{"id":2301,"date":"2021-09-25T14:55:36","date_gmt":"2021-09-25T21:55:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.evardsson.com\/blog\/?p=2301"},"modified":"2021-09-25T14:58:15","modified_gmt":"2021-09-25T21:58:15","slug":"law-of-fives","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.evardsson.com\/blog\/2021\/09\/25\/law-of-fives\/","title":{"rendered":"Law of Fives"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

prompt:\u00a0Write a story about a character who believes their dreams predict the future.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

available at Reedsy<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sia fidgeted nervously, dark circles under her honey-gold eyes, lack of sleep dulling her golden-brown face. Her ebon hair, tied up in a sloppy bun, lacked the shine it usually had.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cSia, are you okay?\u201d, someone asked. \u201cDo you need someone to talk to?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She stared at her monitor, the work in front of her making no sense. The feeling that someone was standing next to her was sudden, causing her to jump. \u201cOh! Hi\u2014hi Jace. Did you need something?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI was wondering the same thing,\u201d he said, \u201cabout you.\u201d He was slender, with pale olive skin that never saw the sun, his hair a pile of medium brown curls atop a fade. There was something about his shape or the way he carried himself that made him seem taller than his five-feet-eight.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI, uh\u2026I think I\u2019ll be okay,\u201d Sia said. \u201cI just need some coffee.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cBoss,\u201d Jace said, crouching near her chair, \u201cthere\u2019s something wrong. If you need someone to talk to, you know where to find me. For now, though, I\u2019ll finish up the end-of-month reports and get them in to finance. You should go home and get some rest.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI\u2014I guess you\u2019re right. I\u2019m not well.\u201d Sia ran her hands down her legs, realizing with a small bit of horror that she was at work, at her desk, wearing her flannel pajamas. She looked at Jace, in his pressed shirt and casual slacks. \u201cI\u2019ll see you tomorrow.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She took the back door out of the office, down the stairs rather than be seen in the elevator in her current state. Four stories down, eight flights of steps, she exited the side door where Jace stood, holding her purse.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI figured you might need this,\u201d he said with a smile.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sia took the purse with a partially suppressed grimace. \u201cSorry, thanks.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jace winked. \u201cNo problem. If you need anything<\/em>, give me a call; I\u2019ll do whatever I can.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

#<\/p>\n\n\n\n

After an interminable bus ride home, Sia fell on her disheveled bed, next to the work outfit she\u2019d laid out earlier in the morning and forgot to put on. Her eyelids heavy, she started to drift off. With a jerk, she sat up and shook her head. She wasn\u2019t ready to see it again.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To keep herself awake, she put away the clothes she\u2019d laid out, made the bed, and started a pot of coffee. She turned on the TV to the annoying daytime talk shows and turned the volume up. That would keep her awake while she cleaned.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

By the time the coffee pot was empty and the apartment spotless, Sia was moving in a daze. The staged fights of the talk shows were long over, and a sleepy, calm show about home repair had been on for a while.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She considered making another pot of coffee, but her insides were already protesting. Instead, she sat in the corner chair; the one that was there for looks as it was far too uncomfortable to be sat in.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

#<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It was starting again. The sky turned dark, heavy clouds blocking out the sun. A bright streak illuminated the clouds from above, followed by an ear-shattering boom.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The streak broke through the clouds, a glowing ball of light that lit up the sky like the sun before it exploded in the city center. The shockwave rolled over her with the rumbling sound of thunder times a thousand. A cloud of dust and ash rose above the ruined buildings, even as thousands of shards of glass and metal rained down around her.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As quickly as it began, it ended, and she found herself at her desk. Jace was there, and a shadowy figure dumped scalding coffee down his back. His yelp of pain woke her.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

#<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sia was stiff and sore from sleeping in the hard, uncomfortable chair. The TV was showing an infomercial for a \u201cmiracle\u201d cleaning product, the volume still loud.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She turned off the TV and checked the time; 1:04 A.M., still hours to go before the next day. As much as she didn\u2019t want to sleep again, her body won out, and she stretched out on her bed, trying to loosen the knots in her back.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

#<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She woke early the next morning, took a long shower, dried her hair and spent thirty minutes brushing it to its usual luster. The coffee pot sat unused as she dressed in a smart skirt and blouse.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sia was the first in the office. Not surprising as she was nearly an hour early. She went through her emails from the previous day; most of them were \u201cGet well soon\u201d messages.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

By the time the rest of the office was in, she was in her groove, getting caught up on the work she\u2019d missed the previous day. The rational part of her brain chided her for thinking that just because she dreamt a thing it would come true.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sia had almost convinced herself that her dreams don\u2019t come true, when Jace approached. His face brightened when he saw her.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYou look great today! Feeling better?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI remembered to dress today,\u201d she said with an embarrassed chuckle. \u201cWhat\u2019s up?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cCan you open the link I sent you?\u201d Jace asked. \u201cI have a question about that account.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She opened the account, and Jace bent over to point at the account\u2019s usage totals. \u201cThe month-over-month doesn\u2019t line up with the billing,\u201d he said, pointing. \u201cSee here?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sia looked behind him and saw Sarah, one of the finance techs carrying a coffee cup coming towards them. She grabbed Jace\u2019s arm. \u201cDon\u2019t move,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sarah walked behind them. \u201cMorning,\u201d she said as she went by.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sia let go, and Jace stood. \u201cWhat was that about?\u201d he asked.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIn my dream, you got scalding hot coffee down your back.\u201d She shuddered. \u201cIt would have happened if I hadn\u2019t stopped you.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThanks for saving me?\u201d He smiled, but something about it seemed off. \u201cDoes this happen often? I mean, dreams coming true?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sia shook her head. \u201cIt feels like it just started a couple weeks ago. I started having a recurring nightmare, and then I\u2019d have some dream about something mundane and then the other thing would happen the next day.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cExactly the way you dreamt it?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cNot exactly,\u201d she said, \u201cbut close enough.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAnd I suppose,\u201d he said, \u201cthat you\u2019ve been trying not to sleep, in order to skip the nightmare.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sia nodded. She locked her computer and leaned back. \u201cIt caught up to me yesterday and I couldn\u2019t stay awake any longer. That\u2019s how I knew you were about to get burned just now.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cLet\u2019s go for a walk and you can tell me about the nightmare that\u2019s keeping you up.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

They walked to the park a block away from the office and sat on a bench while she told him the entire story. He listened, nodding at the appropriate moments.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cDo you sleep with the TV on?\u201d he asked.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOnly if I fall asleep watching the late-night news,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI wouldn\u2019t have gotten burned this morning,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIf you had stood up, you would\u2019ve bumped into Sarah, and she would\u2019ve spilled on you.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAnd it would\u2019ve really sucked,\u201d he said. \u201cHer morning beverage is kombucha with turmeric.\u201d He shuddered. \u201cIt\u2019s gross and it smells terrible.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt wasn\u2019t hot coffee?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jace shook his head. \u201cAnd your nightmare isn\u2019t coming true, either.\u201d He fiddled with his phone, then handed it to her. \u201cPress play.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She started the video. It was her nightmare, in exact detail, right up to the shower of glass and metal. The screen went black, then the words, \u201cComing to theaters in July. Not yet rated.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a\u2026movie?\u201d she asked.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYeah,\u201d he said, \u201cbut the trailer is only showing online or late-late night. There\u2019s other trailers online that are longer, but that\u2019s the one you\u2019ve been seeing.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cBut the city\u2026it\u2019s\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt\u2019s set here,\u201d he said. He pointed to his right.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sia saw the same view as the nightmare, the trailer. \u201cI\u2014I\u2019m relieved, but at the same time\u2026it\u2019s just so strange.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI can understand,\u201d he said. \u201cYou said the other dreams were mundane things that happened the next day?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sia nodded. \u201cYeah.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cTell me more about the ones that come true,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWell, the first was that I was about to cross the street at the office, but a delivery van ran the red. If I hadn\u2019t waited, I\u2019d have been flattened.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAnd that happened?\u201d he asked.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWell, it was a big truck, but pretty much.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cPretty common at that corner. Any others?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She told him about a few other dreams that came true\u2026mostly<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHave you heard of the Law of Fives?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cNo, what\u2019s that?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He gestured around them. \u201cHow many fives can you find around here?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She looked around. \u201cThere\u2019s one on that building address, and one on that license plate. Not seeing any others.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He looked around for a moment. \u201cHow many ducks are on the pond?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOh, five.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe box truck over there, what are the numbers?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOne one three\u2026oh, that adds to five.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHow many more cars parked on the other side of the road than this side on this block?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cSix on that side, one on this, that\u2019s five\u2026this is weird,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe Law of Fives basically breaks down to, if you go looking hard enough for fives, you\u2019ll find them everywhere.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She felt a wash of embarrassment. \u201cConfirmation bias. It\u2019s how people keep believing in horoscopes and fortune tellers.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He smiled. \u201cDon\u2019t worry about it. Fooling ourselves from time to time is part of being human.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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