The nature of my dreams and awkward feelings of precognition every now and then  and as I thought on  an incredible bang on the door assailed me . My heart sank.  Cause and effect. Of course I thought . The police ;and now I must pay my fine, face the music and public humiliation that was due to me..

I went to the door and with a sense of impending doom and opened the door.

To my surprise , it wasn’t the police it was my next door neighbour. She was shaking but composed. Immediately I sensed something mightily wrong.  She smiled putting me at ease but nevertheless I knew something was  very wrong.

“ Have the police seen you yet “ she said in her wonderfully clear feminine voice. I answered in the negative. “ They will soon ..have you seen your front window”..again “no “.. “ I think you should” she urged me and I left her  at the doorstep wondering what on earth she was saying. I went in to my study where I sat and wrote looking into my front garden.  She came in behind me and stood quiet and still as I took in the sight.

The window was neatly punctured  just where my seat looked out into the fruit  trees. Cause and effect.

If I had been sat there  I would have been drilled neatly in the head or chest.

The neighbour explained about a gunman who had tried to hijack their car and on being foiled had run off into my garden. She had then heard a single gunshot and thought that I had  seen or tackled him there and he had used the gun to escape after shooting at me.  The police were in hot pursuit after he had made his way through the garden. 

I sat heavily in my chair and she asked if I was alright. Eventually she left  me after hearing my story . Behind me I felt the neck rest on chair and sure enough there was a hole at about throat level. A fatal shot.

A moment later she was replaced by a stout policeman who asked where  and what but left when I told him that I was out.  Before he left he turned , “ Your lucky your car wasn’t here..I think that’s why he came here . For the car to make his escape after mucking it up next door…Forensic will be here in a while to dig that bullet out.”.

I almost didn’t hear him. My head was swimming. “ This has happened before ..”  I said.. The policeman stopped. “ Excuse me ..before..”?

“ Deja vue.. I’ve dreamt of this before. A short story .” I squeaked.