Frank screamed and held on to the wall because something was happening to his body. When he looked at his hands, he found that he had claws instead of hands, and there was hair all over his body. He scratched on the wall, leaving marks on it. His body seemed to be growing, so he rushed to the mirror, and that was when he saw that his ears had become pointed.

After seeing his refection on the mirror, Frank felt confused by the sight, so he threw his hands on his face. He had become a monster that he was afraid of. After a while, a gloomy light appeared from the moon, and he howled loudly. The trees were swaying, so he rushed out of the house in a hurry, as if something was chasing him. He then ran to the faraway mountains because that was the only place he could reside in.

His teeth had grown longer, and he craved fresh meat. As a result of this, he snapped, howled and scratched every tree he ran past in confusion. There was a mist in the air, and his hot breath escaped from his lips as he howled. The hot breath from his mouth then curled in the air like smoke, then disappeared into thin air. After a while, a thin, black figure with yellow eyes appeared from a distance. When Frank saw the figure, his heart pounded, his knees shook, and his face turned a ghostly pale. And with every step the creature took towards him, he realised that it was not just one figure, but plenty of them.

**********

“Frank … Frank … You sleep like a maniac these days,” a voice shouted while patting on Frank’s thigh.

When Frank opened one eye, he noticed that he was in a room with a lot of light in it. He then realised that it was morning, and that he had had a terrible dream, and that was when he opened the other eye. He was sweating and confused, but he was relieved that it was just a horrible dream, but his thoughts were swarming like bees.

Ruby stared at him worriedly, until she saw how wet his body and sheets were. He had a sour look hidden from her, but she knew something was wrong.

“Are you sick?” Ruby asked anxiously. “We have an assignment today, and I can’t do it on my own.”

Frank dragged himself out of bed, but he felt like the hope that was inside him was crushing down. He remembered that the assignment Ruby was talking about was going to add marks to their final exam marks, and that if they failed the assignment, it meant that they would fail the year.

“Let me take a bath quickly,” Frank said with a sigh, then he stormed to the bathroom.

“Be quick, babe, and I’ll put in new sheet for you,” Ruby shouted in response, then she dragged the messy sheets off the bed. “Where are they?” she asked while rummaging through the wardrobe near the window.

After a while, Ruby found blue sheets in the middle shelf’s drawer. But while she was busy putting them on, she saw pieces of hair on the bed because they must have fallen from the wet sheets. ‘Maybe he’s shaving,’ she thought. The pieces looked longer than his beard though, but she ignored the thought. She wanted to focus on the assignment, or she would forget all she had been cramming and reciting.

Ruby and Frank were teenager lovers. Ruby was a beautiful, black girl. She was smart, witty and full of life. She stayed two house away from Frank’s house, and she felt like it was her role to always pick up her boyfriend from his house before school.

Frank, on the other hand, stayed with his father, but he never knew his mother. Ruby made his head feel like it was in the clouds though, and he was love struck when he first met her. She, on the other hand, loved his bubbly, open nature that always rubbed smoothly on her, and there was a strong chemistry between them.

While Frank was showering, he noticed a scratch on his body that reminded him of the dream again. He snapped back when he saw it and nearly fell. He felt like something was happening to him, so he quickly came out of the bath while he was naked. He was hallucinating, and he thought he was haunted by some mysterious animal.

When Frank came into the room naked, Ruby looked the other way because she was seeing something she had never seen before. They had never done the deed before, mainly because they had agreed to get married first. Frank then quickly wore his boxers and she turned back to him, breathing deeply as if it was the last air.

“Baby, what’s wrong?” Ruby asked, leaning her hand on her shoulder.

Instead of answering, Frank looked like he was deep in thought, and he nearly punched her. Even though Ruby was puzzled, she stayed calm, and Frank slipped her a look that was serious, but he had a smile on.

“It’s the dream,” Frank replied sorrowfully, and Ruby felt the tightness in his voice.

“You need to see the priest, I told you, but you don’t listen,” Ruby grumbled and folded her arms.

“Are you are sure he’ll help me?” Frank asked with hope in his eyes.

“Yes, he’ll help you,” Ruby answered then brushed her shoulder.

Frank quickly got dress while Ruby made his bed with the continental pillows in the back, and the small pillows in front. “I found these hairs on your bed,” Ruby said, showing Frank the hair, and he panicked but stayed calm.

“She can’t know … but was the dream real? Wait, am I a monster? She can’t know this,” Frank thought to himself, screaming the words in his head. His head was still buzzing, making it heavy for him to carry.

“Were you shaving your …?” Ruby asked while pointing at Frank’s groin.

Instead of answering Ruby, Frank looked at her as if she was insane. He was hovering, but he was also listening. He wondered if she was seeing him differently, and there was anger rising in his ears.

“Are they your?” Ruby asked harshly, smacking his back because he was standing still.

“What? No, they’re not mine,” Frank answered then grab his bag. “Let’s go,” he ordered while standing on the threshold.

Ruby was worried about the assignment, and she thought Frank was going to make them fail. She only wished that the teacher hadn’t asked them to work as a pair. “Please focus,” she said while raising her painted nails at him. “I don’t want to fail.”

***

Tell us: Do you think Frank really turned into a monster, or if it was all just a dream?