Ed Simmons could not help feeling nervous as he was sitting at the table in this small back room with it’s dim light, inside the Fallen Angel Tavern. The middle aged black male rubbed his palm across his sweating brow, and then wiped it over his black T-shirt. He placed his hand back down the knee of his blue jeans. His eyes glanced around at the features of the room. Standing against the left and right walls were tall stacks of boxes containing a variety of alcoholic beverages. In the middle of the room, above the table, was a dim light bulb on the ceiling. His eyes moved to the mysterious figure sitting at the opposite side of the table. The figure was dressed in black pants tucked into black knee high boots. He had a black long sleeved shirt and necktie. His black gloved hands were resting on the table top. He was also wearing a black hooded cape that was concealing the features of his face. This was the person that Ed came here to see. The Sandman.
Still nervous, Ed cleared his throat before speaking. “So Sandman. Thanks for meeting with me so late. It’s after midnight.”
“Not a problem,” the Sandman’s reply. “I didn’t have a problem squeezing you in. You’re my last customer of the night. And it’s not like you have to get up early tomorrow. I mean, not after you lost your job as assistant manager at that grocery store.”
Ed bristled at the Sandman’s quip. “I’d rather not be reminded of that.”
The Sandman shook his hooded head. “I can understand that. You were working there for ten years. And you worked for them pretty hard. Of course they saw things a little differently when they busted you for stealing.
Ed squirmed in his seat. How did he find out about that? he wondered to himself.
“You were taking money from the till. Taking goods from the store. It was like you won the showcase on The Price is Right. And then you tried to blame it all on another employee.”
“I can explain all that,” Ed told the Sandman.
“Hey. No need to explain things here,” replied the Sandman. Holding up his gloved hands. “First rule. I’m not here to judge. I’m just here to do business.”
Ed smiled. “Do business. Yeah. That’s what I’m here for. I admit that I was a little skeptical at first when I was going over your website. If I tell you about one of my dreams then you can really give me a wish?”
The Sandman nodded again. “That’s right. And don’t forget the nightmares too. When it comes to dreaming the nightmares are the icing on the cake. Wouldn’t you agree?”
“I don’t like having nightmares. They scare me,” Ed humbly stated. “So you can grant me any wish that I want? You can make me a millionaire? Or Make me younger? How about if I wish for a dragon or some kind of monster? You can do that too?”
“What the hell are you going to do with a monster?” the Sandman asked Ed. “Aren’t you satisfied with having your goldfish?”
Ed felt a cold shiver running up his back. How the hell did he know I had goldfish? he thought. He cleared his throat again before he answered. “My goldfish died.”
“Too bad,” said the Sandman. “I tell you what. I’ll give you some new goldfish free of charge with your wish. So let’s get down to business. What do you have?”
Ed already had a dream available. “Here’s one that I had just last night. I could see myself in this dark staircase in this building. And I’m trying to go up. And it seems like these stairs go on forever. It’s pitch black and the only light that I have is from a book of matches. I keep climbing the stairs and lighting a match so that I can see. And this keeps going on. Then I woke up.”
“That’s too bad,” said the Sandman. “I wanted to find out what happened when you ran out of matches.”
“Do you know what a dream like this means?” asked Ed.
“I’d say that it could mean one of two things. Either take the elevator next time or keep a flashlight under your pillow. But overall I’d say that you had yourself a pretty decent dream. Decent enough for us to do business.”
Ed smiled again. “So that’s it? I passed?”
“We’re not doing your SAT’s here,” the Sandman told Ed. “But yeah. You get your wish. What ever the hell it might be.”
Ed was now excited with the possibilities that were running through his mind. “So I get a wish. Anything I want. Anything. I almost feel like a God with so much power.”
“No. I’ve got the power. You’re just getting a drop on a teaspoon,” The Sandman corrected Ed. “Let’s not get too dramatic here. Tell me what you want.”
Ed rubbed his hand against his chin as he gave thought as to what to wish for. I get a wish. Any wish. I could have him kill that stupid store manager, Carson for firing me. No. Where’s the profit in that? I need something that I can hold on to and savor. Something to change my life. Something to give me real power over jackasses like Carson. Then the answer came to Ed. He revealed it to the Sandman. “I got it. I want the power to see the future.”
The Sandman laughed. “It’s been a while since I heard that one. But ok. If that’s what you want. That’s what you get.”
“You’ve had people ask for this before? How did that work out?” Ed inquired.
“None of them survived long enough to complain?” The Sandman replied.
“None of them survived?” asked Ed.
The Sandman ignored Ed. He reached into his shirt pocket and brought out a pair of sunglasses. He handed the glasses to Ed. Ed was puzzled as he studied them. “What the hell are these?”
“It’s not a can of sardines. Sunglasses, obviously. They’ll give you the power to see into the future.”
“You’re serious?” Ed replied. Looking to the Sandman. Then back to the glasses.
“I wouldn’t lie to you. These glasses will give you the power to see into the future. Just what you asked for.”
Ed studied the glasses again. Then he put them on. He looked over at the Sandman and saw that he had vanished. “Hey Sandman. Where did you go?” Ed took off the sunglasses and saw that the Sandman was still sitting in his chair. “For a second you disappeared.”
“That’s because in a few minutes I won’t be here,” the Sandman explained. “You’re my last customer of the night so we’re going to wrap this up.”
Ed studied the sunglasses again. “Sunglasses that can see into the future. Well I’ll be damned.”
The Sandman laughed. "Don't brag," he said.
“Do you know what I can do with this power? I can live like a king,” Ed stated with glee. “Now I can see all the winning lottery numbers before they come out. And imagine what I can do at the race tracks with the horses.”
“The horses? Maybe you should have wished for a shovel too,” the Sandman remarked. “I hope you enjoy your new found career as a clairvoyant.”
Ed rose up from his chair. “You know it.”
With his face beaming a broad smile Ed exited the room and left the tavern. He went to his white Honda that was parked in front of the building. Ed was still in a gleeful state during his drive home back to Swissvale. His mind brimming with the benefits of his new power to see into the future.
Ed awoke early the next morning. He was still excited about using his new power. He rushed through showering and made a quick breakfast of toast and coffee. He put on the same black T-shirt, blue jeans, and black sneakers that he had on yesterday. Ed wanted to waste no time building his new personal empire of wealth. All he needed to start was a newspaper so that he can use the sunglasses to view the winning lottery numbers hours before they came out.
Ed stepped out of his front door and headed for his car, which was parked at the curb in front of his small blue house. Ed was holding the mystical sunglasses in his hand. Filled with confidence Ed decided to wear the sunglasses as he drove into town to get a morning newspaper at a convenience store. Ed donned the glasses and got into his car.
Ed’s short drive into town was uneventful. Even while wearing the sunglasses nothing out of the ordinary happened. Ed parked his car at the curb and looked over at Dawson’s Cigarettes, across the street. A place that he often goes to buy cigarettes and play the lottery. As Ed was about to get out of the car a strange sight came to his eyes. He saw the image of himself walking across the street. He was startled as he watched himself stopping in the middle of the street and kneeling down to pick up a dollar bill that someone had dropped. As Ed was kneeling down a black truck came down the street and struck him head on. With Ed’s body stuck to it’s front end the truck slammed into a green car that was parked just a few feet in front of Ed’s Honda. There was a loud boom when the vehicles collided. The car was pushed up onto the sidewalk by the impact. It’s windows exploded, showering the area with glass. From the sidewalk a woman in a blue dress screamed.
Ed was stunned after witnessing this sight. The vision of his own death. He could still see his arm sticking out from between the truck and the car. He took off the sunglasses and took another look at the scene. The green car parked in front of him was untouched. The black truck was gone. Ed took in a deep breath. He felt rapid heartbeats within his chest. “That was me,” he exclaimed. “That was me. I died.”
Using the power of the sunglasses Ed saw a vision of the future where he would die if he tried to cross the street. He had to find a way to deal with this somehow. The Sandman was his first thought. “Yeah. The Sandman. I have his number. Maybe he can make some sense of this.” Ed took his cell phone out of his pocket and pressed the numbers to contact the Sandman. He put the phone up to his ear and listened as it rang twice. Then he heard the Sandman’s voice.
“Hello. Sandman here.”
Ed was relieved that the Sandman answered. “Hello Sandman. This is Ed. I want to talk to you about these sunglasses you gave me. The ones that can see into the future.”
“Yeah. How is that working out for you.”
“Not too good,” Ed whined. “I’m across the street from Dawson’s Cigarettes. I was going to go play the lottery and I had the glasses on. Then I saw myself getting hit by a truck. Do you know what that means?”
“My guess is that it means you’re going to die,” the Sandman told Ed.
“Yeah. I know that,” Ed snapped. “I want to know what I can do about it.”
“Ed. You asked me to give you the power to see into the future. So you saw the future. If you ask me for a gallon of Neapolitan ice cream and then complain because you don’t like strawberry then you’re going to sound pretty stupid. But if you really want my advise then I’d say just eat around the strawberry.”
Ed was confused. “Eat around the strawberry? I don’t get it.”
“Do I have to spell it out for you Ed? If you saw a vision where you get killed crossing the street then the solution is simple. Don’t cross the street.”
“Don’t cross the street?” Ed pondered that notion for a moment. “Why the hell didn’t I think of that before? I’ve got the power to see the future. So I have the power to change the future.”
“There you go,” said the Sandman.
Ed heard a faint click over his phone. “Hello. Sandman?” There was no answer. The Sandman was gone. “I don’t need him. I can work this out myself. Now I know how to deal with this.”
Ed’s strategy in dealing with this dire premonition was simple. He would simply sit and wait for the truck to come racing down the street. If the truck was destined to crash into the car then it would do so without Ed in between them. Ed sat in his car and waited. An hour passed. Then the hour grew into two. Then three. Ed was starting to grow impatient. He decided to call the Sandman once again to try and get more advise.
Ed listened to the phone ringing three times. Then came the voice of the Sandman. “Hello. This is the Sandman.”
“Hello Sandman. This is Ed Simmons again.”
“Ed? Are we dating or something? What the hell do you want?”
“I’m sorry to bother you,” Ed stuttered out. “But I need some more advise on how to deal with this vision that I had where I get hit by the truck.”
“You want to know what color suit you should set aside for your funeral?”
“No. I’m sitting in my car waiting for the truck to come down the street and smash into this car. But I’ve been here for three hours and the truck hasn’t shown up yet.”
“I’ll give you a clue Ed. The truck will show up in the future. That’s a fact. But you don’t know when in the future,” the Sandman explained. “Unless you can get a newspaper and read your own obituary first.”
“So what? I’m supposed to check the newspaper every morning just to see if I’m going to die?” asked Ed.
“That’s part of having the power to see the future,” the Sandman pointed out. “Unless you lik surprises.”
The sandman ended the call.
“Damn it!” Ed shouted. “I’m not going to sit in this damn car all week!” Ed now formulated a new plan. Instead of going to Dawson’s to buy his newspaper and play the lottery he would go to the Zip and Go gas station and convenience store on the next block. Ed put the sunglasses back on and started his car. He pulled out from his parking spot and drove down the street. He turned right at the four way intersection and drove down the next street until he came to the Zip and Go station at the left side of the street. Ed turned to enter the station’s small parking lot. But as he was about to park in front of the building he saw another disturbing vision through the power of his sunglasses. He saw himself about to walk into the station. Then a man wearing black clothes and a black ski mask over his head burst through the doors. There was a gun in his right hand. A paper bag in his left. Ed saw himself holding up his hands while stepping back from the gunman. The gunman shoved Ed back. Then raised his gun and fired. Ed grabbed his chest and stumbled back. He fell to the ground with a bleeding wound in his chest, while the gunman ran off to escape the scene.
Ed’s heart was now pounding heavier after watching this death scene than the first one. His hands were shivering as they clutched the steering wheel. “It happened again! I died again!”
Ed took off the sunglasses and tossed them onto the passenger’s seat. He put the car in reverse and sped away from the gas station with his tires screeching. He shifted the car into drive and then drove down the street. He returned to the intersection and made a left turn to head back to his neighborhood. Ed was still in a flustered state of mind as he was driving down the street. As he was approaching Dawson’s Cigarettes at the right side of the street he noticed a small crowd of people assembled. Ed slowed his car down so that he could take a glimpse of what was happening as he drove by. The people were gathered near a black pickup truck that had crashed into the side of a green car parked at the left side of the street. Ed was shocked at this sight. The truck. The crash. So it did happen, he thought. First the truck. Then the guy with the gun shoots me. This is too much. Ed had now lost his new found sense of power as he drove back home. His only plan of action now was to stay in the house until he stopped shaking and calmed down.
Ed was so upset over twice seeing his own death that he did not leave the house the entire day. He did not even bother using the sunglasses again. He put them on the dresser in his bedroom and kept them out of his mind. The next day Ed felt calm again. And ready to take the sunglasses and try to make another run at seeing the future lottery numbers. He looked at his watch. The time was 9:20 A.M. His new plan was to avoid going to any stores in Swissvale and instead buy his newspaper and lottery tickets at a store in down town Pittsburgh. Ed put on the sunglasses and got into his car. He drove out of Swissvale and took the parkway, which was the fastest way to reach Pittsburgh.
At this early time of the morning the traffic on the parkway was heavy. Ed was following the other cars while keeping under the speed limit of 60 MPH. Since he had already viewed his death in the future he did not want to take any chances. So far Ed was enjoying a quiet peaceful drive. Then without warning the image of his car appeared in front of his eyes. He could see himself sitting in the drivers seat. There was a huge tractor trailer in the lane at his left. There was a loud bang as the truck’s right front tire blew out. It swerved to the left and slammed into the concrete divider. Then it swerved into the right lane and slammed into Ed’s small car. The impact knocked Ed’s car over to the right. It went off the road and struck a tree head on. There was a loud boom. The car’s windshield shattered. The car bounced off the tree and rolled over several times before resting on it’s roof. Ed could see himself covered with broken glass. His face and hands were bleeding. Then a fire broke out in the car. Ed could see himself trapped in the car as it began to burn.
Ed screamed and tore the sunglasses off of his face. The gristly image of his death was gone. Looking at the speeding traffic around him he saw no Tractor trailer. But he did see a blue SUV that he was about to rear end. Ed hit the brakes to slow the car down. He swerved to the right and drove off the parkway. He hit the brakes again and stopped the car. Ed was panting heavily. His body trembling. He had once again seen his death take place in the future. But he did not know when it would take place. Ed watched as the traffic continued to roll by. With the knowledge of his impending death in his mind he now considered the parkway to be a death trap.
I’m going to die if I go out there. I can’t go to Pittsburgh and I can’t drive home. I’m trapped. Then the solution to Ed’s problem came to him. Abandon the car and walk back to Swissvale. Ed retrieved the sunglasses and got out of his car to begin the long walk along the parkway to return home. Ed lost track of the time during his walk. It seemed like hours piled on top of hours. Countless cars and trucks passed by on the parkway. Ed took periodic rest stops to catch his breath, while keeping in mind that his best hope of avoiding his future death was to not drive.
Ed felt exhausted when he finally got off the parkway and returned to the streets of Swissvale. His legs felt like rubber bands. Weak and aching. He was panting for air. His tongue was craving cool water. Ed may have felt like collapsing to the sidewalk, but he was still alive. He was satisfied that he had beaten the premonition.
Ed took slow, weak steps as he walked down the sidewalk. Several yards up ahead to his right he spied a small convenience store among the other storefronts here. The anticipation of getting a cool drink entered his thoughts. Then the glowing red neon sign in the store’s window displaying the words, lottery played here, caught his attention. The lottery. Yeah, Ed thought. this was the perfect opportunity for him to resume his mission. Buy a newspaper and then use the sunglasses to see the future winning numbers.
Across the street was a large vacant lot that Ed paid little attention to. Parked in the lot was a yellow backhoe that was being used to demolish an empty building at it’s right. The backhoe was still. There was no operator in it’s cab. As Ed approached the convenience store he put on the sunglasses. His eyes took a brief glance across the street at the lot with the backhoe. The backhoe was moving. It’s huge shovel tearing into the side of the empty building. Ed stopped in his tracks as he saw a vision of himself walking just a few feet in front of himself. The backhoe’s shovel smashed into the side of the building. A large section of masonry connected to a tall plank of wood fell loose. The section of debris hit the ground. The plank broke in half with a loud, sharp crack. A long, pointed section of the plank broke away and then flew across the street. The pointed wood struck Ed into his left eye. He staggered backward. Then fell to the sidewalk.
Ed screamed at this sight. He took off the sunglasses and the image of his dead body up ahead, laying on the sidewalk vanished.
“I can’t take this any more!” Ed shouted. He held out the sunglasses. “These damn things are a lousy gyp. All I see with these damn things is my own death.”
Enraged at the sunglasses Ed hurled them out into the street. A white car passed by and ran the sunglasses over. Now as Ed looked at the broken fragments of the sunglasses laying in the street he realized that if he was going to die in the near future then he had just destroyed his only early warning system. Not daring to walk anywhere near the lot with the backhoe Ed turned and headed in the other direction. To avoid the area and return home he would have to take a longer route around the block. As Ed was walking he became more nervous and suspicious of his surroundings. He kept a watchful eye on every person that was passing by and walking behind him. He was wary of every building he passed. Cautious of every vehicle that drove by. He knew that death could be lurking behind every face and object. Growing more fearful for his life Ed began to run home.
Ed was again tired and panting for air when he reached his house. But he was grateful that he was still alive to see it. But even here he knew that death could still be waiting for him. And without the sunglasses he had no way to see it. His hands scrambled frantically to get the key from his pocket and open the front door. Ed pulled the door open and then slammed it shut and locked it. With his mind still running in a panic mode Ed ran past his living room and upstairs to reach his bedroom. Even being under his own roof Ed still did not feel safe. He spun around. His eyes looking to his unmade bed with it’s white sheet and green blanket. To the small brown nightstand with the white lamp sitting on top. To the brown dresser at the left side of the room. His eyes quickly went to the white folding closet door at the right. The closet, was Ed’s panicked though. Hide in the closet. Ed dashed into the closet and sat on a pair of shoes on the floor. His collection of shirts hanging in the closet were covering his face. Ed grabbed the door and unfolded it to the left to close. Ed was now sitting on the floor, panting for air inside of the dark closet. He could hear his rapid heart beats echoing off the closet walls. Even here Ed still did not feel safe. He needed a way out of this mess. And the only person that had the power to help him was the Sandman. Ed took out his cell phone and made the call.
Ed listened. The phone rang twice. Then came the sandman’s voice. “Hello again Ed.”
“Sandman? How did you know it was me?” asked Ed.
“Who the hell else is going to call me repeatedly to ask stupid questions?”
Ed ignored the Sandman’s rude comment. “Listen I need help. I’m going to die. Sometime in the future.”
“No kidding. You and everybody else on the planet. But you’ve got an edge. You can see into the future and figure out how to avoid that.”
“No I can’t. Not any more. I lost the glasses that you gave me.”
“You lost the glasses? How the hell did you do that?” asked the Sandman.
“I threw them out into the street,” Ed confessed. “A car ran them over.”
“Well that was dumb,” the Sandman replied. “What’s your plan now genius?”
“You have to help me. I’m still going to die,” Ed pleaded over the cell phone. “I’m going to die if I go outside. I just know it. I saw it four times. Without the glasses I can’t see it again. You’ve got to help me. You’ve got to protect me from what’s outside.”
“Ok calm down. Don’t give yourself a heart attack,” the Sandman told Ed. “I can help you out. No problem. We can make a deal over the phone.”
“Make a deal? You mean tell you about one of my dreams?”
“That’s right,” replied the Sandman.
Ed brushed his hand across his sweaty brow. He was desperate to come up with a suitable dream. “Let me think. I need to think,” he quickly said.
“Take your time,” the Sandman told him.
Ed concentrated. Searching through his memory to recall any dream that he had. Then one came to his mind. “Ok. I remember this one. I was in the middle of this street. And I’m running. And it’s really dark except for this small light in the middle of the street that stays with me. So I’m running and I keep running and the road never seems to end. Then I woke up. That’s all I remember.”
“What is it with you and dark places,” said the Sandman. “Kind of a goofy dream. And a bit brief. But it will do.”
Ed was overjoyed to hear this. “Then you’ll help me?”
“Yes sir. Now you want me to protect you from your death waiting outside? Am I right?”
“Yes, yes, yes,” returned a desperate Ed.
“Wish granted,” the Sandman told him. “And by the way. I also gave you a new set of goldfish. Free of charge as promised. Enjoy.”
The Sandman ended the call.
Ed looked through the thin space between the closet’s folding door and across the room to his dresser. Sitting on top was a large round bowl filled with water. Swimming in the water were four large goldfish.
“Well I’ll be damned,” Ed exclaimed at this sight. He tried to pull open the closet door, but found that it was stuck tight. Ed tried to use more force to pull the door open. But found that it would not budge. Ed continued to struggle to open the door but his efforts were in vain. The door would not open. Keeping him trapped in the closet. Ed took his phone and tried to place another call to the Sandman. This time there was a busy signal.
Over the course of the day Ed continued to try to force the closet door open. He tried pulling it. Pushing, punching, kicking it. His every effort was in vain. The day passed, growing into several days of Ed fighting to free himself from the closet. He tried screaming out to rescuers who would not appear. He tried calling the Sandman several more times. But all he could get was a busy signal.
As time progressed, along with his thirst and hunger, Ed gazed longingly over at the goldfish bowl filled with water and the four live fish. An enticing sight. As time continued to progress the fish died. All of them floating at the top of the bowl with it’s reduced water level. It was then that the weakened and starving Ed realized the ramifications of his wish from the Sandman. He had wished to be protected from death waiting outside. In doing so Ed was locked in his own closet. Away from the outside world. Where his decomposing corpse would eventually be found. Dead from thirst and starvation.
