The black and white of the soccer ball blurred together as it flew towards me. My life flashed before me as I absorbed the impact of the flying object. A hundredth of a second later my world went black.
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I dreamed of rain. It appeared light and refreshing, but the droplets stung my skin. I looked up through the trees at the misty sky above me. High up in the heavens, the rain glowed as it poured down from the gray void of clouds. The glow grew brighter until, in an explosion of white light, the sky flashed white and then turned a dull gray color.
I turned and looked at the dense clumps of trees and vegetation surrounding me. There was no sign of any animal in the forest. Everything was silent except for the constant, rhythmic patter of the rain on the treetops and the forest floor.
As I stood motionless, the forest grew louder. The noise swallowed me and everything was black again.
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I awoke to find myself on the sideline of the soccer field, lying facedown on the turf.
This was my second vision. My first had been four days before. While playing football with my neighbors, I had been tackled and my head collided with the packed, frozen ground. For just a few seconds, I had been thrown into a strange, alien world.
In the dream, I had stood before a huge, majestic portal. It was hovering in midair, shimmering like a mirage. It was surrounded by darkness. I had unsheathed a huge, gleaming sword-like key from my midnight-black belt. As I touched the tip to an indentation in the immense, gold-plated, arched doorway, the lock clicked and the door slowly swung open on its tarnished bronze hinges. Before I could see what lay beyond the doorway, I had regained consciousness.
As I replayed the first vision in my mind, I tried to piece together the two unusual dreams. Both experiences had given me the same uneasy feeling, like someone was trying to implant something in my brain.
Corey, a friend from my soccer team, came over to where I still lay facedown on the ground. “Are you alright, man? You were out for a couple minutes,” he said thoughtfully.
I groaned, but despite being knocked unconscious by a rock-hard soccer ball, I felt fine. The vision had oddly invigorated me, like it had the previous time four days earlier. “I’m fine,” I mumbled.
I rolled over and squinted through the bright sunshine at Corey, who had an innocent smile. He bent down and stretched out a hand, which I gratefully took as he pulled me up.
“What happened to me?” I asked, brushing turf pellets off my jersey.
“Ian fired a rock out of a cannon and hit you square in the nose,” Corey laughed.
“It sure felt like it,” I agreed, laughing along with him.
We sat on the bench talking the rest of the game, even though I felt fine. Soon, I had completely forgotten about the two strange dreams, not knowing that they would change my life forever.
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