Confusion at its finest.

Source [Credit- Hans-Peter Gauster]

I suddenly awoke from a bad dream and looked to the bed side clock. It was 6.24 am. I pushed the blanket off me and jumped out of bed. It was a Monday morning and I was getting late for work. My usual awaking time was 4am after which I'd get dressed at super speed and would leave for work latest by 4.30am so I could beat the early morning traffic.

I was twenty four at the time and lived with my parents. You may find it weird but I had no problem with staying with them regardless of my independence.

"Damn, I'm in trouble," I said as I ran to the bathroom and into the showers. I was out within thirty seconds. I grabbed my towel from the rack and raced for the wardrobe.

I opened the wardrobe to reach for my clothes but it was empty. My clothes were gone and there was no sign of clothes ever being there. The hangers were simply empty.

"Perhaps I left them in the laundry and didn't remember to return them", I thought as I looked around the room. I walked to the left side of my bed and reached for the travelling box which was half way open. "Finally," I said said to myself as I approached it and lifted it off the floor unto the bed. It was a bit heavier than expected. On opening, I realised it was nothing but books and lots of it.

"Why books? Someone must be playing a prank on me. Or have we been robbed?", I thought as I walked out of my room at super speed. "The laundry.. my clothes must be in there".

My boss is so going to fire me. I had been late to work twice in a row and had been given a final chance at redemption. Screwing it up this time means I'd be let go for sure. It's not entirely my fault, there's something called a traffic congestion which is beyond my control.

Source [Credit- Nikhil Mitra]

I picked up a round necked shirt which I had wore from the previous night and wore a pair of shorts, after which I dashed through the long hall way. I took a left turn as I entered the kitchen, which brought me to the dining. Another left turn and in the laundry I was.

I walked into the laundry and took a deep breath as I had dashed through the house at a surprising speed. To my surprise, the hangers on both sides of the room were empty, four layers of cabinet were empty as well and contained nothing but pegs.

"Mum... mum?," I called out at the top of my voice. "If this is a prank it needs to stop. My job is on the line here". I called out several times but there was no response. After a few seconds of silence, I decided to walk up to my parents room to find out what was happening. I walked out of the laundry into the sitting room. The TV was on which was unusual considering the time of the day. Everyone should still be asleep or so I thought.

I picked up the remote to switch off the TV when it suddenly made a scrambling sound and tuned to an unknown channel. "You are alone and you're not going anywhere," a man appeared on screen and said these words while pointing at me. "It's not funny anymore. Really, truly", I thought and walked out the sitting room towards parent's room.

knock! Knock!.. "Mom, dad...". After waiting for a few more seconds without any response, I opened the door slowly and peeked in but there was no sign of life either. Mom's phone was on the bed side cabinet while Dad's wasn't. I picked up mom's phone and dialled Dad's number.

Beep-Beep! Beep-Beep. It was answered after a few seconds of ringing which felt like forever as I was losing my patience.
"Hi Chris"
"Hey Dad.. where's everybody?"
"I'm in the basement. Come meet me quick.. There is a..."
The phone made a screeching sound and the call disconnected afterwards. I redialled but.. ""network error".

I went back into the kitchen, opened the door on my left and went down the flight of stairs into the basement with my left hands sliding down the balustrade. It was dark and creepy, and I could feel my heart beating in my fingers. The basement was dark and creepy. I had always hated coming down here since I was a kid as I constantly felt like something was watching me from the shadows. I guess I didn't outgrow my fear.

I counted my steps as I walked down the stairs into the dark basement. The only source of light was my smart phone Torch which was barely effective considering the volume of darkness at hand. I peered through the basement and took my steps gently as I called out to dad.

"Dad.. Mom.. Hello?".. It was total silence.

I heard something run behind me and turned around immediately. "Hello.. Somebody.. Anybody."

I took a few steps forward and saw something standing at the corner. I moved closer to get a better view while pointing my torch at is. It was the creepiest thig I had ever seen. It was a man-like figure standing at the corner of the room. It had no visible physical features except that it was a solid mass of darkness. I didn't have my glasses on so I couldn't see clearly what it was.

My heart skipped a bit as it took a step forward to wards me. I took several steps backwards but it kept following me. It was trying to tell me something But I couldn't make out what it was. I looked behind me swiftly and to observe my proximity to the stair case so I could run for it as soon as I got close.

One more step backwards and I tripped. I fell backwards and began screaming loudly with both eyes closed. I felt a sudden weight on my shoulder, followed by a thick and creepy voice "Open your eyes". "Chris open your eyes".

The voice began to fade gradually into a soft voice and familiar voice. "Open your eyes Chris.. wake up".

I opened my eyes and jumped out of bed with my heart beating heavily.

"Happy Birthday," My family chorused.

Wait.. I'm late for work.. What time is it?

"It's a Saturday Son, and it's your birthday," Dad said, after which my sister came up to me and hugged me tight.

Source [Credit- Alexander Grey]

It was all a dream!