it. “Come on, up and at ‘em. You slept through your alarm. Better hustle, or you’re going to be late.”
As soon as he was gone, Anna leaned back on the pillows. She felt stiff and exhausted, as if she’d hardly slept at all. Bits of her dream floated back to her: the brightness of the moon, the cold, wet grass — it was all so vivid.
“Like it was real,” Anna murmured.
That’s stupid,
she thought. Why was she getting all worked up over a dream? She laughed at herself as she climbed out of bed and headed for the shower. But she felt a lingering uneasiness.
It wasn’t until she was standing under the warm spray of water that Anna started to feel better. She remembered her “date” with Benny from the day before, and her heart gave a little hop of happiness at the thought.
Anna and Benny sittin’ in a tree, K-I-S-S-I-N-G …
An image of Emma’s sneering face flashed through Anna’s brain. Quickly, she shook it
“Anna!”
Emma called again. She was standing on the lawn now. Above her the bright, round moon looked like a coin in the sky, a shiny silver dollar. Anna was overcome with the urge to reach out and grab it. But —
“I can’t get down,” Anna said sadly. Oh, how she wanted to go out and play!
“Climb down.”
Emma pointed to the side of the house, where withering wisteria vines twined around a latticework trellis.
Anna had done this so many times in the bathroom at school she could have done it in her sleep. Hoisting herself onto the window ledge, she swung a leg over. She had to stretch to reach the trellis, but she managed to hook a foot in without too much trouble. As she climbed down, trying not to tangle her feet in the dry vines, she marveled at how real the leaves felt against her face, even though she knew she was dreaming.
Emma was back in the tree, hanging from a branch by her knees. Anna walked over to her, the cold grass numbing her bare toes.
“You came out!”
Emma sang, swinging gently back and forth.
“Yes, we can play now! What should we play?”Anna felt like a little girl again. Like magic was possible, and anything could happen.
Emma’s back was to Anna as she swung back and forth on the branch. Suddenly, she flipped over, her feet hitting the ground. When she straightened up, Anna stepped back with a gasp. Emma’s face was twisted in a frightening sneer — and her silver eyes were
glowing.
“You’ve been a naughty girl, Anna.”
Emma growled.
“You’ve been ignoring me.”
“No I haven’t.” Anna shivered. She was starting to not like this dream anymore.
Emma’s lips peeled back from her teeth in a snarl.
“So Benny’s your new best friend? Is that it? Anna and Benny sittin’ in a tree. K-I-S-S-I-N-G …”
she taunted. “I
thought we were friends, Anna. Best friends.”
“We are friends!” Anna cried, stumbling backward.
“Not just friends. Bessssst friends.”
Emma came closer. In the moonlight her braids seemed to twist like snakes.
Anna clamped her hands over her eyes. “It’s just a dream,” she told herself. “Wake up!”
“You shouldn’t have left me, Anna,”
Emma hissed.
“You’re going to be sorry. You and Benny, you’ll both be so ssssssorry….”
“Wake up!” Anna yelled at herself. “Wake up! Wake up! Wake up!”
“Wake up, Anna!”
Anna opened her eyes. Her room was filled with early morning light. Someone was knocking at her door. “Mmmm,” she groaned sleepily, hoping they’d go away.
“Time to get up!” Her father opened the door and came into her room. “Jeez, kiddo, it’s freezing in here. What’s the window doing open?”
“The window?” Anna sat up in bed. The sash was thrown all the way up. She didn’t remember opening it in the night.
“Brrr.
It must be forty degrees in here,” said her dad as he shut it. “Come on, up and at ‘em. You slept through your alarm. Better hustle, or you’re going to be late.”
As soon as he was gone, Anna leaned back on the pillows. She felt stiff and exhausted, as if she’d hardly slept at all. Bits of her dream floated back to her: the brightness of the moon, the cold, wet grass — it was all so vivid.
“Like it was real,” Anna murmured.
That’s stupid,
she thought. Why was she getting all worked up over a dream? She laughed at herself as she climbed out of bed and headed for the shower. But she felt a lingering uneasiness.
It wasn’t until she was standing under the warm spray of water that Anna started to feel better. She remembered her “date” with Benny from the day before, and her heart gave a little hop of happiness at the thought.
Anna and Benny sittin’ in a tree, K-I-S-S-I-N-G …
An image of Emma’s sneering face flashed through Anna’s brain. Quickly, she shook it
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