Pacer Times Short Story: Glass of Water
October is always a particularly weird time of year in my household. There’s little to no mention of Halloween, honestly, until the age of 14, I was told that it was a demonic holiday. This wasn’t said because of religious values, it is because tradition says that on the 31st, all spirits are allowed to roam freely and spells can be done easily.
Legend says that if you put a glass of water under your bed on Halloween night, you’ll have a dream about the man you’re supposed to marry. If he hands you a full glass of water, he’s rich and will be able to efficiently provide for your family. If he hands you a simple cup, it will not be a good marriage. And if you aren’t offered a cup at all, you will simply be unmarried or widowed.
I was a 20-year-old college student when I first heard about this Halloween tradition from my roommate, Doniece. Her family comes from a long line of “believers,” and she actively practiced Hoodoo. Of course, I didn’t take it seriously. I really only saw it as a Bloody Mary kind of tale, but like all of her other tales, she stood by it completely, swearing that it was true.
One night, after I’d reached the point of boredom far beyond completing homework assignments for the week and ultimately finishing Breaking Bad, doing a little experimenting didn’t seem like such a bad idea. It’ll be fun and careless and the worst that could happen is that a dream tells me that I’ll never be married, which doesn’t sound like the end of the world to me.
The 30th came I called Doniece and asked for complete instructions on the tradition. She clarified that I was to fill a glass with water, place it underneath my bed and be asleep before midnight. If I wasn’t offered a glass of water while in the dream at all, I was to wake myself up immediately. When I asked her why she was unable to give a direct answer, “it’ll just mean that you have your answer.”
I waited until I was winding down for the night and placed the glass underneath my bed. Strangely, I didn’t have any of my usual troubles falling asleep that night.
The dream started almost immediately. I was in my room, almost like I was watching myself at that moment in time. A tall man walked into the room with a glass of water, but instead of handing it to me, he put it on the nightstand closest to his side of the bed.
“Hey, baby, are you gonna give me some water too?” I was half joking but was met with silence. He just looked at me as he stood, drinking from the glass.
Before I could open my mouth to say anything else he appeared in front of me.
“No. You get no glass. You get no water.” And we looked at each other for a couple of seconds. This is where I should’ve woken up as instructed, but I was unable to. Almost like something was keeping me there.
As the dream continued, my bedroom began to contort. The posters began to slip off of the walls and the clocks stopped at 12 even though I felt like I’d been asleep for at least half the night.
Time had passed and he never did lie down. He only sat on the edge, quietly finishing his water. Time continued to pass and it made me question how long I’d really been there.
When I did wake up, I wasn’t in my dorm anymore. I was in a bed that I didn’t recognize and I was alone. I was utterly met with a feeling of dread, especially after somehow knowing that I’d be there forever.
I didn’t even try to leave the bed, never mind the room. I continued to lie in bed and ignored my phone half the time it rang. I received messages from dating apps and my friends were texting me saying they have blind date options since I’m 30 now and should start considering.
It just seemed as if every time I prepared myself for a date and allowed myself the excitement, something bad would happen. About two months ago, I had a date that went perfectly with a man that I’d met through my friends. He disappeared on me for a while in what I assumed was a ghosting situation, but days later, he was found dead in his apartment. A glass-related freak accident. A week ago, I was supposed to go out to dinner with a lovely man named Joseph, but he never made it to our date.
I’ve really grown to like being alone. Especially with the occasional company from the tall man that shows up in my room whenever I’m supposed to meet a man.
