The Incubus

Chapter 5, Scene 8

'Is everything okay?' Justin asked at lunch time. 'I can't remember much, but I do recall that you had a bad dream or something last night.'

'I'm fine,' Simon said. 'As you say; it was only a bad dream.'

'I had a few of those a while ago. Some really nasty ones.'

'What was yours about?' Simon asked.

Justin thought for a moment. He couldn't remember half the dreams that gave him so many restless nights. 'I can't remember the dreams all that well,' he said, 'but I think there was one of a guy in our house that wanted to kill us. Then there was the one where I got attacked by a dog. I know it sounds stupid now, but it was terrifying while I was having them.'

'Are you still getting them?'

Justin shook his head. 'No. They stopped a couple of weeks ago.'

'And the dreams were different each time?'

'Yes.'

Simon sat in deep thought for a while. 'When I have nightmares,' he said, 'it's always the same dream.'

'The same one?'

'Well, the setting is the same. It's the intensity of the dreams that change.'

'What's it about?' Justin asked.

'It's a battle. Angels against demons.'

'And it's the same every single time?'

'Only when God wants to tell me something.'

Justin frowned. 'What do you mean?'

'Whenever I need to pray for someone, God gives me that specific dream.'

'Pray? For who?'

'I'm not sure,' Simon said and shrugged. 'It could be anyone.'

Justin raised an eyebrow. 'You're not sure who you need to pray for?'

Simon shook his head. 'Nope.'

Justin pressed it. 'No idea at all?'

'I knew once before, but not in general, no.'

'And you're sure the dream means that you have to pray for someone?'

'Yes.'

'How do you know that's what you have to do then?'

'I'm not sure,' Simon said. 'I just do.'

Justin just shook his head. 'What about the time that you did know?'

Simon wondered whether he should tell Justin, but there was nothing in his gut warning him against doing so, and so he decided that it should be all right. 'Do you know about the boy that was attacked by a dog a while ago?'

Justin searched his memory. 'Little Timmy?'

Simon nodded. 'I woke up after having the battle nightmare and knew that I had to pray for him specifically.'

'He's still in a coma, right?'

'Yes,' said Simon. 'They don't think that he's going to make it.'

Justin sighed. 'It doesn't look like your prayer worked then, eh?'

'I don't question,' Simon said. 'I just obey.'

'That's what I don't like about your God,' Justin said. 'He's always so conveniently mysterious.'

'But you do believe He exists, right?'

Justin laughed out loud. 'Not really, no. Well, at least not in the same sense as you and Rebecca do.'

'Why not?'

'I don't know,' Justin said and shrugged. 'I guess I'm too smart to believe in man-made gods created to control the mindless masses.'

'So you're implying that I'm not smart?'

Justin was cornered. 'Put it this way,' he said. 'I grew up with Christian parents. My Christian father used to lift his hands to the Lord every Sunday morning, and straight afterward, slammed them back down on us. My Christian mother did nothing but look on.'

'So you're judging the entire Christian faith based on the mistakes of two people?'

'Just like you're judging me based on a single conversation? You don't know anything about me or my past.'

Simon could sense that he hit a nerve. 'I'm sorry...'

'It's okay,' Justin said. 'I don't mind people believing in their gods. Everyone I know have some sort of deity that they believe in and worship. It's just when they try to shove their beliefs down my throat that I become agitated.' Justin wanted to end this conversation as quickly as possible. 'People can believe what they want to believe. As for me, I'll leave that spiritual mumbo jumbo to the religious folk.'

'God spoke to me,' Simon said as he stood up. 'Do you believe that?'

'Saying that I do would mean that I acknowledge the existence of your God,' Justin said.

'I'm going to warehouse seven now,' Simon said. 'But I'd like to leave you with one thought.'

Justin squinted at the sun. 'Yes...?'

'If God doesn't exist, or can't speak to me,' Simon said. 'How was it that I knew your name the day we met in the coffee shop?'

With that, he turned around and left a dumbstruck Justin behind as he headed towards the warehouse.