Dream Seer was released into the public market when I was only sixteen. It was the talk of the world for years when a scientist by the name of Gelmude Forrest came forward with the data from his study. When it finally hit there was a surge of people buying it.

Dream Seer was a new medical cream developed to give peace of mind to others. You take the cream and rub it onto your eyelids before sleep and you supposedly dream of your death. This was a huge revelation in science and medicine. It was unheard of and yet it was proven to have worked countless times. Though the world was captivated by its mystery and promise of a future you can plan for. I wasn’t as taken with the idea.

I’m twenty eight now and my life has taken a turn for the worst. For the first time, using Dream Seer has crossed my mind. I was reluctant as first but I just don’t see how this can get any better. So I stopped at my local drug store here in my small town, and picked up a little jar. They asked for my ID at the register.. I didn’t realize that you had to be at least eighteen to purchase it. Though considering what the drug did it didn’t surprise me to learn that.

I took the jar home and couldn’t stop thinking about it until it was time to put it on my eyelids and sleep. The cream was easy to spread and warm, it caught me off guard since most creams are icy cold when you first apply them. The scent of coconut and citrus flooded my nose as I rubbed the cream into my eyelids. It was soothing and helped me fall to sleep quickly.

Not long after I’d fallen asleep the dream began. I was standing on a large Viking ship, the skies were stormy and grey. I could hear large booming thunder in the distance. The cold dark water of the sea was churning beneath me, lapping at the side of the ship. I stood there on the deck dressed in furs and leather, a sword at my hip, as if I were really a Viking.

I stood and watched the water and the storm for a while before a large bearded man joined me at my side. He grunted and nodded towards an island to our left in the distance. The island was engulfed in flames, the orange light rising off the land into the stormy sky. The smoke billowed off the houses near the cost and I could swear that I could hear screams in the distance. The man next to me looked horrified at the sight. He turned to me looking angry. Though he said nothing, he picked me up and tossed me overboard. The icy waters socked me to my core, the furs became heavy preventing me from swimming, I sank. Deeper and deeper into the dark water. When I neared the bottom, my vision faded and I could no longer move.

Shortly after I awoke from my dream. I was drenched in sweat and my heart was racing. I went to the bathroom and washed my face trying to get as much cream as I could off my eyes and threw the jar away.

It’s been years since that day. I haven’t been that scared in a long time. Until today… today at work, I saw him. My new coworker.. is the bearded man I saw in my dream that night..