“We made a mistake. We did not give him enough of the cooling powder.”

“The probe is in place, is it not?”

“Yes, but he woke and saw us with the cutting lights, and gave a human scream.”

“Will he remember us?”

“Perhaps in his human dreams, but his kind won’t believe his telling of us—”

I opened my eyes wide. I remember that. I didn’t blink my eyes open. I was asleep and then, full awake. There was nothing gradual about it. Annie was next to me, sleeping soundly. The room was dark but I saw these strange lights, like a barcode scanner. I smelled burning flesh. Then I saw them and screamed a scream Annie didn’t hear.

They had cut open my arm with some hissing instrument. I couldn’t move my body, only my screeching eyes. They were attaching something to the bone in my wrist. I watched in utter horror and one of them saw me seeing it. This one took some powder and sprinkled it on my head. It was cool and I passed out.

When I woke the next morning, I was wet with sweat. I immediately raised my wrist and examined it closely. There was no trace of any wound or scar; no blood anywhere on the sheets, bed or floor. I fell back to the bed with that relief of a nightmare over and unreal.

Annie doesn’t believe this, neither do my friends, but some days my wrist hurts and— at night— I see them.