Visions in the dark

The first time it happened, Maya didn't think much of it.

She had been recovering from the accident for weeks, spending most of her time in bed, slipping in and out of dreams. The doctors said she was lucky. A few broken ribs, a concussion, and a deep gash on her leg—but she had survived. Still, something felt… offOne night, she dreamt of her father and brother sitting in the living room, whispering.

"She's been acting strange," her brother, Aarav, said.

"She's been through a lot," her father replied, sighing. "Give her time."

Maya woke up the next morning, shaking off the dream. It was just her mind creating random scenarios, nothing more. But when she walked into the kitchen later that day, she froze.

There they were—her father and Aarav—sitting in the exact same way, whispering.

"She's been acting strange," Aarav said.

"She's been through a lot," her father replied, sighing. "Give her time."

Maya's breath caught in her throat. This had happened before. She had seen it—before it happened.

At first, she tried to ignore it, dismissing it as déjà vu. But the dreams kept coming. Small things, at first. The neighbor's cat knocking over a flower pot. A phone call from an old friend. All things she saw in her dreams before they happened.

Then came the nightmare.

She was standing on a bridge. It was nighttime, the air thick with fog. The river below was calm, almost too still. A figure stood at the edge, their back to her.

Maya tried to call out, but no sound came.

The figure stepped forward.

"No!" she tried to scream, but her voice was gone.

They fell.

The splash echoed in the silence, rippling through the water. The figure didn't surface.

Maya jolted awake, gasping for air.

The dream had felt too real. The cold air, the distant sound of traffic, the way her heart pounded as the figure disappeared into the water.

And the worst part?

She had recognized the figure.

It was Aarav.