The Nightmare
Tom was standing in front of the wardrobe again, and he knew that the thing was inside. It had been waiting for him. As he stood there, feet frozen to the ground, the door to the wardrobe began to swing open slowly,
very,
v e r y
s l o w l y
until Tom could see inside. And what he saw –
Tom jerked awake and sat up in bed, breathing hard. He had thrown off his covers, and despite the chill in the air he was sweating. He shuddered and buried his face in his hands.
Christ, he missed Joe.
---
The next day, he went to MacKenzie’s office with a feeling in his stomach like he’d swallowed a lead balloon.
“If it’s still possible, sir,” he said, “I – I’d like to try it. The – tutoring. If that’s still possible. Sir.”
MacKenzie looked at him carefully. “It is,” he said. “Might I ask what changed your mind?”
Tom looked down. “Just – realized I had more time in my schedule than I thought, sir,” he said, examining his shoes.