Big Red had another nightmare that night. He had one Sunday and Saturday night as well. All of them repeated the same pattern. He couldn't do anything to stop the monster from killing Ashlyn. This time, the beast crushed Ashlyn like she was a bug with its foot.
Big Red didn't tell anyone about the recurring nightmares. He was embarrassed to talk about them. Of course, people knew when he had the first one. However, complaining about nightmares as a high school senior felt juvenile.
Big Red climbed out of bed. He slowly walked to the kitchen and grabbed himself a bottle of water. He hated venturing into his dark and quiet house, so he made the trip quick. When he returned to his bedroom, he noticed someone was calling him. Who is calling me? It's like three in the morning.
The person calling him was Kourtney Greene. The caller's identity surprised the teenage boy. Big Red considered Kourtney as a friend. Everyone in their theatre group was practically family to him. However, they rarely hung out or talked without anyone from their group. She was more Ashlyn's friend. They never called each other in the dead of night.
Big Red answered the phone. "Hello?" he asked.
"Hi," Kourtney said. "I hope I didn't wake you."
"I was already awake," Big Red confessed.
"Good," Kourtney said. "I need your advice on something."
"I'll do my best to help you," Big Red promised.
"Okay," Kourtney said. "Ashlyn's parents asked me to sing a song at the funeral. I was thinking about just doing Amazing Grace, but I want to do something more personal. Do you have any suggestions? Like a favorite song? Or a song that meant something special to her?"
"She liked that song 'Enchanted' by Taylor Swift," Big Red whispered. He remembered his parents were asleep a few rooms over.
"I know that song," Kourtney responded. "Thank you."
Big Red noticed something on his nightstand and got an idea. "I have Ashlyn's songbook with me," Big Red said. "She left it at my house last movie night. Maybe you can use something in her book. Are you working tomorrow?"
"I am," Kourtney said. "Your dad asked me to show Lily the ropes."
"She got the job?" Big Red asked.
"Her resume was impressive, apparently," Kourtney responded. "I would love to see the songbook."
"Perfect," Big Red said.
"Thank you," Kourtney stated.
"I'm kind of happy you called," Big Red sighed. "The silence was kind of defeating."
"Is everything okay?" Kourtney asked. "You can talk to me. The others and I are all here for you. Even if you call Nini, she'll pick up in a heartbeat. She's been asking about you."
"It's stupid," Big Red sighed.
"If it's bothering you this much, it can't be," Kourtney said.
"I've had dreams about the accident," Big Red confessed. "I've had them every day since the crash."
"That's not stupid," Kourtney said. "Everyone has nightmares. You've lived through something very traumatic. Having nightmares about it isn't shameful."
"Did you ever have a bunch of recurring dreams like this?" Big Red asked.
"I had a few in the days leading up to Frozen," Kourtney said.
"What helped you?" Big Red asked.
"I wrote them out," Kourtney stated. "Any time I had one, I wrote it down."
"Did it work?" Big Red asked.
"It did," Kourtney answered.
"I'll try that," Big Red said. "Thank you."
"You can always call me if you need anything," Kourtney stated. With that, the call ended. Big Red pulled out an unused notebook and a black pin. This one will do.