Darkest Before Dawn

The autumn leaves rustled beneath Brandon’s feet as he ambled through the woods. The crisp night air swept through the mop of hair on his head that was in need of a good wash. Brandon’s feet were screaming at him after working 4 12 hour shifts in the Emergency Department. Bobby, Brandon’s boisterous golden Labrador Retriever, had gotten loose for the third time this week. As luck would have it, the moon was full and seemed to be fueling the chaos. Brandon had a hectic day at work and was looking forward to face planting into his bed after taking a hot shower. Instead of beginning to vegetate in his room for the next 24 hours, Brandon was following Bobby on a wild goose chase. Sticks crunched under Bobby’s paws as he ran between the trees. Brandon noticed that Bobby was running toward the huge gnarled oak tree that stood in a clearing. It was quite an eerie sight at night.

“Bobby, stop messing around and get back here! You know I’m getting too old for this.” Brandon chuckled to himself because he was only 25 years old. He felt like an old man because all he did was work and come home. Brandon was working 60 hours a week in one of the biggest hospitals in Louisiana. Brandon was helping to put his younger sister Chloe through college. They were both juggled through the foster care system after their mother became addicted to drugs. Brandon had no idea if his mother was even alive. Brandon was solely responsible for Chloe and he would do anything to make sure she had a fighting chance in this cruel world. Bobby suddenly stopped running and began digging a hole beside the oak tree. Brandon used the flash light on his cell phone to illuminate the spot where Bobby was digging. Brandon couldn’t shake the ominous feeling he had. Brandon wrote it off to the creepy tree and the inky blackness of the night. After about 15 minutes of Brandon pleading for Bobby to give it up, he noticed something black beneath the dirt. Bobby kept digging until he fully unearthed a leather black book. It looked extremely worn and the cover was hanging on by a thread. Bobby obediently walked over to Brandon with the notebook hanging out of his mouth. “Oh now you want to come to me. Why don’t you dig up bones like a regular dog?” Bobby nudged Brandon’s leg playfully as if he was responding to the question. Brandon held the notebook gingerly as they walked back to the house. Brandon sat down at the kitchen table and carefully opened the book to the first page. “Bad news, if you’re reading this I didn’t make it. Depending on whose reading this, the fact that I didn’t make it may be good news. Here lies the key to your wildest dreams. If your heart is pure, write down your hearts desire on these pages. If your intentions are of ill intent , beware.

“You’ve got to be kidding me.” Brandon scoffed at the idea that he had his own personal genie in the form of a little black book. Brandon grabbed a pen out of his scrub pocket and began writing in the journal. “I need $20,000 to finish paying off my sisters tuition.” Brandon closed the book and placed it in his desk drawer in his room. Brandon peeled off his clothes and took a hot shower. Brandon got into his bed and drifted off to sleep. He awoke the next morning to Bobby licking him in the face. Brandon glanced at his cell phone and realized it was 12:30 in the afternoon. He had slept the morning away once again. Brandon noticed a missed call from an unfamiliar area code. He usually ignored unknown numbers but he decided to call this one back. Brandon had been applying for some travel jobs and was hoping the call was from a potential employer.

“Good afternoon, this is the office of William Singletary, how can I assist you?”

“Hello, my name is Brandon Adams. I was returning a missed call from this number. Are your with a staffing agency?”

“No sir, we are a law firm. Let me transfer you to Mr. Singletary.”

Brandon scratched his head because he had no reason to speak with an attorney. He hoped he wasn’t being sued for any kind of malpractice. He’d been a nurse for 3 years without incident.

“Hello Mr. Adams. I was calling to inform you that your great aunt died and has left you $20,000 dollars. When can you come meet with me to sign tree documents for your inheritance?”

Brandon was speechless. Tears fell down his cheeks as he realized he would be able to pay Chloe’s tuition and make her life easier. Brandon remembered the saying his mother always used to whisper to him as a child. “The night darkest before dawn.” Brandon vowed to use his newfound treasure for good. He pushed the radical ideas to the recesses of his mind. For now, that is.