The Dream

Chapter 2

The note clenched in my hand, I hurried home. I couldn't wait to unravel the mysteries this tissue held in store for me. Who was that man? Why has he been appearing in my dreams? I twisted and turned the tissue paper, over and over. I tried to find out what could it mean. Then I thought "Maybe the culprit isn't that smart. Is he just repeating his tricks over? All I had to do is reveal the invisible characters again?" I wasn't sure but it was definitely worth a shot. But Alas! the UV light source was available in my office and the other one at my place was broken. So, either I had to wait until the morning or find another source.

But, there was a third option. If the person had written a message using a heat-sensitive invisible ink, then applying the right amount of heat might just work.
So, I decided that before calling it a day I should give it a try, and at home, the best source of heat was steam iron, well without the steam though as the steam would distort the ink. I plugged in the iron and run it over the tissue. It took some time but yes I was right. Characters started appearing slowly on the paper and so did wrinkles on my forehead.

This clue was meaningless as it was. There were just a few numbers separated by commas and hyphens. I tried to make sense of those numbers. I tried writing the corresponding alphabets, to see if it unravelled any message, but that wasn't the case. It seems the mysterious man was cleverer than I thought. I got vexed and glanced at the clock. It was a little past 9 PM. In all this fuss, I had forgotten that I had a dinner date with my girlfriend at The Sunshine Plaza and the table was reserved for 10. So I decided I should probably decipher this note tomorrow and should probably get ready for the date.

I got ready for the date. Wore my black single-breasted tuxedo with a notched lapel and I threw a silk black bow with it to get an elegant look not because I liked it but because Sarah liked it. I sported these white pearl cuff-links that Sarah had gifted me once. On the bottom I wore black formal shoes polished to shine and I sprayed the best perfume I had so I can mask all the running I had gone through today. Just as I got ready to leave, a thought crossed my mind and I took that tissue with me.

I reached the restaurant a little prior, to confirm my reservation. I was waiting at the door when I heard a familiar melodious voice. I turned around to witness elegance in its truest form. It was Sarah, dressed in an off-shoulder white sheath gown with satin borders, twirling down her body revealing her beautiful collar bones, embracing her graceful waist. The backless gown showed her youthful back. The V slit of the dress allowed her sparkling blue under fabric to peer through, like stars shining through the midnight sky. She paired it with an Akoya pearl necklace that shone against her neck and a diamond-studded wristwatch for her gorgeous wrist.

For a moment, I froze in time imagining wings and a halo. I was the luckiest person to be alive at that moment to have witnessed an angel on this earth. Had we not been dating for just 2 months, I would have proposed to her for marriage at that moment itself. She chuckled and said - "Stop right there and close your mouth Richie, I won't say Yes if you proposed today"- as if she had read my mind. I couldn't stop laughing at how she got me and I gave a kiss on her cheek. I opened the door for her and we went right in.

I pulled the chair for her and we sat down at our table as the waiter came and lit the candles. I couldn't stop but stare at Sarah's beautiful eyes and her candlelit face. Her emerald green eyes always got the best of me as I got mesmerized by them and got lost in the dream world. Her midnight black hair with bouncy curls tied high ensemble emphasized me to get lost in her beautiful face. Her perfect smile makes you happy just by looking at it. There was complete silence as I kept staring at her with a silly smile when she broke the silence and said
"Take a picture it will last longer" I just gave a silly smile. " You have been staring at me like a puppy, babe. "
"What else can I do?" I replied " I can't get enough of that beautiful face"
She blushed. She always did.

We started talking about things going on in our lives. Sarah knew about my recurring dreams and I told her about the mysterious cryptic note. She got baffled by the hassle I had gone through in a day. We diverted the topic for a while to keep me from stressing out and started discussing some mellow things in our lives. Just then the waiter handed me a menu. I had been informed that I had a special menu waiting for me and so I was excited to see what was in store for us.

I riddled through the menu to find the menu the same as always. I got disappointed by that. The only different thing was that, instead of just the categorical names, the menu had added category numbers and had index numbers for each dish. I went through the menu and when I looked up to place the order I was stunned at that sight.

The waiter had changed. He was not the one who handed me the menu and as I was coming to terms with that something else hit me, that guy was the same ice cream vendor and I just missed him. I started getting a strange feeling and that is when I realized. I quickly put my hand in the pocket and grabbed hold of that tissue. That's it! The numbers corresponded with a category and the number in front of the hyphen was the index number.

I jotted down the words and the note read 'The shores of Venice and Pizzas from Sicily wait for you'. I was completely lost as the note made no sense whatsoever, but it was frightening as to how that person knows my schedule exactly and how is he keeping a tab on my itinerary. How did he know for a fact that I was going to dine at The Sunshine Plaza at exactly 10 PM and how was he able to meddle with the menu? I tried to talk to the restaurant manager regarding the waiter's identity, but he knew of no such person. He assured me that he will try to find that waiter, but the man had yet again, disappeared into thin air.

He was there. The mysterious Mr. X appeared before me, twice in the same day and I missed him both times. I was sort of disappointed, but now it was getting interesting and I decided I won't let him vanish that easily next time. Besides, now I had the job of figuring out the next clue. 'The shores of Venice and Pizzas from Sicily wait for you'. What could it possibly mean?