The Projectors Dream

The dream begins as I am walking down a busy city street on my way to work when suddenly I see her she's wearing a bright red dress and standing out like an angel from heaven. Her hair is long and blonde, it flows down her back in waves. She looks at me and smiles but then disappears before I can even say anything. That was the last time that I saw her until today. I'm sitting here in this empty room thinking about how much I need to talk to her. How much I want to know what she is doing right now. If she would ever consider being with someone like me... I'm still waiting for her to appear in front of me again. And if not then I'll make her come to me. The door opens suddenly and there she is smiling at me. "Hello," Stella says. "Hey." I say. "How are you?" Stella says. "Good. You?" I say. "Fine. So uhm..." Stella says. "Yeah?" I ask. She takes a deep breath. "Do you want to go outside?" Stella asks. "Sure." I say. We step through the open door and into the cold winter air. "So where do you want to go?" I ask. "Anywhere would be fine." Stella says. I nod and take her hand. She pushes my hand away quickly with a stunned look on her face. "What? What's wrong?" I ask. "Nothing!" Stella says. But I know something is wrong. She removes her coat and hands it to me. "Put this on. It's freezing out here!" she exclaims. "Okay," I say. I put her coat on and follow her down the streets towards the park where we had our date. Once we get there I notice some familiar faces. She takes a deep breath and smiles nervously. "Um. Look! We're not alone!" Stella says. One guy is standing next to us. He's wearing an expensive looking suit; he also has slick straight hair. His friend is behind him. They both look at me with a surprised expression. "Who is that?" I ask. "That's the new guy from yesterday's meeting." Stella says. It's obvious that they haven't seen me before. The first man speaks up. "You're Emmanuel?" he asks. I nod. He points to himself. "James." he says. "And I'm Peter," the other man says. They shake my hand. "Welcome to the team. I hope that you enjoy working with us." James says. Peter nods. "Right. Well I guess I should introduce myself too. My name is Peter." "Nice to meet you guys. Uh... I mean. Hi!" I stutter awkwardly. "Well, let's sit down and discuss business shall we?" James says. We all stand around a table in the middle of the park and begin discussing work. The whole time I'm trying to keep my mind off of Stella. I don't want anyone to see her. Especially not these two men. Who are clearly interested in her. Eventually we wrap up our discussion and head back inside. "So um... I think that we've got everything covered. Let me know if you need any help." James says. I take my coat off and hang it up. "Thanks." I say. "No problem." He replies. As soon as we are in the hallway he turns to me. "Are you going to be alright?" he asks. "Yeah. Thanks." I say. "Alright. Take care of yourself." He says. "Yeah." I reply. I watch him walk away. Then I turn to Peter who is standing nearby. "So uhm. Where did you guys want to eat tonight?" I ask. "There's this Italian place that I really like. Why don't we go there?" He asks. "Sounds good." I say. "Great. Let's get going then." Peter says. "Count me in." Stella says. We leave the building and walk across the street to the restaurant. Inside we find a quiet corner table near the entrance. "Wow! This is amazing!" I exclaim. "It sure is." Peter agrees. "I wonder why no one has ever been here before? Maybe because it's such a small town." I say. "Maybe." Peter shrugs. "Let's order!" I say excitedly. "Okay." Peter says. We all look over the menu. "What are you ordering?" I ask. "Hmm. I'm not sure. I'm still thinking about it." Peter replies. "Me too. Just give me a second." I say. "What about you Stella? What are you having?" I ask. "Spaghetti" She smiles. I look through the menu again and decide on something called spaghetti. "I'll have that too." Peter says. "All right. Order your drinks while you're at it." I say. "Yes sir." Peter responds. While we wait for our food I look around the restaurant. There are several people eating and drinking. Some just talking quietly to each other. Others laughing loudly. A few families enjoying their meals together. Everyone seems happy but I'm still thinking about her even though she's right next to me, why wouldn't she hold my hand earlier? "I thought that you were supposed to be coming home at six o'clock?" I hear the voice of my mother from behind me. I jump. "Mom!" I exclaim. "Oh sorry honey! I didn't mean to startle you." She says. "It's okay. I guess I wasn't paying attention." I reply. My mom comes closer and sits down across from me. "So how was work?" she asks. "Not bad. Not great either." I say. "What do you want to do tonight?" she asks. "Uh. Nothing in particular, look, Mom what are you doing here?" I ask. "Your father asked me to pick you up. I was hoping that maybe we could go out to dinner." She says. "But how did you know I would be at this restaurant?" I ask. "I followed you." She says. "What?" I say. "Don't worry about it. Look I'm here for a reason, how have you been coping with the family gift?" She asks. "Uh. It's not that easy to explain." I say. "You must have noticed that your father and I seem to be able to predict the future. And that we always know exactly what's best for you." She says. "Look, Mom this isn't the best place to-" I start to say. "-I know it scares you but this gift can bring you a lot of happiness too" She interrupts. "Good evening Mrs Williams, would you like to join Stella, Emmanuel and I?" Peter greets. "Hi! Yes please!" my mom says. "Great. Can we get a table for four?" Peter asks. A waiter approaches us. "Yes. What would you like to drink?" he asks. "Two glasses of wine." My mother orders. "One glass of white wine for me and one red wine for Emmanuel," Peter says. "I will have white wine too" Stella says. The waiter nods and leaves. "Now honey, I know that you're trying to impress these people but you don't need to do it by acting like a fool." my mom says. "I'm not being a fool!" I exclaim. "Do you even know where you and Stella are going?" my mom asks. "What's this about being able to tell the future?" Stella asks. "That's impossible" She laughs. "Ofcourse it's impossible." I stammer. "Look, Mom I think its time you for you to go" I say sternly. "Emmanuel, I don't think that-" "I said that you need to leave." I say. "Fine." she says. My mom stands up quickly. "Excuse me." "I will see you at home." I reassure her. She walks out of the restaurant without another word. "Why did she come here anyway?" Stella asks. "I don't know." I sigh. "Well I guess that's it then." Peter says. "Yeah." I agree. The waiter returns with our order and Stella gives me a harsh look "That was a rude way to treat your own Mother, Emmanuel." She says. "Sorry." I reply. "You should be." she retorts. Peter is looking at me strangely. I take a sip of my wine. "Hey, look at me" Stella says. I look up at her. "What?" I ask. "You're staring at me weird again. You never used to do that before." She says. "I know. I've been trying to stop." I confess. "I don't know why though." "You don't need to try. Just stop." She tells me. "I'm sorry." I apologize. "Forget it." She says. I finish my wine and Peter refills my glass. "Thanks." I say. "Are you done?" he asks. "Yeah." I reply. He pours himself more wine and takes a deep gulp. "How is your Spaghetti?" I ask Stella trying to make her forget how I treated Mom. "It's good." She says. My mother arrives at the restaurant again. "Hi sweetie!" She says as she comes in. I stand up and give her a hug. "Hello." I say. "This is a nice spot isn't it." She says smiling. "Yes. It is, Mom, what are you doing back here?" I ask as kindly as I can to avoid further harsh looks from Stella. "I left my purse" She explains. "Maybe you should stay" I tell her, "But no more talk about the future". "Okay" She agrees. "Stella, how are things at work?" my mother asks. "They're fine." She smiles. "And how are you doing?" she adds. "Tired but okay." Stella says. "Have you started dating yet?" she asks. "No." I say. "Well that's all right. It's not the best idea." she says. Why wouldn't it be the best idea I think to myself, Stella is a great girl and she could do with a nice guy like me. But I don't say anything because I know that she doesn't want to hear it. "So how has your day been?" my mom asks me. "Oh nothing much happened really." I lie. I don't want to tell her about the dreams I keep having about Stella, she might argue that they could come true, so I simply leave it at that. "It was just another ordinary day." I add. "That's good." she says. "Your father and I wanted to talk to you about something" she continues. "All right." I say. "We were thinking of moving someplace else." She says. "Where?" I ask. "To the country." She replies. "But..." I begin. "Would you mind?" She interrupts. "Not at all." I assure her. But inside I'm thinking I will have to get a place of my own to be closer to Stella. "Great." She says. "You'll love it there." she assures me. "I'm sure I will." I say. "Right now we can only afford a small house but we'll find something bigger soon enough." She promises. "I'm glad you're happy." I tell her. "I am too." She smiles. "Bye honey. We'll see each other tomorrow." She says. "See you then." I reply. She hugs me once more and leaves. "You don't seem very happy." Stella observes. "I'm fine." I assure her. "You don't sound fine." she says. "I'm just tired. That's all." I say. "You know if you ever need someone to talk to I'm here." she says. "I know." I say. "You're not fooling anyone." she laughs. "I'm not." I concede. "Look at me." she insists. I look up at her. "Why?" I ask. "Because you're smiling like an idiot." she says. "No I'm not." I protest. "Yes, you are." She laughs. "I-I'm not" I insist. "You are." she says. "You're nuts." I laugh. "Sure you are." she says. "Then prove it." I challenge her. "Prove what?" she asks. "That I am smiling like an idiot." I say. "How?" she asks. "Just do it." I suggest then lean in for a kiss. "You're crazy!" she laughs but pushes herself away from me. "Nah. You're crazy." I say. "Okay." she says. We both laugh for a while. "Want another drink?" I ask. "I've almost finished my Spaghetti" Peter says with a mouth full of Spaghetti. "I'll be leaving soon" he adds. "Okay." I say. "Here, I'll pay." Stella says. "You two go ahead." "No, I want to pay." I smile. "Don't worry about it, Emmanueal. It's on me." She says. "I insist on paying, Stella." I insist. "Okay then, if you insist" she agrees. "Thank you." I say. "I insist" she repeats. "Okay." I relent. "Come on, let's go." Peter says. "Wait, where are you going?" I ask. "Home. See you tomorrow." He says. "See you." I respond. "Bye Emmanuel." Stella says. "Bye Stella." I reply. "Can I walk you home?" I ask Stella. "Sure." She says. We head off into the night together. "How far away is your house?" I ask. "About a quarter mile down that road." She points. "Is it safe walking alone?" I ask. "It's pretty safe. There's a church nearby and the streetlights are always on." She reassures me. "I'm glad." I say. "Won't you be scared?" she asks. "I'll be fine." I say. "What about you?" "I'm okay." She says. We reach her house. "Thanks for walking me home, Emmanuel." She says. "Anytime." I say. "Goodnight, Emmanuel." she says. "Night Stella." I reply. Her front door closes behind her. I stand outside in the dark watching the streetlights flicker on and off. There's a sudden flash of light from the sky as the moon breaks through the clouds. The streetlight nearest to me suddenly goes out. "Stella!" I shout but it's too late. The streetlight is gone and so is she. I rush towards her house calling out her name, but when I arrive at the doors I find them locked. I knock on the windows but they are shut tight. I run to the next house and bang on their door but they don't answer. I continue running until I reach the end of the street and then turn around. I'm standing on the sidewalk, in the middle of nowhere with no sign of Stella anywhere. I forgot to tell her I love her, I want her to know before she leaves but its too late. I decide to head back to my parents house. When I arrive at my house everything seems normal except for the fact that my father is not there. I wait until my mother gets home but she doesn't come home either. I sit down on the couch, feeling very lonely. After a few hours I get bored of waiting and I go to bed. My bed is soft and cosy just like I remembered it before I left for the office. I recall the dream I had of Stella whilst awake at my office desk. The images were so sharp and clear projected unto my eye lids. I saw everything even though I was awake, this is all so new to me. Could my mother be right? Is our family special? The red dress she was wearing matched her blonde her perfectly, even though I didn't get to speak to her in the dream I wonder if this dream will come true one day like my Mother said. And just as I think this another dream begins to project onto my eyelids... A man is driving down a long, empty highway. He stops at a gas station and fills up his car. As he walks to the store he notices a beautiful woman walking towards him. She smiles at him and waves; the woman is Stella. He tries to attract her attention but she keeps walking. He follows her into the store. He can't believe that such a gorgeous woman would even look at him twice. After browsing for a while she finally makes her way over to him. "Hey, you're the guy who followed me in here." She says. "Uh yeah. My name is Emmanuel" I say. The dream ends and I see no more images projected unto my eyelids.... this one was strange I think to myself, has this happened already? Or is it yet to happen? I start to wonder what I'm going to do if Stella does approach me. Just then I hear the voice of my father calling out my name. "Emmanuel! Emmanuel!" he shouts. I open my eyes and see my father standing above me. "I'm sorry, I was having another dream." I tell him. "Are you okay?" he asks. "Yeah, why? And where have you and mom been? I was looking for you" I ask. "The doctor called us in the middle of the night, we had to rush over to the hospital" he says. "He needs to see you right away." "What is it? What's wrong?" I ask. "I don't know." He says. "But are you okay?" I ask. "Yes. Just come with me please. Its your grandfather, he needs you to predict the future" He says. My heart starts racing as we make our way to the hospital where my grandfather is at. It doesnt take long until we reach the hospital. We pass by reception then enter the patient room where my grandfather is lying unconscious on the bed. "Is he alright?" I ask my mother. "I don't know." She replies. "Will he be okay?" I ask. "We hope so, we just need you to see his future in a dream" my mother says. "What? Why can't you do it?" I ask. "I can't." She says. "Why not?" I ask. "I'm trying but I can't. He won't let me." She says. "Why would he stop you?" I ask. "He says he wants someone who can change his future, your father and I dont have that ability, we can only see the future but we cant change it" She says. "Well why can't you try?" I ask. "We have, but it doesnt work. You have to use your gift Son, you have to predict and change his future in a dream" she says. "I don't understand." I say. "You have to dream and predict the future before it happens. Do you understand? You have to see his future imprinted on your eyelids then change it using your will power before it happens" she says. "Okay. How do I start?" I ask. "Just touch his hand" my mother says. I reach out and grab my grandfather's hand. His skin feels cold and clammy. I close my eyes and begin to concentrate. I see images of my grandfather sitting on a bench under a tree reading a newspaper. Then suddenly he collapses. I see a man in a suit with a clipboard rushing towards me. I feel a sudden jolt of pain shoot through my stomach and chest. I gasp for air. I look down and notice my heart beating rapidly in my chest. "Emmanuel! Are you alright?" My mother asks. "Am I dead?" I ask. "No." She says. "Am I alive?" I ask. "You're still in a dream. You need to concentrate, you are feeling what your grandfather is feeling" She says. "I feel sick." I say. "That was a warning shot." My mother explains. "How do I change it?" I ask. "Focus on the image and change it. Try again." She says. I close my eyes and concentrate on the images I see on my eyelids. I see my grandfather's heart pounding faster and faster until it stops beating and he falls flat on the floor. I feel my own heart pounding furiously as I try to control my breathing. I see the same scene in my mind but now the man in the suit is standing over my grandfather's body with a clipboard. Suddenly I feel my stomach twist inside me and I vomit onto the floor. I see him bending down and picking up my grandfather's lifeless body. I watch him carry him away... "Did you see it?" My mother asks. "Yes." I say. "Good, now you just have to predict what will happen next." She tells me. "So you're telling me that I have to predict what will happen before it happens?" I ask. "Yes." She says. "And how do I do that?" I ask. "You have to use your gift, you have to use your talent." She says. "What is this 'gift' you keep talking about?" I ask. "Its something you were born with." She says. "Now come on, its time to change your grandfather's future." "Alright." I say. I close my eyes and concentrate hard on the images projected unto my eyelids. I try to change my grandfather's death before it happens... I see my grandfather being carried into a large room filled with medical equipment. A man in a white coat comes out of a door. The man looks at me and shakes his head. Then he turns to my mother and father and frowns. I will for my grandfather to live. I see a nurse carrying a syringe and injecting my grandfather with something. His face changes, his skin fills with colour. He coughs and gasps for air. The dream ends. I open my eyes. "I did it!" I say. "Good job, son." My father says. "I did it" I tell them both. "I knew you could do it." My mother says. "Your grandfather is going to be alright." My father says. "He'll be fine, he's going to be just fine." My mother says. "We give thanks to GOD ALMIGHTY" I say with joy. "Thank GOD ALMIGHTY indeed." My mother says. We all say a prayer of thanks together. "Now that you've done it once, you should be able to predict and change the future without any problems." My mother says. "Really?" I ask. "Yes." She says. "So what happens from here on out?" I ask. "He will live and be at peace" my mother says. "Now you need to practice your gift, any ideas on how you're going to practice Son?" She adds. Suddenly thoughts of Stella jump into my mind, I avoid telling my mother who I'm thinking about. "Um... nothing." I say. "Well you'll just have to think of something." She says. "Alright." I tell her. "Don't worry Emmanuel, your grandfather has a strong spirit, he'll be fine." She tells me. "I'm sure he will." I reply. "Come on Son, lets go home" my father says. I follow him back to the car. I feel so happy that I'm able to save my grandfather's life with my gift, I wish my parents could do it too, but unfortunately they can't. I then remember Stella and the dreams I keep having of her, I wonder how I can use my gift to bring Stella and I together. Perhaps if I could predict her future then I could change it, after all we are both destined to meet each other in some way or another. As we arrive home I walk into the living room and head to my bedroom. I turn on my computer and begin to search for Stella's name online. After a few minutes of searching I find her f*******: profile page. I skim over her pictures then come across a video of her singing. I click play and listen to her sing along as I fall asleep on my bed. I wake up early the next morning and get ready for work. I leave the house around 8:30am. On my way to work I notice an old man in a wheelchair by the side of the road. I step out of my car and offer him a lift. He thanks me and gets into the passenger seat. "Where are you headed?" I ask. "I'm going to the hospital, I fell last night and broke my leg." He says. "You're going to the hospital?" I ask. "Yes. I was supposed to meet my granddaughter at nine but she didn't show up. Now I'm worried because there's no way I can drive." He says. "Oh, you must be Mr. Howard." I say. "That's right." He says. "My name is Emmanuel" I say. "Nice to meet you Emmanuel." He says. "Likewise." I say. We drive in silence for a little while. I glance at Mr. Howard and notice that his left arm is twisted backwards. "Do you hurt yourself when you fell Mr. Howard?" I ask. "Yes. I dislocated my shoulder and fractured my leg." He says. "What happened?" I ask. "I tripped and fell over the curb." He says. "Are you going to be okay?" I ask. "I'm just happy that you stopped to help me." He says. "Well thank you for letting me take you to the hospital, I hope everything works out okay." I say. "I appreciate your kindness, young man." He says. "I'm glad to be of service." I tell him. Once we arrive at the hospital Mr. Howard pays me before getting out of the car and hobbling into the building. I drive away and head to work. As soon as I walk into the office I see Stella. She runs over to me and hugs me tightly. "I missed you so much!" She says. "I'm sorry I wasn't here for you last night, I overslept" She says. "It's okay." I tell her. "I had a dream about you though" I tell her. "What did you dream about?" She asks. "I dreamed that we met each other and you invited me over to your place and we talked about our lives." I tell her. "Wow! That sounds great!" She says. "When am I going to meet your family?" I ask. "I haven't got a chance to introduce them to anyone yet" She says. "But you can meet them tonight if you want." She says. "Of course I'd like to meet them" I say. "Great!" She says. "So what are we doing tonight?" I ask. "Well, we're going to meet my family and then we're going to hang out with some friends. It's going to be fun!" She says. "Cool!" I say. "I'll text you later." She says. "Okay." I say. She walks away and goes into the meeting room. I sit down at my desk and start working. At 2pm I receive a call from Mr. Howard, he tells me that he is ready to be picked up. I get up and head over to him. I load his wheelchair into the trunk of my car and drive him home. Once we arrive I help him inside and into his apartment. We talk for a bit longer then say goodbye. "It was nice meeting you Emmanuel." He says. "Likewise." I tell him. "I hope you don't mind me calling you Emmanuel, it's just easier to remember that way." He says. "That's fine." I tell him. "I really enjoyed talking to you today." He says. "Me too." I say. I go home and prepare to meet Stella's family. I get dressed in a black shirt and dark jeans. I put on my most expensive shoes and tie my long hair back. I look in the mirror and nod to myself, satisfied with my appearance. At 7pm I pick up Stella and her sister and drive to their mother's house. I park my car outside and wait for them to come out. They get into the car and we drive to Stella's mother's house. We knock on the door and ring the bell. Stella's mother answers and leads us inside. Stella introduces me to her mother and her two sisters. Her mother is very kind and welcoming. We chat for a while then leave. "Well, that was interesting." Stella says. "Yeah, I guess." I say. "I'm hungry, wanna get something to eat?" She asks. "Sure." I say. We drive to McDonalds and order food to go. I pay for our meals and we head back to her mother's house. Once we arrive I see that her mother is preparing dinner. We all sit down and eat together. After eating we clean up and then go to her room. "Can I have your number?" She asks. "Sure." I tell her. "Please write it down for me." She says. "No problem." I say. "Here's mine," She says. "Mine's..." I say. "Here you go." She says. I write down my information on a piece of paper and hand it to her. "Thanks for your help today." I say. "You're welcome." She says. "I'd better get going." I say. "I'll walk you to your car." She says. "Alright." I say. Stella and I stand in front of my car I reach out and touch her hand... suddenly images of Stella's future start projecting on my eyelids. I see her getting married to a man named Bruce and having three children. I also see her moving to California. As I watch these visions continue to play out in my mind I am overcome with emotions. My heart is broken, I feel her joy as with her new husband and her children. Does this mean I will never be with Stella? I let go of her hand and the vision ends. "Emmanuel... are you alright?" Stella asks. "I'm sorry..." I mumble. "Something came up." "What is it?" She asks. I look at her face and I see she is examining mine. "I saw something." I tell her. "What did you see?" She asks. "I don't know." I lie. "I have to go now" I add. "Wait, what did you see?" She asks again. "I can't tell you." I tell her. "Why not?" She asks. "Because it's private." I say. "That's not fair!" She says. "Look, I just can't tell you." I say. "Fine." She says. "Alright." I tell her. "You can trust me." She says. "I do trust you." I say. "Then why won't you tell me?" She asks. "I just can't. Its a family secret" I say. "You mean you're keeping secrets from me?" She demands. "I just can't tell you." I tell her. "Okay". She yields. "This isn't good for us." I tell her. "Yeah." She says. "Goodbye." I say. I walk away without looking back. After leaving Stella I drive home and head straight to my bedroom, I find my computer and log onto f*******:. I click onto Stella's profile and search through her friends. I look for the name, Bruce.