Cassandra

Through the muddy rain and dusky light, she watched the river of blood carrying broken off pieces of human beings. A torrent of ghostly cries.

The scene jumped then, to a group of men in fatigues, heavily armed, standing taut and grim, their faces focused on the plan they were discussing. She couldn't hear their words but she felt the meaning and it chilled her to the bone. Then other visions appeared, in quick succession, the screams, the blast of shell fire, frightened faces, too many to count. She stood on the edge of the dream, paralised with fear.

The dream changed eventually and she saw better things, nicer things, things she didn't know about and would not know for a long time. When she woke up, she remembered every single thing. And she knew.


Two days later, the sun was bright and the air crisp yet she felt the menace travel through the space, faceless, but heavy with promise. Nobody else did. She tried to speak about her dream, about what she had seen, but noone believed her. She watched her family, her friends, her countrymen walk and talk and smile and joke and she screamed the silent scream. She couldn't stop the avalanche that was coming. All she could do is get out if its way.

She packed her bags. Her family, her friends, her countrymen scoffed and looked at her with betrayal in their eyes.


Three months later, she watched her dream play out in life from a safe place far away. Cold dread filled her as the images from her dream floated on the black box. She knew what was coming and there was nothing she could do to make it stop. The avalanche kept coming.

She remembered the lessons that were drummed into her as a child, long after the Second World War had passed, the words "Never Again" were spoken, felt and repeated as a protection against the evil that had come to pass, so that people would never forget, never let it happen again. And then they did.
How did this happen? She knew. People don't listen. They don't think. People follow.

She had heard once that what you believe can either set you free or keep you prisoner for life. But the freedom is not free and you must make a choice and accept the consequences, because there will be consequences whether you like it or not. She had made her choice. They had made theirs.
It didn't hurt any less watching them suffer when they didn't even know they were making a choice.

The dreams were always there. And she kept wondering, why she had been given this gift or a curse when she couldn't help anyone but herself.

And then, one day, she knew.

Everyone must make their own choice.