Generated prompt of the day: Night

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It was cold in the tiny tree house. Various holes in the roof aloud water to leak inside, collecting in the many buckets and bowls that had been put out.

Outside it was pitch black. Not only was it a new moon, but the thick clouds covered up every star.

Trees were bending low, pushed down by the wind's force, leaves heavy with rainwater.

The windows rattled as violent gusts of winds tugged at them. Tiny bullets of rain hit the glass, filling the rooms with noise.

Usually Jesse, Axel and Olivia liked rainy days. They'd spend them inside the tree house, huddled together on the couch with good books, or some freshly baked cookies.

And at night, there was nothing better than falling asleep while listening to the thudding of rain on the wooden roof.

But alas, it was starting to become winter. It was cold, and nobody appreciated the wetness. The tree house wasn't very warm after all, the three friends had built it themselves.

At that moment, Jesse was the only one of the three that was asleep. She had come down with a cold a few days ago, and decided to go to bed early.

Axel and Olivia were in the main room of the tree house, chatting up a storm about who knows what. The door to the bedroom hung slightly ajar, letting a small strip of light into the bedroom, which vertically shone over Jesse's bed.

The dim light shone onto Jesse, illuminating her pale face in the dark. She was sleeping lightly, her expression slightly changing with her dreams.

However, as the minutes ticked past, things started changing. Jesse started to slowly mumble inaudible words, muttering messed up sentences.

She was holding tightly onto her pillow, like she was clinging on for dear life. Her breathing quickened, and Jesse started toss her head from one side to the other.

Jesse's features tensed up and shook her head, crying out softly.

She wasn't sure what was going on around her. She was lost and confused. She wasn't feeling well. She was cold. She was scared.

"Jesse?"

"Jesse, hey, wake up."

Jesse's body jolted slightly and her eyes shot open with a loud gasp. She looked up to see the familiar faces of Axel and Olivia right in front of her, Olivia's hand on her shoulder.

Something she recognized in the dark hole of the nightmare, it made Jesse's heart leap in relief.

Before she had time to think she had wrapped her arms around her friends, burying her face between them. Their warmth felt comforting, and she felt her shaking breathing calm down.

"Easy now." Olivia said gently, as she stroked across Jesse's hair. "It was just a dream."

Another little figure scrambled onto the bed, pushing through Axel and Olivia. Jesse smiled shakily as Reuben clambered into her lap, snorting softly. She hugged him close to her chest, enjoying the comfort and the warmth he brought. Nonetheless her heart rate was quick, her breathing shallow.

Jesse didn't often have nightmares, but when she did they would come in the worse forms. Usually she'd feel too afraid to go back to sleep for nights to come.

But Axel, Olivia and Reuben were always there for her. No matter how scared she felt, she knew she could rely on them to be there for her.

Axel and Olivia could see the tiredness in Jesse's eyes. She needed the rest.

"C'mere." Axel said, as he pulled Jesse onto his lap like she was a toddler.

Jesse didn't mind. If anything, his big arms wrapped out her shoulders, with Reuben still snuggled into her chest, felt secure. She felt safe.

It was only minutes before Jesse drifted off to sleep once more, her head resting on Axel's chest, one of her arms wrapped around her sleeping pig.

Still, her friends didn't leave her, not for the whole night. If anything was going to wake Jesse up again, Axel and Olivia would be on either side of her, ready to comfort her.

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It was winter, once again. Trees swayed outside in the wind, branches scraping loudly against the windows of the large house. There was no rain, but the gusts of wind were cold as ice, and small frost particles were forming on the windows.

Inside it was warm and dry. Somewhere a heater was turned on, filling the bedroom with a comforting warmth.

Jesse wasn't appreciating any of it at that moment.

She was asleep in the large double bed that was placed in the middle of the room, constantly tossing and turning from one side to the other.

Even though she was still asleep, the young woman's face was streaked with tears. She kept calling out in her sleep, crying for somebody to help her.

But alas there was nobody around to hear her desperate cries. Nobody to come wake her up and soothe her. She was alone.

All of a sudden, Jesse screamed. She sat bolt upright in bed, her eyes wide in shock.

Tears continued to make their way down her cheeks, dripping onto the bedsheets. Jesse was breathing heavily, her anxious eyes darting around the room as she tried to recognize her surroundings.

Realising it was just an awful dream, Jesse exhaled loudly, letting herself fall back onto the pillows.

She closed her eyes, trying to breathe in deeply. It didn't work, her breaths short and jagged. Jesse gave up, covering her face with her hands and continuing to cry.

Her body shook slightly with her sobs, her cries echoing through the empty hallways of the house. There wasn't anybody around to hear her.

Nightmares had become a common occurrence in the past few months. Ever since the last of her friends moved out, the loneliness and emptiness of the house had kept her up at night, haunted by dreadful dreams.

And not once was there somebody for her to talk to. Nobody to tell her it would be OK. Nobody to hold her close until she fell back asleep.

Jesse buried her face into her pillow, still crying uncontrollably, her sobs now muffled. The lack of the sleep has become too much for her, she was always either short-tempered, or emotional.

Minutes ticked by, as the house grew quiet again. Jesse lay on her side, staring into the darkness. Her eyes were red and swollen, her cheeks streaked with tears.

You could tell she was thinking about her friends, every time fresh tears welled up in her eyes and rolled down her face.

"I need you guys." Jesse whispered, resting her eyes on the photograph on her bedside table.

It was too dark to make out the image properly, but Jesse knew it by heart. She didn't need light to know that five smiling faces would be staring right back at her from the frame.

Jesse pulled her knees up to her chest, wrapping her arms around them. She sobbed softly as tears escaped her now-closed eyes.

She had everything she desired. She was leader of a town, the Hero in Residence, with everybody looking up to her.

She had a large house, rooms filled with exotic treasure she and the Order had discovered on their adventures.

She had job she loved, and a perky assistant who's willing to help her around every corner.

She was supposed to be happy.

But she wasn't.

Because in the evenings she sat alone at the dining table. She woke up in the mornings to an empty house.

She had nobody to talk to when she was upset, she had nobody to hold her when she was afraid.

She had nobody to listen to her fears, she had nobody who responded to her cries for help at night.

She was alone.

And if Jesse could make one wish at that moment, it would be to bring back the days when she used to be happy.

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I have had this idea for a while. The moment I got the prompt "night" it made me think of nightmares. And well, here ya go xD

I like this concept of writing a similar occurrence over the time span of a few years. In this case, Jesse having a nightmare. 

First time 'round she may have been cold and sick, but nightmares weren't a frequent occurrence. She also had her friends there who woke her up and calmed her down.

Second time 'round Jesse was in a warm house, well insulated from the cold. However, nightmares are now frequent and she never has anybody to come in and help her.

That my friends is the difference between a Happy Jesse and a Sad Jesse. 

What am I even saying XD See you all tomorrow with whatever the word generator spits out next!