Don’t Wanna See Brown

It started with

a rainy, Friday night, in New York City, and the clubs were jam packed with people. It was the weekend, and every street was thumping with some sort of tune.

I got out of work, and would usually go out right after, but after a long day I just wanted to get home, shower, and take a nap.

I hailed for a taxi, but it was already filled with passengers. It passed by, leaving me to stand there under the cool downpour. I waited before hailing again, and noticed it. In the blur of blue.

A small brown package, left perfectly on the edge of the sidewalk, undisturbed by the stampedes of people walking past, nor the fast zooming cars.

“Someone must’ve dropped this.” It was weird. Not something one typically sees in the downtown area of Time Square.

I kneeled down to pick it up, and consumed by curiosity, began to open it. “If there’s no address, name, or number on it, maybe there will be some sort of helpful information inside.

“Just papers?”

I skimmed it briefly, looking for numbers first.

It had times. Like a schedule, but it seemed to describe the last things I did at my job in perfect detail, and it even has writing about me picking this thing up?

I look towards the bottom of the page and it begins to predict the next things that will happen to me in the next few moments…

Crazy- I thought.

Then I see my thoughts get typed on the paper in my hands.

Immediately, I dropped this Pandora-Type of box, on the puddled ground.

Feeling dizzy, I kneel, resting my hands on my knees and tried to catch my breath.

I finally got a taxi to take me home, but I took the box with me.. It was when I was about to shove it under my bed, I noticed it stopped typing..

I waited a few minutes, but nothing happened.

“Strange. Maybe it’s like that one story of a genie who only made wishes come true, when he came out at night.” But this was no innocent, fairytale-lamp, I thought.

The next evening, I threw a party, since I didn't get to hang out the day before. I was going to make it big. It had to be. After the wild stuff that had just happened to me.

I invited my friends Joey, Parker, and Millie.

It was great. Turns out Joey had feelings for me, like I had for him. No need to say what happened next because well… I forgot.

Everything after my fifth drink, became a fog in my memory bank. Eventually everyone left, and someone was kind enough to close the door behind them all... because lord knows, I couldn’t bring myself to do it.

After waking up from being so wasted, I found my way to the box feeling the urge to puke.

“Ugh! Someone already puked in this….”

I push it aside and puked in my trash can.

Then I realized..

I wipe the vomit from my face, and look back inside the brown, package-wrapped box.

“Oh my goodness.

It’s the box from yesterday.” Stained with vomit, and more papers littered on the ground next to it.

I read one and it seems to mention everything that happened during the party. Someone got really drunk and found their way into my room.. but luckily didn’t mess with anything, just the box that you know.. seemed to know my future!

I look for all the papers. The last paper on the ground seems to mention one last paper was missing, and made its way to the bathroom, next to my toilet.

“Delightful..”

The last paper stopped typing again, so I put them all to air dry in the living room. Just three days after finding this box, and the papers have mentioned all my thoughts, my actions, and things I encountered, without fail.

Since tonight was my date with Joey, I figured I’d take a special sneak peek at the papers.

The last paper I begin to read, but then it starts editing itself. Deleting some words and reappearing, as if it were glitching.

After a moment of the glitching, it begins to type in bold font:

You Will Die By…

I gasped so hard, I choke on my own spit. I shut the package away under my bed, and felt my skin grow cold.

Terrified and not knowing what to do, I frantically dial my friend Millie.

“Millie! remember the brown box I told you about?”

“Ye-yeah why? What happened V?”

“It said I’m gonna die!”

“What?! When? Vesper that can’t be.. you’re too young, and that box is nothing but a prank.”

“No it’s not Mil. It said I would die, but I couldn’t bring myself to read just how.”

“Okay V, just listen to me. Just burn it. It sounds completely like a sick joke. I don’t want you losing sleep over this.”

“Okay, but I also had a date with Joey tonight Mil… what if something happens?”

“V just burnn the box. If you want, I’ll go with you on your date. We can double date? You, Joey, Josh, and me, but I’ll only go if you burn the box.”

“Okay, I’ll call you when we’re at Franco’s Pizza Shoppe. Meet us there at eight, okay? Bye love you.”

“Bye sis, love you. You got this. Stay strong.”

After so much tension, and the unending feeling of a heavy stone placed on my chest, I burned the nightmare.

Later that night?

I actually had a nightmare.

Not being able to wake myself up, I stayed practically paralyzed in my bed. My eyes sealed shut, and I had to watch in terrible horror how my friend Millie and Joey were planning my doom.

Seeing brown boxes everywhere.

Not being able to talk, I kept thinking:

“I don't want to see brown. I don’t want to see brown!”

I heard a loud buzzing next to me grow louder.

When the dream was finally over, I still couldn't move. My eyes seeing only black, and I felt a tear stream down my face.

Am I dead?

I lost consciousness.

I heard the buzzing again, and shot my wide eyes open.

I look over next to me and see my phone blinking.

“42 unread messages and 18 calls?”

Millie and Joey were being super weird. Before I answered, I got up and rushed to the box, but then realized I burned it, and even if I had read it, it wouldn't be anything good.

Before I could do another thing, a loud bang comes from my door. I look in the peep hole and see a mail carrier leave.

When I carefully open the door, I see a brown box, and a scared Millie and Joey running up to me.

“Vesper!! Are you alright? Where were you yesterday?”

“Yeah, our date??”

“You guys, I completely forgot. I fell asleep and couldn’t get up at all.”

“Oh my god I thought you burned it?”

I look and see Millie’s eyes still on the box in my hands.

“I swear I don’t know what this is.”

I open it right then, and there, and right away- more papers.

Millie lets out a deep breath, and I begin to read different past events, but it leaves off saying everything about my dream last night, and Millie and Joey coming to see me.

The last paragraph starts off with

the words:

You will die by....

I shove it at Millie.

“I can’t.” Millie reaches into her pocket, getting ready to burn it.

Joey, left confused, grabs it from her and scans the papers furiously.

“What? You will die from laughter when you realize this is all a hoax…”

He gives a questioning look to me and Millie.

“It’s a long story.” Millie grabs it back and lets it burn. Then tosses it in my sink.

“Well it’s all done now. This nightmare is OVER. And you, Vesper, are gonna come with us on that date tomorrow, so leave the day open. I have to get to work. Don’t do anything stupid, and call me if anything- at all- out of the ordinary happens.”

She hugs me tightly.

“Thanks Mill.”

“No problem sis. Get yourself freshened up. C’mon Joey, let's give your girlfriend some time to process.”

They leave and I get ready for work like usual, but the uneasy feeling is still in my stomach. I found myself jittery all day. Spilling stuff, and jumping in my seat, whenever someone would slam a door, or a car in the city traffic would screech by.

Finally, I clock out and hail for a taxi.

Riding in the back, I give my address, but realizing the drive’s taking a little longer.

“Where are we going? This is the wrong direction… Stop please?”

He doesn’t respond.

“Stop!” I yelp, and reach for the door, but it won’t open.

I scream so loud, but the humming of the city drowns me out. No one outside pays much attention.

“Help!”

I bang on the glass and reach for my cell, texting Millie.

I press call, and ask for her help, to call the police.

“Vesper, I’m outside of TGI Friyays on Broadway. Where are you? Try to look. I’m calling the police now.”

“Okay! I look out the window, but we stop violently.

I hear a tap on the glass and…

It’s Joey, smiling so giddy, with a ‘Surprise!’ sign in his hands.

The doors unlock and he opens it.

“Joey what the hell is going on?”

“Your guests are waiting for you inside.” He grins.

I look behind him, and we are literally standing in front of TGI Friyays.

A bunch of our friends and coworkers are inside smiling, and in the center of them all... is Millie's bright, innocent-looking face, with a birthday hat on her head.

“No fricking way. Joey.”

He guides me inside and everything is so difficult for me to process.

“How could you forget your own birth-” Joey begins to ask, forgetting his cue, and gets overpowered by the room shouting,

“HAPPY! BIRTHDAY! VESPER!!!!”

I smile, but tears fill my eyes and I hug my two best friends. Not wanting to keep everyone waiting and staring at me, I start, and we blow out the candles together.

I laugh at the idea: I completely forgot my own birthday! And then I can’t help it, when I feel myself falling back.

Someone catches me and everything goes dark.

“I can’t breathe…”

The last faces I see are Joey’s and Millie’s face red from crying.

“Vesper!!!”

The New York sounds fade. The club. Music and traffic. And I hear Millie’s voice saying,

“It was just a prank… I… Vesper I didn’t know!!”

And Joey’s

“Millie calm down, we didn’t know this would actually happen, it's not your fault.”

“Stop Joey! It’s all my fault! Help, call 9-1-1!”

They spoke so fast and I couldn’t open my eyes again.

Soon I hear a voice next to my ear.

“Vesper? Stay with us okay?

Looks like she might’ve had stress on her heart. No signs of a stroke.”

Someone touches my chest.

“It could be a blood clot. Let’s get her to the emergency center right away.

Let’s go. NOW!

Vesper stay with us. We’re gonna get you out of here.”

Then everything became so unclear and muffled.

“Vesperrr!”

I felt a single tear flow from my eye.

And couldn’t speak.

I struggled so hard.

I was mumbling and then finally, with my struggling breaths I shouted.

“Millie!

Don’t want to see brown… I don’t .. want.. see brown…

I want … see… my friends.. Millie…

Millie…

I don’t want to see brown…”

I was picked up and placed somewhere, hearing the loud sirens from the ambulance dwindle.

“She’s talking. She has a chance.”

More muffled speaking occurred.

And one thought filled my mind.

...I don’t want to see brown...