A Tale of Two Dreams

The sun was rising over the city, casting a golden glow over the skyscrapers and the streets. The birds were chirping and the breeze was gentle. It was a beautiful morning, full of promise and hope.

In a small apartment, Edric was sleeping peacefully in his bed. He was dreaming of his first day at work at KC Multinational. He had worked hard to get this job, studying diligently, passing the exams, and acing the interviews. He had always wanted to work for this company, one of the leading corporations in the country. He admired their vision, their values, and their products.

He dreamed of meeting his boss, his colleagues, and his clients. He dreamed of impressing them with his skills, his knowledge, and his enthusiasm. He dreamed of making a difference, solving problems, and creating solutions. He dreamed of climbing the ladder of success, earning recognition, respect, and rewards.

He smiled in his sleep as he saw himself achieving his goals and fulfilling his dreams. He felt happy and proud of himself.

Edric woke up to the sound of his alarm clock. He rubbed his eyes and got out of bed. Today was his first day of work at KC Multinational, a big company that he had always dreamed of joining. He wanted to make a good impression and start his career on a high note.

He opened the door and greeted his mother, who was busy in the kitchen. "Good morning, Mom."

"Good morning, Edric. You should get ready. Today is your first day at work, right? You should look good for it," she said with a smile.

"Yeah, Mom." Edric nodded and headed to the bathroom. He took a quick shower and put on his best suit. He felt confident and excited.

He sat down at the dining table and saw his father reading the newspaper. He greeted him too. "Good morning, Dad."

"Today is your first day, right? Good luck," his father said, looking up from the paper.

"Thanks, Dad." Edric smiled and saw his mother serving him his favorite dish. He thanked her and said it must be his lucky day. He ate his breakfast with gusto and chatted with his parents.

He left the house after saying goodbye to them. His father was a retired government officer and his mother was a housewife. They were proud of their son and wished him all the best.

He reached the bus stop and waited for the bus. He noticed an old lady standing next to him with a handbag. Suddenly, a thief snatched her handbag and ran away. Edric didn't hesitate. He chased after the thief, hoping to catch him and return the handbag to the old lady.

He followed the thief into a nearby alley. He saw the handbag lying on the ground. He picked it up and checked it. Everything was inside it. The thief had dropped it and escaped. Edric looked around but couldn't find him.

He returned to the bus stop with the handbag. He handed it over to the old lady, who thanked him profusely. Everyone who was standing there clapped for him. He felt happy and thanked them back.

He boarded the bus and headed to the KC office building. He entered the building and greeted everyone he met. Everyone greeted him back warmly. He found his workstation and started working on his tasks.

After an hour, he took a coffee break. As he was walking around, he saw a person getting scolded by the boss in his cabin. The person's clothes were dirty, muddy, and torn in some places. Edric wondered what had happened to him.

He asked an office worker who was nearby. "Who is that guy? Why is he getting scolded?"

"That's Mark. He's also a new hire like you. But he had a very bad day today," the office worker said.

"What do you mean?" Edric asked.

"Well, he woke up late and missed his bus. Then he tried to catch another bus but it was full. He decided to take a taxi but it got stuck in traffic. He got out of the taxi and ran towards the office but he slipped on a banana peel and fell into a puddle of mud. He got up and continued running but he bumped into a cyclist who tore his clothes with his bike chain. He finally reached the office but he was late by an hour and a half. The boss was furious and called him into his cabin," the office worker explained.

"Wow, that's terrible," Edric said, feeling sorry for Mark.

"Yeah, poor guy. He's probably going to get fired," the office worker said.

Edric shook his head and realized how lucky he was compared to Mark. He thanked his stars for giving him such a good day so far.

....

What you just read was the Edric's side of the story. now lets see what actually happed to Mark.

....

In a shabby apartment, Mark was sleeping fitfully on his mattress. He was having nightmares of his first day at work at KC Multinational. He had worked hard to get this job, studying diligently, passing the exams, and acing the interviews. He had always wanted to work for this company, one of the best corporations in the country. He admired their vision, their values, and their products.

He dreamed of meeting his boss, his colleagues, and his clients. He dreamed of impressing them with his skills, his knowledge, and his enthusiasm. He dreamed of making a difference, solving problems, and creating solutions. He dreamed of climbing the ladder of success, earning recognition, respect, and rewards.

But he also dreamed of his bad luck, which always seemed to follow him wherever he went. He dreamed of his boss scolding him, his colleagues laughing at him, and his clients rejecting him. He dreamed of losing his job, his reputation, and his dreams.

He frowned in his sleep as he saw himself ruining his chances and destroying his dreams. He felt angry and ashamed of himself.

He didn't know that his alarm clock had stopped working and didn't ring to wake him up from his nightmare. He didn't know that his nightmare was about to become a reality. He didn't know that today was going to be his worst day.

Suddenly a crow flew into the room through a broken window and pecked at Mark's head. Mark woke up lazily and said, "Ron, why are you disturbing my sleep? Huh?" He talked to the crow as if it was his pet and checked the alarm clock. It was not working properly. He looked at his phone, which was half-broken but still functional, and saw that it was 8 in the morning. He panicked and said, "Fuck! I'm going to be late for my first day at work. What should I do now, Ron?" The crow cawed as if replying. "Take the bus? What are you talking about? If I take the bus, it will affect my budget for this month!" The crow pecked his head again. "Okay, okay, only for today." He got up and took a bath. He wore his new office suit, which he had bought recently from his savings. He ate his breakfast in a hurry. There was very little on the plate to call it a meal, but it was what he could afford with his own money.

He was an orphan since birth. He lived in an orphanage for seven years and left it because he was constantly bullied by the older children. He realized that if he wanted to live a good life, he had to study hard. He started to work on the streets during the day and go to night school, which was run by the government for poor kids who couldn't pay for regular schools. Mark worked very hard at both his work and his school. He graduated from school with good marks, but his college life was even tougher than his school life. He tried to get a scholarship for college, but because of corruption, his opportunities were stolen. He was in great despair at that time. His mind was filled with dark thoughts.

In that great despair, one day he saw a man drop his wallet. He picked up the wallet and was going to hide it in his pocket when a crow suddenly appeared out of nowhere and pecked at his hand. He was greatly annoyed by the crow and tried to punch it, but the crow dodged every hit. He also tried to run back to his apartment to escape from the crow's constant attack, but the crow didn't leave him alone. After three days of fighting, Mark finally thought of an idea to get rid of the crow. He found the man's address from his wallet and returned it to him. The man thanked him and he went back home.

Returning home, he saw the crow again. He took a defensive stance and shouted at the crow, "Why are you still here? I returned the wallet to its owner. Now leave me alone!" But the crow didn't leave his house. "Do whatever you want, but don't disturb me. It's my final warning. If you do, I'll fry you and eat you to satisfy my hunger." Saying this, he slept. While sleeping, he sometimes cried and mumbled in his dream.

But the next day, something very unexpected happened. The man whose wallet he had returned came to his house. Mark panicked. He thought maybe the man had brought the police with him. Mark already had a tough life and now he was going to go to jail. Had he done something wrong in his previous life that this thing was going to happen to him? He still opened the door for the man because the crow pecked at his head again. The man came inside and talked with Mark. The conversation lasted for an hour and then the man left his apartment.

Mark sat inside his house with tears in his eyes.

Wait! Before you jump to any conclusion, let me explain what the man talked about and why Mark had tears in his eyes.

So, what happened was when Mark went to the man's house…

.....

A/N : Next chapter is after 4 days .