She gets into bed accompanied by a whisper of rain like a tentative apology, lulling her into a fitful sleep. It drips through her dreams, punctuating them with watery full stops. So many dreams, like the flicker books she loved as a child, only the pictures change too quickly, from the first day of lockdown, through all the minor irritations, to a full-scale row, while the steady drips crescendo into an ocean-like roar. A flash of lightning illuminates the room as his shadow shouts on a nightmare scream, and she sits up, marooned in the expanse of the double bed.
“So sorry I woke you,” her husband says in a loud whisper against the clatter of rain against the window.
He slips under the covers and raindrops from his hair soak the pillow. She moves closer to the edge. Is it only a dream?
Kim M. Russell, 11th May 2020
My response to dVerse Poets Pub Prosery: Maya Angelou
Björn is back again to host Prosery with a line from Maya Angelou’s poem ‘Caged Bird’: “his shadow shouts on a nightmare scream”. I love that poem!
writing in north norfolk 
This is scary… and I can feel tension building in the relationships under lockdown. The details with his rain-wet hair make me think of a relationship slowly falling apart.
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Thank you! This story just deals with the breakdown of a marriage, but I’ve been reading and hearing a lot about abuse during the lockdown, and I feel sorry for anyone stuck in that kind of relationship anyway, let alone under the current conditions. It’s particularly dreadful for children, without the security of school and social service.
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Marooned and apologies aren’t good adjectives for the marital bed. Good job of building a scene of restlessness, Kim.
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Thank you, Lisa!
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Oh I felt that space at the end of the first paragraph where she’s marooned in her bed. Wonderfully worded.
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Thank you, Carol!
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Oh, that husband has been up to no good, running naked in the rain, like a great dane who gets out and runs out of sight. Midst his frustration and rage he probably felt safe in the rain.
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Relationships are tricky at the best of times, but lockdown restrictions don’t help.
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Uh oh, lockdown is getting to you. It’s a jolly good write!
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Thanks Bev!
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Wow, so imaginative Kim!
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Thank you, Linda!
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“punctuating them with watery full stops”
I was locked into the beautiful language of your story
Be safe
Much💟love
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Thank you, Gillena. Hope you are keeping well.
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Nice use of the shadow in your story, Kim.
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Thank you, Ken.
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“a whisper of rain like a tentative apology”
“like the flicker books she loved as a child”
“steady drips crescendo into an ocean-like roar”
I really like these descriptions.
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Thank you so much, Shawna.
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Sometimes (like these times) it’s hard to tell. (K)
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Sometimes my dreams are so realistic I long for something crazy and surreal.
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Very nice! That fine line between dreams and reality!
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Thank you, Dwight!
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I agree with Carol. Skillfully done…
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Thank you.
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Ooh, Kim – lots of hints, unanswered questions. The tension builds up, and is not at all released by that rain-wet hair. What is happening here? I’ve had to roll my shoulders a few times.
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That’s a brilliant reaction, Sarah! You’ve made me a happy writer.
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You should be happy, Kim! Hope you’re OK.. We had a light frost last night – I just went out to check and got very cold feet – but the sky is blue and the sun is shining. Not sure about the lockdown changes – I don’t think I’ll be rushing out to any beauty spots any time soon!
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I have my own little beauty spot right here, Sarah. That’s good enough for me. 😉
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love the build up of tension and the shadow between dream and reality … resonates with the many mixed emotions most are feeling!
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Thank you, Kate!
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So much tension in this story. This is a story of our current times, but not wedded to it. Excellent!
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Thank you, Merril!
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The buildup of the marriage ending is so palpable. This line is epic: a whisper of rain like a tentative apology,
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Thank you!
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