• I dream of him often. Most of the time, it ends in my waking, covered in cold sweat and shaking. Sometimes, when it’s really bad, I wake up screaming. I know that its silly… but no matter how bad the dreams get at the end, the beginning is always a comfort, because at the beginning, it’s always how it used to be.

    My dream starts out the same way every time. I’m always running through the woods, looking for him. I’m lost and scared, calling out to him, “Cain? Cain, where are you?” The wind rips at my hair and the only sounds other than my voice is my ragged breath and the crushing of fall leaves under my feet. I spin circles, hot tears running down my face. It’s cold out and smells like frost… I can see my breath. Suddenly though, I hear laughter. I turn and there he is, seven again, climbing down out of a tree.
    “Where have you been Autum?” Cain asks me, “I’ve been hiding for almost an hour now. Did you get lost again?”
    I nod and walk over to him. He wraps me in his arms, warm as always. I hear him laughing softly.
    “Don’t worry, Autum, I’m here.”
    That is always my favorite part of these nightmares, being found by him. But then everything changes.
    The sky darkens and I look up, the clouds are covering the sun, dark storm clouds. I realize that Cain is tugging on my arm.
    “Com’on Autum, it’s gonna rain.” He pulls me, and soon we’re both running. Suddenly, Cain falls. He falls off the side of a large ditch, and I can see him hanging on. His face is changing and he’s getting older. I still feel seven as I watch my friend finally stop at the age seventeen, how he is now. His face looks darker. Dark circles under his eyes are noticeable against his pale skin. His hair, once blonde, is black now. Cain is a different person, and I take a step back.
    “Autum!” he cries, “Help me, please help me!” Cain still has that pitiful look that he always gets when he’s in trouble. Suddenly though, his eyes are evil, and he’s laughing. The ground is falling away beneath him.
    “Com’on Autum… what are you waiting for?” He chuckles in a dark way and I can’t help but take a step closer to him. My best friends life is in my hands.
    At that point the dream can go two ways. In one ending, I pull him up and he kills me. In the other, I step on his fingers and he falls to his death.
    I always scream when he falls.