Harbinger of Death

Waking up in cold sweat, Lia panted as she pushed aside her blanket and got up from her bed, putting on her house slippers. As she opened the window, she took a deep breath and sighed, glancing at the bright, pearly moon above the star-encrusted sky. It's just a nightmare, she told herself, rubbing her forearms. It's not real, it was just another dream, that's all.

For months, she was plagued with nightmarish dreams every single night, to the point that she dreaded falling asleep. Her mother told her that she needed to pray more, which Lia did. Convincing her to therapy was a bad idea, for it always ends in a bitter argument between them. Deciding to grab her journal from her desk, she recorded every single detail that she remembered in her nightmare, and what it could possibly mean.

The next morning, as the whole family gathered at the dining table, Lia yawned as she chewed on her kaya toast with heavy eyelids. Her mother, who was seated in front of her, noticed her eyebags, and proceeded to clear her throat to get her attention. "So, what was the nightmare all about this time?" she asked.

"It was my best friend, Mina," Lia answered, shifting her focus towards her mother. "I found her lying in a ditch, with blood all over the place."

"Sounds like the same old dream you've been having for the last few weeks," she sighed, as she slurped on her bowl of soft-boiled eggs. "Why don't you just take my advice and pray to Allah instead of just locking yourself in the room and drawing those creepy drawings of yours?"

"But I've been praying on time," Lia snapped, knocking her fist on the table. "And yet, these nightmares kept on persisting."

"Well, maybe you should try harder then. There's no reason why you've been having these nightmarish occurrences unless of course, you've been slacking in your religious duty."

"But what if those nightmares come true?" she pointed out. "Then what?"

"Lia, dear, there is no way you are able to see what lies in the future. Besides, you're just making excuses about your irresponsibility."

"But mother-"

"Just go to your room and recite the Quran," her mother shouted, pointing at the stairs. "You'll feel better after this."

Crossing her arms, Lia glared at her mother as she grabbed her coat and stepped outside the cabin, much to her mother's protest. But she didn't care about that, for she wanted to calm herself down before she could explode in front of her face.

What does she care, anyways? she thought, as she paced through the forest, only to find her friend, Mina, sitting underneath a tree. Waving at her, her friend smiled at her as she sat beside her, placing her arms around her shoulders.

"Hey Mina," Lia smiled. "How are you doing?"

"I'm doing great, Lia," Mina replied, as she continued to flip the pages of her book, much to the former's curiosity.

"So, what are you reading?"

"Oh, I'm just reading Aphrodite means Death. It's a really good book."

"That's cool. Where did you get it?"

"Down the street," Mina shrugged. "But this is the only copy I found, unfortunately."

Her eyes widened. "Seriously? That's the only book you found at the store?"

"Yeah, unfortunately, this book is super rare. I was lucky to get a hand on this, you know."

"Well, in that case, can I borrow them once you're finished reading them? I really want to read them too."

"Of course you can borrow them, Lia," Mina chuckled. "Just make sure you don't damage the spine, alright?"

"Don't worry about it, Mina," Lia assured her. "Your book will be in good hands, I promise you."

Her lips curved upwards as she closed her book and got up, offering her hand to Lia. "Do you wanna get some coffee or something?"

Bobbing her head, she grabbed her friend's hand and strolled along the woods, vivaciously talking with each other. As they continued to walk along their designated path, they noticed a large ditch in front of them, prompting them to halt.

"That looks dangerous," Mina gasped, looking down. "Let's just take another way to town. It's much safer anyways."

Lia shook her head as she held onto a rope that was tied to a tree branch. "The other way is too slow. This way is much faster to reach town."

"But Lia-"

"Don't worry about it," she shrugged it off. "I won't let you fall. Besides, we've done this so many times anyway."

Mina reluctantly nodded as she climbed onto Lia's back, clinging to her shoulders. Taking a deep breath, Lia swung towards the other side of the ditch with ease, letting go of the rope. "See, that wasn't so bad, isn't it?" she chuckled, only to realize that her friend wasn't responding to her.

She turned around and rushed towards the ditch, and found her friend there, lying in a pool of blood. Lia's eyes widened as she slid towards her friend, placing her hand on her pulse. Oh no, she panted, taking a few steps backwards. My nightmare came true.

Not knowing what to do, Lia snatched Mina's book from her hands and rushed back home, with tears streaming from her eyes. For the whole day, she locked herself inside her room, hiding underneath her blanket. My vision was real, she cried, glancing at Mina's book. I can't believe it came true.

Hugging her pillow, she closed her eyes and held onto her friend's novel, dozing off to sleep. As hours passed, Lia jolted out of her bed, trying to catch her breath. Her mother entered her room with a candle in her hand, noticing her daughter was acting out of character. "Did you have another bad dream again?"

Lia hummed in approval. "It was our house, mom. It was on fire and you were trapped in it."

"I'm sure your nightmare will pass eventually," she stroked the back of her daughter's hair. "Besides, it's just the Devil playing tricks on you after all."

"No!" exclaimed Lia, her fist clenched. "It was real. I saw it for myself."

"Oh, that's just nonsense. There's no way you can see the future."

"You're wrong, mom," Lia barked. "I can predict the future. I dreamed that Mina died in the ditch and I found her dead in the ditch today."

"Oh, honey, I'm sure it's just a coincidence."

She groaned in frustration, yanking her hair. "Why can't you just believe me just for once? Why do you always have to dismiss what I have to say to you?"

"Because I have more experience than you," her mother fought back. "I tasted hardship and pain when I was your age. You should be grateful that you have it easier than I did back then."

"You always compared my life to yours. You always invalidated my struggles. Heck, you always make everything about yourself when I talk to you. It's always about you, you, and you. You never even listened to what I had to say to you."

Her mother frowned and slapped Lia across her cheek, baring her teeth. The young girl's eyes turned narrow as she yelped and pushed her mother towards the wooden floor, causing the candle to drop from her hand, lighting the house on fire, just as she had envisioned.

Hearing her mother begging for her life, Lia grabbed Mina's novel and her journal as she ran away from the burning cabin, unscathed. Unlike what happened to her best friend, Lia wasn't afraid of her own vision anymore. Instead, she began to embrace her destiny as a visionary, and a harbinger of death.