It was a long day at work. I was able to clear my head with the distraction of a busy supermarket and even that didn’t last long. An old man sat on the wooden bench and observed me while I served all different types of customers. He was strange to say the least. He wore a long black cloak like the one I wore in my dream. However, his was a little more presentable.
I walked in the front door still lost in my own mind of trap doors and wires just waiting for me to trip and break down. I was determined to not do just that.
“Hey, want some?” Oliver asked me. I almost jumped out of my skin.
“Oliver, you scared me. What are you doing?” I asked as I wandered over to observe his horrible cooking skills. It looked like real mud cake mixture being prepared for the oven.
“Don’t give me that look. It’s got chocolate syrup, maple syrup, ice cream and jelly beans. I call it ‘Oliver’s Surprise’”, he told me giving me a wide cheeky grin. I looked closer and it didn’t look like anything that anyone would eat except him.
“Yeah, you can almost see the pancake under it”, I said in a sarcastic and teasing tone. He gave me a ‘death stare’ and continued working on his master piece.
While I had been serving customers I was also thinking of a solution to my nightmares. Now I had to decide whether or not I should share my idea with Oliver. Would he not tell mum like I hoped or would he go straight to her and ignore my wishes? There was also the possibility that he would laugh at me and think it’s a completely ridiculous idea. Having this thought made me realise that I need to trust my brother, the way he trust’s me.
“I was thinking about a solution to my nightmares today”, I mentioned quickly and nervously. He immediately stopped mixing and looked up. “I thought that maybe… I could see a psychic sort of person”, I said and to my surprise he didn’t laugh or even snigger. He just stood there while I waited for him to process what I had said.
“You know, that’s not a bad idea. I’m not into the whole spiritual thing myself but I have had heard stories that sound legit”, he said with a warm smile that filled me with hope. “I can find someone and make an appointment if you want”, he offered. I nodded and smiled back. I was about to leave the room when I remembered something that almost stopped me from telling him in the first place.
“Just one more thing, I was wondering if we could not tell mum?” I asked. He frowned and sighed. “I don’t want to freak her out. I want to get the facts before we mention anything”, I continued. He considered my reason for a moment and nodded in agreement.
“You’re right. I’ll make an appointment for tomorrow morning”, he said with just as much determination as I felt. He wanted to find the reasons behind my nightmares just as desperately as I did.
I walked down the dark hallway and paused to look at the photos hanging on the wall. There were three pictures hanging on the wood panelled wall. The first was a picture of Oliver, his eyes bright and blue and his smile revealing his white twinkling teeth. The last was a picture of me with my dark hair and serious yet happy gaze. In the middle is all of us laughing at something behind the camera. Mum preferred the photo of us happy and full of life compared to the one where we were smiling and posing. I laughed at the memories and continued towards my room.
I stood in a vast field of rocks and stone. I stood there in my black cloak that felt like it was freshly made only moments ago. I studied it but was soon distracted with a man walking towards me in the same uniform as I. He looked older and wiser with each step he took. His expression looked urgent as if he needed to convey a message. “Speak”, I told him. Yet, he did not speak. No more than one second later he vanished and my cloak was torn, bodies burned and I was consumed by fire once more.
“Acacia!” Oliver woke me again. My eye lids opened quickly and I took in a deep breath. He waited for me to sit up and pull myself together. “You okay? The appointment is in an hour”, he told me. I drank some water and nodded. He left the room so I could have some privacy and time to reflect on the new factor in my dream.
