I tilt my head up to the sky, inhaling the delicious scent of barbecuing pork. I run up to my mother and bounce up and down happily exclaiming my love for mushrooms. My mother nods distractedly and dismisses me with a wave of her hand. My sister comes up behind me giggling and announcing a game of tag.

“I am going to catch you!” my sister cries.

“You can try!” I sing out.

I sprint across the lawn desperate to get as far away from my sister’s grasp as possible. A chill suddenly runs down my spine and I feel a pair of eyes glaring at me. A gloved hand lands on my shoulder forcing me to turn around. A masked figure stares back at me; eyes boring into mine as if staring into my soul. My lips part as if to let out a scream but my body is frozen and unwilling to move. I can see the horror in my eyes reflecting upon the pair staring expressionlessly back at me. I swallow my fear and struggle against the firm grip which tightens, breaking off my blood circulation. I stifle a scream trying to convince myself that this masked figure means no harm. My eyes dart wildly around only to find a deserted yard. The silence is deafening, my hopes extinguished.

The sound of the earth’s crust cracking open, shattering the silence of the moment, hits me before the jolt of the earthquake sends me flying face-first into the dirt. The blood rushes back into my arm numb from the lack of circulation. I glance up, shocked, to see that my backyard now a vast field that is breaking into pieces and falling into the depths of destruction. The land slowly disintegrates to ash as the lava flows from the crust. The masked figure suddenly grabs my arm and drags me towards the burning pit of death. I let out a shriek and fall to the ground clawing at the remains of the earth frantic to find a place to latch onto. My feet are grabbed hold of and yanked towards the lava.

I feel the heat wash over me as I am dragged to my feet by the masked figure. The lava mocks me in my defeat as it bubbles; I force myself to hold back the tears welling up in my eyes. My instincts were to flee but I have nowhere to go, nowhere to run, nowhere to hide. I turn to the masked figure demanding for answers when a hand shoots out and shoves me over the edge.

I scream. My life flashes past my eyes and I feel every bone in my body shatter at the impact. My skin disintegrates and my flesh burns to charcoal. With that I know I am gone. I feel myself float upwards towards the sky. I watch as the masked figure whips off their mask revealing a familiar-looking girl who then jumps in and disappears under the sea of redness. The lava cools down and I find myself staring at two lumps, one reaching down to the other. My body shudders in disgust, my death had occurred and my killer ends up looking like my lifesaver to the world.

I shake my head as the landscape below morphs back to my back yard. I look down expecting to see my family in mourning but they are barbecuing as if nothing had happened. How could they miss their disappearance of their daughter? I look closely seeing a little girl run up to my mother and shriek at how much she loved mushrooms. I see her dance around and let out a whine as my sister taps her on the shoulder with a triumphed grin. I flew down landing beside my mother, how can you not tell that she is an impostor? She is not me! I am your daughter! I rant to all my family members but not even a slight motion is given to me. I glare at the fraud. I grab her arm, hatred filling me up. I detest her pink ribbons, her frilly dress, and her wide innocent eyes. I tighten my grip on her arm and drag her towards the place where I had stood when the masked figure first laid a hand on my shoulder. I glanced back at my family who suddenly disappeared. An earthquake shook the ground and once again the lava appeared. I grip tightly on the girl’s arm. She was the one who took my life away. It is my turn to take hers now.
~
My eyes flew open as I sat up straight in bed. My heart was pounding in my ears, my ragged breath was caught in my throat, and my face was wet with tears.

It was just a nightmare.