Max paced back and forth impatiently rubbing against Michelle’s legs and reminding her that he had not eaten. Steve playfully teased him with a spoonful of chili while Michelle opened a can of chicken liver. Max pranced around delightedly as he smelled his favorite meal, and quickly launched into it as soon as the bowl hit the floor.
Within minutes, Michelle, Steve, and Sheila settled in the dining room to enjoy their chili dinner and chat about their day. Although Michelle wanted to talk to Steve about her father, she resisted the temptation to bring it up, not wanting to risk upsetting her mother again. After dinner, they retreated to the family room to watch some television by the crackling fire.
Steve was channel surfing with the remote control, when Michelle caught a few words about the meaning of dreams. She quickly asked Steve to flip back to the program. It was a documentary on extrasensory perception, dream interpretations, and astral travel. Researchers from the former Soviet Union, the United States, and Europe had spent three years documenting people’s experiences in these uncharted areas and were presenting their findings in this report.
Michelle was on the edge of her seat as she listened to story after story of people’s intuitive, psychic impressions turning out to be prophetic. One woman interviewed had helped police solve numerous mysterious disappearances of children in a rural community in Ireland. She claimed to have dreams and visions that were able to lead police to an abandoned factory where the children’s bodies were discovered.
A middle-aged man with long gray hair talked about how his dreams helped him locate his birth mother, who had not seen him for forty years. Mother and son were shown reuniting at the airport in Boston, with the mother repeatedly thanking him for listening to his dreams and tracking her down.
Several people from the Dream Institute in Amsterdam talked extensively about the untapped power of dreams and the value of learning their meanings and purpose. Emphasizing the positive potential of dreams, Dr. Harvey, founder of the institute, encouraged viewers to journal their dreams. He mentioned several resources relating to dream interpretation, including Marty Gessler’s book.
Michelle glanced over at the end table, spotting the large green volume that she had been unable to explore since her mother’s arrival. She silently promised herself to look through it that evening before going to sleep.
The final segment of the presentation centered on the topic of astral projection, a type of out-of-body experience in which a person’s spirit is able to travel to any place in the world while leaving his body behind. Testimonies included a woman in her twenties who claimed to have traveled from a southern state in America to Alberta, Canada, to see her dying grandmother. Another woman from New York reported having seen her brother standing at the foot of her bed one night, when in fact his body was fast asleep in his army barracks in Germany. He relayed to her a message about their cousin who was AWOL. No one else in the family learned about the cousin’s disappearance until several days later.
The eerie stories and convincing testimonies had an impact on all three of them. They continued to watch until the program ended, then spent quite some time discussing what they had seen.
“This stuff is so interesting,” Michelle blurted out, letting her guard down. She was intrigued, while Steve and Sheila seemed leery about the claims that had been made.
“I don’t know about some of those stories, Michelle,” Steve countered. “They seem pretty far out to me.”
It frustrated Michelle that Steve seemed so closed-minded. “Are you saying that they are making this stuff up?” she asked with an edge to her voice, her hand reaching up to twist her hair.
Sheila shifted in her chair, appearing to be uncomfortable with Michelle’s confrontational tone.
“All I’m saying is that I’m skeptical. I mean, really, doesn’t this all seem kind of weird to you?” he asked, turning toward Sheila.
“I guess I’d have to hear more before I could decide for sure,” Sheila hedged. She didn’t seem to want to come between Michelle and Steve.
“You guys just don’t get it. There’s more to this universe than what we can see and touch,” Michelle countered defensively.
“Maybe you’re right, sweetheart,” Sheila replied. She glanced over at Steve as if she was concerned about his possible reaction.
“Well, I’m going to just ‘project’ my body on up to bed,” Steve concluded with a yawn.
“Cute,” Michelle replied without smiling.
“Can I help you with the dishes?” Sheila offered, hoping to diffuse the tension by changing the subject.
“I’ll take care of them, Mom. But thanks for offering.”
Steve said his goodnights and left the room, heading upstairs with Max on his heels.
“Don’t be too upset with him,” Sheila said softly. “He’s not trying to stir you up, Mimi. He’s just a little skeptical.”
“I know, Mom. But it frustrates me so much when he gets that superior attitude, like he knows everything about everything, and I’m just some gullible kid.”
Sheila sighed. She wrapped her arms around her daughter. They embraced for a moment, and then Michelle gently pulled back. “Guess I’ll do the dishes and go to bed.”
“Okay, honey, but I’m going to at least keep you company in there, even if you won’t let me help.”
“That would be nice, Mom,” Michelle replied with a smile.
While Michelle rinsed off the dishes and loaded them into the dishwasher, Sheila chatted with her about some of their old friends and neighbors. Michelle knew her mom was trying to get her mind off the television show and her aggravation with Steve. Always the peacemaker, Michelle thought as she listened to her mom chatter on.
It didn’t take long to get the kitchen in order. After they turned off the lights and left the kitchen, Michelle picked up the large volume about dreams from the end table and placed it on the bottom step of the stairs to take up with her when she went to bed.
“Do you need anything before you go to bed?” she asked her mother, noticing the drawn look on Sheila’s face.
“I don’t think so, dear. All I need now is a good night’s sleep.” She gave Michelle another hug and headed for the spare bedroom.
Michelle retrieved the dream book from the base of the staircase and climbed up to the master bedroom. She was surprised to find Steve still awake.
“I thought you were tired,” she started.
“I am, babe, but I’ve been thinking about your dad and his case. Maybe Roger will have some suggestions about how to put a trace on those checks.”
Michelle began sharing with Steve about the phone call from her father. “Mom looked so worried,” she concluded.
“Do you think I should call your dad in the morning? I could tell him I’m looking into some possible ways to help him.”
“Why don’t you talk to Roger first and then decide,” Michelle suggested, touched by Steve’s obvious concern and desire to help. Roger was the senior partner in the firm and a wealth of information for Steve.
As Steve sunk down under the covers, Michelle crawled into bed with her book.
“What are you reading?” Steve asked.
“Just a book I picked up at The New World Bookstore.” Michelle replied casually, not wanting to get into another debate.
She was grateful when he just replied, “Oh. Well goodnight, babe.”
“Goodnight.” She gave him a kiss and then turned her attention to her reading.
Alone with her book, she began to explore the fascinating realm of her dreams. After several hours, she slipped down into bed, pulling the covers up over her shoulder and pressing her body up against Steve to absorb some of his warmth. Listening to his rhythmic breathing, she soon dozed off.
Suddenly she was sitting alone beside a wide river. Trees and shrubs lined the banks, reaching toward the steady current. The gray green water was churning as it pushed past her. Overhead, the sky was filling with clouds, and the wind was beginning to cause her t
o shiver. She pulled her sweater tightly around her. It was the pink and white ballet sweater her father had given her after her first dance recital in eighth grade. The cold air slipped between the fibers of the yarn and pierced her skin.
Wanting to leave and yet sensing that she must stay, she huddled in a tight ball as she drew her knees up to her chest and hugged them. It was essential that she wait in this very spot. Somehow she knew that she must stay there and watch. Rocking back and forth to try to get warm, she glanced up the river and spotted something moving quickly toward her, carried by the current. She rose to her feet and squinted her eyes, straining to see what it was. Soon she could see what appeared to be arms and legs flailing about as if in a desperate struggle.
As the form neared her, Michelle recognized her father’s face and saw the look of helplessness in his eyes. She called out to him but he could not hear her. His head bobbed under the water then resurfaced. She called again but her voice was lost in the wind. Frantically looking for something to throw out to him, she grabbed a branch on the ground and ran into the edge of the current. For a moment, it looked as if he would grab hold of the end, but his fingers slipped. The rapids overtook him, dragging his body farther and farther down the river, until she could see him no more.
Michelle began to sob uncontrollably. “Daddy!” she cried through her tears.
CHAPTER SEVEN
“Michelle...Hey, wake up!” a distant voice commanded. It was Steve and he was leaning over her, gently shaking her shoulder to break the hold of her nightmare.
Michelle turned and looked at him with a disoriented stare. It took her a moment to awaken fully and realize that what she had seen was a dream. It all seemed so vivid and real.
Pulling herself into an upright position, she accepted the tissue Steve handed her. She wiped the tears off her cheeks, and then sat there silently thinking about the dream and worrying about her father. She could see that Steve was genuinely concerned about her, but he didn’t know what to do. He sat beside her and wrapped one arm around her shoulder, stroking her hair with the other hand.
After a few minutes, she began sharing her dream with him. By now she was certain that each dream had a specific hidden meaning, and that she must remember and analyze them all. The combination of this nightmare about her father and the death card in the reading of the tarot cards by Bev had Michelle convinced that her dad was in serious trouble. She could not erase from her mind Bev’s initial disturbed reaction when the death card was uncovered in the center of the reading.
Was her father’s life somehow in danger? It seemed melodramatic to imagine someone actually trying to kill him, so she dismissed that option. But what about his heart? Was this lawsuit going to lead to a fatal heart attack? Tears welled up in her eyes as the thought overtook her. “Daddy,” she whispered under her breath. She shook her head to stop the thought.
Picking up the dream book, Michelle looked for a section on rivers or drowning.
“What are you doing?” Steve asked. His voice sounded apprehensive and edgy.
“Listen to this, Steve. ‘Rivers signify upheaval and possible barriers to success. A person seen in a river will be successful in his situation if he is able to master the current or swim from one side to the other. Someone seen successfully riding the rapids in a raft is bound for new levels of exciting growth in life. On the opposing side, is the victim who is being swallowed by the river. This individual is in a crisis and may be facing imminent danger or even death.’”
She paused and looked at her husband. “Oh, my God. What should we do, Steve?” Michelle searched his face for answers, her hand twisting away at the lone strand of hair.
“Well, first of all, I think we should put your book away and forget this nonsense about interpreting dreams,” he answered, reaching over and taking the book from Michelle. Then he gently pulled her hand away from the nape of her neck.
“How do you know that it’s nonsense? Think about it. The death card comes up when I ask Bev to read the tarot cards about Dad, and now this dream of him drowning in a river. It all fits together. I’m really worried, Steve.”
“Do you really believe in those fortune-telling cards, Michelle?” Steve asked incredulously. “I think this dream is just a result of you worrying about your father’s lawsuit. As for those cards, it sounds like a bunch of baloney to me,” he concluded firmly, a twinge of exasperation creeping into his voice.
She ignored his tone. “I don’t know, Steve. It seems too coincidental to me. If you would have been at class, you would have seen how convincing Bev’s reading was. She seemed to know much more about Dad and his situation than she should. I think maybe there is something to this psychic phenomenon stuff.”
“Come on, honey,” he sighed, giving her a hug. “Let’s just forget about this crazy dream and go back to sleep. Your dad is an intelligent, capable man, and I’m sure that this lawsuit is just one of those unpleasant detours in life that will soon be resolved.”
“Yeah, maybe…,” Michelle responded somewhat unconvincingly. She felt a little irritated with Steve and his apparent indifference to psychic experiences. At the same time, she was glad he was there holding her, and she knew that he really did care about her dad. Hoping he was right, she settled back under the covers and nestled against him.
Michelle awoke early and slipped silently out of bed. She decided to sneak downstairs and fix breakfast for them before her mom and Steve awakened. Max seemed to sense the secrecy of their mission, and he trotted silently beside her.
Once safely in the kitchen, he began rubbing against her legs and purring. She started the coffeepot and began mixing the batter for waffles. After she had the batter for the first waffle in the waffle maker, she opened a can of cat food, thanking Max for waiting patiently, and then set his breakfast on the floor beside the stove.
Next, she heated some maple syrup in the microwave and got down the canister of powdered sugar. Inspired to set out a gourmet meal, she decided to defrost some strawberries and whipped topping.
By the time Steve came into the kitchen, the table was set and a variety of toppings in lovely crystal bowls surrounded a platter of steaming hot waffles.
“Wow! This looks delicious, honey,” he said. “Where’s your mom?”
“I guess she’s not up yet. We can go ahead and eat, and I’ll fix her a fresh waffle later.”
After enjoying their intimate breakfast together, Steve gathered his paperwork and briefcase for work. Neither of them mentioned her dream or their discussion from the night before. Steve thanked her for breakfast, gave her a kiss good-bye, and left.
While she waited for her mother to get up, Michelle sat sipping her coffee and thinking. She felt drawn to learn more about her dreams and about the interesting, mystical topics she had seen at the bookstore. After last night, she wondered how receptive Steve would be to her participating in the class on personal development and spiritual growth that would begin at the bookstore the following week.
She’d always admired and respected Steve’s intelligence and his levelheaded approach to life. Now she wondered if they both might have been missing out on another important dimension.
At three-fifteen that afternoon, Michelle and Sheila were waiting for Monica to arrive to pick them up for the yoga class. Sheila had talked briefly with John that morning. After reassuring her that he was fine, she decided to stop trying to find another flight home and stick with her original plan to leave on Sunday.
The sound of a car pulling into the driveway signaled Monica’s arrival, and they quickly exited out the front door. Michelle could see Max watching them leave from his perch at the bay window. She smiled and followed her mother out to the car.
After they arrived and got settled on their yoga mats, Michelle felt a little funny about having her mother there. Bev spent most of the hour doing a variety of breathing and stretching exercises, then taught them two new postures. Michelle’s mother had some trouble with some of the moves, but she pressed o
n and did the best she could.
Near the end of class, Bev mentioned the awakening of Kundalini as the ultimate goal of yoga. Vaguely remembering her using that term at another class, Michelle could not recall what it meant. After class, she asked Bev to explain it again, as Monica and Sheila listened in.
“Kundalini is a serpent goddess who is able to travel up a person’s spine during yoga practices and release the body’s psychic centers or chakras,” Bev stated matter-of-factly. “The final result can lead to a heightened state of enlightenment.”
“Oh. Starla has been teaching me more about that. Enlightenment, I mean,” Michelle replied. She glanced at Monica and her mother. Their expressions were very different. Monica was intrigued, but her mom seemed troubled.
Sheila felt uneasy as she listened to the yoga teacher’s explanation. She could see that Michelle was soaking in every word. The class and Bev’s words reminded her of a woman named Christine, who Sheila used to know from PTA. Christine was very immersed in yoga and would close her eyes and take deep breaths whenever something controversial came up at their meetings. Everyone in their circle thought Christine was peculiar. Sheila cringed inwardly when she thought about Michelle getting more involved in this endeavor.
“Is there something troubling you?” Bev asked her.
“No. I’m fine. Just a bit tired, I guess,” she replied with a forced smile.
Bev turned her attention back to Michelle. “The advanced training program will begin again in a few weeks. I think you’re ready to step up to that level.”
Sheila watched her daughter smile in response.
“Why don’t you and Monica discuss it and let me know,” the teacher suggested.
“Okay,” Michelle replied. “We’re also thinking about taking a new class at Starla’s bookstore.”
“BlendTherapy!” Bev smiled. “You’ll love it. Trevor teaches it, I believe. There’s a strong chord that will connect what you are learning here with what you get in that class.”
Out of a Dream (Sandy Cove Series Book 1) Page 6
