• “Come back; please don’t leave me alone forever! Please come back to me! ...I don’t want to be alone…”
    I woke up with a start and grabbed the book I had been keeping at the ready.
    “Through sleep you let the tensions out that you could never let out in your real life, or you aren’t getting a chance to let out.”
    I closed the book lightly not wanting to wake my sleeping roommate. I had found the dusty book in some of my mother’s old things. It was a short and not very in-depth book about dreams. I wanted a better one but I am to shy to go out and get one. I wonder if the information in this book is even accurate anymore.
    “I wish I wasn’t so shy.” I mutter to myself as I pack the book away to a place my roommate won’t find it. He worries about me to much; I don’t need to give him more incentive to do so. The book was no help, I don’t want to know why I was having the dreams, I don’t want to know what they mean, I only want to know how to make them stop. I suppose it’s not that big of a deal these dreams I’m having, but I can’t help fretting over them they terrify me so. I reach over and fix the blankets on my happiness, my brother and roommate Dave. I had met him only about a year ago. Both of my parents have been dead for the better part of five years and Dave had been their unplanned and unprepared for son, so they had put him up for adoption. I guess because they were afraid of what I might think of them they never told me. You could only imagine my surprise when he came knocking at my door late last September. At first I was skeptical of Dave’s claim, even when he broke out the adoption papers which proved that he was indeed my parent’s son. I didn’t want to believe that my mother and father had kept something this big from me all of these years. But oh his charm won me over! His wit reminded me of dad and his warm smile always made me ache for mom’s same toothy grin. I often wonder if I look as much like our parents as Dave does.
    I remember though the night before I met Dave, oh how my life was different then. I was out with my closest and only friends Kyle, Josie and Amanda. We had spent a good portion of the night playfully teasing Josie about her recent coming out…

    “All your lovers should call you Joe!” Amanda laughed as Kyle bought the rambunctious quartet a round of drinks.
    “So you guys are alright with me being a lesbian then?” Josie said almost pleadingly, but not lacking in confidence.
    “Of course my dear! Your liking of the fairer sex doesn’t make you any less our little Josie that we know and love.” Alice said as she took one of the newly poured drinks.
    “And to that we drink! Cheers!” called Kyle as he thrust his glass into the air and put his free hand around Alice’s waist.
    “Cheers!” They all called back while clanking their glasses together…

    It’s a pity they didn’t take me to Toronto with them. I’m sure they’ll phone me down sometime soon. The only reason they went off without me was because I wasn’t feeling well and I had left the bar early, I walked so they could have the car for later when it would be colder out. They left that night with my car, but I don’t mind, I don’t get out much anyway. The neighbors leave me food on the front porch from time to time and Dave keeps me company. I think its best, that way I don’t make any new friends that I’ll have to leave behind when Kyle and the rest come for me. They must be having a horribly hard time finding a house but I don’t mind, I know they’ll be inviting me down anytime now.
    “Alice go to sleep.” Dave says tiredly and I realize I’ve been standing by his bedside for about an hour.
    “Oh yes sorry. Goodnight, I love you.”
    “Sweet dreams and I love you too, always.”
    There is a knock at my door.
    “What?!”
    The police tell me again what has happened to Kyle, Amanda and Josie.
    “A car accident, none of them survived, I’m terribly sorry miss.”
    I’m at their funerals; they’re being buried all in a row, and all at the same time.
    “Its what they would have wanted, they were the best of friends.” I say calmly to the guests that attend.
    My neighbors get worried about me; I haven’t left the house in days. The truth is I’m afraid too and Dave had come the day after the funerals and he is keeping me safe and happy. The neighbors call and I ignore the ringing phone, they knock at my door but I’m too afraid to open it. “Alice are you there?!” They call and I don’t answer.
    Soon the police are called and they bang down the front door. They find me on the kitchen floor trying to hide under the kitchen table; I don’t want them to hurt me.
    “Schizophrenia.” The doctor says and he gives me pills to take.
    I take them and Dave is gone, I feel lonely and abandoned so I go outside and visit their graves. I’ve taken my pill bottles with me and I’m dumping the pills on the soft trimmed grass in front of Kyle’s headstone.
    “Come back” I whimper, “Please don’t leave me alone forever!” the whimpers turn into yells of panic and frustration, “Please!” I scream,, “Come back to me! …I don’t want to be alone…”
    I start sobbing as I fall to my knees, I feel a hand on my shoulder, it has been days since I last took my medication. Dave smiles at me, smiles mommy’s smile and says, “You’re not

    Alone.”