Andor was sitting at the kitchen table, holding a cold mug of coffee in his hand. He was lost in thought when a loud snort from Lilli, who was sleeping softly on their sofa, snapped him out of his thoughts. She had always wanted a big sofa, but one as big as she dreamt of owning just wouldn't fit in their cozy downtown loft. However, when they had moved to Sausalito Andor had surprised her with possibly the world's largest sofa. It had been delivered in a huge truck and took four men to move it inside. She looked like a small child curled up on the giant sofa, which made him smile. Above the sofa hanging on the wall was a portrait of them when they had first moved to San Francisco. They had just returned from their honeymoon and were out for a walk on a beautiful sunny day through the Marin Highlands next to the Golden Gate Bridge. The photo of them had been taken just a few days before he left for Officers Candidate School. Andor glanced at his watch. It was just after six pm. He had slept most of the morning after the taxi dropped them off back at home after their trip to the hospital. From the bar stool where he was sitting in the kitchen he could see the yellow police tape in their backyard fluttering in the wind. The police had told him it had to stay up until the investigation was complete. It felt so eerie to think a woman had died in their backyard. What was even more eerie though was there was no indication of how she had gotten inside their home. All the doors and windows were locked. The only thing Andor had noticed which was out of the ordinary, was the pantry door in the kitchen was wide open. They never left the pantry door open because it blocked the hallway which led to their bedroom. When he told the police they said perhaps the woman had been looking for food. Andor had checked and nothing appeared to have been taken or eaten though. The whole episode was truly bizarre and then there was the whole *‘Tell him Lilli TELL HIM!’* madness the strange lady had been shrieking. *Tell me what!?* Andor’s mind raced as he took another sip of his cold coffee.. ![[happyCouple-ii5.jpg]] As Andor’s mind continued to question the previous night's events several birds began squabbling at the bird feeder on their back porch. They were causing quite the ruckus. Then a squirrel hopped along the railing and began feasting on the dropped seeds. Andor chuckled, he could almost see the looks of indignation on the little birds faces as this intruder gobbled up their spoils. “What are you laughing at?” a soft voice squeaked through a yawn. “Uh… Good morning. You sure slept well," Andor replied as he got up and gazed at Lilli’s perky nipples protruding through her thin oversized t-shirt. Lilli pretended not to notice. She had slept well over 15 hours since they returned from the hospital and it was glorious. The idea of some marital bliss on the sofa was growing on her, but first she needed some coffee. “Can I get you some coffee, or maybe some water?” Andor asked as he stood adjusting his erection so it wouldn’t pop through the opening in his boxers. “Oh my gosh a cup of coffee would be delightful!” Lilli exclaimed as she rolled onto her side and slapped Andor on the butt as he squeezed by the sofa to make coffee in the kitchen. “So what were you laughing at?” “I was just chuckling at the birds fighting over the bird feeder on our porch.” “Oh is that pesky squirrel Garçon gobbling up all the food again?” Lilli exclaimed as she rolled over to look out the window. Garçon was the name they had lovingly bestowed upon the rapscallion with the bushy gray tail. “Thanks for waking me up Garçon!” Lilli chided from her cozy perch on the sofa. The squirrel just sat there greedily stuffing his cheeks with loot while the indignant birds watched from a nearby branch. Turning to look back at Andor she grabbed a pillow and wrapped her arms tightly around it. ”It sure does feel good though to sleep again! Those pills the doctor gave me really helped” “I’m glad you finally got some sleep.” Andor said as he fired up the coffee bean grinder. Taking advantage of the racket, Lilli stumbled to the bathroom. She came out a few minutes later with her hair done up on top of her head in a hasty albeit messy ponytail. “You look HOT!” Andor said as he handed her a cool cup of water. “Thank you..” “There is something I need to ask you,” Andor said as he pulled the frying pan out from the cupboard. “I know…” Lilli replied. “I should have told you sooner. I was just worried about you. I did not want those night terrors to resurface…” “It is okay I should have told you more about what I was going through… I guess I was still processing it…” Andor set the frying pan down and stared at the floor for a few moments. “When I was in Syria, our base was attacked. I killed a man with my knife when my weapon jammed…” Andor sat down at the island, suddenly feeling nauseous. He had not told Lilli about it. It was hard to tell her, to share something so intimate. “When I freaked out the other day, it was because I saw him in our house. He was warning me ‘something was coming and he said it was almost here.’” Lilli gasped and set her cup down on the counter. “The woman last night said the same thing - ‘it was almost here!’” “What did she mean when she told you to tell me?” Andor asked as he handed Lilli her cup of steaming hot coffee. Lilli took a deep breath, and stared pensively at the cup of coffee in her hands. The steam wafted into the air before dissipating into the ether. A perfect metaphor for the way she was feeling. She just wanted to disappear, to go to sleep and not wake up for a long long time. With her eyes locked on her mug she took a sip then sat down at the bar stool next to Andor and began recounting to him her nightmare. When she was done, Andor stood there quietly, staring at the floor. Lilli waited in agony for him to say something. When she could stand the suspense no longer she blurted out “What are you thinking!?” “I think we should leave. What are the chances we would both experience multiple and separate incidents telling us we should leave? What if something terrible is about to happen?” Lilli scoffed. “We aren’t leaving, it is just a crazy coincidence. You are stressed from the deployment. Then some crazy homeless lady sneaks into our house, and you are ready to leave our new home? Where would we go?” Lilli was agitated and frustrated. The last few weeks had been difficult, to say the least, and she resented the idea of losing the peaceful and idyllic lifestyle in the suburbs. “I need to get away and think,” Lilli said, standing up. Before Andor could reply, she walked upstairs to get dressed. --- Lilli rode her bike down to the ocean; it was a beautiful beach framed by huge sea cliffs. The water was frigid, but still there were a few swimmers and a handful of surfers off the point; she practically had the beach to herself. Lilli was lost in thought as she picked her way along the edge of the water, stopping occasionally to admire a seashell or watch the birds fight over a crab. What Andor had suggested to her was crazy, but somewhere deep inside, she feared he might be right. His idea of her nightmare and his “vision” being some sort of warning were absurd. He always had a wild imagination - she had often wondered if he spent more time in the clouds than on the ground. He was always dreaming of some new scheme or coming up with an outlandish idea to support an even wilder claim. His wandering mind and curious obsessions were the source of almost all their arguments, and she refused to get wrapped up in another one of his hare-brained schemes. Her mind was made up; they were not going to leave. She was so engaged in her thoughts she nearly walked right into an older gentleman sitting on a lawn chair, sipping a cup of iced tea while reading the San Francisco Chronicle. She began to stammer an apology, but then something caught her eye. “Sir, can I see your newspaper for a moment,” she exclaimed. “Please,” she added. “Well, of course, young lady,” the gentleman said, handing it to her. Lilli stood there for a moment in shock staring at the front page. Then, without a word, she handed the newspaper back to the gentleman and ran down the beach as fast as she could. As she neared the tree where she had parked her bicycle, she looked over her shoulder, but the man was gone. *Where had he gone?* She wondered to herself *It's as if he just disappeared...* Andor was washing the car in the driveway when Lilli came pedaling up the sidewalk clearly out of breath. He looked at her inquisitively as she dropped her bike on the grass and reached into the hedge for the newspaper - the paperboy seemed to be incapable of ever hitting their driveway. She held it open in front of him. “We should leave, now,” Lilli said as he took the newspaper, looking at the front page, a confused look crossing his face. “What are you talking about?” Andor asked, more confused now than before. “The picture on the front page is the same picture I see in my dream.” Andor looked at the picture again. It was an artist’s rendition of a cruise liner, sailing under the Golden Gate Bridge, with the city of San Francisco in the background. The headline read: *The Princess IV, the largest cruise ship ever built, will set sail on its maiden voyage to Juneau, Alaska, from San Francisco tomorrow.* “Ok then… I will start packing,” Andor replied as he dropped the hose, suds still dripping off the car. ### Next Chapter: [[14 - The Sky Is Falling ☄️]] ### Previous Chapter: [[12 - Multiverse 🛸]]