Parasomnia

by Emily Anderson

I died today
Though you cannot tell
Because I am still breathing
And my heart continues beating.
 
Death came for me
As he does for us all
He left my body
But he took my soul.
 
I traveled through hell
Without leaving my home
I was frozen in terror
And my blood ran cold.
 
The devil welcomed me
With the face I feared most
Though he offered me his hand
Like a long-lost friend.
 
“Wake up, wake up”
I screamed to myself.
Which made the devil grin
And laugh to himself.
 
He reached after me
As I ran away
But there is nowhere to hide
No matter what they say.
 
My soul quivered in fear
As I hid in the dark.
He whispered in my ear
While his breath stopped my heart.
 
A voice in the darkness
Called out my name.
It was one I recognized
And I knew I was safe.
 
I woke in my bed
In the arms of my savior.
No longer afraid
And far from dead.
 
My lover held me
Safe and sound.
He chased away the devil
And kept me from hell.

---

Emily Anderson is new to the world of publishing, and she has had articles published in Mudita Magazine and works of fiction published in the Red Hyacinth Journal. She is a recent English Literature graduate from Mercy College.