Do you know the feeling when an idea is almost within reach of your mind, only to vanish when you try to grasp hold of it? Have you ever noticed a glimpse of a shadow in the corner of your eye, that disappears when you turn to see it more clearly?
Would you be ready to catch the idea? Are you ready to see the shadow?
“Oleg, wake up! Wake up!” A man patted Oleg on the shoulder.
“I'm awake,” Oleg waved his arms, panting and stumbling to sit up. He struggled to pluck out the earbuds from his ears and Alexey Omelchuk's composition fell silent.
Under the fluorescent light's pale glow, everything looked hard and colorless.
“Is everything okay? Did you see the numbers?” Another man asked and took a cold black disc-like object from Oleg’s hand.
“I'm fine,” Oleg said confusedly, still gasping for breath. He noticed he was soaked in sweat.
“How long... how long did I sleep?” Oleg asked, now feeling more present.
“30 minutes,” the first man, whom Oleg now recognized as Palmer, replied as he adjusted the large glasses on his nose.
“Give me paper and pen!” Oleg said quickly and fumbled around with his hands. The other man, Aljovich, handed him a notebook and a pen. Oleg quickly wrote a series of numbers on the paper. He remembered everything clearly — it had been just as Palmer had told him.
“Did you see anything... else?” Palmer asked, inquisitive as his posture slightly tensioned.
“Yes. Our car's battery will die. I didn't see why, but we were in a hurry out of town, and it wouldn't start. We need to change it. But that was later.”
“I'll take care of it right away,” Aljovich said, taking the notebook and writing it down.
“What about anything else? Did you see anything else?” Palmer continued, leaning forward and stroking his hair.
“Not really. You interrupted me,” Oleg said, a bit irritated. He had seen something, but it had made little sense. Nothing worth mentioning.
“You started sweating and turning. Aljovich got worried,” Palmer said with a slight grin. The tall American began packing his gear into a black bag. Coldness. Oleg remembered — in the dream, everything had been cold.
“Well, that's not normal — he was soaking wet with sweat. How long have you slept with it?” Aljovich interrupted Oleg's thoughts, directing his words at Palmer.
“Don't worry, Aljo, everything is fine,” Oleg said to his friend.
“Actually, I think we should celebrate. The test was successful. The dream went exactly the same way as Palmer said it would. At first, it was bright, and then I saw everything. I remember the events as clearly as if I had just done them myself,” Oleg continued.
“Great to hear! Let's wait until the weekend, though. Just to make sure. I'll work with Alexander in the meantime,” Palmer said and clapped his hands together. He wasn't smiling anymore as his gaze wandered to the windows.
“Let's get something to eat. I'm starving.” Oleg concluded and got up from the couch to search for a spare shirt.
"I could eat something as well before I go back, what would you suggest here?" Palmer asked.
“Let's go to the Rat's Den, just a couple of blocks away. It's right by the sea. You'll love it. I know the restaurant’s owner. He's my cousin's husband,” Aljovich babbled to Palmer on their way out.