Spectrum of Sleep

CHAPTER II | WORRIED OLD HAG

Oh, what have you done now Elliot. Why do you always have to get in trouble? Out of all the trouble you could've done, getting bed ridden in the hospital is the worse one.

I sat down on the chair next to the bed where my daughter had lain. I kept staring at her, scared, and in horror. The sight of Elliot having broken bones and a ventilator attached to her, is not a good sight at all. The scars and wounds she has all over her body makes me want to cry out loud. Her face, scarred all over by broken glass.

"Do I have to lose you too?" I said.

"I may not be the best mother in the world, but I tried to be the best mother in your world. You may not see or feel it but I do love you. After everything I have done, it was all for you."

I started to cry while saying those words to my unconscious daughter. Fiercy climbed up the bed and sat down at Elliot's legs.

"I tried everything I could to keep you alive back then, so now, please. Please try everything, to keep yourself alive in there, and wake up. Wake up Elliot, wake up and come back to me." I kept repeating.

"Come Elliot, Wake up."

"Wake up."

She kept repeating it, over and over again. It started to echo inside my head. "Wake up, wake up." Again and again. It's getting louder, she wasn't saying anything anymore but it was still echoing, and each one getting louder than the last. It was like getting shouted now, and I could hear my mom's voice on it.

WAKE UP!

I opened my eyes. "Mom." I whispered. "You're there."

I regained consciousness but I couldn't remember anything after I passed out. I don't know how much time has passed since then, but the pain in my back was still there. I tried to hold and press my nape but it only resulted to pain.

I looked around me and the I couldn't recognize where I was. It was a bit hard to see, there was no light. It took a while until my eyes fully adjusted, I could now see that I was in some sort of a cave.

"Shit this must be where that owl nests." I whispered. "I need to get out of here before it notices me"

I got up and took a step. I still couldn't move much because of the continuing pain that runs in my spine. I walked slowly, trying hard to keep my balance. My head was spinning so I had a hard time.

I walked through what seems to be a path way out, keeping quite so I won't get any attention. It was still hard to see in this cave, my feet kept bumping into small rocks, this made it even harder for me to keep balance.

After a few minutes of walking bare foot and bumping on small rocks, I realized that I was going nowhere in this path.

Should I keep going forward or should I go back? I couldn't decide on which. If I keep going forward who knows where I'll end up, maybe a dead end, I should just go back and see if there's another path.

Yes, I decided to turn back and walk quietly back to where I came from. The moment I took a step back, a sharp rock pierced the skin of my feet. I let out a painful shriek but I immediately covered my mouth and toned down. I had to keep my voice in or else I might the owl.

I bent down and sat on the ground. I touched my right foot and felt where the rock was. I mustered up my strength to pull it out without having to let out a shriek.

Okay breathe, breathe, you can do this. I kept thinking to be strong. Okay let's do this. One.... Two.... Three!

I pulled it out. I was teary because of the pain; blood came splurging out when the sharp rock was pulled out. I kept groaning in pain as the blood came out.