"A BAD DREAM"

HAVE YOU EVER HAD A BAD DREAM THAT MADE YOU WAKE UP? WAKE UP IN A COLD SWEET OR SCREAMING AT THE TOP OF YOUR VOICE? I GUESS SOME PEOPLE CALL THEM NIGHTMARES. WELL I HAVEN’T BUT I KNOW SOMEONE THAT DOES.

DO YOU EVEN DREAM? IF YOU DO, DO YOU DREAM IN COLOR? SCIENTIST TELL US THAT EVERYONE DREAMS. IF I DO I NEVER REMEMBER MY DREAMS SO I DON’T KNOW IF MINE ARE IN COLOR OR NOT.

MY WIFE, JOHNNIE, DREAMS IN COLOR AND SHE HAS SOME WILD DREAMS. SOME GOOD AND SOME BAD. WHEN SHE HAS A BAD DREAM SHE AND EVERYONE ELSE IN THE HOUSE HAS A BAD DAY THE NEXT DAY. WE ALL TIPTOE AROUND HER UNTIL THE EFFECTS OF THE BAD DREAM WEAR OFF.

BUT JOHNNIE IS NOT THE ONE I HAD IN MIND WHEN I TOLD YOU I KNEW SOMEONE THAT HAS BAD DREAMS. IT IS OUR DOG LITTLE FOX. LET ME TELL YOU ABOUT HOW I KNOW SHE HAS BAD DREAMS.

LITTLE FOX SLEEPS IN JOHNNIE’S BED ROOM. SOMETIMES SHE SLEEPS ON THE BED WITH HER AND THE REST OF THE TIME SHE SLEEPS ON HER PAD AT THE FOOT OF THE BED.

SOMETIMES IN THE MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT LITTLE FOX WILL WAKE UP HOWLING AND BARKING LOUD ENOUGH TO WAKE UP EVERYBODY IN THE HOUSE. FOR ALL I KNOW SHE MIGHT WAKE UP THE NEIGHBORS TOO. THIS HOWLING AND BARKING WILL CONTINUE UNTIL JOHNNIE TAKES LITTLE FOX IN HER ARMS AND SWEET TALKS HER. SHE HAS TO TELL LITTLE FOX SHE IS ALL RIGHT AND SHE WAS JUST HAVING A BAD DREAM.

IT HAD BEEN A WEEK SINCE LITTLE FOX HAD WOKE US UP WITH HER HOWLING AND WE WERE ALL SLEEPING SOUNDLY. THEN ABOUT THREE O’CLOCK IN THE MORNING SHE HIT HER HIGH NOTE WITH HER HOWL.

I JUMPED UP OUT OF BED STILL HALF ASLEEP AND RAN FOR THE DOOR OF MY BED ROOM. I THOUGHT THE SMOKE ALARM WAS GOING OFF AND I WAS GOING TO GET EVERY ONE OUT OF THE HOUSE. I FORGOT THE DOOR TO MY BED ROOM WAS CLOSED AND I HIT IT GOING FULL OUT. I BOUNCED BACK AND SAT DOWN ON THE FLOOR.

"WHAM"

THIS MADE LITTLE FOX HOWL EVEN LOUDER. JOHNNIE JUMPED UP AND GRABBED HER PISTOL, THINKING SOMEONE WAS TRYING TO BREAK IN. SHE RAN OUT INTO THE HALL AND TURNED ON THE LIGHT. BY THIS TIME LITTLE FOX HAD QUIT HOWLING AND FOLLOWED ALONG BEHIND HER TO SEE WHAT WAS GOING ON.

JOHNNIE OPEN THE DOOR TO MY BEDROOM AND FLIPPED ON THE LIGHT. SHE SAW ME SITTING THERE ON THE FLOOR WITH BLOOD COMING OUT OF MY NOSE. "WHO HIT YOU, WHERE ARE THEY?" SHE WANTED TO KNOW AS SHE WAVED HER PISTOL AROUND.

LITTLE FOX CAME IN BEHIND HER AND STARTED LICKING MY FACE, AS IF TO SAY IT’S ALRIGHT NOW WE ARE HERE.

"PUT THAT GUN DOWN BEFORE YOU SHOOT ME." I MANAGED TO SAY. " THERE’S NO ONE HERE BUT ME. I JUST RAN INTO THE DOOR AND MADE MY NOSE BLEED."

"WHAT DID YOU WANT TO DO THAT FOR?"

"I DIDN’T WANT TO DO IT I JUST DID. NOW GO AWAY."

JOHNNIE SAID SHE WAS GOING TO THE KITCHEN TO MAKE HER A CUP OF COFFEE SHE WAS TO STRESSED OUT TO GO BACK TO BED RIGHT NOW.

I GOT UP OFF THE FLOOR AND GOT A WASH RAG AND WET IT WITH COLD WATER AND HELD IT TO MY NOSE UNTIL IT STOPPED BLEEDING. THEN I WENT INTO THE KITCHEN AND GOT A BIG GLASS OF COLD MILK, THE JAR OF JIF PEANUT BUTTER AND A SPOON. I SAT DOWN AT THE TABLE WITH JOHNNIE AND TOLD HER I WAS TO STRESSED OUT TOO TO GO BACK TO BED.

AFTER A LITTLE WHILE I ASKED JOHNNIE, "WHERE IS LITTLE FOX? DID YOU LET HER OUTSIDE?"

"I DON’T KNOW WHERE SHE IS."

WE BOTH JUMPED UP FROM THE TABLE AND RAN INTO JOHNNIE’S BEDROOM. THERE LITTLE FOX LAY ON JOHNNIE’S BED WITH HER HEAD ON THE PILLOW SOUND ASLEEP.

"WELL I’M GLAD SOMEONE CAN SLEEP BECAUSE I’M WIDE AWAKE NOW AFTER TWO CUPS OF COFFEE."

I TOLD JOHNNIE THAT I DIDN’T FEEL LIKE SLEEPING EITHER. "SO WHAT ARE WE GOING TO DO NOW?"

"WHY DON’T YOU COOK US SOME BREAKFAST?" SHE ASKED.

"OK, BUT I’M NOT VERY HUNGARY AFTER ALL THAT PEANUT BUTTER I ATE. I’LL COOK YOU SOME BACON AND EGGS."

"WHY DON’T YOU MAKE A PAN OF BISCUITS TO GO WITH THE BACON AND EGGS?"

"OK"

SO WE SAT IN THE KITCHEN UNTIL PLUMB DAY LIGHT AND LITTLE FOX SLEEP IN JOHNNIES BED AND HAD SWEET DREAMS THE REST OF THE NIGHT.

NOW I ASK YOU AGAIN, HAVE YOU EVER HAD A BAD DREAM THAT WOKE YOU UP IN A COLD SWEAT, SCREAMING AT THE TOP OF YOUR VOICE? IF YOU HAVE, THEN YOU KNOW HOW LITTLE FOX FEELS.

THE NEXT TIME LITTLE FOX HAD A BAD DREAM, THINGS WERE DIFFERENT. OUR GRAND DAUGHTER AND HER TWO KIDS WERE HERE AND WHEN LITTLE FOX STARTED HOWLING … BUT NO THAT’S A WHOLE NOTHER STORY FOR A DIFFERENT TIME.

BY LOREN MOORE