An Unusual Birthday
As I sit wearily at my dreary job at Cleary Pharmaceuticals, I shove down my paper work and start to daydream about things I would rather be doing and places I would rather be than here. Gosh! It’s my birthday and I, of course, am stuck sorting dusty old medical files into cabinets. Can’t an intern or something do this? I put my head down and sigh as I start to get pulled into the vast space that is my mind. Suddenly, my head shoots up as a disturbing image fills my skull. I tremble as the image of a massive monster with fur as black as soot sears through my troubled mind. The monster resembles a wolf but is at least ten times as large with blood red eyes and horribly sharp teeth. I shiver in my seat just recalling that horrible monster. Where on earth did that image come from?
I try to clear my jumbled, fear filled head as I struggle to remember where I had seen the fiend before. Then, it clicked. That’s the scary monster from under my bed! When I was six, I swore that there was a repulsive wolf-like monster under my bed that would choke out earthshattering growls at me while I tried to sleep. Of course, no one believed me; I was just a stupid kid with an overactive imagination! Although, it had seemed so tangible and real to me at the time. Oh well, I just need to forget about that monster before my imagination gets the better of me. I look up as the door abruptly flies open, and I see my co-worker Brent standing in the doorway.
“Hey Caroline, Happy Birthday! Are you ready for your party?” He asks with a smile.
“Well, I’m certainly ready to get out of here,” I exclaim.
“Let’s go, then!” He laughs.
I hurriedly get up from my seat and start packing up my things. I lock the door and walk with Brent toward the parking lot where our cars are. I then tell Brent goodbye and start the engine of my old pick up truck. I sigh in relief as I enter my apartment building, after quickly running towards door through the torrential downpour that had suddenly shot from the sky as I was driving home. When I enter, I immediately collapse on to my bed and try to ignore the fact that I have to get ready for a party in a few minutes.
As I lie in a nearly vegetative state, I hear a huge growl resonate throughout my bedroom. I gasp and shoot across my room away from the growling bed. I hurriedly grab the broom leaning against my wall with the hope of somehow defending myself. The bed starts shaking as the wolf creeps out from under it with a terrifying grin painted on its face. I tremble in fear as it stalks towards me with power radiating off it in waves.  
“St-stop, or e-else!” I stutter as moves closer. His grin just grows wider and more terrifying. I turn on my heel as I make a break for the door behind me. The wolf is suddenly standing in front of me blocking my path.
“You can try to run, but you won’t get very far,” he says in a deep, husky voice.
“Who are you, what do you want?” I question as I thrust the broom in front of me.
“I have some important information for you, Caroline,” he states calmly.
“Information? How do you even know my name?” I ask warily.
“I know everything about you, Caroline. You created me inside your mind. Your subconscious is trying to tell you something, but you aren’t listening. So I, a childhood fantasy, had to come tell you,” he sneers arrogantly. I stare at the wolf in shock. What could all this possibly mean?
“That doesn’t make sense! I can see you clear as day in front of me!” I scream indignantly at him. He shakes his head and focuses his ruby red eyes on me.
“That’s because none of this is real, you’re dreaming. You have been stuck in a coma for over a year! I’ve been trying to get through to you for a while, but you keep blocking me out! He snarls loudly, his eyes glowing.
“A coma? That can’t be possibly be true,” I say with tears running down my face.
“It is! And if you don’t wake up soon, you might never see the light of day again,” he says mysteriously before disappearing in a whirlwind of black smoke. I sit on my floor with tears flowing down my face like a faucet. This couldn’t possibly be true… this world seems so real! Just a while a go, rain was pelting down on me outside! That conversation couldn’t of really happened; I’m just over worked and stressed. I jump as the shrill sound of my cell phone penetrates my ears. It goes to voicemail as I let it continue to ring over and over. Once it stops, I stand and listen to the voicemail.
“Caroline? Where are you? You are so late,” I hear my mother say. “Are you sleeping? Caroline, wake up! Please, wake up! Wake up…”
I drop the phone and cry into my hands as I hear my mom plead for me to wake up through the phone.