He screamed. It was a wild, ringing scream that knifed through the dark night and the soft silent forest. He felt his chest burn, his knees weaker, his hand shaking and blind. He fell down to the wet grass and felt the life running out of him.

Next time he opened his eyes, he was in a dark room. He couldn’t tell if the windows were covered or if there weren’t at all. He felt week and tired, the pain in his chest was gone and he felt cold. A tremur cought his bones and were hurting because of the wet ciment around him.

He heared a noise of a key that unlokes a door and seconds later a ray of light hurt his eyes. There was nobody there, it was like the door opened its self, letting him to get out. He crowled to the holeway and reached for the principal door. Finnaly he was out and he could see the sunlight. But he felt the same cold as inside. He didn’t know how much time had spent there and thought the cold went inside his bones; it will take some time to recover. At least he felt free.

He walked down a dirty road hoping he would get soon to civilization, to get back home. He walked for hours when a car past by him and stop a few steps away. It was a young men that offered to take him to the nearest town. The young men asked him questions but he could not answer. He could not remember a thing, he did not remember his own name or how he get in that dark room. He knew nothing and said nothing. When he got to town he seemed to be familiar though with the place and asked the driver to stop. He got out and started walking on a tiny road between houses without knowing where his steps were taking him. This time his feet felt like they knew the road and they stop in front of a small and old house. There were flowers at the windows and the door was wide opened.

A little girl got out of the house and stoped on the doorstep. She looked at him with her big blue eyes, her brown hair floating in the air and her mouth open. She said something that he could not hear, when she said it twice his knees bent and his arms reached for her.

“Dad”, was the one word that made everything come back to him. He remembered. He was married to the most beautiful girl he had ever seen but she got seek and died soon after giving birth to his doughter, Lilly. He remembered spending the night on the porch with her singing her lullaby until she closed her eyes in a easy sleep.

She looked at him with her big blue eyes and asked him with her singing voice:

- Where were you dad? I though you left just like mommy did.

- No. I could never do that. But you know that Lilly, don’t you? - said he.

- Yes. But it never happened to wake up and see myself alone before.

- I know, it will never happen again. Let’s go and I will make you something to eat.

They went inside and he prepared her favourite pancakes, with honey and strawberries. She was happy and he forgot the time he was left. In the night he took her in his arms and realized that she was bigger than he remembered, she must have had grown up with at least 2 inches. He laid her on her tiny bed and went himself to sleep as he was tired.

Later that night he woke up by a strange noise. It was a big squeak and a singing scream. He went to see Lilly but she was not on her bed anymore. He went out and started screameang her name but there was no sight of her. He started running in the forest after her. It felt as a deja-vu and he stoped. He looked around him and he could see only trees around him and the full moon and suddenly a gun shut broke the silence. He felt the same burn on his chest and droped ...then he opened his eyes.

He had the same dream every night, and each night he escaped that prison and died only to go back to it. He only wished to be all over and never to wake up. But his conscinece knew him better, there was no better price to pay for his negligence than to live with that remorse.

A.R.