Sleep came about the usual way. I went under quickly, because of my nighttime meds, and it was a deep sleep, because my mind was completely exhausted from the day. However, tonight my dreams unfolded in a genuinely bizarre manner.
At first I was enshrouded in total darkness. I couldn’t see a thing. It was as if the world had stopped existing, but somehow God had kept me hanging around just to witness the fact that everything could end but He could keep me going if He wanted to.
I began to move my hands in front of me, making a motion similar to a swimmer in a big pool of water. I could feel the space around me ripple in response to my movements. It was a loud ripple, and a powerful one, and it was one I could FEEL happening. It was something I could detect, but I had no proof that it was happening because there was no physical testament to its occurrence.
I tried speaking, but nothing came out of my mouth. I knew I was trying to talk, but there was absolutely no sound to prove that I was even attempting it. I turned my head this way and that, but accomplished nothing. In every direction was complete and total darkness. I desperately wanted to light a match, turn on a flashlight, or if possible, just hear someone else’s presence. I felt alone. That was when I began to experience the fear. Would I ever get out of here? Where was here? Did anyone know where I had gone? How would I get out? The questions flooded my mind. I began to cry, feeling the complete helplessness of my situation. Then I got angry. The anger came from deep inside of me. I stopped crying. I stared off into the darkness. And then I screamed. I screamed like someone was removing my heart without anesthetic. I screamed like it was my last second alive.
I stopped screaming. Then I closed my eyes, and realized something. I’d heard that scream.
“Kevin. Kevin! Wake up, man!” I wearily opened my eyes as two big hands clutched me by the shoulders and forcefully shook my whole body.
“I’m up, I’m up. What’s the emergency?” I blinked my eyes, trying to remember what I had been dreaming about and also trying to center on Darc’s face.
“You have to come see this. Throw some clothes on. We need to get to the TV room.” He ran out of the room and down the hall before I had a chance to say anything.
“Whatever…,” I murmured to myself. I stepped out of bed, stretched, and then reached toward my clothes drawer. I picked out a sweat suit, slipped into my standard-issue sanitarium booties, and headed for the TV room.
As I walked down the hall, I heard a crash from behind me. It had come from my room! I retraced my steps, wondering what had caused the noise. I stepped through the doorway and looked into the room. Others had gathered behind me, obviously responding to the same disturbance.
I stared at my bed, completely awestruck by what I was looking at. Darc walked up next to me and said what I was unable to put into words.
“That could’ve killed you.” Lying on my bed was a huge chunk of plaster that had fallen from the ceiling. It must have weighed a couple hundred pounds. There was no telling if it would have killed me or not, but one thing was for sure. If Darc had not woken me up, I would be in a whole lot of pain right now.
At first I was enshrouded in total darkness. I couldn’t see a thing. It was as if the world had stopped existing, but somehow God had kept me hanging around just to witness the fact that everything could end but He could keep me going if He wanted to.
I began to move my hands in front of me, making a motion similar to a swimmer in a big pool of water. I could feel the space around me ripple in response to my movements. It was a loud ripple, and a powerful one, and it was one I could FEEL happening. It was something I could detect, but I had no proof that it was happening because there was no physical testament to its occurrence.
I tried speaking, but nothing came out of my mouth. I knew I was trying to talk, but there was absolutely no sound to prove that I was even attempting it. I turned my head this way and that, but accomplished nothing. In every direction was complete and total darkness. I desperately wanted to light a match, turn on a flashlight, or if possible, just hear someone else’s presence. I felt alone. That was when I began to experience the fear. Would I ever get out of here? Where was here? Did anyone know where I had gone? How would I get out? The questions flooded my mind. I began to cry, feeling the complete helplessness of my situation. Then I got angry. The anger came from deep inside of me. I stopped crying. I stared off into the darkness. And then I screamed. I screamed like someone was removing my heart without anesthetic. I screamed like it was my last second alive.
I stopped screaming. Then I closed my eyes, and realized something. I’d heard that scream.
“Kevin. Kevin! Wake up, man!” I wearily opened my eyes as two big hands clutched me by the shoulders and forcefully shook my whole body.
“I’m up, I’m up. What’s the emergency?” I blinked my eyes, trying to remember what I had been dreaming about and also trying to center on Darc’s face.
“You have to come see this. Throw some clothes on. We need to get to the TV room.” He ran out of the room and down the hall before I had a chance to say anything.
“Whatever…,” I murmured to myself. I stepped out of bed, stretched, and then reached toward my clothes drawer. I picked out a sweat suit, slipped into my standard-issue sanitarium booties, and headed for the TV room.
As I walked down the hall, I heard a crash from behind me. It had come from my room! I retraced my steps, wondering what had caused the noise. I stepped through the doorway and looked into the room. Others had gathered behind me, obviously responding to the same disturbance.
I stared at my bed, completely awestruck by what I was looking at. Darc walked up next to me and said what I was unable to put into words.
“That could’ve killed you.” Lying on my bed was a huge chunk of plaster that had fallen from the ceiling. It must have weighed a couple hundred pounds. There was no telling if it would have killed me or not, but one thing was for sure. If Darc had not woken me up, I would be in a whole lot of pain right now.