I lie awake in my bed. My eyes search the darkness, trace the outlines of my bedside table, my bookcase, my desk. Slowly, they make their way to my closet, where a thin stream of golden light peeks through the crack under the door. It's from the small lamp I place inside there each night. Mom tells me it's foolish, in fact, she thought I stopped that practice over a year ago. But as the wise seven-year-old I am, I know that the light is what protects me. If it were to go out...

The light dissolves into darkness. For a moment, I stare at where the light had glowed. My room is consumed by a void, and I can't see a single thing before me. Adrenaline creeps into my veins, and my fingers tighten around my comforter. I shiver with nerves, tears collecting in my eyes. My hand shoots to my bedside table, but instead of meeting porcelain, it lands in a pile of fur. I shriek, bolting upright in bed.

Figures in the darkness close around me along with a draft of circling wind. Sweat pricks my skin in spite of the cold, or perhaps those are tears rolling down my cheeks. My body shudders in fear, and I grab my knees to my chest. A growl rumbles through the darkness, sending vibrations through my bones.

"Who enters our realm?"

Tears spill from my eyes onto my nightgown. I reach for the covers, but I can't feel them. The mattress under me gives out, hurling me through empty space. Air that rushes around me sweeps my brown hair into my face. The force pushes me onto my back, all resistance gone. I plummet to the ground.

I land on my back with a thud, pain shuddering through my bones and muscles. Light shines around me, blinding me. My fingers run through the turf beneath me, which feels like soft tufts of fur. My heart quickens. The monster has returned. I squeeze my eyes shut, fearing the fatal blow from claws and teeth at any moment.

It doesn't come. All I feel is warmth on my skin, all I sense is brightness behind my eyes. I crack my eyes open, then allow them to open fully. Sunlight glistens over rolling hills covered in green grass. They stretch as far as the eye can see, growing larger with distance. I smile at the sight. This is no nightmare. To think that all these years, this was what I repelled.

"Hello," a deep voice says.

I turn around, and a gasp rises in my chest. In front of me stood a giant reindeer, covered in a gradient of gray and white fur and crowned with two golden antlers. His shiny, black hooves nudged a tiny red present toward me. I took it into my palms and untied the silver tulle wrapped around it. Slowly, I nudged the lid off the top.