Brian Kelly Irons

Every night I wake up from the same terrible nightmare. I realize that it sounds cliche, but it’s true. It starts out benign enough. I’m sitting in a chair reading. I don’t recognize the room that I’m sitting in, but it appears that I live there. The curtains are drawn from all the windows, and I see that it’s night. There must be a chill in the air because I can see the fog of my breath, though it doesn’t seem to affect me. I hear the gentle scratch of paper as I turn the page. I notice with strange fascination that the book I am reading, has no words on the page, just blank empty pages. Even without the words, I seem to be enjoying the book.

In another part of the house, a record is playing some old gospel hymn. The sound is quite unnerving given the circumstance. I want to stan from the chair and race toward the uncomfortable wheeze of the record player, but I cannot move. I can only continue to read from a book that has no words.

After what seems to be a remarkable amount of time, someone changes the record. The theme is still the same, only now instead of the droning hymns, it’s a sermon. As the preacher speaks from the pulpit, his words begin to come alive and travel across the pages of the book.

“Brothers and sisters, gather ’round and listen closely, for the world is ablaze with the fires of sin and corruption! The evils of this world are not hidden in the shadows; they parade boldly in the light of day, tempting and ensnaring the souls of the righteous. Look around you! The greed of man has turned our cities into dens of iniquity, where the rich grow richer and the poor are cast aside like chaff in the wind. The lust for power and wealth has corrupted the hearts of many, leading them down a path of destruction and despair.”

The preacher points to a young woman as fire rages in his eyes. Suddenly, I can feel hands resting upon my shoulders.

“You are infected with lust and greed.” He jumps from the stage and the congregation gasps. He places his hand upon the young woman’s head. The hands move closer to my neck. “There is no sin against God greater than the terrible sin of lust. God will not save you. You will be left behind.”

I sit and read the words as they dance across the page. I can see him there, raising his hands to the sky as he judges the entire room for their earthly sins.

“Turn away from your sinful ways. Cast off the shackles of iniquity and embrace the path of righteousness. For the day of judgment is coming, and the fires of hell await those who do not heed this call. Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”

I can feel his icy hands on my neck. He squeezes. Slowly bringing an end to my body.

“Look around you! Sin is everywhere, creeping into our homes, our schools, our very souls. The lust for flesh, the greed for gold, the pride of life—these are the chains that bind us to the devil’s will. The good book tells us, ‘For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God’ (Romans 3:23). And oh, how we have fallen!”

The record scratched as the needle was ripped away. The words disappeared and the icy hands no longer clenched my throat. I was awake. Only this time was different. I wasn’t in my comfy bed at home. Christine was not there to put on a fresh pot of coffee. It remained dark through the windows, as a needle was placed, and a new record was started.

“David, you have sinned. It is now time to repent. We must throw off our chains of lust and toss them to the earth. You have sinned against God and now you must be punished. You and the other unrighteous.”

There were footsteps thundering from somewhere in the strange house. I looked for someplace to hide but there was nowhere for me to go. I needed to wake up and fast. However, as I ordered my muscles to move, to run; somewhere, anywhere, I saw that I was back in the chair reading. Only this time there were words.

Now I was in bed, reading about a man, trapped in a nightmare that would eventually kill him.