by Lisa Graves
“I see the stars, galaxies, as though I am in another realm. It’s like looking through a telescope, but all I have to do is look up.” My face found his and then we both looked up again and got lost in the beauty.
Elliott giggled his laugh beside me. “It is pretty amazing. Like you.”
“Huh?”
“You’re pretty. And amazing.”
I blushed and continued, to distract him. As a rule, I shied away from attention. “There’s more,” I added.
He turned his face towards mine, a smile building in his mouth and beaming in his eyes. “What is it?” But he already seemed to know my answer.
“There’s an energy here. Everywhere. Can you feel it too?”
Elliott outright laughed. “Yes!” he managed between giggles. “I feel it too.”
“You. Know. Where. We. Are,” I accused, emphasizing each word.
He rolled onto his back nonchalantly, and placed his arms behind his head. “I might.”
My eyes grew big and round at his response before narrowing on my prey. I was a puma and he was a rabbit. He was going down. It felt as if I had known Elliott my entire life, perhaps longer. I was completely comfortable with him, as he obviously was with me. I tried to be sneaky as I moved to pounce.
The funny thing was, he didn’t seem to notice (or pretended not to notice) what I was up to. A smug I-know-more-than-you-do look on his angel face as he looked up into the heavens.
I pounced.
I don’t know how he knew what I was up to, but his reflexes were ready for me. While I was still in the air, he leaned away from me in such a way that when I landed on top of him, he rolled me off and placed himself on top of me. I was pinned. He smiled.
“What?” he said as casually as if we were sitting all proper having tea.
I sighed. He definitely had the upper hand here. I just wished I knew where here was.
Elliott rolled off me, but still kept contact. The energy that was pulsing between us was euphoric. I continued to lay on my back, as he propped himself up with one hand behind his head and the other stroking my arm. “Are you mad at me Miele?” His accent seemed thicker now, or maybe I was just more perceptive in this world. He smiled his perfect smile and pretended to worry about my answer.
I couldn’t be mad at him. My body craved being near him and his energy too badly. “No,” I confessed.
We sat like that for awhile. I gazing up at the galaxy and he gazing over at me. Even without looking at him, I was taking in his energy. Reading it. It was more distinct than the other waves that I could sense emitting off the world around me. Without seeing it exactly, I could sense that his energy had color. Vaguely, I wondered if mine did, too.
Wherever we were, I was on sensory overload. I soaked in all I could, memorizing this place and its beauty. But especially I worked at memorizing Elliott.
I was ecstatic to see him. During our last conversation, he’d made it sound like it would be forever, maybe longer, until we would be together again. I wondered, what had changed?
Elliott stroked my face with his fingertips. “I’m so proud of you,” he beamed.
“Why?” I didn’t understand anything anymore.
“You found a way for us to see each other.”
I sat up and looked him straight in his eyes, confused. “I did?”
“I can’t believe I didn’t think of it before. What, with you showing up in that lower plane early saturday. But to have projected so far!” Elliott sounded impressed, and I had no idea why. He was still talking, but it seemed he was talking more to himself than to me. I was quiet as I tried to catch up with him. As I tried to understand.
I touched his hand, recapturing his attention. “Elliott, I must have missed something. What did I figure out? How can we be together?” I needed to know this. It was crucial information to my existence.
He took both of my hands in his. “We can be together here.” His eyes beamed with happiness.
“Yeah. I missed that, too.” My eyebrow raised. “Where are we?”
“You really don’t know?”
I shook my head. “Besides a really vivid dream, I haven’t a clue.”
“No, not a dream Miele. This is more real than . . .” he paused, obviously trying to come up with a suitable comparison. “Life.”
“You’re changing the subject again,” I teased. “Please tell me where we are. I can handle it.” I held up my hand and crossed my fingers. “Promise.”
His eyes searched me over, making his own assessment. Then he gave me one of the looks that penetrated into the depths of my soul, probably searching for my cry-o-meter. I had been driven to tears from less than this before. But to my surprise, I couldn’t even sense tears attempting to well up. My ducts were dry. I wasn’t sure how I was keeping myself under such control, but I was thankful that I was.
“Well,” he began. “I’m not sure how you have done it. Completely crossed planes without knowing, but you have.” He just looked at me, waiting for my reaction.
“I have no idea what any of that means.”
“How to explain. . .” he pondered. “Well, do you remember that first day we met, here, not in Italy. You zoned out and later I got you to confess your little epiphany about mind power.”
I was hesitant as I answered. “Yeah.”
“This place can only be accessed by using your mind. Tapping into some of the latent power.”
I was quiet as I thought about that. I guess it made some sense. But he still didn’t explain where we were.
I decided to guess. “We’re not in my mind are we?”
“No. But you can only get here through your mind.”
“I don’t think I understand. Did I get here through my dream?” Or is this a dream?
“It appears that way, though I’ve never seen a complete plane crossing while dreaming. It is supposed to be rare.”
“How does one normally cross planes?” I tried to sound conversational. Like I was buying it. I might be crazy, but the word normal didn’t seem like it fit in this context. I smiled at the thought.
Elliott didn’t immediately answer me. I quit looking at his features and focused on his eyes. Only when our eyes were locked did he answer me. It was as if he were waiting for my complete attention. “Astrally.”
What the hell did that mean? “So. . .How do I get here on purpose?” The sudden thought of me leaving and not being able to get back to see him sent a crushing sensation to my heart. It beat heavy and fast at the monstrous idea.
Elliott stood up and held his hands down for me to take them. “Let’s walk, and I’ll try to explain,” he said.
I took his hands and he pulled me up in a flash. I saw the muscles on his forearm flex. The rest of his muscles lay hidden beneath the light grey sweater that clung to his body. Hand in hand we walked around this sensory intense world.
I didn’t notice anything else different about where I was. But I did notice that the act of walking around this place, crossing through energy fields, was energizing. I wasn’t taking away from them, or them from me; it was more like all the electricity in the air re-charged each other. I felt great.
“Usually, to astrally project yourself onto another plane, you need to find a safe, quiet place where you will not be disturbed.” Elliott looked me in the eyes to make sure I was getting all the information.
“Okay. What else?” I nodded.
He smirked at the eagerness in my voice. He stopped walking and turned to face me. Taking my face gently in his hands, looking me straight in the eyes, he spoke, “Then you lay down and get comfortable Miele.” He nibbled my bottom lip and my heart began to race. “You have to relax your body from your head to your toes.” He kissed me again. “Every muscle, every stress, every worry; let them dissolve away.”
I was putty in his hands. Putty that couldn’t remember how to breath properly. I was about to hyperventilate. My heart raced, and so did my breathing, as I tried to take in his words and his kisses at the same tim
e. He was making it difficult to concentrate. I shut my eyes briefly to clear my head. I took a deep breath of the sweet smelling air and opened my eyes to his stare. “What then?” I asked.
“You have to hold real still. Now your body will fight you on this. Your nose will tickle, or something will itch. Ignore it and focus on relaxing.” Elliott cocked his head and smiled. “Then you let go.”
I had no idea how to do that. Then I let go, what did that mean? “How?” I asked. A lightbulb clicked on in my head. I think I know what he was trying to tell me. “Wait just a minute. You want me to leave my body!”
Calm as a cucumber he answered. “It really can only be learned by trial and error. Just don’t be afraid. People have been doing this for centuries. And remember, you’re doing it right now.” He winked at me.
Elliott must be crazier than me. I knew we were the perfect couple.
“Is it dangerous?” I asked, worried at his answer. “What if I leave my body and can’t get back to it? What if I can’t get back tonight.” I started to really fret at the thought.
His hazel green eyes penetrated my soul, and somehow quieted my fears. Elliott nibbled my mouth, and kissed along my jaw to my ear. His mouth breathing warm breath on my ear, he whispered, “It’s really not that difficult, Lilly. The hardest part is letting go. Getting back is easy, too easy. Usually the only thing that stops people from projecting is their own self doubt and control issues. As for danger, the only thing I fear is being without you.” He pulled me close and hugged me tight as he finished my instructions.
“I’ll be back as soon as I figure it out,” I whispered back. “Or maybe I’ll stumble in again through a dream.”
“I hope so.”
Another worry crept into my mind. “If I somehow do this, and get wherever we are. . .”
“Si, mia amore?”
“How do I find you?” My eyebrows furrowed with worry, but he just smiled.
“I’ll find you. I always do.” He winked. “Even when you manage to get very, very lost.”
My eyes were bewildered as I racked my brain. “When was I lost Elliott?” I couldn’t recall ever getting lost.
“Draper, Miele. You got lost there.”
My eyes lit up with understanding. “But you found me.”
He kissed me again. “I always do,” he repeated, then added in a hurry. “I’ll be looking forward to seeing you again soon. Hurry back my love.” He hugged me tight right before I fell through oblivion.
I had felt this free falling sensation before. Again, I couldn’t make out any of the blurred shapes that blew past my eyes. The speed of the fall was dizzying. But less than a second later, the falling stopped. There was no light. Just darkness. Slowly I remembered how to move. I twitched my fingers and opened my eyes.
I was in the same position I had fallen asleep in, upside down on my bed with my head in Nicholas’s lap. His hand still moved through my hair, and I wondered if he was awake, too. My mind felt muddled, and cloudy. I couldn’t remember dreaming. The last thing I could recall was falling asleep as I tried to tell Nicholas something. I think.
I noticed it was morning. The sun shone bright through my open window. A fresh warm summer breeze blew in, energizing the room with the smell of fresh cut grass. That’s when I saw a spider drop down and land on the windowsill. All the thoughts and memories of last night came flooding back.
Doubt crept into my mind, also. What had happened last night? It was too real, too sensory, to be a dream. Sleepwalking was out. Nicholas would have noticed, being as how he was still here. Even my thoughts sounded annoyed. I was going to have to do something about him.
So, if it wasn’t a dream, and I didn’t somehow sleepwalk to my meadow while on some type of mind altering medication, the only thing left that made sense was that it had happened. It was real. But if that was true, then all Elliott had told me was real, too.
My heart raced at the thought of him. Remembering his brilliant smile and how happy he had been to see me. My heart skipped a beat before starting to race for a different reason.
Could I really unlock my mind? It didn’t sound hard, but it did sound a little scary. Elliott’s hazel green eyes flashed into my mind, and I knew that whatever my thoughts on this astral travel, I would try it if it would let me be with him.
My mind raced through multiple subjects almost simultaneously. Elliott. Astral. Nicholas. I wasn’t sure if I should move. I wanted to, but I couldn’t tell if Nicholas would push for a more in depth explanation regarding last night. I lay still as a statue as I deliberated my options. I bit my lip as I contemplated.
Just then my stomach growled and gave me away. A slight groan escaped my mouth, and it began. “You awake hoe?”
“Mmm hmm.”
He sounded happy again. Too happy.
Damn it, I thought. Why, oh why, must I be so irresistible? My sarcastic thoughts were even a bit thick for me. I’d have to do something about Nicholas. But he was still my best friend. Correction, my only friend, after the little tiff with Charlotte. I was going to have to word things just right. That was the problem. I had never been particularly verbose, so this would be tricky.
“How are you feeling honey?”
“Nitch-o-lus, I really wish you wouldn’t call me that.”
“Do you prefer hoe?” he teased, fingers still twisting in my hair.
I rolled my eyes even though he couldn’t see. “You know what I mean.”
Nicholas was quiet for a moment. I could tell he was trying not to show I hurt him. This was going to be impossible.
“Why?” His voice was now a whisper.
I continued to lay in his lap. I was too much of a coward to look him in the eye. “Because it means more to you than it should.”
“But you don’t actually mind the word, just my thoughts attached to it?”
It was too early for thinking. I’d done enough already for the day. “I’m still waking up.” My mind went blank, loosing my train of thought. “Ehh, what?”
“I like calling you honey.”
I yawned. “That’s the problem.”
“You fell asleep before you could tell me about your dream Lil. What was it about?”
I noticed his attempt at changing the subject. But I didn’t feel like calling him on it. “It was nothing Nicholas.” He wouldn’t understand.
“Something about a tunnel and cliff?” he pushed.
“Something like that.”
“Lilly.” He looked down at my face. Reluctantly I looked up.
“Yes?”
“I need details. I was banging on the bathroom door for a good five minutes before you answered me. Most people wake up pretty quick, so it must have been some dream.”
My eyes squinted and looked away as I tried to tell the bare minimum. “It was.”
He cupped my face in his big hand and gently turned it back to him. “About those details honey.”
I cringed as he said the word. Nicholas noticed my reaction and his face fell with sadness. Stupid me, I tried to distract him from my response and blurted out, “My dream was about Elliott. Now do you want to hear it?”
Stab. Stab. Whoops. My words were obviously hurting him. Nicholas tried not to show it.
“Actually I would like to hear it. . .” I could tell he almost called me honey again.
I really didn’t want to tell him my dream, but I knew I would have to eventually. Nicholas and I didn’t have secrets. Apart from the fact that he has wanted me to be his girlfriend for who knows how long. But that was partially my fault too. I should really work on being more observant.
I gave a deep sigh, looked away, and began. “It was an awesome dream. I was in a dark tunnel that led to a cliff overlooking the sea. I was sitting on the edge of the rocks, looking out over the water when Elliott showed up.”
Nicholas’s body tightened and I looked up briefly to check on his face. He forced out a smile and said, “What happened then?” Being the coward I was, I turned my face away
from his before continuing. He re-tangled his hands in my hair. He knew it calmed me down. I was starting to think it calmed him down, also.
“Well, Elliott and I stood up on the cliff. . . then jumped.”
“What!”
“Chill out, it was only a dream.” At least that’s what you think.
“But you said it was a good dream. How can killing yourself be good?”
“Who said anything about killing myself?”
“Okay, what happened then?”
I bit my lip and tried to side-step that minefield. “We hit the water and then I woke up. I recall someone pounding on a door.” I could tell he sensed I was leaving something out.
“Last night you mumbled something in your sleep.”
My eyes mimicked golf balls for a fraction of a second before I regained control over my face and voice. “Really?” I hedged. Elliott said I had projected. Maybe I was wrong, but it didn’t sound like your soul was in your body for sleep-talking.
Nicholas moved my face to his to see my reaction. “You actually yelled ‘don’t open that!’”
“I did?” The spider!
“What didn’t you want opened?”
“A chest.” That was a safe answer.
He pushed further. “Why didn’t you want it opened hoe?”
“It was just a dream Nicholas. I don’t know.” I really didn’t.
His brown eyes were sizing up my answers. My stomach growled again. “How about we go downstairs and I’ll fix you breakfast? It’ll be a good opportunity for you to tell me about. . . Elliott.” I noticed how he had to choke out Elliott’s name.
“You don’t want to hear about him,” I said as I got up and tried to comb my hair down. Somehow it always seemed to defy gravity in the morning.
“Actually, I think I do.” Nicholas sounded solemn, though he appeared to mean what he said.
I stomped off towards the hall, down the stairs, and into the kitchen with Nicholas trailing along behind me. I plopped myself so dramatically into a chair at the table, I may have bruised my butt. Nicholas laughed at my theatrics and said, “spill.”
