The Nightmare at 3:00 A.M

‎He experienced a terrifying nightmare about a mysterious little girl who appeared at exactly 3:00 a.m. every night. At first, Peace believed there was nothing scarier than a dream. But when the girl revealed a hidden secret about her family, Peace discovered that some nightmares are not meant to scare us, but to reveal truths that have been buried for years.
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‎The first time, Peace dreamed of a little girl standing outside her bedroom window, crying. She wore a white dress, and her long black hair covered almost all of her face. Peace wanted to ask her what she was doing there, but she was scared, and her voice refused to come out. The girl slowly raised her head and looked directly at her. Then she whispered Peace’s name.
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‎Then Peace woke up screaming. The room was dark, and sweat covered her whole body. Peace hesitated, then picked up her phone to check the time. She discovered that it was 3:00 a.m. She was very scared, but tried to convince herself that it was only a dream. “Everyone has nightmares. I’m not the only person, or the first person, to have a nightmare,” she told herself.
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‎Peace decided to get some water and, of course, said a prayer before going back to sleep.
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‎The following night, the girl returned. This time, she was standing very close to Peace's bed. The girl whispered again, “Please help me.”
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‎Before Peace could ask what the girl wanted, the girl pointed toward Peace's bedroom door and said, “Don't let him open it.” Immediately, someone knocked at the door. Peace tried to scream, but no sound came out. The girl said, “He is coming for you,” and then Peace woke up.
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‎For the next few days, Peace couldn't sleep. So she told her best friend, Chika, about the dream she kept having at night. But Chika laughed and said it was stress, not what Peace was thinking. Peace said to Chika, “I’m 26 years old now, and I’m living alone in the house my late grandmother left me. Still, something about that little girl scares me more than an ordinary nightmare.”
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‎On the fifth night, Peace dreamed about the girl again. This time, she wasn't crying. She stood in a narrow hallway, holding a small necklace. The girl whispered, “Your grandmother promised to protect you, but she cannot keep the truth from you forever.” Peace asked, “What truth?” The girl came closer and said, “Look beneath the floor.”
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‎Immediately, Peace looked down and woke up. Her heart was pounding. She checked her phone again to see what time it was, and it was 3:00a.m. That was the first time Peace noticed that every nightmare ended at the same time.
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‎The next morning, Peace searched through her grandmother's belongings. She found the exact necklace the girl was holding, and some other things. On the back of the necklace was an inscription: “For my daughter, Miriam, forever loved.” Peace had never heard that name mentioned in her family, so she called her mother and asked about the necklace. Her mother was silent. Then she asked, “Did you find the necklace?” Peace said yes and asked, “Who is Miriam?”
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‎Peace’s mother began to cry and said, “Miriam was my grandmother's first child, and she disappeared when she was seven years old, before my mother was born. The family searched everywhere, but no one found her.”
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‎“My grandmother refused to say what happened before she died. Grandma had made my mother promise never to open the old storage room.”
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‎Peace remembered the words, “Look beneath the floor.” She asked her mother, “What about the room beneath the floor?” Her mother pleaded with her not to open it. Peace was tired of the nightmare, so she went and opened the door beneath the floor. She was scared, but she walked down the narrow stairs.
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‎At the bottom, she saw a small door. She opened it and discovered some things inside, including an old photograph of her grandmother standing beside a little girl in a white dress. She heard a child’s voice behind her. “You found me,” the girl said. When Peace turned around, she saw the same girl she had seen in her nightmare. This time, her face looked peaceful. Peace asked, “Are you Miriam?” The girl smiled, nodded, and disappeared into the darkness.
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‎The following morning, Peace told her family everything she had seen. They finally learned the truth about Miriam and gave her a proper burial that night. When Peace went to bed that night, she felt no fear. At exactly 3:00 a.m., she heard a voice whisper, “Thank you, Peace.” When Peace opened her eyes, nobody was there. She smiled, believing that the nightmare was finally over.
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‎Image source pixabay