Chapter 1

                                            CHAPTER 1

                                          Acts 2:17

And it shall come to pass in the last days, saith God, I will pour out of my Spirit upon all flesh: and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream                                                 dreams.                                              

"Mum, I don't want to go to school today" Little Jemima tells her mum as she frowns her face. Now her mum knew she had pranks up her sleeves. She was just five and yet she behaved like she was 15. She was so smart. It was probably because her mother refused to birth any other child due to the nature of her job and the pranks her father had up his sleeves as well.

"What is it Jemima, today is Monday sweetheart and you have to go to school to learn. Moreover mummy has to go to work. You don't want to be late do you?, and I'm sure you don't want mummy to be late either"

"Yes mommy,it's just that, I had this dream and i was scared mommy. " I don't think I should go to school today"

"Come on Jem,I thought we were done with dreams and stuff. Now will you put on your shoes and let's go to our designated destinations?" 

"But mommy,it looked so real" little Jemima pleaded with her eyes as she wore her socks still. Her father comes out of the only bedroom they had in the house combing his perfectly curled hair. "James,it's wrong to comb your hair where people eat. You know that already" Melissa said and rolled her eyes as she sighed in near frustration. 

"But no one is eating right now"James argued as he combs on."We would still have dinner here" Melissa debates again. "You worry too much Mel" James says and moves towards the entrance of the living room. 

"He does whatever he likes anyways,he never cares what anyone else thinks or how they feel"Jemima said as she scrunched up her face.

"Shut up Jem,he's your father" Mel mouthed to jem and she just gets off the chair she was seated and goes to wear her shoes.

"But mum..." Jemima starts to protest again."No buts Jemima,put on your shoes and let's go"

James comes back to the dining room with the comb in his hand. "Don't shut my daughter up Mel. what is it my princess?" Jemima scrunched up her face a little more. She didn't like the idea of discussing anything with her dad but if he was the only one ready to listen to her,then she'll just spill it. "I had a dream dad that makes me think it's a bad idea to go to school today, that's what I'm telling mum but she won't listen"Jemima said as she rolled her eyes.

"Of course she wouldn't listen you know,but you know you can trust daddy with the dream right?." her father said and dragged a chair to sit in front of her. "I can't believe you are both discussing dreams on a Monday morning when went are almost late." Melissa said as she dropped her hand bag and Jemima's school bag on the table with a thud. "Calm down Mel,if you are worried about getting late. Don't worry,I'll drop her off at school." 

"We've not even said our prayers this morning" Melissa countered. "I thought I heard you praying this morning when I woke up" James asked with furrowed eyebrows. "Yeah,but I meant that we've not said our prayers as a family"

"I believe if God truly heard you this morning and he's our father like you always say then he'll know that I have fatherly issues to attend to right now. Moreover,a prayer a day should be enough to last a day and I'm quite sure you prayed for us all. Don't stress yourself babe. Have a nice day at work" He concluded as he stood up and started planting kisses on her face until Jemima sighed loudly.

That was one huge problem Melissa had with her husband,he didn't believe God answered prayers. He didn't believe he heard them at all. He's not an atheist,at least he thought there was a God but he believed God wasn't our father and wasn't looking out for us at all. In fact God didn't care what happened to us at all. She had tried severally to change his view on this issue but he had turned deaf ears. 

She wasn't even about to launch into a sermon proving that God heard our prayers. At least not this morning.She had work to do. Loosing her job wasn't an option. 

"Have a nice day my love" Melissa says and hugs him. She then heads to Jemima and kisses her forehead. "Have a nice day my princess" 

"Bye mom,but I'll have really wanted you to hear the dream" "nothing to worry about babe,you can always tell your father. 

Jemima doesn't seem convinced but doesn't say anything and then turns to her father 

             *************

James drops his daughter in school and heads to open his store. He got there late and already had customers lining up front. If he was a paranoid person he would have believed his daughter's dream. She said he would get to his store and meet customers lining up front. That wasn't supposed to a big deal right,today was Monday and he had the only drug store in town. It was a bit expected. 

She had also said that by 11am on the dot a man who wore red would walk into his store to purchase a drug for people who had trouble sleeping or better still that was how it happened in her dream. 

He continuously tried to wave it off but found himself unconsciously counting seconds to 11am. Immediately the clock struck 11,a man walked into his store and asked for a drug for people who had trouble sleeping. He claimed he needed it for himself. He wasn't even putting on red,he had on a black T-shirt. James could not see what he wore underneath because of the barricade separating him from his customers in his store but Jemima's dream couldn't be more wrong 

Why would he even be considering the possibility at all?But still the same time why did two out of three descriptions be correct?. It had to be very coincidental.He also realized he hadn't met the person before. He had met everyone in their town,even knew them all by their first names. But who could the mystery man be?he probably just moved into their town.

The dream his daughter told him in the morning was quite creepy. She had said after the man left her store,he met lucy,a girl of 10 that lived three houses away from theirs and injected her with the sleeping drugs he had bought from his store. She slept off and he abducted her.

Firstly,Lucy would be in school now if she was in her right senses and he was pretty sure she was. Moreover,who would go through the stress of mixing sleeping powder with water and injecting it. Truly it worked on the patient immediately if injection was used to administer but who could possibly know that in this town?. He didn't even study here ,but the man obviously wasn't from their town. Enough of stupid possibilities that weren't even possible. It didn't even make sense at all.

James had no customers and was starting to doze off when he sees Lucy's elder brother behind the counter in his store. He almost jumps out of his skin as he wasn't expecting to see as anyone at all. "Didn't Lucy come here?" Her brother asks and James visibly pales. What if Jemima's dream had been accurate?.

"No,I've not seen her" 

"Then where could she be?.my mum sent her here to get pain relievers for her at just some minutes after 11 and now it's almost 12. A chill ran down James's spine. "She probably stopped over at a friend's for a minute or two and forgot the main reason for leaving the house. " James said and tried to steady his nerves. He felt like he was lying but he wished that was what happened to Lucy. 

"Lucy doesn't keep friends,moreover the only person she talks to is in school" her brother says and james feels slightly pitiful for him. 

He wants to ask why Lucy didn't go to school to but refrains,that would only prolong the conversation and he wanted to end it already. He also wanted to tell him to pray but it wasn't necessary,was it?.

"I've not seen her today" he repeats for emphasis and he looks up at him. "Thanks" he says and leaves. James had never felt more guilty all his life.

What if she had been right?. No. She couldn't be. If she was,that means Melissa would have seen him. In the dream,he went to eat at Melissa's work place before coming to his drug store. He wishes there's someone to send to confirm from Melissa. He quickly locks up his door and heads to his wife's store. 

                      ************

Jemima had been quite uneasy especially when she became aware that Lucy wasn't around in school. The day she had ignored her first dream that Harrison,a boy in her class lost his parents an accident she had continuously blamed herself when it happened to him. Harrison couldn't come to school for about a month and the church had to take up the payment of his school fees. She had felt very guilty like she could have avoided it but it was too late already. 

And now she had voiced out but it was looking like it was heading the same way. She couldn't even focus in school and during her classes. She just continually prayed that Lucy was okay and her dream didn't come to pass. 

Jemima was very disturbed and couldn't get the dream off her mind. Anytime she tried to forget about it the image of the dream she had of Harrison's parents always flashes through her mind. She was helpless and could just hope and pray that nothing bad happened to Lucy because she knew she would have blame herself because she could have avoided it. 

It wasn't really her fault though, her parents didn't want to listen to her. Her dad did but it didn't really count. 

She would just pray that nothing bad happens to Lucy as that was the only thing she could do. She was just a child and there was nothing else she could do. Mommy made sure she came to school and she couldn't do anything to stop it. She wished she could see Lucy now and be sure everything was fine with her. She excused herself from the class and went to the toilet. She started to cry. She didn't want to have to blame herself for anything that happened to Lucy.