"Did you check the closet and look under the bed?
Did you lock the window and pull down the blind?
There could be a monster hiding inside or a wolf waiting below.
There could be some sort of flying thing wanting to get in!"
Billy was afraid of most everything,
bugs and rain,
wind and thunder,
crossing a street,
climbing a ladder,
but most of all he was afraid of what he couldn't see.
All those things they say,
"They aren't real," but really, they might be.
His mother replied,
"I checked the closet and looked under the bed.
Latched the window and lowered the shade.
There isn't anything here,
there's no need to fear,
you are completely safe in your snuggly bed.
There is only you, me and all the things you love."
With a kiss, a squeeze, a wink and a smile, Billie's mother turned out the light and closed the bedroom door.
Billy breathed out a sigh and looked around his room.
He pulled the covers up to his chin and sighed some more.
"I wish I wasn't so scared." Billy thought, "I'd really like to be brave, like all those people in my books and
I wish I had some magical friends to guard me while I sleep."
Billy let out another sigh and closed his eyes,
then opened them real fast to make sure nothing was sneaking in.
He closed them once more,
but thought he better check again.
Then he saw it!
It hadn't been there before.
A little brass flap at the bottom of his bedroom door!
It was like a pet door only smaller,
more like a mailbox slot only taller.
It bounced just a little,
something was trying to lift it up!
He could see a tiny claw at its bottom left corner, the claw of a very small paw.
"It could be a kitten," thought Billy, "but it might be a rat or something more scary"
Without a thought he jumped from his bed, ran towards the door and gave it a kick!
It opened wide and slammed back shut.
"Wow, I bet that was a surprise for whatever it was!
I bet it flew way up into the air.
It won't be back after that.
That was to big of a scare.
Billy chuckled to himself picturing the intruder tumbling away.
When Billy opened his eyes he was back in his bed,
but he couldn't remember how had he gotten back in.
His eyes darted to the door, the flap wasn't there.
"Oh, maybe it was a dream,
but it seemed so real or
maybe it's only there when I'm sleeping?
At least I was brave when I kicked that door.
I don't remember that happening in a dream before.
I sure showed them that they weren't getting in.
I'd like to have seen their surprise and seen how they landed."
Then Billy's felt a nudging in his belly, that tingle of fear,
"What if it wasn't a rat or something more scary?
What if it had been a kitten?
All I saw was a claw, I didn't see the paw.
I should have peeked out, hung on real tight and
opened the door to see what was there."
The day passed quickly and soon he was back in bed.
The closet was checked, the bed was searched, the window latched and the blinds pulled down.
His mother gave a kiss, a squeeze, a wink and a smile,
Switched off the light and pulled the door shut.
Billy sighed and watched, waiting for the flap to appear.
He fought off sleepy blinks as hard as he could,
but he began drifting away into the world of sleep.
He fought it off again with all his might and reopened his eyes.
There it was just like before!
He felt the fear bubble form in his belly.
The flap was as still as a stone.
It didn't look like anything was trying to get in.
"Oh no," thought Billy, "maybe I killed it with my very brave kick or maybe it landed funny and now it is hurt.
I need to take a look, but I don't dare open my door.
I'll just peek out through the slot to see what is there."
Billy climbed out of his bed and tiptoed to the door.
He touched the door with the tip of his big toe.
Instantly he felt himself falling, he tried to scream, but no sound was coming.
He fell through a blur that ended with a thump.
He found himself sitting on the floor flat on his rump.
The small flap was now as big as his house and the cracks in his wooden floor a foot across.
Billy had never been more afraid.
He sucked in his breath and looked up at the flap.
"MOOOOOOOOM!" He screamed, nothing came out and still nothing after several more shouts!
He climbed to his feet watching out for the cracks.
He screamed a few more "MOMs!" and a couple of "DADs!"
No one could hear him, there wasn't a sound.
"What if I touched my toe to the door, will that make me as big as before?"
He tiptoed over to it's center and touched it with his toe.
He tried his other foot, but it didn't matter.
He held it there longer, but all he could feel was the chill of the metal.
He gazed at the scratches on the edge of the flap and
saw that there might be enough room for him to peek through it's crack.
He took a big breath,
edging himself closer,
he placed his hands on it's edge and ever so slowly peered through the gap.
He couldn't believe what he saw, there was the kitten,
it was sitting on the floor and
there was the rat and
there seemed to be more.
The kitten and the rat were still as big as a house,
but Billy was the size of a mouse.
They didn't look mean and
they looked at Billy in a smiley way,
so he pushed on the flap to move it out of the way.
Poof!
Just like that Billy was surrounded by a thick grey fog.
The door was gone,
but surprisingly he didn't feel afraid.
As the fog started to thin Billy squinted trying to see,
there was the kitten and the rat,
but also an elephant and more,
there was a hippo and
even animals he had never seen before.
The fog had dropped almost to his knees,
when suddenly a huge dragon pushed the other animals aside.
He was as red as a stop sign and as tall as a tower.
His wings sprawled across the sky like an oncoming storm.
The fog at his feet puffed with each step and
Billy leaned back not wanting to look.
Billy leaned back farther, he tried to step back,
again he felt himself fall,
but just for a moment for he started to float.
His bare feet rose as his bottom sank down and
he watched the dragon draw closer framed by his feet.
Then shimmers of light speckled all around,
shimmering lights the color of fireflies tails.
They spun themselves together forming chords of soft light and
with a flash each strand darting off into the night.
Every strand reached for each other and when they touched a curl appeared.
Seven spins then they flew off again.
Spiraling curls that wern't pulled tight
so the strand of one chord could pass through it's center.
They glowed like moon,
he had never seen such a beautiful sight.
He reached out to steady himself, grabbing one of the curls and
when he touched it his feet floated down.
He felt them touch thinking it was the floor,
but when he looked he was standing in a basket.
The top of the basket came up to his chest and
all those chords of light were tied to it's rim.
The chord that he grabbed was still in his hand.
He followed it's light to see where it went.
It was tied to the dragon, Billy gasped at the sight.
He had forgotten about the dragon in the flurry of the lights.
The dragon had turned,
Billy was facing it's back, but
the dragon had changed,
he wasn't expecting that.
He was just as red and as big as the sky,
but now he just floated in front the basket.
All the other the other animals had changed too and
they were all tied to the rim.
Each a balloon in the shape of what they had been.
The kitten floated off to the left,
the rat bobbed off to the right and the elephant trailed behind.
All the other animals followed and helped to light up the night.
He felt the light he held in his hand pulse and
he spun around to look at the dragon. Beneath it's rubber skin he saw a ripple, it rippled once more and
the dragon returned to it's magnificent self.
The dragon turned his head and looked at Billy,
"I'm Alfred the Dragon." he said with a grin.
"I have been waiting for you for a very long time.
I've tried many times, but you wouldn't let me in.
Are you ready for your adventures?
They are about to begin.
The universe awaits you,
it's just beyond your fears.
Hang onto our lights and my friends and I will guide you there.
Whichever animal you choose
will lead the way,
all you need do is ask and
we'll go wherever you say.
I can breathe fire and my claws are so sharp,
I can slice through the night at the speed of a thought.
I'm not filled with air
I'm full of unconditional love.
We are all filled with love and
we know you quite well.
We have always protected you,
you just didn't know.
If you wish to travel we are ready to go.
You no longer need the flap in the door, when you peeked around it's edge,
it moved to your heart.
All you need do is relax,
think of us and
your journeys can begin.
You will see things no one has seen and
go to places where few have been.
You might incounter scary things and
you might feel some fear.
But hey, what's an adventure without a challenge and
how can you be brave if you're never afraid.
We are here to protect you,
so it's nothing you can't handle.
We will visit you in your dreams,
dreams are our first home.
You can visit us during the day,
you need not be alone.
We will teach you how to find us.
How to breathe and
how to wait for us to appear.
Then together we will help you
chase away your fears.
Billy opened his eyes to a new day, he felt less afraid.
The day sort of dragged, but bedtime to finally came.
He pulled up the covers as his mother tucked him in.
"Mom, you don't need to check the closet or look under the bed.
The window is fine and let the moonlight in.
I feel a bit more brave,
I had this wonderful dream and
you just never know
who is wanting to get in."
...............................
8 26 22
This is from a dream;
In the dream I saw the little pet door at the bottom of a door and something was trying to get in. I saw it's claw. I thought to myself it could be a kitten or maybe a rat so I kicked the door. I felt it contact with something so I kicked it again.
Inadvertently I had kicked my wife, Cheryl, in the ankle. After the second kick she started kicking back, which woke me up.
When I meditated on the dream, this is part of what I saw. The chords of light were from another dream and the dragon is from following yet another.
(Definitely need an editor)
My wife Cheryl and I live in St. Joseph, Missouri. She is retired and watches three of our 12 grandchildren and 1 greatgrandchild. I work as a maintenance man at Highland Community College in Highland, Kansas.
I have a BA in Art with an emphasis in ceramics.
I am a second degree Reiki practitioner and BQH (Beyond Quantum Healing) practitioner.
I started writing spiritual related posts in 2018 and started sharing them on a few different Facebook sites.
This site is to consolidate and re-share them.
It is also to share short stories based on images seen while in meditation.
My hopes are that it will inspire others to use the powerful tool of visualisation to enhance their spiritual journey.
Thank you.
View all posts by Kevin Burleson
Meditative Imagery 