The Warning

A silhouette of a crowd gathers around in the street. There was an accident. I can’t see past the crowd. But instinct is telling me to look at the body. I move towards the crowd and feel something underneath my feet. I look down and lift my foot to see a joker card. I bend over to pick it up and when I stand upright and look Infront of me I see the crowd is gone. All that is left is the body. I move towards it and as I get closer, I begin to see it more clearly. The person lying on the ground is me lying on the street. In my hand is a black journal. Just as I bend to pick up the notebook I wake up. I’ve been having this same dream for over a month now. I look towards my desk. Resting near a deck of cards is a black notebook. I remember a week ago I was on the corner of 5th and Birch street heading home from a poker match. I get up from my bed and walk over to where the book rested comfortably.

Books aren’t supposed to be scary. Maybe when you’re in high school but being the fact that I haven’t been in high school for almost 10 years made this feeling of uneasiness almost comical. I pick up the book and deciding that I was done dawdling, I open the book and flip through the pages. I come across a page with a full envelope on one side and written on the other is tomorrow’s date and a message that reads “don’t take the money” That was all that was written. The ink trails off a little after the last word. I abandon that thought and Curiously I reach to grab the envelope to see what’s inside and the memories come flooding back. The grand prize for the poker game.

I placed the money in this journal I found so I wouldn’t lose it. There was an accident that night. Most likely someone dropped their journal and I picked it up for whatever reason. I don’t know what happened to the people involved in the accident. As soon as I saw the crowd and heard the talk, I walked in the opposite direction. It just doesn’t make sense. The message in the book, and the fact that I just so happen to randomly place the money in-between this one specific page. I told myself it was nothing, but I still couldn’t shake this strange feeling. someone didn’t want me to have this money. I can’t say that’s not understandable. I’m not exactly the most honest player. It’s a surprise that I haven’t been found out yet. I then start to think. The reoccurring dream that I have been having. The message in the book. I ignored the signs, and the feelings of dread and chalked it all up to pure coincidence but… This had to mean something. I haven’t even spent any of the money and it’s been almost two months since I’ve got it. I could never bring myself to do it. I can’t explain it but somehow having this money was going to lead to me getting hurt or worse. I never knew why I kept having that dream but now it suddenly started to make sense. This whole time, this wasn’t a nightmare. It was a warning.

I put on my shoes and a coat and I head towards the door, but not before grabbing the notebook and the cash. I never considered myself a giving person, but people can change. Someone else can win this prize. It’s not mine. Not technically. Before I leave, I grab a hat. You never know who knows who you really are. I’d rather keep this as lowkey as I possibly can. On the way to the Grand Mercy hotel, I go my usual route. I make sure I look both ways before crossing over. I wish I could say what we learn as children stuck with me but it’s not that simple. I know that drunk drivers are very common in this area and that is not the way I want myself to go. Especially since I’m on my way to save my life. I safely cross over and make my way inside.

The competition is already going on. Doesn’t matter I’ll be quick. As discreetly as possible I head over to the table in the back where you can check-in or make your bets if you’re not playing. There’s a woman with dark curly hair no older than I standing behind the table. I greet her and told her that I was here to make my bets. She raised an eyebrow at me and looked over past my shoulder towards the game. I smile. I assure her I know I’m cutting it pretty close but I felt good about this one. I told her that surely she couldn’t say no to a man willing to blow all of his hard-earned money, and she playfully agreed. I go to place the money on the table, trying to be quick before anyone sees me. It’s done. I can continue to live my life and forget that I almost lost it because of a game of poker and $20,000. I laugh to myself as I drop the envelope and feel a feeling of relief wash over me. I turn to leave and freeze in my tracks. That’s impossible. It can’t be. I can’t see his face, but I know who that is. I recognize the denim jeans with the hole in the right pocket that he always thought was too small for anyone else to see. The tattoo of a dove flying above a cross he got when his mother passed away five years ago that reads 08.12.59-02.22.16 Always Loved, Never Forgotten. I know that tattered baseball cap that belonged to his father. A gift he received on his 13th birthday. I freeze and I wait. I wait for him to turn around. I just need him to turn around; turn around and face me. I watch him like a hawk waiting on identification. It’s not real. It can’t be real. I just need to prove myself wrong call it denial or whatever the hell you want, but it can’t be real. Finally, he turns to where I’m standing and I can feel my heart stop. Nausea suddenly sweeps over me. The man standing only a few feet away is… Myself. Wearing the same outfit from the night before. The night I won that poker game. This can’t be happening...I hear people asking if I’m okay. I ignore it. I clumsily bump into a couple walking in, the man curses after me. I ignore it. Everything around me is a blur. When did this happen? My only focus is getting out of here. How did this happen? The world is spinning. I didn’t know where I was going but I needed to get out of there. I’m breathing in and out, but I’m not catching air. I feel everything crumbling down around me. I think back to everything that took place the previous night. Trying to remember if I missed something. Anything. Any type of warning. All I feel is heat, and I know I might faint. All of a sudden my mind flashes to the notebook. That’s it. I have to warn myself. I’ll leave him a note telling him not to bring the money back. To keep it, or chuck it or give it away, what he does with it doesn’t matter as long as he doesn’t come back here. He can’t know the truth. This truth. I keep moving as I pull the notebook and pen out of my pocket. All I have to do is warn him. All I have to do... is.. write. Don’t take the money…. I wasn’t paying attention to where I was going. I didn’t notice that I stepped out into the road. I didn’t see the headlights. I didn’t hear the car until it was too late.

People gather around me. Someone says the ambulance is on the way. Some people kneel beside me, others stand in the crowd with their phones out. I go in and out of consciousness. My breaths are slow and shallow. Passed the crowd I see the notebook a few feet away. It must’ve flown out of my hands due to the impact My vision grows dark as I see a pair of hands pick up the book.