Nicole awoke with a start, the dream still fresh and vivid in her mind’s eye. Her dreams were usually silly and she rarely remembered them but this one concerned her. It had seemed so real and full of warning. She felt anxious and jittery.

Getting out of bed, she washed up, dressed and headed to the kitchen. After a typical breakfast, toast with jam and a glass of orange juice, she made a cup of tea and walked to the living room, to the recliner in the corner. It seemed a good place to sit and ponder the dream.

Work for her started at ten, which gave her another two hours. It was enough time to devote reflecting on the night vision she saw. She grabbed the pad of paper from the magazine rack beside the chair and picked up the pen lying on the end table nestled beside her.

Maybe writing it down would help her process the dream better, release the unease she still felt and bring some much needed focus. Gathering her thoughts, she began to write what she could remember.

‘I walked through a single door into a large, open warehouse type building. High above me, the ceiling angled toward the walls which descended on two sides to form the walls that kissed the ground. The floor of the place was bare dirt and I saw clouds of dust swirling in different places through the huge empty space. The air felt hot and stifling, breathing it was a chore. A breathe of fresh air would have been a relief.

I wondered what the massive storage place was being used for. At first glance it seemed empty and forsaken. Looking up, I noticed, clinging to the rafters and cross bars, massive spider webs, the sticky strings coated with a layer of dust and debris, some hanging useless and discarded. The intricate mesh designs and size of webs made me nervous. It would take substantial sized spiders to make netting of this caliber.

Forcing my eyes away from the webs, I looked around at ground level, trying to get a sense of why I was here and what significance the building held. The possibility of massive spiders gave me enough reason to leave and yet curiosity pulled at me, begging me to stay.

It was then that I noticed movement on the left toward the dark corner at the far end. It was hard to make out what it was. A cloud of dust hid the approach of whatever was there. Noise to my right drew my attention. Something was moving toward me from that direction but, again, a cloud of dust hid it from view.

Fear vied for my attention as I glanced first one way and then the other. I wanted to be prepared for whatever would appear through the smog and yet I had no way of knowing how to brace myself. How could I if I didn’t know what to expect?

As both of them neared and the cloud of dust began to dissipate, trailing behind like a forgotten mist, I saw two wolves walking menacingly toward me, their eyes piercing and their hate tangible. Sucking in a sharp intake of air, I held my breath for a moment, not sure of what to do.

At that instant they noticed each other, turned toward each other and growled viciously. That’s when I realized that the two wolves were not alone. A pack of wolves appeared behind each leader, the two groups facing off. The air was suddenly filled with howls and deep rumbling growls, warnings sent before the fight could commence.

I’d never heard of warring wolf packs attacking each other, but what did I know? I didn’t know much about wolves. My interest was piqued as I watched the face off unfold.

The two packs advanced on each other, both snarling their warnings. The next part happened so quickly I didn’t even notice the danger until it was upon me. One wolf turned to look at me. He made a strange noise and suddenly every wolf in both packs shifted to face me. Their distraction from each other changed their focus instantly. The whole place turned eerily quiet and suddenly I was the focal point of their single-minded interest and rage.

Suddenly the whole place erupted with deadly growls and howls of anger – all directed at me. I stepped back and tried to decipher how far back the door was that I’d come through. What were my chances of escape?

As the two wolf packs began to walk toward me, their backs arched and teeth bared, I didn’t waste another second analyzing the situation. Turning on my heels, I rushed for the door. I took a few long strides, pulled the door wide, ran through and yanked it shut behind me. Stepping away, I saw the door shake as wolves pummeled the door from the inside, trying to break through.

I knew they couldn’t. How I knew this I wasn’t sure but I knew they weren’t able to penetrate the door. I was safe. My throat felt dry and my heart pounded in fear, like a caged animal inside my chest.

Turning around, I saw an old fashioned stone well a few feet away. It had a roof over it with a pulley system where a pail was attached. Walking toward it, I hoped there’d be water in the pail. The dust in the warehouse had gotten to me and my throat felt parched and dry.’

Nicole stopped writing. It was then, while walking towards the well, that she’d woken from her sleep. Writing it all down hadn’t helped. She still didn’t know what it all meant. Some ideas came but they all seemed so vague. Her workplace crossed her mind. There’d been issues there lately and some things really bothered her but not to the point that she’d relate the two. Checking the time on her cell, she knew it was time to get ready and leave for work.

Nicole arrived a few minutes before her scheduled time and went to her desk. She kept the books for a small, independent interior designer. The designer kept to small house proposals, from room layout to decorating, including paint, furniture purchases, curtain design, blinds and whatever else their clients wanted. Her boss, Loren Sawhill, was amazing at what she did. Her ideas were innovative and she drew in new clients by word of mouth. The business had grown substantially in the last year.

Everything would be great except for one small detail. A new design shop just opened up down the street a few months ago and Loren was livid. Hardly a day passed that Loren didn’t rant and rave about the nerve of the owner of the other shop for choosing this neighborhood to start her company.

Nicole didn’t like the bent of Loren’s conversation lately. Her tone had gone from initial irritation to outright hatred and desire for revenge, especially when a few of her clients had mentioned getting a quote from this other place first. Nicole could understand her boss’s frustration. Loren had never had this type of competition before. She could charge what she liked and people would usually pay without confrontation. Not anymore.

Potential clients started questioning her on why some items were so pricey and challenged her with the query as to why they should choose her design company. It was clear that the new place was undercutting her prices, drawing customers away. The books were starting to show the downturn in sales. Not that it was bordering on severe yet, but there was a clear decline in profits since the other shop opened.

From her desk, Nicole saw Loren arrive through the back door. Loren went straight to her desk, located centrally in the shop and started her computer. It wasn’t long till the other regular staff arrived. Her right hand, Beatrice, went to Loren’s desk and their conversation floated through the shop. It wasn’t a big place. Another girl, Dorene, joined them and the topic turned nasty.

They were discussing the rival shop and ideas were being thrown around.

Loren said, “I asked my brother to visit the shop, get a list of their pricing, ask questions and find out some of their policies. I’ll start undercutting them, giving deals where their prices are higher. I’ll start offering services that they don’t offer.”

“I’m sure they’ve done it to you,” said Dorene. “There’s a reason their prices are all lower than yours.”

Beatrice said, “Why don’t you have friends and family start placing orders with them and then, when their orders are about to be delivered, cancel their orders and refuse to pay. That should put a dent in their plans to usurp your shop.”

“That would teach them a lesson,” agreed Dorene.

Loren shook her head, “They’d lose their down payment. I wouldn’t do that to my friends or family.”

“Could you swallow that expense?” asked Dorene.

“Wouldn’t the small cost to you be worth it? You know, seeing them go under?” asked Beatrice.

Loren slowly smiled. “To be the only designer on the block has its appeal.” She rubbed her chin with one hand, lowered it and said, “I like it. I have plenty of friends and family that would be willing to help. I think it’s time to bring my rival down. Soon they’ll have so many ‘potential’ clients,” Loren emphasized this by making hyphen motions with both hands, “their hopes will rise, only to be left holding the bag and their funds drastically depleted.”

Beatrice nodded, “Soon they’ll be overloaded with stock that they can’t sell and orders that they’ll have to pay their suppliers for. We’ll spin a web, catch them at their own game and crush them before they know what hit them.”

Nicole looked up from her books to stare at the women. A web? Is that what they just said? This all seemed so wrong and dirty. They’d force another business to go bankrupt because of jealousy? Should she say something? It felt like she should but she was somewhat afraid. Loren’s strong attributes didn’t encourage dialogue, especially opinions that differed from hers. Also, Loren never really confided in her. Nicole just happened to overhear their conversations, day after day.

Loren glanced over and noticed Nicole watching them. “What do you think of our idea, Nicole?”

Nicole shrugged. If she was honest with herself she knew exactly what she’d say. She was tired of hearing the hate mongering day after day, fed up with the jealousy, the veiled threats of how to dig a hole for the competition and how to rid themselves of the rivalry. In this moment, being put on the spot, Nicole felt uncertain of what to say. “I don’t know.”

“Of course you do,” Loren insisted. “Just spit it out.”

Reaching for courage deep inside her, she said, “It doesn’t seem right.”

“No, it’s not but it will be fun.” Loren didn’t bat an eye.

Beatrice and Dorene chuckled.

Nicole cleared her throat. “It won’t be fun for them. They’re a new company. I’m sure they wouldn’t be able to absorb the loss so early on.”

“Exactly my thought,” stated Loren, crossing her arms with a small tweaking of her lips.

Nicole decided to forge ahead. “It’s not a good idea. What if it backfires on you? Why not just focus on being the best interior designer around and rely on your expertise to draw in clients. There are many who really love your design sense. You’re unique and have a knack for knowing what your clients want. Just keep being you and even if there were ten design shops on this block, you’d still have your own individual style. I’m sure there’s room for both of you to excel in this neighborhood.”

All three stared at her like she was a slug that had just crawled out from under a rock.

“You’re kidding right?” asked Loren.

“No. They deserve a chance to succeed just like you do.”

“You’re nuts!” Beatrice shouted. “They’ve been sabotaging us from the start and you suggest we just lie down and let them walk all over us?”

Nicole swallowed and said, “No. I didn’t say that. I’m suggesting we treat them like we’d like to be treated. Maybe taking the higher road would be more to our advantage. Honor comes when we act honorably.”

Loren shook her head. “I have no intention of treating them with honor. They’re planning on ruining me so I’ll pillage them before they get the chance. They won’t know what hit them.” The angry look Loren leveled at Nicole made her lower her eyes to the books on her desk.

“Are you planning on standing behind me and this company or are you siding with my enemy?” Loren’s question made Nicole look up to lock eyes with her boss once more.

Nicole questioned the wisdom of what she knew she needed to say. “I’m for what’s right and what you’re planning is not right.”

Loren’s demeanor changed then. With a disgusted grimace she said, “Then get out! I’ll find someone who can work with me. Your loyalty is questionable.”

Shock shimmied through her. “You’re serious?” Nicole asked, surprised at the vehemence in Loren’s voice. She’d worked here for over a year and never had she seen such hatred in the woman’s eyes before.

“Now! Get out!”

Nicole stood, grabbed her purse from beneath the desk and walked toward the door. Passing the three women, them watching her every move, Nicole said, “I hope you know what you’re doing.”

“I know exactly what I’m doing,” Loren declared. “I’m surrounding myself with supportive staff.”

“Okay, suit yourself.” With that Nicole opened the front door and headed to the bus stop.

Once outside, she immediately heard a bird chirping in one of the bare trees that lined the street. The oppressive heaviness that had surrounded her during the conversation with the three women dissipated and relief began to fill her chest. Even though she was now jobless, she felt surprisingly free. She’d never realized how hard it had been surrounded by the last months of negativity and constant talk of revenge. It was not the way she lived her life. The way Loren had fired her though bothered her. Maybe she’d said too much, been too bold and honest.

The dream came back to her and the correlation to this day’s events became clear. To be in the presence of warring wolf packs day after day was not a pleasant place to be. She remembered the well in her dream and the fresh air that had greeted her outside. God had prepared her for this day’s events and had something better for her, a well to drink from that would refresh her, fresh air to breath that would benefit her. God had her covered and she sent a prayer of quiet thanks to Him. It came like a soft breeze, suddenly she knew, she didn’t have to fear the future. God would take care of her.