I jerked awake, sweat dripped off my nose onto my already soaked chest. The dream was fading fast, even now it was disappearing, and there was only the knowledge that I'd escaped a terrible vision. What was it? For sure, not a new one. The same one. There was the sense of familiarity as I dreamed, and it was the last to leave my mind as I sit rigid and panting.

As the stars and moon shone down, with light turned cold and unfeeling by the galactic distances, I snaked out of the sleeping bag and moved to the edge of the campsite. There was the gurgle of a nearby creek, sounding like a menacing chuckle, that perhaps escaped the confines of my dreams. My mouth turns dry at the thought, and I walk toward the creek.
My mind tells me that it's just water bubbling over the rocks. My mind tells me that it's something sinister. I walk on, not believing either, and believing both, and fearing the shadows beneath the trees. Fearing what the shadows may hold, may hide. And the creek chuckled evilly.

Dropping to my knees, not minding the popping, which in the silence sound like the firing of a shot gun. I dropped my head into the water until my nose hit the rocks at the bottom and drank deeply. The water was icy, and went down my throat like cold blades. It tasted of fresh snow.

I pulled my head out, gasping and sputtering, and watched the creeks slow current take ripples from my dripping hair way. A wavering moon was reflected by the restless water, shining like melted silver. I watched it, watched it dance and sway on the water's surface. Until it was covered by a shadow.

I looked up, not expecting to see just a standing shadow. The only point of light was it's eyes, eyes cold, and heartless--and powerful. Slowly, I rise to my feet, the creek between us bubbling like the memory of my dreams. This was the shadow that cursed my dreams. Below it's eyes, a grin cut through the night's dark. A grin shining bright with the fires of the eternal pit, with teeth sharp and evil as the gates to hell.

This was the creature that gave birth to terror, created fear, and walked in nightmares. It was mute, and stole speech; insane, and erased sanity; malefic, and dispelled of all things beneficial. It was powerful, dreadful...yet...

"No."
It's smile disappeared. I could think. Mist began to rise from the creek and curl around my feet. It went no where near the thing. The mist seemed to avoid it completely. It slid closer, a small gleam of it's grin reappearing.

"No!"

It flinched back, the gleam gone, it's eyes dimming. It was afraid. I could move. The mist rose higher, higher than my knees, hiding half of the thing. Now twisting and swirling around it as if alive. Serpentine movement that seemed to push it back, and I advanced in its wake.

"NO!"

The mist rose completely, surrounding completely. I stood within it's grasp, comforted by the cool kiss of it on my bare chest and arms. For perhaps an hour, a span of time that was not discomforting, the mist remained. Then the moon shone down, the creek gurgled, and no shadow remained. Walking with the sound of the creek at my back, I returned to the the campsite. I slipped back into the sleeping bag, and closed my eyes.

The nightmare did not return.