Jared’s grandpa was waiting for him after school. When he got in the car, his grandpa asked him, “How was your day?”
Jared didn’t want to look at his grandpa but muttered, “Fine.”
After the silent car ride home, Jared went straight upstairs to his bedroom. He changed into a pair of blue shorts and a black T-shirt and then went downstairs.
His grandpa was on the phone ordering pizza. Jared managed to smile. His grandfather was obviously trying to smooth things over with him—pizza was one of Jared’s favorite foods.
Jared sat down on the couch and turned on the TV with the remote.
His grandpa asked, “Is pizza okay with you?”
Jared gave a short, flat reply. “Sure.”
His grandpa went upstairs to his bedroom and didn’t come out until the doorbell rang.
“Sweet. Pizza’s here.” Jared went into the kitchen and got some chips and soda while his grandpa answered the front door.
They set their bachelor’s meal on the glass coffee table and began eating while they watched Halloween movies. Jared hoped that eating and watching movies would take his mind off his disappointment about not being allowed to go trick-or-treating and would make it easier to give his grandpa the silent treatment.
Jared was anxious to hear his grandpa’s explanation of the hand vision and recurring nightmare, but his grandpa had insisted that he wouldn’t be able to tell Jared until the next day. So, to show his displeasure, Jared had decided to talk to his grandpa as little as possible.
As Jared took a bite of pizza, he wondered, What’s he going to find out between now and tomorrow that will explain what’s going on? He shrugged to himself, Well, it better be good, whatever it is, and turned his attention back to the movie.
Later that evening, as Jared was starting to doze off, he looked at the clock on the wall above the TV. It read 10:05. He couldn’t stay awake any longer. I’m going to bed.
Without looking at his grandpa, who was seated next to him, or saying good night to him, Jared got up, yawned, and then dragged himself upstairs. He plopped down on his bed and then pulled the covers over himself.
Resting his head on the pillow, he wondered if he would have the nightmare again, what his grandpa would say about its meaning, and what the hand vision had to do with it. It didn’t take long for those thoughts to fade, though, and he was soon fast asleep.
However, if he’d known that he would definitely have the nightmare again and that the outcome would be life changing, he might not have fallen asleep so easily.