Early in the morning before the sun rose, Eshnunna woke up. She looked lost—like someone who had floundered in deep water for long and barely managed to keep her head above water. Her pajamas were soaked, and her entire body was wet with sweat. Rough breaths came out of her nose and mouth, and for some reason, she was trembling regardless of her own will. It was as if she had seen something truly frightening. She thought to herself what she should do.

‘Should I just close my eyes?’ she wondered. After contemplating a bit, Eshnunna turned to see that she was in her bedroom. Her agitated breathing soon settled, and after double-checking and triple-checking that yes, this was indeed her room, she plopped back down on her pillow. Her eyes still looked weary with sleepiness. There was a sense of relief, but fear hadn’t completely disappeared from them.

‘It’s been a while, but the nightmares are starting again,’ Eshnunna thought. The problem was that she couldn’t remember what she had dreamed about at all. That was even scarier. If she at least knew the reason, she wouldn’t be feeling this unsettled. An anxiety that couldn’t be explained tormented a person even more.

‘But on second thought…’ She couldn’t remember it too well, but she faintly recalled hearing a voice. Her eyes drifted closed again.

‘I hope that this time I will fall deep asleep without dreaming…’ she wished and shut her eyes.

—….

Not long afterward, Eshnunna’s eyes burst open again. She looked around in confusion. She was relieved to see that she was still in her room when a strange sense of déjà vu hit her. She felt like she had experienced...