[Gift] Drawlloween [Short story 10] - Scary Stories Around the Campfire

And then suddenly... I wake up; but this time it's a familiar place.

Breathing heavily from those nightmares, I look around. I'm lying down by a campfire and so is Charles;  [name] is sitting on a blanket and holding a book. She's reading out loud while Charles is slightly snoring next to me.

In the distance I hear an owl and apart from the fire and the moon, it's very dark. Thank goodness the fire is flickering so warmly; it has gotten quite cold as well.

I get up, shake and sleepily walk over to [name] . She starts petting my nose as I nudge her and I enjoy the warmth of her hand. It always feels so good to be with her because she's so gentle and loving.My old owner treated me well too, but was more strict and simple in her affection.

[Name] has been reading the whole time, but put the book away now and calmly says: "...thats gotta be enough for today. I don't think the kids at the festival will be too judgemental of my reading skills anyway. On the other hand- you two even fell asleep..... I thought I'd be less nervous if I practiced in front of you, but I'm even more unsure now....but I guess there's no going back now." I try to reassure her by gently rubbing my head on her.

In that moment Charles leg twitches and he lets out a grunt. He's so silly looking- I'm glad no one else can see this pose he's striking.

I look up into the stars and wonder if dreams actually have a meaning...Charles was close to accurate in my nightmare, but just now I realize that he's been the solution in many situations. He found the button in the pantry; he found the right way with his duck in the tunnel; he pulled me out of the swamp, he told me to jump over the wall and he actually had the right intuition about that bridge... He does a lot of nonsense, but he's also helpful without even realizing it.

Even when I don't like admitting it- I care about him; I wanted to get him out of there safely. And without him, it wouldn't have worked. We wouldn't have gotten that far.

I shake and think to myself, "Don't be so sentimental....it was just a dream."

But deep down I know it's far more than that. Deep down I know what Charles means to me.