Not going to lie, I was hoping that was a nightmare, thank you Sword. The tapping reminded me of Edgar Allen Poe's "The Tale-Tell Heart" which creeped me out plenty. Reading it in the dark probably wasn't smart either. XD But this was still a very good story. It's gripping, making the reader want to read it til the end. I love the friendship between Shadow and Rouge, it's a nice balance and they're supportive of one another. You really know how to write deep, memorable stories. That's a good writing skill to have. Don't worry about the title, I think it worked. And don't be too angry Pen, there was plenty of darkness in there. Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to try to hide from the nightmares...

That...was very unnerving. I about cried at several points (worsens a headache), laughed at another (Sonic's flowers. That was cute!), and creeped out at the end (Maria coming back to life).

But, I gotta say, I would have never thought of a storyline like this. Everyone concentrates on Shadow remembering Maria, and the sad tale to go along, but you went in and made it so Shadow doesn't dwell on the past, but lives for the present instead.

Overall, I like it.

Good work, Pen!

Andi Rose

This was certainly... interesting...

Very different from most of your stories.

Love it

Loved it. This was really original in the way that you wrote a story about Shadow's pain over his loss for Maria (which is quite common) but I LOVED the creativity of the nightmare and the fact that by the end he begins to accept that he needs to change. It was really heartfelt, and realistic, and I thought, cleverly done too :)

You're very talented, you know. I always love your stories _

Looking forward to more from you :)