Sophia had the dream again.

The one where she was choking the soul out of Mindy, and just as her life force was almost drained from her, and she was about to go limp, Sophia would cast her to the ground and start stabbing her with the silverware that was arrayed in formal order on the table next to her.

“THE SALAD FORK TO START THE PAIN! THE DESSERT SPOON TO SERVE UP YOUR BRAIN!” she screamed at her with a fury like a wildfire that burned through the forest of her subconscious.

Sophia woke up, startled and admittedly more than a little thrilled. It had been two months since her doctor had switched her to an experimental new anti-depressant as part of a last-stage clinical trial. An unexpected side effect had been the disturbingly realistic dreams that had started after the third week. Dreams Sophia felt were important to keep to herself lest the clinicians decided it was a failure of the medication in some way.

Sophia felt the power of the dream state had to be protected, besides they were only dreams.