I Won't Let You Wilt

Double Nightmare

Back inside their room, Basil helped examine Sunny for any sign of frostbite. He'd learned to spot the major symptoms from Polly. Luckily, Sunny didn't exhibit any.

A warm shower helped rejuvenate Sunny's freezing skin. He was dead tired though and wouldn't be able to stay up late that night to read books or play games with Basil. It was just as well; Basil had only recently finished his final exams and needed to catch up on sleep.

As soon as his head hit the pillow, he was out.

Zzzzzz...

Sunny awoke to a distressed voice.

"Sunny! Are you there? Where are you, Sunny? Where are you?!"

Sunny's eyes burst open.

In the darkness, he saw Basil sitting up in bed, eyes open but hands frantically searching around for him.

"Sunny! I'm sorry I stabbed your eye.

"I won't do that to your sister again! Please come back to me, Sunny. Please..."

Without hesitation, Sunny embraced Basil as closely as he could.

Basil, I'm so sorry for what I did to you today...

Tears came into Sunny's eyes.

He had no doubt that him returning late from the mall today while a blizzard was falling outside caused Basil to worry, enough to do damage to his mental well-being.

I was so stupid and impulsive!

Never. Again.

Sunny gripped Basil tightly in his arms, wishing once more that he could go back to a moment in the past where he could change things.

When they slept next to each other under the tent as kids, Basil used to have nightmares like that.

He recalled Mari telling him that they were closer to night terrors than nightmares. Compared to nightmares, night terrors were far more frightening; the afflicted individual was in a half-asleep state and couldn't tell reality apart from their dreams. They could thrash around inconsolably for up to fifteen minutes after awakening, unaware of what they were doing and retaining almost no memory of what had happened afterwards.

You used to have night terrors when you were really young too, Sunny...

I'd always hug you and hold you until you calmed down.

"It's okay, Basil. I'm here now," Sunny spoke. "I'm right by your side."

"Are you there, Sunny?" Basil replied in a confused voice. "I can't find you."

"I'm right here, Basil."

"Sunny, I don't see you..."

Tears fell from Sunny's eyes onto the bedsheets. Crushed by the guilt inside his chest, he could only hold Basil so closely that he wouldn't let anything in the world ever pull them apart again.

"Sunny, please don't hate me. Look, I've done it. I've taken your sister off the rope...

I'm so sorry, Basil...

"Sunny, I found your eye! Here it is. Don't worry, Sunny, once we put it back your sight will be all better again.

I want you to come back...please...

"Sunny, look at my photos! You're so good at drawing...the black marker you used made everyone so much prettier."

Don't stay like this...