This is the fourth episode in a series about the unusual events that happened to me before and after my father's sudden death. In the first two episodes, I had experienced a few possible signs of an impending disaster. But in the last episode, I had a troubling, recurring nightmare three nights in a row. Then I had a crystal-clear dream with a series of events that ended with my sister telling me that our father had died. That chilling dream happened the night before this next episode begins…     It was Friday morning, December 3, 1965. I picked up my good friend Marty and drove him to school, which I did on most school days. This time, though, as soon as he got in the car, I told him about my horrible dream. I had a funny feeling I should tell someone. In case it came true, I didn't want to be the only one who knew about it in advance. It seemed like the kind of thing that could drive you nuts if you didn't handle it right. We only talked about it for a few minutes as we drove, and then switched to our plans for the upcoming weekend, which was packed with social events. The school day flew by in a flash, and the next thing I knew, it was Friday night. *** There was a big party and I was going to drive across town, pick up my girlfriend, and bring her with me. It was a half-hour ride each way, and when it came time to leave suddenly, I didn't feel like driving by myself. I called Marty and asked him to come with me. He agreed if we didn't take the Sprite, which was only a two-seater.  He was six-one and didn't want to be cramped-in with a third person. My mother was getting ready to watch the huge Celtics game on TV in the living room. My father was already up in Boston. I went in and asked her if it was OK for me to take her car. "You better not," she replied. "Sybil has a bunch of friends coming over, and she may need it." She turned on the TV and sat down on the couch. "Take the Caddy," she said, nonchalantly. Without giving it a second thought, I hopped into my father's car and picked up Marty.  About twenty minutes into the ride, I felt like hearing some music. "Let's listen to the radio," I said and turned it on. I hit the middle button, but there was no sound at all - dead silence, which was very strange. That button was always set to our local rock 'n roll station, and a loud-mouth deejay, a pop song, or an annoying commercial was blaring all the time. But now I heard absolutely nothing, and the silence was deafening. It lasted long enough that I thought the radio was broken. Finally, an announcer in a solemn voice came on and said - "We have just received a report from the Boston Garden that the owner of the 76ers, Ike Richman, has collapsed at courtside." He paused. "His condition is unknown." I quickly turned it off. I had never heard anyone speak like that on this station before, and I didn't want to hear any more. We drove to my girlfriend's house. As soon as we got there, I called home. My sister answered, and she sounded perky and happy, like she was having fun with her friends and everything was fine. "Sybil, what's happening?" I asked. "Oh, nothing," she replied lightly. "Everything's fine. Listen, Mommy is leaving for New York soon, and she wants to see you before she goes. She's waiting for you, so come right home." "Sure, I replied. "I'll be right back. "Great," she said, cheerfully. Then in a slightly different tone, she added, "Come home now, David. Just come right home."  It was a minor change, but I heard it in a major way.  "This could be anything," I said to Marty as we drove back. "It could be indigestion. Or maybe he fainted from the lack of air in the place." I paused, then said the obvious. "Or he could be dead." I thought about it for a few seconds. Sybil had said everything was OK, but that didn't mean anything. What else would she say? I was sixteen, had only been driving for a few months, and had a long ride home on the expressway. Oddly, looking back on it, the lucid dream I'd had the night before - the one that began with me driving my father's car - never occurred to me at all. I had completely forgotten about it. I kept driving along and then got to Spring Avenue. I came over the hill, and as I started driving down it, I got a funny feeling in my stomach. I looked at my hands resting on the steering wheel and gazed at the hood of my father's car. That moment began one of the strangest experiences of my life. My dream from the previous night started to come to life, in front of my startled eyes. As I lived through it, I knew exactly what was coming next, and it was uncanny. I turned left onto Heather Road and drove past the cars that were parked in front of the house, just like in the dream. It felt sort of like a déjà vu, but very different. Déjà vu means "already seen," and you feel like somehow, you've already lived through the experience that you're currently having. It's like remembering the present. But it's usually pretty vague, and only lasts an instant. There was nothing vague about the experience I was having. Quite the opposite. It was crystal clear. And it didn't vanish at all. It just went on and on.  As I drove along, one part of my mind was normal, with regular thoughts and feelings. But another part knew what was coming and wanted to change it. As I was about to turn into the driveway, that part said, "Park on the street. Don't turn into the driveway. You know what's coming if you park in the driveway. Don't do it. Do something else!" That seemed logical and I decided to park on the street. But then I made a disturbing discovery: I had no control at all over what was happening. Even though I clearly decided to park on the street, I robotically turned into the driveway, shut off the engine and got out of the car. "Don't go in the back door. Go around front," I told myself as I started walking. "Just go in the front door. Do not go around back. Don't do it!" I thought about whether I had the key to the front door with me, but I knew it didn't matter. It was like I was watching a movie that had already been shot, but I was now living through it.  And not only did I know what was coming, I also knew there was no changing it. I got to the back door and walked into the kitchen. Sure enough, just like the dream, my mother was on the phone with her back to me and never noticed me. Neither did my Uncle Ray, who was standing in front of the stove with his arms folded across his chest, looking down at the floor. As I walked out into the hall, I knew it was time to go upstairs and face the news. It didn't matter what I thought or did. What was coming was coming. I got to the top of the stairs and looked down the hallway at the door to my sister's room. I could see that it was closed but opened just a crack. I walked over and put my right hand on the door. I looked at my hand and had the same thought I'd had in the dream. "Well, this is it." I pushed the door open. My sister was in the exact spot near her bed, surrounded by friends. She looked up at me. "Daddy's dead. We don't have a daddy anymore." And then I had the same thought that I had had in the dream. "This is terrible. But why are you talking like this? You're twenty years old, and you sound like a four-year-old." Then, still without choice, I walked out into the hall and down to my room. I sat on my bed and became overwhelmed with the same intense anger at God. "Why did you have to do this?" I thought in a rage of anger, confusion, and despair. "Why in the world did you have to do this?" And just like the dream, I smashed my fist down on the end table next to my bed. But in my dream, I woke up. This time, when my fist hit the table, I was abruptly snapped back into reality and normal life. Except there was no such thing as normal anymore. Instead of waking up from a nightmare that was only a dream, I started living a nightmare that was real. The devastating truth was clear - this was no dream. This was real life. My father was dead. Well, that's the end of this episode, and it was a pretty sad one. But a few more things are yet to come. So, hang in there. I think you'll enjoy what happens next. And as always, keep your eyes, mind and heart opened, and let's get together in the next one.

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