Faint Giggles

I can’t remember how the dream began, but I know exactly how it ended.

All I envisioned was a lanky clown, sitting in a chair, giggling maliciously. He stared directly at me with his milky, blue eyes. His giggling sounded a bit faint, as if it were happening in a separate room.

The dream ended with the scream of a child, followed by a gunshot. I woke up in a panic, and grasped my chest - the scream sounded exactly like my daughter! My wife was awake, too, crying. I then came to the haunting realization that the scream and gunshot weren’t just part of the dream - they were actual sounds that woke up.

My heart sank as I heard the giggling return, only this time, it wasn’t faint. It was coming from the other side of the bedroom door.