Chapter 2 : Nightmares

Darren jumped out of his sleep, was panting, and then sat up on the bed with his body bathed in sweat, his broad chest rising and falling due to his irregular breathing. The young man turned his face to look at the clock on the wall. It was still early in the morning; the clock showed 1:25 a.m.

"It was just a dream," Darren said softly. 

Darren closed his eyes, let out a long breath, then pulled back the thin blanket and got out of his narrow bed. Darren stomped off to the kitchen to get a drink of water. 

After his throat was no longer dry, Darren hurried back into his room to continue sleeping; tomorrow he had to do his usual activities, including helping his mother sell at the market. 

Darren lay back on his bed, thoughts of his dream flashing back. Then he shook his head vigorously. 

"I don't want to think about that dream," Darren muttered softly. 

Nightmares often come unexpectedly, and that's exactly what Darren was experiencing. He dreamed that his mother had just died in his room, and Darren's emotions immediately whipped out until he accidentally burned three trees at once. In the dream, Lake and Finn, his two best friends, come to his aid. 

Darren tried to fall back asleep, but he couldn't; the drowsiness never came. A rough sigh escaped the young man's lips. Darren tilted his body, his round eyes staring at the window of his room, which was left open, giving access for the night breeze to enter the room and piercing Darren's skin coldly. 

Darren's gaze penetrates the darkness of the night, looking up at the full moon that shines brightly tonight. Darren was silent for a long time; the silence was so thick. Until a voice startled Darren, and he scrambled back to his seat. 

"Yupo!" Darren shouted out loud. With quick steps, Darren immediately left the room, then continued out through the back door. Darren sprinted towards Yupo, his pet. 

Yupo was a giant cat; he had just meowed loudly, startling Darren. There must be something going on with that animal. 

Yupo's cage was not far away, so it took Darren less than two minutes to arrive. Darren immediately opened the cage for the giant cat. 

"Hey, what's wrong with you, buddy? Don't worry; I'm right here." Darren stepped closer to Yupo, who was still meowing ferociously. Darren's steps were slow, but alert and careful.

When he reached Yupo, Darren stroked the giant cat's soft fur. Darren smiled. Yupo was now silent, enjoying the gentle strokes from his master. 

Yupo no longer made any noise. With his wide mouth, Yupo's voice is, of course, very loud, especially in the middle of a quiet night like this.

For a long time, Darren let his hands caress Yupo's soft fur. The giant cat slowly lay back down on the ground, his eyes closing again. 

"You must have had a bad dream, huh?" Darren published a faint smile. Yupo answered Darren's question in a low voice, making Darren chuckle softly. 

Yupo's soft fur undoubtedly makes anyone want to hold it for a long time. Even Darren, who was used to it, couldn't bear to let his hands idle.

"We do look alike, don't we? Just like you, I also just woke up from a nightmare," Darren said, as he began to crouch down in front of the big cat. 

Yupo's large eyes opened and closed, his amber eyes looking straight at Darren. Yupo then yawned widely; surely the giant animal nodded back, wanting to continue sleeping again. However, Darren couldn't sleep; he was still awake. 

When Yupo opened his mouth, his sharp, pointed teeth were so large that his thin whiskers twitched. 

"Yeah, you might as well go to sleep." Darren then stood up, patting his hands. He stared at his pet for a long time. 

Darren loves talking to the big cat, and Yupo always listens to the words Darren always spits out. Yupo understands what Darren is saying. Darren realized that. 

Yupo was his best friend, not just a pet; Darren loved the giant animal. 

After being sure that Yupo had fallen asleep, Darren then left Yupo's cage, not forgetting to lock it again. Darren walked slowly towards the house again, through the cold air that bit his skin. 

Through the back door, Darren was surprised to see his mother in the kitchen. Not only Darren, but his mother was equally surprised.

Both of them looked at each other. 

"Mom just startled me." 

Helena waved a hand in front of her pretty face. "Darren, Mom was also surprised to see you coming from outside. "Where did you come from in the middle of the night?"

Darren didn't answer right away; the young man locked the door first, then sat down on the chair before giving a short answer. "I just came from Yupo's cage; he was meowing really loud; I think there's something wrong there, Mom." 

"Oh right, Mom heard it too." So, what's wrong with Yupo?" Helena asked.

Darren shook his head. "No problem; everything is under control." Darren looked at Helena with a smile. "Mom, why did you wake up in the middle of the night? Did you wake up because you heard Yupo's voice?" 

"Ah, no." Helena shook her head firmly. "Mom's just thirsty; I'm going back to sleep after this." 

"Oh, I see. I should go back to sleep too; I had a bad dream earlier." 

Helena placed the glass on the table. "Nightmare? You don't want to tell your mom about it, hm?" 

Darren was silent as he stared at Mom's face for a long time, and the dream came back, filling his head again. Until finally, Darren dismissed his thoughts. 

Darren chose to smile. "Nothing serious, Mom, forget it; everything is fine." 

Darren didn't want to tell the truth about his nightmare, especially since it was related to Mom. There was no way Darren could openly tell his mother that his dream showed Helena dead in the room with a stab in the chest and blood pooling on the floor. Just thinking about it made Darren sick to his stomach; how could he tell her about his nightmare? No, Darren wouldn't be able to do it. 

Helana rubbed Darren's shoulder. "Alright, you sleep well, okay?" "As usual, you have to help Mom at the market." 

"Of course I'll help Mom at the market," Darren replied. "Um, then I'll go inside first, okay?" 

"Yeah, Mom's going to bed too." 

The two then parted ways, sneaking off to their respective rooms after throwing smiles at each other. Once in the room, Darren climbed onto his bed. 

Darren had to go to sleep, no matter what. Tomorrow, he didn't want to be sleepy when he was selling. 

That night, Darren tried to close his eyes. And by the time the cuckoo's cawing sound hit the air, Darren was already falling apart. The young man managed to sleep.