Ebony
Friday 9 February 2018
I always saw my visions as a curse… until I lost them.
Last week I’d been in my clothing boutique in Withernsea as usual, unpacking new stock, and then the next minute everything had gone blank. My heart had lurched when I had realised my visions were gone, and I’d dashed out of the shop, crashing into Jax’s coffee shop next door. I thought the lack of visions meant my death was imminent, but thankfully my friend Frankie had assured me that was a myth.
After a few days of resting at my friend Shelly’s house where I felt like I was on holiday, I started to miss them. My thoughts were the company I had when alone, the glimpse into the exciting times ahead for people, the feeling of usefulness when I could warn of danger. Without them I was… redundant.
Finally it transpired that my vodka had been tampered with (a few voddies helped with the thoughts when they became too much, and helped prevent migraines), and my visions would return fully within two weeks.
It had been such a relief to discover that the blame lay with an errant warlock who was trying to prevent me warning my friends about the wicked plans of a rogue werewolf. Luckily he’d been thwarted and now while I waited for my visions to return, I was going to witness one of my predictions coming true. My friend Kim was marrying a werewolf called Darius. God, it had taken a while for it to sink in to the stubborn woman’s head…
* * *
Of course my visions would decide to return during the wedding reception. I guess it could have been worse but one minute I was dancing to ‘Celebration’ and the next the pain hit. I dragged myself over to the nearest empty seat and clutching the nearby table top I lowered myself onto the chair.
“Someone’s had a bit too much champagne.” I heard one of the new wolves of the Hogsthorpe Pack say.
“No. That’s Ebony.” The other replied. “Watch her eyes and face. It’s creepy as fuck.”
I knew what they’d be watching. My eyes would roll until the whites were exposed and my face would take on a grey pallor. I’d heard all the insults many times before: creepy, crazy, alcoholic.
The black haze came over and the vision played in my mind like I was watching on a cinema screen.
I let it play out and then I screamed.
Vision over, I opened my eyes to see that the new big burly werewolf was holding onto the other pack member for dear life. Idiot. But I had bigger problems. I ran outside to find Kim. Running through the edge of the woods, I entered the canopy of trees and ran into the centre where I spotted her with her new husband Darius. Thank God they weren’t in the middle of sex because this couldn’t wait.
“They’re back. Kim, the voices are back.” I yelled.
I caught the bitch’s eye roll as she told me I hadn’t needed to rush back to tell her that. No, ‘thanks so much for my handsome new husband, how can I now help you?’ She was too busy thinking of his dick, and no that hadn’t come to me in a vision, she was looking at his crotch like a dog sat by a Sunday Roast.
“But you were in my vision…” I needed her help this time around.
Darius looked worried, not surprising since his sister had recently had to kill two rogue werewolves. “What did you see, Ebony?”
“I saw a wedding dress. I was wearing it, and I was standing in a Church. Kim was my bridesmaid.”
Darius’ expression was a mix of relief and confusion.
“I thought you weren’t supposed to see your own future?” Kim queried.
“That’s just it, Kim. I could see I was getting married but I couldn’t see the groom! I don’t even have a boyfriend, so who the hell am I marrying?” I screamed again. It seemed I was having a bit of a panic attack when it came to my own future. Upcoming horror visions gave me migraines, my own wedding made me hysterical. I needed a little perspective, and more alcohol.
“Well, I don’t know, but I do know who I just married, Chica, so you go get a vodka and I’ll go get my man.” Kim winked. “We’ll sort it, Ebs.”
And with that she abandoned me in the middle of the woodland. If I had a future vision showing she was going to give birth to eleven-pound twins I would delight in telling her in great detail.
I walked back towards the hall where the party was taking place and took a seat on the steps outside while I tried to recollect my vision. But it was fading. With other people’s visions I could recall every detail, but my own was disappearing like a dream does when you awaken. Maybe it was because my visions were only just returning, or maybe it was because they were mine.
Then slam, another pain shot into my forehead like a brain freeze.
Shelley was having the baby! I had to go back to the farm.
I ran to the bar where I ordered a double vodka to ease the throbbing in my temples. Then I ordered a taxi.
“Goodacres Farm please, and can you step on it? It’s an emergency.”
And it was, but not for the reasons a normal person might think…