LITTLE BLACK BOOK

I woke up in a panic! Breathing hard, sweating my heart pounding in my chest. This was becoming an old habit. Where had I just been, what had I just experienced. This was nothing new, it was the same thing that had happened every night since I was old enough to recall my own dreams. If that is what you would call them. Do you know anyone who can say that they have never had a good dream? I mean one of those dreams where you are in paradise laying out on a beach relaxing by the water. Maybe that dream where you are being held in the arms of a beautiful stranger sharing a perfect romantic moment. Well, that never happens to me.

The dreams I have are like scenes from different movies chopped and screwed. They also tend to reoccur, but not like having the same dream over, its more like a new episode in whatever series you are watching. They all have on common denominator. In each dream they all feature mostly the same characters with the occasional guest star from someone famous. Each dream takes place in different settings and even different time periods. Most often I am running or fighting for my life. The strange thing is that there is always this one object that is placed sporadically throughout the background a little black book with silver writing on the front. The moment I notice it though that is usually when the dream ends.

I find myself, depending on what is going on in that moment franticly searching for it just to wake up. Did I mention that I am fully aware that I am not in my own reality? I realize early on that the book was the key to my being able to exit the dream. Funny thing is, I am never able to open the book once I found it and I can never remember the words on the cover ither. That bothers me because I feel like there is something important inside that could help me. I think it could put an end to the struggles in all these dreams and possibly help me in my real life as well. Sometimes I choose not to sleep because I cannot deal with the stress of the dreams and reality.

Yeah, my life most other peoples are not the most satisfying. Wow, big shocker! Do not get me wrong I am as content as I can be, its just like everyone else’s life I just wish thing could be a little less stressed. The anxiety that I suffer with can be crippling sometimes. What can I do but push through, right?

That is what I was trying to convince myself of this morning when I was awakened by the room light being flicked on by my husband. The signal to get up and start my morning routine of adulting. Waking, dressing, feeding and carting kids off to school. Then returning home to the little two-bedroom apartment to clean, cook, iron, and apply for jobs that it seems I am never going to get.

Today I felt as if something was different, so I had a little bounce in my step. I decided to go to the mall just to look around and break the monotony of my normal routine. I always try to stay aware of my surroundings mostly because weird strangers are always attracted to me. I could be standing in an aisle at the grocery store and a random person will just approach me and begin to have a whole conversation. I find this horrifying simply because I do not really like people. I know that sounds strange, but people have always gotten on my nerves and brought me great frustration. I literally cringe, I was glad when the mask mandate was issued, and social distancing became the norm.

Today was one of those days though when I seemed to be on stranger danger radar. As I was glancing through the audiobook section this woman seemed to be following me around the store. If walked over to another section, shortly there after she would be right there. I am patient to a fault, but I began to feel profiled. Finally, after migrating around the store to see if my suspicion may have been correct, I turned to confront her. I began to approach her as she stood at the end of the aisle I was on and suddenly, she does an about face and bolts. In her haste she dropped a book she had been caring under her arm. I picked it up and looked around to see where she had gone but she was nowhere to be found. I proceeded to go to the clerk and leave the book not wanting to just put it randomly on the shelf, assuming that it had been part of the stores inventory. As I began to walk away the clerk flagged me down as I was reentering the main part of the mall and told me that the book was not theirs. He gave it back to me and left me standing there puzzled.

For the first time I look at the book and as I turned it around, I will be damned if it was not the same book that has always been in my dreams. I was taken aback. It was the same little black book with the silver lettering on the front. This time however I could read the title which said, “The Book of Dreams”. Well, I was quite freaked out! I immediately step out of the store to see if I could find the woman. I walked around the entire mall and even check the bathrooms, but she had just disappeared. I got to my car and sat in it hesitating and wondering if I should even open this strange but familiar book. My first thought was am I dreaming again? No, I cannot be because the minute I would have seen it or picked it up I would have woken up. I decide to throw the book one the seat and ponder on it more once I got home.

After getting home I place the book on the coffee table and poured a glass of wine to still my nerves. I sat down and picked up the book. I opened it and began to read the first page. It read as follows, “You have not received this in error. You were chosen by the person who left this to you because you need it. You may choose to accept it, or you may simply ignore this and pass the book on as the person before you have. Trust this however, if you follow the instruction laid out before you in the book you will receive a great reward for which you have been desperately needing. If you wish to continue please close the book now and pass it on within 24 hours of reading this or turn the page and follow the instructions on the next page.

Naturally, I hesitated. Where was the catch? I kept reading what would happen if it came with some gruesome task that I would have to complete to receive the reward promised? Apparently, I had to decide, so I decided to take a leap of faith and turn the page. As I turned the page the I began to read,

“To receive your reward you must complete three tasks. Your first task is to travel to the past by way of the future.”

How, what? I did not understand what the hell that meant. How can I travel to the past? What is by way of the future? Time travel is not even a thing, could it be some sort of riddle? I immediately began to think that I had made a mistake by turning that page. I should have just past the book on to someone else and let them deal with this foolishness. I closed the book and put it on the bookcase. While my I tried to wrap my mind around what was happening, I decided to start dinner and finish my daily chores.

Later that night after feeding my family I figured I would just try and get some rest and figure out what to do about my task the next day. Having had such a strange day, I fell asleep. I awoke from sleep and got out of bed tried to get my bearings. I felt dizzy, and sick. I recognize the feeling of déjà vu I always feel when I realize I am dreaming. I relaxed into the feeling and let my instinct and muscle memory kick in. It is like becoming a character on a play it always makes it easier to find the book so that I could escape my dream. Exploring my surroundings, I walked into the adjacent room which was obviously a living area. A voice spoke aloud and startled me, a reminder about an appointment at Eternity.

What the hell is Eternity? Just then there was a knock, and I answered the door. It was a driver letting me know my car was waiting when I was ready. Remembering to go with the flow I let him know I would be right there, I picked up what I assumed to be my purse and followed him to the car. I was driven to a tall glass futuristic looking building. As I approached there on the glass doors was a logo with the word Eternity. I was greeted by a young woman dressed in a lab coat. She went on saying how glad she was I had chosen to utilize their new technology and how excited I should be to be able to travel.

I was escorted to a room where I was instructed to change into the clothing provided and remove devices. Still remembering that I am dreaming I complied. She then came back in and took me to another room where there was a man who gave me a handbag and told me everything I should need would be inside. The young woman then instructed me to sit in this little room, like a photo booth. She said that the date I requested had been programed and I would return in exactly 30 minutes. She closed the door, and a large screen came on with the date May 24th, 1984, time 15:00:00 and place Monroe, Louisiana. Before mind brain had time to process what was happening there was a flash of light and there, I stood at the edge of the driveway to the house I had grown up in.

Everything began to make sense. I slowly began to walk up the driveway. I rang the doorbell and waited with my heart in my throat. The door opened and there stood the woman that I had idolized my great-grandmother. Dumbfounded, I could not speak so she did. She asked if she could help me, I was finally able to find my voice and knowing I could not tell her who I really was I told her I was sent by the state to take a census. She invited me in and asked me into the living room to sit down. She sat down and we began to talk about the people living in the house and where they had come from. I felt my purse begin to vibrate and quickly excused myself and thanked her for her time. As the door closed behind me there on a plant stand lay the little black book.

I woke up in my room with tears streaming down my face. What had that been about. I went to the bookcase and there was the black book right where I left it. Just then the doorbell rang. At the door was a delivery man with a certified letter. I signed for the letter and began to open the envelope. There inside was a check made out to me in the amount of $20,000.00 dollars. My jaw dropped and my eyes immediately went to where the black book lay on the bookcase. Was this for real?