Winter Night

The sun beating down the street, a gentleman entered the clinic. He had a BAD dream the previous day, so that he decided to see a dream analyst.

He is a diligent office worker, who has been with a publishing company for twenty years. He is unmarried and he believes that there is no need for marriage in his life.

“So, Mr. Patrick,” the analyst said, “you had a bad dream yesterday.”

The gentleman called Patrick looked uneasy and answered, “Oh, yes. That was so strange a dream that I’d never seen before. I don’t know why I saw such a dream…” “OK, Mr. Patrick. Would you tell me the dream, please?”

Hesitating for a moment, Patrick began to talk about the dream.

“I was alone under the hazy sky. The moon illuminated the scenery, the beautiful mountain landscape. It was night. I started walking along the path. Suddenly, it began snowing and soon I was in a blizzard. It seemed that my life was in danger. Then, I was seized by my hand. “Are you alright, Patrick?” she said. “No problem. And you? ” I answered. Yes. Even if I would die, she shouldn’t. I had to protect her, so I thought. I managed to make a snow hole so as to shelter ourselves from the blizzard. We were soaked to the skin. For fear being frozen to death, we warmed each other.”

The gentleman looked timid. He seemed to be exhausted.

“Sure. Then, what happened?” the analyst asked.

“There was an abrupt appearance of a girl in front of us. She was in a snow-white dress and threw us fierce eyes. “Hey, who are you?” Not answering my question, the girl approached us. She reached her hand for the woman sitting next to me. I have to protect her! I have to defend her! The girl looked so dangerous! Her hand was about to touch my lover! Then I found a dagger in my pocket. With no hesitation, I gripped the dagger and pierced the girl. The snow-look girl stared into my face and said something. Fresh blood was oozing from her breast. Though I couldn’t hear what she said, I strike the dagger into the girl again and again and again and again―until the girl became something red. “Are you alright, Patrick?” The woman sitting next to me said, smiling softly. “No problem. And you?” I answered. Without notice, the blizzard stopped. No soul except us was to be seen. The moon light illuminated the scenery, the beautiful mountain landscape. It was silent night.”

After talking his dream, Patrick bent his head with no power. “What do YOU think about your dream?” “Terrible,” Patrick answered. “The dream was so terrible. I hate murder but I was abnormal enough to kill a girl in a dream.” The analyst asked gently, “Do you know the girl, Sir?” Then, he looked so shocked. “Yes…Yes I do. Though I didn’t notice in a dream, the girl was my niece, my brother’s daughter!” After a moment’s thought, the analyst asked the gentleman. “Who were you with in your dream? First you were alone in your dream, right?” “She is my…what? I DO NOT know her at all. I’ve never seen the woman. …How queer it is! I killed my niece to protect a stranger! I’m abnormal! I am abnormal!” The gentleman stood up and shouted out of his mind. Patrick, who was too honest a person, didn’t know how to accept his dream. “Please calm down, Mr. Patrick,” the analyst said, “It is true that your dream is bizarre…a little, but you yourself are anything but abnormal. Uh…don’t you get married?” “No, but that’s nothing to do with my dream.” “Well, then, I got it.” “What?” The gentleman gazed at the analyst’s eyes. “You see, you would have a strong desire for marriage, which is completely hidden from your consciousness.And your unconsciousness, the other you, seems to be envious of your brother so much. Therefore you killed his daughter in your dream.”“How dare you say such a thing!?” the gentleman got angry, “I don’t need any woman with me. You tell a lie!” Patrick was about to get out of the room. “Mr. Patrick, the dream might be the predictive one. Not the dream itself but the woman in your dream. You may or may not see the woman in the future,” the analyst said, but the gentleman didn’t hear at all.

A few weeks later, when Patrick was walking along the street, he found a woman who had been in his past dream. He could think nothing, and found himself approaching her. Then, he spoke to her from her behind.

“Excuse me.”

The following day, Patrick was absent from the company. That was his first time absence. And what is worse, no one saw Patrick ever after.

Some years later from Patrick’s disappearance, his brother’s house was broken in by a burglar in a cold night. Strangely, nothing was stolen, and, his brother’s only daughter was killed by someone. Having been stabbed many times, she lay silently in a silent house.