A Warning from a Dream: The Story That Changed Everything
Emily was busy making preserves—jars of pickled mushrooms lined the counter—when the doorbell rang unexpectedly. Her husband, David, wasn’t home; he’d taken the keys with him while running errands. Only their daughter, Lily, was inside with her.
“Who could that be?” Emily muttered, drying her hands before heading to the door.
A boy, about ten years old, stood on the doorstep. A stranger. Neatly dressed, with a backpack slung over his shoulder, his eyes were oddly serious for his age.
“Good afternoon,” he said politely. “I need to speak to your husband. Is he home?”
Emily was taken aback.
“Hello… No, he’s not here at the moment. Can I help with something?”
“No. It has to be him. It’s important.”
Her chest tightened. She didn’t even know how to respond.
“I’ll come back later. When does he usually get home?”
“His schedule changes… Who are you, anyway? What’s this about?”
“Nothing’s happened yet. But it might. Goodbye.”
Emily watched the boy leave, unsettled. What on earth did her husband have to do with this child? And how did the boy even know him? She was on edge all day. When David finally returned that evening, she told him immediately.
“A boy came by earlier. Around ten years old. Said he urgently needed to talk to you. Wouldn’t say why.”
“What nonsense? I don’t know any boy like that. Maybe he got the wrong house?”
“No, he said your name clearly. Insisted it had to be you.”
David shrugged and went to shower, but Emily couldn’t shake her unease. Who was this boy? Could he be… David’s son? A child from another relationship? David had had past girlfriends—one name flashed in her mind: Sarah. Years ago, he’d nearly married her. Could she have been pregnant? Kept it a secret?
The next day, Emily carefully broached the subject.
“David, do you remember that woman you almost married? Sarah?”
“Why bring that up now? That’s long over.”
“Just curious. I told you about my exes—fair’s fair.”
Emily started searching for Sarah online, but her surname must have changed—no luck. All she could do was wait and see if the boy returned.
A few days later, David announced a business trip.
“Just to the next town over. No one else wants to go, but the boss insisted.”
Emily’s instincts prickled. David hadn’t traveled for work in years. The boy’s warning echoed in her mind: *Something might happen.* Something felt wrong.
Then, the night before David’s trip, the boy rang the bell again. Emily quickly ushered him inside.
“Listen, whatever you need to tell him—tell *me*. I’m his wife. What’s your name?”
“Oliver. Look… My mum told me in a dream—your husband can’t go. If he does, he won’t come back.”
“Oliver, what are you saying? Your mother…?”
“She died five years ago. But she visits my dreams. Warns me. My nan says we’re connected… She loved me so much. I never knew my dad. Only Mum in photos. But lately, she’s been dreaming often. Gave me your address. Said only *he* should hear it…”
Emily stood frozen, a chill down her spine.
“Do you know who he was to your mother?”
“No. But she said he mustn’t go. No matter what.”
After the boy left, panic clawed at her chest. She didn’t believe in ghosts… but this was too real to ignore.
The next day, David left. Emily tried to distract herself with chores—until the phone rang.
“Emily, listen—I’m fine. But… something weird happened.”
“What?! What happened?”
“I was driving. Listening to music. Then this woman just… stepped into the road. Out of nowhere. I swerved, hit the barrier… The car ahead of me—it flipped. People died, Emily. That should’ve been *me*.”
“Oh God…”
“I don’t know who she was. She vanished. But if she hadn’t been there…”
That evening, David came home shaken.
“You don’t think… that woman could’ve been… Oliver’s mother?”
“Emily, come on. A coincidence. Just a weird one.”
“No, David. It wasn’t.”
The next day, it hit him.
“I remember now. Five years ago, I passed a burning house. People were just standing there—too scared to go in. But I ran inside. Pulled a boy out. His mother… she didn’t make it.”
They tracked down Oliver’s address. His grandmother answered the door.
“Yes, he lives here. My grandson. His mother died in that fire. *You* saved him. I’ve always been so grateful… He doesn’t remember much. Just her photos. But she visits his dreams. Never mine.”
“She saved *me*…”
“Sophie was special. Would you like to see?”
She handed them a photo. The woman. David recognized her instantly.
Oliver walked in.
“Hello. Mum said you’re alive. She’s happy. But she also said—never drive that road again. She can’t save you twice. You have to remember.”
“Thank you, Oliver. And thank your mother. Would you… like to spend time with me? I’ve got a little girl—too young for fishing. But you and I could go. Football, anything. What do you say?”
Oliver nodded quietly. And Emily cried—grateful to fate, and to the strange truth that sometimes, even a dream can save a life.
