Dreams

Sh-sh-shh.

It was only a dream.

I shake my head. Despite my best efforts, my mouth doesn't form words. But my eyes stop her.

She returns to my bed and pulls up the blanket. Her gaze is direct. "Only a dream."

My lips part. But, it wasn't a dream. 

Moments hang in the air. She looks tired as she watches me. "Dreams aren't real. They can feel real. They can scare you. Tell yourself over and over, it wasn't real, and it'll be as if it never even happened." She kisses my forehead. Her face comes close to mine and she whispers, "It wasn't real."

I try to speak. 

"It wasn't real." The words carry the force of all the mothers before her. "You will forget."

My voice slips away from me. 

It wasn't real.

Dreams aren't real.

She turns off the light. And I forget.