1 "I must be"

A woman lived alone in an apartment right next to her daughter's. She was around the age of 90, with severe dementia. Because of that dementia she would have hallucinations. When she would have those hallucinations she would take her medication. She could normally tell when she was hallucinating, as it would seem the room was shifting. Like when you spin in circles too long and it begins to feel as if the world is tilting. She laid down on her couch to take a nap because she felt ill. Staring up at her popcorn ceilings, it began to seem as though the patterns in the paint were rippling like water. As she stood it felt as if she was on a boat facing heavy waters. She quickly headed for her bathroom. Her medicine cabinet had a mirror on the front, with a shower to the right of her. As she opened the cabinet she saw the shower curtain shake in the reflection. "I'm hallucinating," she says aloud. She takes out her water cup and forces down a pill. She walks out of the bathroom, shutting the door behind her, and lays back down on the couch. Staring at her popcorn ceilings, the shadows begin to flicker as if the light source in the room was zipping around. She ignores it. "I'm hallucinating," she says. She begins to see a hand reach over her face, as she lays still on the couch. She sits up abruptly. No ones there. But the floors are tilting like a wooden plank in a hurricane. She hurries to the bathroom. The door was already open. She opens the medicine cabinet. The shower curtain is open. She looks for her pills. The container is open. Pills are spilled all over the cabinet and rolling towards the drain of the sink. she grabs as many as she can, forces them down, and hurriedly drinks her cup of water. Shaking, she walks back to the couch to lay down. The popcorn ceilings begin to spin as if she were on the roundabout at an elementary playground. They slow down, still spinning, the shadows begin to dance again. Her popcorn ceilings begin to ripple like a pond in heavy rain. She sees the top of a dark figures head inch over the couch. She sees long fingers grab the backing of the couch like the railing on a flight of stairs. "I must be hallucinating," the room begins to spin faster than ever. The dark figure is now leaning over her. It grabs her shoulders and begins to shake her. Her heart rate's now going faster than the carousel of a room she's trapped in. The figure shakes her once again, and opens its mouth to speak.

"Mom?"

avataravatar