He was stunned - the stranger in front of him looked exactly like the woman he'd been dreaming about. The only difference was what she wore. In his dreams, she had worn a red silk dress, but here in reality, she wore a long brown coat, a winter scarf, and a navy green beanie. The similarities were clear though, and struck his memory. Long ginger hair, shaved on one side and a scar on her left arm. James was stunned. It couldn't be her. Could it? He had to make sure. He started to approach the woman, but a bus pulled up at the end of the block and she, along with a few other people, boarded it. James rushed to the bus and stood in front of the doorway. He had to get to work soon, but could he take the risk that he'd never see her again?
"You gettin' on or not?" grunted the driver. James glanced at him briefly and then looked up at the sky. The sun had been drowned by clouds that had started to pour water upon the earth as if they wanted to drown it too. James boarded the bus. Might as well. He thought. He couldn't walk to work in this downpour anyway. He scanned the bus for the woman, but didn't see her, so he sat down in a random seat. So much for that. He thought to himself.
After fifteen minutes or so, James turned to his right. He saw the woman sitting across the aisle from him, reading a book. Surprised, he leaned toward her and muttered, "Erm, excuse me..."
The woman turned toward him.
"Sorry, I just-"
The woman cut him off with a gasp and stared him, her eyes wide in horror. The bus jerked as it stopped. "You need to follow me," she whispered without explanation. She grabbed James' wrist. She pulled him up and led him down the aisle and out the door. She continued to guide him for a while, the rain beating down on them all the way. When they finally reached their destination, they were drenched in rainwater. The woman finally released his wrist, but continued to urge him forward. James looked to see where he was. He was at a large lake filled with dark, murky water. He knelt down to the water. He dipped his fingers into it. The water felt invisible to his skin. Had he not been able to see it, he wouldn't have known it was there. He stared into its depths. Suddenly, his face met the water and it surrounded his head. James gulped desperately for air, but his lungs only met water and it burned. He turned his head and saw the woman. She was holding his head beneath the surface of the water, her eyes like the sky. Grey and clouded over and James guessed this was how he looked, when he had done the same to her in his dreams.
