Nightmares — Colton Johnson

Dreams have a lighter side, a side that makes us smile, remember, love, and feel warm and cozy in the morning hours as we reminisce about what we saw as we slept.These are not them.The dark side of dreams, nightmares of a fragile mind are all too frequently more vivid, more painful, and more controlling than any of our normal dreams. Nightmares tell us the story of a troubled past, a day gone utterly wrong, or possibly far worse... a future yet to come.Follow the tales of three different men, all far different and yet all tied to one thing.Mistakes made.The Carnival: The first of the short stories. Five friends, young and full of life, enjoying the party and each other. Wild and a little rebellious, they make the biggest mistake of their lives. One man trapped in a carnival after waking up alone, can he find his friends before time is up?Or is there something far darker lying in wait for him beneath the Carnival façade.Tale of Lukin: Join a man, a man with everything as he journeys from all he loves towards his own end. A boat builder, a man with a beautiful woman, praise of the town, and a perfect life that befriends a young girl, the sole survivor of a boat crash near the back of his island. With the stress of the changing waves, the changes in this girl, will he know what is right?Or will he lose it all, including his sanity.Theronic Therpin: We all make mistakes, some we can rectify, others with a chance that fades like a flame being extinguished. Alone, choices leaving him burned and hollow, a man trudging on through life, barely living, barely existing. Was his choice worth it?Can he make up for what he has done?A tale of caution, one of forgiveness, and one of fire.A demon that he carries, a home he leaves behind, and the love of a woman lost. Can he right his wrong or will he go down with the flames?