October 12th,
The more I surrender, the clearer the instructions.
He doesn't shout; He guides.
Through dreams, visions, signs.
Sometimes it's a burning banner.
Sometimes it's a whisper from the wounded.
***
It started with fire.
Not the destructive kind — this fire didn't consume. It glowed, like molten gold, spreading across a field in my dream. There were banners stretched across the school gates. They swayed in a wind that didn't exist in the physical.
Each one burned with words I knew too well:
"ARISE, SHINE, FOR YOUR LIGHT HAS COME."
And then I saw students — hundreds of them — walking around aimlessly, heads bowed, like they were bound by invisible cords.
One by one, some began to lift their heads. To look toward the glowing banners.
And then — I woke up.
By morning, I couldn't keep it to myself. I gathered Tony and Anita before classes, and with my voice trembling slightly, I described the dream.
Tony's eyes widened. "It's time."
Anita nodded slowly. "There's more. I've been… seeing things. Little symbols. A spiral, sometimes a flame… even numbers. Repeated everywhere."
"Where exactly?" I asked.
"Books, whiteboards, even on someone's T-shirt yesterday. But when I close my eyes, they flicker behind my eyelids. And the dreams — they're not stopping."
My heart pounded.
"What do they mean?"
"I think they're like… codes. Warnings. Directions. I just don't fully understand them yet."
Later that day, while sitting beneath the jacaranda tree near the sports field, I got a voice note from Mayumi.
My hands shook as I pressed play.
"Sandra… I'm not sure if I'm crazy or just grateful, but while I was unconscious, I saw… someone. A man in white. Not ordinary white — like, light itself. He didn't say much. Just looked at me and said, 'There's still more for you.'
Then He touched my forehead. And the pain stopped.
It was like peace — but louder. I don't know if I imagined it.
But it's the only real thing I've felt in days.
Thank you… for not giving up on me."
Tears welled in my eyes.
"Did you guys hear that?" I whispered.
Tony exhaled. "That was no dream. That was Jesus."
That evening, under a purpling sky, we made a decision.
"I don't think we're supposed to stay hidden anymore," I said.
Tony nodded. "Let's host a night vigil. Just us and whoever will come. Under this very tree."
Anita's eyes shone with a mix of fear and resolve. "Even if no one joins us?"
I smiled. "We'll still pray. We'll still shine."
***
We're not waiting for the world to notice us.
We're responding to a call.
One banner.
One vision.
One decision:
We rise.