Slumbering demons

She lays her head back down
The shaking has stopped
Her wan face sticky with dried sweat
Her pillow catches the few remaining tears
As she drifts off to sleep

But before that,
she stood in the center of her room,
clutching a glass of water too tightly in her small, soft hands

And before that, she lay
broken and exhausted and alone
collapsed on the wide expanse of her lonely bed

And before that, she sobbed desperately into her hands, as if the world was ending (and perhaps for her, it was)
distantly wishing there was someone to hold her, soothe her, smooth her hair with gentle fingers
Her frail body should have exploded with the force of her cries,
her lungs straining for a taste of precious air
Thin shoulders heaving, her heart shattered in her chest
She felt as if she was crushed beneath the weight of the universe

And before that, she bolted upright,
Restless, terrified eyes scanning the dark crevices of the room
Searching for a danger shadowed in secrets
And when it was clear that she was alone, she began to weep

But first, she dreamed.