The Premonition

I can almost see her face, but it's obscured by flames leaping from her head and flowing down her body like a fiery waterfall. Her mouth is twisted into a deformed cavity that shrieks in horror. I startle into blessed wakefulness as the piercing screams fade into the recesses of my now conscious mind.

Unable and unwilling to return to sleep, I sit up in my bed and reach for the lamp on the nightstand. The soft glow chases away the remnants of panic clinging to me like the beads of sweat covering my body. A shiver surges through me as tears pool in the corners of my eyes, threatening to spill onto my face.

Carl begins to stir, and turns to me with sleep-filled eyes. "What's the matter, honey?"

"I just had the worst nightmare." My voice quivers as I shake with the remembrance. "There was a woman covered in flames, they were shooting everywhere. Fire was all over her; I could feel the heat. She was screaming at me and it seemed like she was trying to tell me something, but I couldn't make it out." My hands cover my face as the memory brings forth uncontrollable sobs.

Carl pulls me down onto his chest and wraps his arms around me like a blanket. "It's okay, Brianna, it was only a dream. It's over now and it's just you and me. I'll hold you until you go back to sleep. Only a dream, honey, only a dream...." His voice trails off as he falls back into a peaceful slumber, still holding me snugly.

The comfort of my husband's presence allows me to push the image from my mind and settle into a half-sleep where dreams don't dwell.

The alarm clock blares on schedule and I go about the ordinary business of making breakfast and getting Carl off to work. Sensing my somber mood, he lingers over our good-bye kiss. "Are you okay, Brianna? You're not still upset by that nightmare, are you?" His baby blue eyes and little boy smile still make my heart melt after five years of marriage.

"No, Carl, I'm okay, just a little shaken by the whole thing. I think I'll call Brittany and see if she wants to have lunch today." Spending time with my twin sister always makes me feel better. It's like reconnecting with the other half of myself.

"I think that's a great idea. Tell her I said she better not get you into any trouble," he says with a chuckle.

"I'll try to remember to pass that along. Now, get going before you're late for work, silly."

As I watch his car pull out of the driveway, an ominous feeling of dread washes over me. It feels as if someone has sucked the air out of the room and I can't catch my breath for a moment.

I race to the phone and dial Brittany's number. She answers after the second ring and I greet her with a rapid-fire stream of words describing my horrifying dream of the night before.

"Hey, hey, slow down, Bri. Is this a dream that's got you so upset? Take a deep breath and start at the beginning," Brittany says, in a soothing tone she reserves for me. She's the calm half of us, while I tend to overreact on occasion, especially when I get those strange feelings that something bad is going to happen.

"Meet me for lunch today, I'll tell you all about it."

"I'd love to, but I told you last week I have to be in Dallas this afternoon for a presentation. My plane leaves at noon and I haven't finished packing yet. I'll be back in two days, we'll have lunch then and you can tell me all the gory details."

An overwhelming feeling of panic sweeps over me and I yell, "No! You can't go, please, don't get on that plane. Something awful is going to happen. Maybe it's going to crash, I don't know, but you can't get on that plane, Brit, please!" My outburst is met by silence on the other end of the line.

"Come on, Bri. Don't do this to me. You've been having these feelings for years and nothing's ever come of them. I can't jeopardize my job because of a bad dream." The stern sound of her voice causes me to feel a twinge of guilt. I shouldn't push my fears on her, after all, it was just a dream.

"I'm sorry, Brit, I just can't stand the thought of ever losing you. If you'd had the dream I had last night, you'd be a little nuts, too."

"It's okay.  I know you're sensitive. Get some rest, I'll call you when I get to Dallas and we'll talk about it then. Good-bye, goofball."

"Bye." I hang up the phone, trying to force back the feeling of dread that hangs over me.

Cleaning the house takes my mind off things for a few hours. I fix myself a sandwich and a cup of coffee, but before I can finish them a surge of exhaustion comes over me. I lay down on the couch and sleep engulfs me within moments.

Her scream pierces my brain sending shockwaves through my body. It's her, the same figure from last night's dream.  I can feel the heat emanating from her. Flames are cascading all around her as she tries to speak through screams. I reach my hand out to her through my terror. Hideous creatures poke their heads through the inferno as if trying to wrench her into the blaze.

Finally, she's able to form her lips into words. "Save me!" she screams. "You're the only one who can save me!"  The fire retreats from her face and I can see it clearly. It's Brittany! My twin sister is the flaming figure screaming for my help. The plane is going to crash, I have to stop her!

The room begins to fill with smoke as I struggle to awaken. My eyes are open and the burning form of my sister is gone, but the room is still smoky. Screams have been replaced by the shriek of the smoke alarm. The kitchen's on fire and I'm surrounded by thick, black smoke.

I roll off the couch and begin to crawl toward where I think the door is located. My lungs are being assaulted and I find it difficult to breathe. Coughing and choking on hot smoke makes it hard to move, and lack of oxygen is making me lightheaded. I realize I'll never be able to reach the door in time, even though I'm only a few feet away.

Laying my head on the floor, I wonder if it was really Brittany's face I saw, or my own. We are identical twins, after all. No one's ever been able to tell us apart. I feel unconsciousness closing in as my mind drifts to Carl and Brittany.  If I could only see them once more, so I could tell them how much I love them both. 

Strong hands pull me out the door and into the front yard. The sun is blinding and fresh air finds its way into my smoke-filled lungs. I gulp the air between coughs and look up to see Brittany's beautiful face smiling down at me. "You just had to prove you were right, didn't you?" she laughs through her tears, as she cradles me in her arms.

"Brit," I choke, sounding more like a frog than a person. "What are you doing here? I thought you'd be on your way to Dallas by now."

"I decided to take a later flight. I couldn't leave when you were so upset and worried about me. God, I'm so glad I listened to you. You may have had the wrong twin, but you sure were right when you said something bad was going to happen. I'm just glad I got here in time. I'd only feel like half a person if you weren't around." Tears stream down both our faces as we cling to each other.

A fire engine and an ambulance roar to a stop in front of the house. A young paramedic runs over to us and places an oxygen mask on my face as the firemen ready the hoses to put out the blaze. "What took you so long?" Brittany asks.

"We got here as fast as we could, Ma'am. Most of our units were off on another call. There was a terrible plane crash over at the airport. A jet headed for Dallas crashed on takeoff.  It's bad."

Brittany and I stare at each other with our mouths hanging open. We burst into simultaneous tears, and hug each other tight. We ignore the dumbfounded look on the paramedic's face, not caring that he thinks we're crazy.


word count: 1478