by: mnlwrites
"How I longed for your sweet, warm embrace my love. Come with me, my sweet Maine. Come home..."
"Get away from me..."
"Why? Why does it always end like this... Maine?"
--
"Dei, come on honey, wake up! Dei, ano ba! DEI!" Benjamin shook his wife, waking her up from her bad dream.
It's always like this every 13th of the month. A man wearing a suit with a piercing look visits Dei in her sleep, asking her to come with him in inside a castle in a far away land that Dei does not recognize. It will start with having lunch, then going to the veranda where the mysterious man and she will talk, and then they'll have tea. The nightmare will end at night where he will attempt to make her come home.
"Benj?" she whispered and held her husband's arm.
"Mahal, it's alright. You're awake now. You're safe. Shhh." Benjamin replied and hugged her.
"Ayoko na, Benj. Bakit ba nya ako laging ginugulo? Bakit nya ako laging pinipilit na sumama sa kanya?" she cried.
"It's just a bad dream, love. Here, inom ka muna ng tubig. Shhh. Tahan na, andito ako. Hindi kita iiwan."
Dei drank the water in one go and placed the glass on top of her side table after.
"Nasosobrahan na ba ako kakanood ng Korean drama at hanggang panaginip may humahabol sa akin? Benj kasi, hindi ko maintindihan eh. Bakit lagi akong binabangungot every 13th of the month? Tapos laging sya yung bida sa panaginip ko. Tapos alam mo yun, parang kilalang-kilala namin ang isa't isa. Hindi ko maexplain. Tapos biglang magpapanic ako then mage-end na yung panaginiip ko. Bakit ganon?"
Benjamin sighed helplessly and kissed her temple.
"Mahal, hindi ko rin alam. Ginawa naman natin lahat ng pwede, pero hindi ko alam bakit napapanaginipan mo parin sya. Sorry, wala akong magawa ha? Sana ako nalang ang –"
"Huwag mong sabihan yan, mahal. Ang dami mo ng nagawa kaya? Baka siguro kailangan lang natin ng bakasyon?" Dei teased.
"Gusto mo ba? Pwede rin, sakto mageexpire na yung miles ko, baka pwede natin gamitin." Benjamin answered and gave his wife a quick peck on the lips.
"Gusto mo bumisita sa Ireland? Hindi pa ako nakakapunta dun at saka ang tagal mo ng hindi bumibisita sa parents mo eh." Dei suggested.
"Sure ka? Hahanapan ka ng apo ng mga yun!" Benjamin said and laughed.
"O eh bakit ba kasi hindi pa natin bigyan?" Dei challenged.
"Aba teka, naghahamon ang misis ko ha..." Benjamin responded and pulled himself on top of Dei.
"Labing labing?" he whispered. Dei responded with a chuckle.
Benjamin and Dei made love all night. They were so focused that they did not notice the figure outside watching them from the window of their house with nothing but anger in his eyes.
--
"You came..."
Dei heard someone whispered right in her ear while she's lying on the bed. They arrived two days ago in Ireland to visit Benjamin's parents. They live in a small house in Bray, a coastal town in Wicklow. There aren't many houses around but they were couple of castles near the area of which one of them caught Dei's attention.
She passed by the castle one afternoon while walking the dogs. It's weird that the ambiance outside the castle felt like she's been there but it's her first time in the country. She shrugged the thought and went ahead. This has been bugging her every time she passes by the castle yet she didn't dare to come inside.
Because deep inside, she knew it's trouble waiting to happen.
Benjamin left earlier that night to go to a stag party with his cousins so Dei was left alone in the room upstairs.
"Come with me, my love..."
Impossible. She's wide awake. Why is she hearing this voice?
"How I longed for your sweet, warm embrace my love."
"Who are you?" she asked.
"Come home, Maine. Come home to me."
"I am not Maine! Stop bugging me!" she screamed.
--
It was a sunny day today in Wicklow.
Dei found herself in front of the castle, wearing a white dress and her hair tied up in a messy bun.
She's here again.
"Finally, come inside." the man greeted her.
Dei hesitated but the man pulled her to come inside. He's pale and muscular with a dimple on his cheek. She never had seen his face this clear before, even in her dreams.
"Who are you?" Dei asked.
"You know me, mi'lady. You know me too well." He answered with a sly grin.
"I don't know you, why do you keep on bothering me in my dreams?" she asked again, demanding for answers.
"My name is Richard, Maine. Richard Faulkerson Jr., I'm your husband." He answered.
"Are you kidding me? You are not my husband and my name is not Maine!" she screamed and ran towards the door.
"You can't run away this time, my love. You came to me, you came home finally." Richard said in a tone that made Dei's knees tremble.
"I'm not your wife, Richard. I don't know you. Please let me go home." She cried.
"STOP TELLING ME THAT YOU ARE NOT MY WIFE! I would recognize your face and scent even on my sleep! I've been jumping dreams for centuries just to find you; I've watched you while you sleep, while you cook, while you shower, while you fuck that bastard!" Richard threw a glass near Dei.
"I've seen everything, Maine. Just like before you left me here in this castle and ran away with that bastard!" Richard screamed so powerful that the windows shattered and the wind blew so strong Dei couldn't even stand up straight.
"You can never leave this castle again, Maine. Or else, I will kill everyone you love." Richard said and left Dei crying, kneeling on the floor.
--
Back home, Dei has been sleeping for weeks, seemingly in coma. They can't find the cause why she doesn't wake up regardless of everything they've done.
They can't also explain why tears stream down her face every 13th of the month.
