Monday, September 19, 2005

Dreaming of Death (some violence, be warned)

The day started like any other. I could picture it as if it were right before me. Now of course, i would never see it again.

I remember being in school. The long, winding stairwell (that i knew with my eyes closed) stretched before me as i descended. I looked at the metal and rubber steps and for a moment they floated before my eyes. Swimming through the hallway felt like a good idea, but my senses brought me back to reality. Catching the banister just in time, i saved myself from a very bad fall.

At first that worried me, as i'm not susceptible to fainting spells, but after walking for some time, it just became another memory. There were errands to run and my husband to meet.

I headed to the post office, trying to catch it before it closed. Three older men in t-shirts and ripped jean shorts watched me as i passed through the lobby. They looked a little frightening, since they were just sitting around talking, and all of them looked as if they didn't know how to shave properly. I paid them no mind and walked to the end of the hall, towards the clerk's desks.

My husband was already there, speaking with a younger woman. She was very nice and showed us how the doors to the post office worked. The window was divided into 4 sections. Three smaller windows opened individually like a rotating door. You could pass parcels and money through these sections.

Behind the glass i could see that the clerks were about 3 feet off the ground, sitting on boxes waiting to be shipped out. It looked hot back there, almost stuffy, but no one was sweating and there were fans twirling from the ceiling.

At first, the woman seemed frightened of me, but once i gained her trust, she showed me how to open the top, larger window. It slid up and down from a lever on her side. As soon as she opened it, my husband jumped in and the woman looked fearfully behind me. Just then, i turned around to see the three men approach the clerk windows. Fear gripped my heart and i knew then what they intended to do.

The one closest to me had a large wrench. It was dull, but bright white metal, and it was almost as big as his forearm. He didn't look menacing, just desperate for money. The second man was behind me, and behind the man with the wrench. I couldn't see him. The third man was who scared me. He held a gun and was pointing it directly at the window where my husband went in.

I knew that they saw the window open, and they were waiting for a chance to hold up the post office. I was scared, but glad that my husband was behind the glass. It was at this time i realized it was bulletproof. As they started yelling out their demands, i took my chance.

Ducking under the arms of the man with the wrench, i went to the back of all three of them, trying to run away. That decision was the most important one made in my life. Immediately after passing under the wrench, the gunman shot me in the neck. I could have run away, but at close range, he shot a second time, then a third, and a fourth. The second didn't hurt, the third took my sight. After the fourth shot, something wet covered me in a blanket of warmth from the neck down. As i laid there staring into the darkness, i realized, with a great sadness, that i was dead.