I'm chasing my puppy. His little pink tongue sticks out and he pants while dodging left then right. I scoot around one of the trees in the backyard -- then the swing set. Sometimes he stops, looks at me, and then bolts away in a different direction. I run towards the picnic table where he is now standing on top of; barking me towards him so he can bolt again.
I look to the sliding glass doors and they are black. I walk towards them. Slowly. My puppy is barking in the background because I am now ignoring him. I slowly open the sliding glass door and step into the rec room. My sister sits on the couch watching TV. She ignores me. I walk past her towards the laundry room. I can hear a vacuum cleaner upstairs.
My mother must be vacuuming...
I open the laundry room door. It's pitch black. I slowly make my way towards the spot where I know a little string hangs from the light bulb in the ceiling. I try, but I can't find it. My eyes haven't adjusted yet. I keep swinging both my hands blindly in the air to try and catch it -- but I can't. I hear the rumble of the washing machine, and so I make my way towards it in the dark. It rumbles louder and louder...
I open the lid slowly to reveal...
...a pair of flip flops swirling around in the water. The water is blood red. I close the door and turn around to leave --
--but Charlie stands there.
He gives me a hug.
"How are you darlin' ?" he says with a big smile. There is a white light glowing all around him.
I start to cry.
"Charlie, I thought you were gone!" I say and bury my face into his chest. He laughs at me and pulls me back so I can see him. He smiles. "I'm not gone, see -- I'm right here. I'm here..." he says.
"We're here!" says my mother and softly nudges my shoulder. I open my eyes. I must have nodded off. I slowly sit up on the couch in the plane and take a second to reaffirm my surroundings.
"We're here honey," she says. "You can sleep more in the car, ok?"
"Sure," I tell her and look around for my shoes.
I can't remember what I was dreaming about. I'm just really really tired.
