A Child's Nightmares

Flash Fiction 


It seemed like Pearl’s nightmares had begun around the same time her family moved into the old house. Yes, it was a beautiful old house, but little Pearl had never been given to nightmares before. Now she awoke screaming in the middle of the night, but she never seemed to remember what it was about, or she did not want to say or maybe she just didn’t understand what she saw in her nightmares. But one thing was certainly true, her nightmares would wake her up at least once a night and she would run down the hall screaming to her parents’ room.

The old house had been vacant awhile, but it was beautiful so Pearl’s parents had decided to restore it, it hadn’t been vacant, long, only about ten years. Some said it was haunted, they had heard the stories, but had never given them much thought. That was said of so many houses that were vacant. Anyway, the only reason the house had been left for ten years was because the previous resident, an older lady who had apparently led a quiet life there for many years, had passed away. Her family weren’t sure what to do with the house but when they finally realized if it sat much longer in disrepair, that it wouldn’t be livable again, they decided to sell it. 

So Pearl’s parents had bought it. They only had one child now, little 4 year old Pearl, but they planned to have more children to fill the rooms of the big old house. But, when they thought about, it seemed clear Pearl’s nightmares had started the month after they moved in. However, Pearl’s parents hoped her nightmares would go away with time. 

Eventually with time, Pearl grew out of the nightmares, or so it seemed. Pearl’s parents were expecting another child, so they decided to do more renovation work on the house. That was when they find the old bones in the basement. They were human bones, too. Her mother decided to ask Pearl in more detail about the nightmares she had when was younger. Pearl’s mother suspected there was a connection between her daughter’s nightmares and the bones in the basement. More had gone on in that old house that had met the eye. Now, they had to find out the story behind the story..