by Michael Reed
I left the hospital few days later. I came home and settled in a bit. My mind was still reeling over what to do, what can I do? I was looking through my book when I felt the next event was about to happen. The dreams were there with such detail but there was no time and date when it was going to happen. I could remember some details that helped but not enough to know exactly when.
I knew that a really bad car accident would happen at an intersection that I had seen before. I could tell from the buildings in the background where it was. I knew it would be daytime but didn’t know if it was now or three weeks from now. I knew it was soon because the hairs on my neck would stand up whenever I thought about it. This only happened when something bad was going to happen and when it was close to happening. I knew from the image that three cars and a bus would collide. It looked like pure carnage. When I close my eyes and think about it I could see the picture again. The cars were mangled I couldn’t tell the make or models of them. I didn’t recognize any of the people there except me. I was standing on the corner and it happens right in front of me. I could feel from the screams and terror that people were going to die. I could feel death in this picture. I knew I had to do something but what could I do?
I knew the bus runs a red-light and smashes into these cars. I knew the people in the cars would die all of them in the cars were the voices crying out to me. What can I do? I headed out for the spot where the incident was to occur.
I got there during rush hour. It was an extremely busy intersection, traffic was heavy. What can I Do? I’ve played out the scenarios in my head over and over. They all seemed stupid to me. I could run out in the intersection and create a scene like a madman. People would definitely think I’m crazy then. I could wait until I see someone in one of the cars from the picture then get their attention. It all seemed so stupid. I didn’t think anything would work. How could I stop a bus? I looked around and knew I was where I was in the book. Every red light seemed like it was counting down closer to that second when time would stop. I had to do something. I felt it was close but still had no plan. If I was right the bus would come straight from the opposite side of me plowing into cars making a left turn on the green arrow. These cars would be coming from behind me, turning to my left. I closed my eyes trying to remember anything else that would help me.
I remembered a person was walking up behind me with a black suit on and a brown leather briefcase. I opened my eyes and looked around for this person in a black suit and a brown briefcase. My hairs were on end. I had seen the black suit in front of me waiting to cross the street. That doesn’t make sense he’s walking in front of me, to me, in the picture he was walking to me from behind. The pictures were always exactly as I seen them. Not one thing was ever out of place. There was never anything wrong about them. They were always exactly the way it was. So how come he’s in front of me? I closed my eyes again and was absolutely sure he was walking to me from behind, not from in front. All the buildings were exactly like the picture. I was in the right spot. I opened my eyes. The man crossed the intersection and walked past me.
I knew that it was about to happen. The man was almost to the position he was in the dream but was facing the wrong way. I knew I had to do something. But what? All this time there was nothing in my head on how to help. Then I heard someone call out a name. I’ve heard this in my dream. It was now. I saw the light change to the green arrow. The guy in the black suit turned around, it was his name being called by someone. I heard the bus coming to the intersection.
Timed slowed to a crawl. I tried to yell and run into the street. The car noticed me and was looking at me and not the green arrow. The car behind them beeped their horn. The driver took off for the left turn just as he bus came through the intersection. I didn’t even get to take a step before it happened. Time stopped just as the bus smashed into the two cars making a left. The third car was making a right turn right in front of the buses direction. The bus plowed into all three with such force that the cars went into the air. This is the picture I saw. The moment of impact, I did nothing to stop it. I couldn’t recognize it before it happened.
I had done nothing. I only had a few seconds from when I realized until it happened. It was that quick, a few seconds. I was only able to move a half a step a yell “no”. Everything snapped back to real time. It was very violent and graphic. Everyone in all the cars died. Five people died because I had failed to do something. People ran over to the cars to help but it was too late. Two died instantly and the other three died before the ambulance got there. I stood there watching. After it happened I cried but for some reason I didn’t move.
I went home in shock. I don’t even remember how I got there. I just sat there looking at my journal on the table. I couldn’t understand if the picture was so clear how did I fail? If I could have had just a few more seconds things could have been different. Did I cause the accident? I yelled “NO!” right before it happened causing the driver to beep the horn at the other driver. That driver rushed the intersection because of me? Maybe they would still be alive if I hadn’t yelled no. Maybe the impact would have been different and they wouldn’t have died. Was I meant to witness this or stop it?
I picked up the journal and started to count the rest of the clear pictures. There was over a hundred. If an event happens every three days, than there would be a year of this. Sometimes it’s once a week so it could be like two years. What if I have more dreams like this then what? Two years of dark times.
Can I save any of them? Am I supposed to save any of them? Why me? Am I cursed? Would it be easier to be thrown in the Looney bin and put on meds? How long can I go without sleeping? Am I awake or am I sleeping? Where am I? Was this my fault? Am I in Hell? Am I crazy? Do you think I’m crazy? I don’t know what to do any more. Am I dreaming? Is it my destiny to do something important with the book? Should I keep reading the Book of Life? Is it the Book of Life?
What would you do with the Book of Life?
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