So dark and cold, I shivered. Hugging my legs into my chest I tried not to cry. Covering my eyes with my knees, I willed the pain to go away. My head hurt, my stomach was in knots, and I just wanted my daddy to hold me tight.
But I was alone.
So alone and scared, I started to rock back and forth. I didn�t want to be afraid, but I was terrified. I wanted to be strong and brave like my auntie. She�s always strong because she has my uncle. He could make her smile, just by being near her. My daddy use to say we could stay strong because we had each other.
But he was wrong.
He left me, like everyone else. I had no to be strong for anymore.
It was dark and so cold.
I was alone and terrified.
I couldn�t stop the tears from falling any longer, big heaving breaths and sobs. I couldn�t breath. I just let go a moment, to weak to stop myself.
It came ever so slowly, I hardly noticed. This strange feeling of warmth and comfort over comes me; starting in my toes and ending in my heart. Then the tears stopped and I could breathe again. Wiping my face slowly with my sleeve of my jumper, I looked up.
I wasn�t where I thought I was.
I was in the cemetery again, in my tree. Yet it was different. Everything was still and silent, as if someone had come alone and muted everything. I blinked but nothing happen. I bit my lip, slowly untangling my arms and reach for a branch next to me.
It didn�t feel the same as before.
The branch wasn�t rough in my finger tips, like before. It was soft and warm. Looking down at my hand, I wasn�t holding a branch of the tree at all but someone�s hand instead.
It was glowing.
I blinked again but it was still glowing. Looking up slowly I couldn�t breathe again. I couldn�t speak. I closed my eyes; it didn�t seem real at all.
And as quickly, as it all happened, it was all gone again.
Darkness surrounded me again. But it wasn�t cold or frightening this time. Opening my eyes ever so slowly, I found myself covered by a blanket; soft and warm. Moonlight bathed the room with a soft light through the window. Sitting up, I stretched slightly before moving to stand fully on the floor boards.
The floorboards were cold under my toes. Wriggling my toes around a moment, I tried to find warmth, before moving towards the crack of light coming from the slightly closed door.
There was an eerie silence in the hallway as I reached up closing the door behind me. I could hear only soft murmurs coming from the living room as I slowly made my way there.
Rounding the corner to the living room I found my uncle sitting on the couch, my auntie laid out next to him, her head resting in his lap, his finger absently combing through her hair as they watched the low hum of the television together.
I stood there a moment, wandering if I should voice my appearance and disturb them or not. Realizing I may have done just that, I turned to leave.
�Hey sweet pea, where are you off too.�
My movement must have caught the corner of my uncles� eye. I turn back to them; my auntie begins to sit up smiling at me, one of those smiles that is crooked, but lights her whole face up anyway. I smile too.
�Come on. Come watch a bit of telly with us.�
My auntie motions me over with her hands, but it�s my uncles� smile and sparkle in his eyes that wins me over. I take tentative steps towards them, before climbing up onto the couch with them.
�Lay down sweetheart.�
My auntie murmurs softly as she made room for on the couch beside her. She cradles me beside her, so that I was facing her. I watch as she repositions her self back to where she was before. I bite down on my lip, looking up at my uncle as he smiled back at me, running a hand through my curls, before laying his hand along my aunties� side, resting on her waist.
�You want something to eat sweet pea.�
I shook my head, barely moving it. But I knew they understood. Food was the last thing on my mind.
�Maybe later then.�
I closed my eyes then, snuggling closer to my auntie. She was soft and warm, liking the person in my dream. Although she doesn�t glow, I know she�s real. My uncle too and I know that when I�m with them I�m safe and loved. My daddy�s hugs use to take the pain away and now that he�s gone to I think my aunties� hugs can be just as nice. They may not take the pain away completely but they can postpone it a while.
