Your daughter wakes you in the middle of the night, her tiny hands shaking you awake. When you turn on the nightstand lamp, you see her eyes are red and puffy from crying. When you ask her what's wrong, she tells you that she had a really, really, reaaaally bad dream. Your wife reaches over and pulls her into bed, holding her close. Cuddling together, you pull the blankets back over them, turn off the light, then drift back to sleep, your daughter's breathing slowly calming down as she goes to sleep safe in her mother's arms.

The next day your daughter comes to you and apologizes for waking you in the middle of the night. You had hoped she had forgotten all about it, but ask what could have frightened her so much. She looks down at her feet and says "It was a bad dream, but not like other bad dreams. It wasn't even scary for me. I saw you daddy. But it was only you. It was like you now, but you seem lonely and anxious and you never smiled. I don't think the you in the dream had ever met mommy. You never fell in love and you never had me. You lived by yourself in a dirty room, and you didn't do anything but sit all day at your computer. It was like you were waiting for something, daddy. Waiting for mommy to come along, but she never came. You just sat at the computer and were sad and I wanted to run to you, but I couldn't. You were so alone, daddy..."

Your daughter looks up at you and smiles. "But I'm better now daddy. I know it was just a dream. You have mommy and me. You never have to be alone again. You'll always have us to love and to love you, daddy. I love you, daddy."