Mr. Luxington

One night, a boy went to sleep and experienced a very long dream, one that would change the course of his life forever.

The next morning, the boy did not wake up. His mother didn’t understand what was happening…. For he was perfectly alive… but unconscious. 

He was rushed to the hospital. Doctors were baffled by this healthy boy going to sleep, only to not wake up again. One theory was that the boy slipped into a coma—but how? Could it have been tied to the dream he was experiencing? Perhaps… but how would the doctors know that this boy was experiencing a strange dream? And how could a dream cause a boy to enter into a coma?

The doctors kept him in the hospital under observation, until a week later, it abruptly came to an end. The boy’s dream ended, and his eyelids slowly opened.

His mother was overwhelmed with relief to have her boy back. Several months after the boy awoke from his coma, he discovered a unique ability. Though puzzled at first, he was able to see the possibility of using this “gift” to help people and it became his life mission to use this ability for good.

Years later, this boy was to become the one and only Mr. Luxington.

“Mr. Luxington, your next patient is ready to see you,” a dark skinned woman called. Her eyelids were heavy, a clear sign she hadn’t been getting enough sleep or was working too much.

He was in his office, a small, dimly light room where a fan above his head annoyingly squeaked as it whirled.

Mr. Luxington took one more look at the file he kept on the patient he was about to see, then followed his assistance down a cramped corridor. 

Mr. Luxington ran a small practice, LUX. The central purpose of LUX was not popular among most people—yet despite the criticism, many still came seeking answers at LUX.

And Mr. Luxington gave people the very thing they were looking for. See, Mr. Luxington had the ‘gift’ of seeing someone and looking into their most recent and recurrent dreams. From there, he demonstrated an uncanny ability to interpret people’s dreams and help navigate the challenges they were facing in life.  

The assistant stopped right next to an open door leading to the room where his patient was waiting.

“She’s ready for you,” the assistant told him. Mr. Luxington thanked the woman and was about to walk inside when he felt his arm being pulled back. The assistant grabbed him by the arm and looked deeply into his eyes, “I have a bad feeling about this one… from what she’s told us, it sounds like we’re not the right people to help her… she should try calling the police.”

“I appreciate the concern—but if she came here, there must be a good reason why,” Mr. Luxington replied in a tone of appreciation. He let out a kind smile.

Martha returned the smile then left.

Mr. Luxington stepped inside and immediately felt a cold chill that made the hairs on his arms stand. He wondered why every time he was about to do an intake, the room temperature seemed to be colder than usual. He supposed it was because people are more likely to sleep more comfortably in a cooler room than a hotter room.

Mr. Luxington stood beside a twin size bed. On it lay a woman. Mr. Luxington felt his heart skip a beat at the sight of this woman—her features were mesmerizing. He then felt ashamed for his sudden lack of professionalism.  

The woman looked no older than thirty, roughly the same age as Mr. Luxington himself. She had a small nose and plump, red lips. Her long eyelashes fluttered like a butterfly’s wings as she blinked, and when he stood over her, her large, murky-brown eyes looked up at him with an innocence that reminded him of a gentle creature. She wore a bright yellow blouse that seemed to light up the grey room they were in. 

She brushed some of her dark-brown hair behind her ears and let out a welcoming smile.

Mr. Luxington returned the smile, then pulled a small swivel chair to her side.

He held out his hand. “Hello, I’m Mr. Luxington. I’ll be helping you navigate your dreams today.”

The woman shook his hand. He immediately noticed how soft and gentle her hand felt. That further stimulated his romantic thoughts, but he shoved them deep inside.

“I’m Ruby—nice to meet you,” the woman introduced herself in a voice as sweet as candy. The euphonic sound of her voice further stimulated his newfound feelings for this woman.

“Well, Ruby—” Mr. Luxington paused and rubbed his nose, then ran his fingers through his curly black hair. “Tell me a little bit about yourself and why you’re here.”

“Recently, I broke up with my boyfriend after I found a stash of drugs he’d been hiding. I learned he’d been involved in drug dealing and I freaked out. This was surprising to me as I knew he had a drinking problem, but a drug problem? He was under the influence of alcohol when I confronted him—he threatened to hurt me. In the past he’s said and done things that have been—violent. I believe he could hurt me. From that moment I’ve been having these dreams about him showing up to my house and hurting me—killing me. The last dream I had was just last night, and it was so vivid that I awoke with tears and shaking uncontrollably. I had heard about all you do here and figured I’d give you a try. If my dreams do come true… I fear I could die…”

“That sounds terrible, Ruby, I’m sorry you’re going through this.” Mr. Luxington let out an apologetic smile.

Mr. Luxington was confused as to why Ruby was seeking help at LUX rather than going to the police. If she was worried this man would hurt her it would make sense to tell the police about her ex-boyfriend’s drug dealing and hence, receive some kind of protection.

“I heard about what you can do—you can read dreams,” Ruby said. “I thought that if you could read these dreams I was having, then you could tell me if I’m in any danger.”

Mr. Luxington nodded. He was about to voice his opinion on how it would suit her better if she were to seek help from the police when she said, “I don’t want the police involved, if that’s what you’re thinking, Mr. Luxington…”

“Why?” he asked.

“I… just don’t…”

He shot her a skeptical look.

Mr. Luxington dimmed the lights and explained that he would have to be sitting beside Ruby, holding her hand, as she fell asleep. His ability only worked if he were touching the person whose dream he was interpreting. As the patient would be seeing strange visions, Mr. Luxington would see a clearer picture of the dream, almost like watching a video.

Mr. Luxington took Ruby’s hand.

“If I see that you dream of being in danger… then I can tell you what exactly will happen—and when,” he explained. “If not… then it is safe to assume that you’re safe from harm.”

Ruby nodded.

Several moments later Ruby entered a deep sleep. Mr. Luxington was immediately transported to whatever dream was happening.

He saw a kitchen—and Ruby; she was wearing that same bright yellow blouse, washing plates in the sink. Mr. Luxington was a spector to her dream, so he couldn’t speak with Ruby nor could she know that he was in the kitchen with her.

There was a knock on the door and Ruby set her half rinsed plate down. She dried her hands on a towel and went to open the door.

Immediately the newcomer shouted and entered the house. He was a tall, bald man with bloodshot eyes; his lip formed into a sneer. Ruby was screaming for the man to leave, up until a third individual entered the scene. 

It was Mr. Luxington himself! 

The bald man took out a firearm and trained it on Ruby. The Mr. Luxington, present in the dream, stood in the way and protected Ruby from the incoming bullet.

The dream ended with Mr. Luxington lying in a puddle of his own blood, all the while Ruby crying over him… 

Ruby woke and Mr. Luxington took his hand off of hers.

“What did you see?” she asked.

Mr. Luxington supposed that she didn’t see that he himself was not in her dream.

“I saw a third person get shot… but who was it?” Ruby wondered.

Mr. Luxington’s mind was spinning and he was at a loss for words. He couldn’t admit to her that he was the man in the dream—nor could he say when this would happen. He knew it would be tonight, but he didn’t know why he was present in the dream. Something must have happened that he felt the need to visit her.

He knew that under no circumstances was he to step inside her house tonight, or else the dream he witnessed would become a reality. But also—if he wouldn’t be there then surely she would die.

“Ruby, I suggest you call the police and tell them to keep an eye on your house tonight,” Mr. Luxington warned. “I fear you are in danger.”

Ruby shook her head. Her eyes began to water and she was on the verge of tears.

“What’s going to happen?” she sobbed. “Will someone die?”

Before he could answer she wrapped her arms around him and cried on his shoulder.

The romantic thoughts he had previously sparked. He felt a moment of bliss being in her arms. He smelt the scent of flowers in her hair.

“If you call the police now and have them at your house, I’m sure you will be fine,” he assured.

“But who was that man?” Ruby wondered, her question barely audible over her crying.

Mr. Luxington shrugged.

“Remember, by acting now you can prevent the future I’ve interpreted in your dream,” Mr. Luxington reminded her.

“Would you keep me company?” Ruby asked, leaving his embrace and looking at him with her large, watery eyes.

“No!” Mr. Luxington blurted.

He felt guilty when she gave him a look of sadness. He quickly stood and said, “I apologize for leaving so abruptly but I have other clients to deal with. All will be fine if you call the police and stay indoors.”

Before she could ask him any more questions, Mr. Luxington left, feeling a terrible amount of guilt weighing him down.

Later that night, Mr. Luxington could not escape from the constant thoughts of Ruby. If he wasn’t thinking of how beautiful she was—then he was thinking about how she could be in danger.

He averted his eyes away from his tedious task on the computer and at a small picture of him hugging a woman. They both smiled as if the day the picture was taken was the happiest time of their lives.

For Mr. Luxington, it was. Thinking about that day just filled him with an overwhelming amount of sorrow. That picture was taken just moments before they were married. 

He remembered how happy this woman had made him… but the moments of bliss ended as quickly as they began. Several days later, Mr. Luxington and his wife were victims of a horrific accident that left him in the hospital and his wife in the grave.

Since then, he dedicated his time by burying his head in his work and saving as many lives with his ability.

If only he could interpret his own dreams could he have prevented the accident from ever happening. But no… his ability only worked on other people—not himself.

Mr. Luxington took his eyes off the picture and checked the time on his watch. His eyes nearly popped out of his skull when he saw that the time was just two hours till midnight. 

That would explain why his stomach was rumbling.

Mr. Luxington collected his things and stepped out of his office. He then stepped out into the cold, winter night and locked the door to the building.

He wished his car’s transmission didn’t have to be replaced or else he wouldn’t have taken the bus today—his house was three miles from here and he found it unlikely to find transit nearby where he worked. He would have to walk a mile towards town until he could take the bus home.

As he walked, his thoughts went back to Ruby. He was so distracted at what he had interpreted only hours ago that he ran into a person coming the opposite direction from him. 

“Oh, my apologize,” Mr. Luxington said.

He would have continued on his way if he hadn’t recognized the man he had bumped into.

There was no mistake in this man’s features… he was the exact same person he saw in Ruby’s dreams.

The man sneered and went on his way. Mr. Luxington watched the man walk towards an apartment complex several meters from where they were at.

“That must be where she lives,” Mr. Luxington realized. He looked around for any signs of a police car but found none. He had no way of knowing if Ruby was protected. “She may not be protected by the police—she wouldn’t know that her ex is coming to hurt her,” Mr. Luxington said. “I have to help her.”

But he couldn’t stand by and let Ruby die… If his mission in life was to help people, then he would carry that decision.

Despite his mind being set on what he was going to do, Mr. Luxington felt his arms and legs shake with fear… He wasn’t ready to die… but neither was he ready to stand by when someone’s life was in danger.

Mr. Luxington kept his eyes on the man until he vanished from his field of view. He noticed a small gate beside him that allowed entrance to the apartment complex. He hopped over the fence, despite his thoughts going against the rogue idea.

When he was over, he walked around the apartment complex. He wasn’t sure what building Ruby was in, but he didn’t have to wonder long when he saw a woman in a yellow blouse through a kitchen window. 

Mr. Luxington let out a sigh of relief. 

Ruby noticed him standing outside and made a gesture for him to come inside.

As he approached her door, Ruby unlocked it and ushered him inside.

“What can I do for you, Mr. Luxington?” Ruby asked.

“Please, just Felix,” Mr. Luxington corrected. “I’ve come to see how you are doing—I didn’t notice any police cars around the area.”

Ruby made no effort to provide him with an answer to his observation.

“Have you called them?”

“No… I’ll be fine, I don’t want the police involved—I don’t want my ex to go to jail.”

Mr. Luxington let out a scoff, not making an effort to conceal his thoughts. “Thats ridiculous! You could get hurt if you aren’t protected! He deserves to be in jail, he’s a bad man.”

Ruby made no effort to disagree with him.

“Make yourself at home—I’ll make us some tea,” Ruby offered. “I would like some company—it’s been a bit quiet lately.”

Mr. Luxington made no effort to reject her offer. He took a seat on a small couch right beside the television. From the look of the place, it seemed that Ruby didn’t have much money to afford nice decorations or appliances for her apartment. Most of her walls lacked photos or art, and the furniture looked as if it had been acquired from a garage sale.

“Ruby, mind I suggest you and I leave the house for a little bit?” Mr. Luxington offered.

“Why?”

“Well… I had seen that tonight—”

Before he could finish, there was a knock on the door.

Ruby went for the door and opened it.

“Mark—what are you doing here—”

The bald headed man pushed his way inside without a word. Mr. Luxington sat, unable to move.

“Who's this?!” Mark immediately demanded, noticing Mr. Luxington on the couch. “Are you seeing other people?”

“No, he’s—”

Before she could finish, Mark approached Mr. Luxington and demanded, “Who are you? Get out of my house!”

Mr. Luxington knew that this very well was not his house anymore, but made no effort to move. He noticed that Mark’s eyes were bloodshot and his hand was shaking uncomfortably. He wondered if Mark even knew what he was saying or doing, since it was evident he was under the influence of alcohol and whatever drugs he’s been taking tonight.

“Get out!”

Ruby watched with worried eyes, afraid of what might unfold.

Just as he anticipated, Mark reached into his pocket—just when Mr. Luxington shot up from the couch and jumped on Mark.

The two men crashed into a flower vase, smashing it on the floor, as they fought for whatever was in Mark’s hand. Ruby put her hands to her face, afraid to interfere. Just then, there was a loud pop, as if someone ignited fireworks inside, and Mr. Luxington felt a sharp force in his gut. 

He clutched his wound and toppled to the floor. Before he felt the warm blood soak his hands and his vision grew cloudy, he saw Mark run out the door and Ruby pulled out her phone, calling an ambulance to help save Mr. Luxington.

He knew the effort was in vain. Despite the fact that he never saw what happened after he was shot in Ruby’s dream, he knew this was the end of the line. Ever since he fell into that coma and was gifted with these abilities, all he wanted to do was help. He couldn’t save his mother or his wife from dying. But this… he could prevent… 

A smile formed on Mr. Luxington’s face as he slipped into unconsciousness.