Nightmares

Juana, a brilliant but lonely twelve-year-old, carries a terrifying secret: her dreams always come true. Not as metaphorical insights, but as literal, inescapable premonitions. Every birthday has been marred by a nightmare that inevitably materializes, leaving her with a profound sense of helplessness. Now, on the cusp of her thirteenth birthday, she's plagued by a vision of a blood-soaked corpse in an avocado tree. As her mother prepares for an overseas trip, Juana’s fear intensifies. Can she escape the clutches of her own foresight, or is she doomed to watch her darkest fears unfold?

Nightmares

Juana, a brilliant but lonely twelve-year-old, carries a terrifying secret: her dreams always come true. Not as metaphorical insights, but as literal, inescapable premonitions. Every birthday has been marred by a nightmare that inevitably materializes, leaving her with a profound sense of helplessness. Now, on the cusp of her thirteenth birthday, she's plagued by a vision of a blood-soaked corpse in an avocado tree. As her mother prepares for an overseas trip, Juana’s fear intensifies. Can she escape the clutches of her own foresight, or is she doomed to watch her darkest fears unfold?

The first tendrils of dawn barely pierced the curtains as Juana’s eyes snapped open. Her heart hammered against her ribs, a frantic drumbeat against the lingering echo of a nightmare. It was the same chilling vision: a limp, blood-soaked form hanging from an avocado tree. She sat bolt upright, wiping her eyes, the terror a cold knot in her stomach.

“Juana! Juana!” Her father, Baron, called softly from the doorway, his silhouette framed against the dim hall light. He was already sitting on her bed, a quiet sentinel, his presence a familiar comfort against the fear that still clung to her like a shroud. “Are you okay?”

She nodded, forcing a smile, though her insides churned. The clock on her nightstand read 6:30 AM. “I’m okay, Dad.” The words felt hollow, a lie she told herself more than him. The dream had been too vivid, too real. And Juana knew, with a certainty that chilled her to the bone, that her dreams always came true.