A Journey of Souls

by Michael McKinney

  She remembers being at work. There was a loud noise. Something happened. Then she remembers being picked up by her mother and getting into the station wagon to go back home. How can this be? Whatever this place is, it certainly feels comfortable, secure, and reassuring. A strong feeling of contentment and belonging wells up within her as she watches her home town scenery roll by. Then Louise hears something she hasn't heard in nearly fourteen years; her mother’s voice.

  “We're almost home Louise.”

  Through her wandering thoughts, Louise concludes this has to be a dream, but if she is dreaming why does everything seem so vividly real? She hears her mother's voice again.

  “We're having shepherd’s pie for dinner tonight. That's your favorite.”

  Louise sees her own reaction to what's happening as decidedly curious. She evinces no surprise at the sound of her mother's voice and feels completely at ease with her surroundings. An abiding sense she's exactly where she should and needs to be, consumes her. She looks at her hand and unmistakably sees the hand of a woman in her fifties. Is that the illusion or what she sees around her? Louise Robinson is observing what's happening as a fifty-five-year-old woman while simultaneously experiencing what's happening as the child she once was. Overarching this inexplicable contradiction are profound feelings of love and complete acceptance.

  Louise looks again at her mother in the front seat and asks, “Where am I?”

  “You're home Louise. You're home, and we couldn't be happier. Your father wants to see you. We're gonna have a nice dinner then Brianna will come by for you later.”

  The name Brianna rings a bell for Louise. She remembers from her dream last night the strange woman named Brianna. ‘Is this the same dream?’ she asks herself. As the station wagon slows and safely rolls into the driveway of her childhood home, Louise observes her father’s face as he waves at her with a welcoming smile just as he did so many years ago. Louise Robinson has somehow come home again.

  Meanwhile back in the temporal world of the living, Charles Beckler sinks deeper and deeper into a heavy slumber and soon awakens within his dream. He finds himself once again standing on a dock near a large body of water. He sees the fishing pole and the large basket of fish with their shimmering bodies reflecting the bright sun of a warm summer day. Charley recalls this scene from his prior dream, and he remembers the strange woman named Brianna who told him she would send someone to help him carry his basket of fish, but he sees no-one.

  He feels the heat of the sun and recalls Brianna's words: ‘If any of your fish rot, then part of you will also rot.’ Charles looks at his fish and tries awkwardly to shade them with his arms. He looks around again and sees no one approaching. He's alone, waiting for something or someone to help him do something with his basket of fish, but what that something is, completely eludes him. He remembers how hard he struggled in his dream to catch those fish, how he was beside himself in a frenzy of enthusiasm as he pulled them in, in rapid succession, but looking at them now, they appear as a burden and even a worry. Charley looks again at his basket of fish, so heavy, he can't lift it.

  The dead fish with their gleaming eyes seem to look back at him and whisper, ‘A putrid waste of rotting death seeding your dreams with polluted breath.’ Once again, he looks around and sees no-one approaching. He feels the warmth of the mid-day sun and tries to cover his fish as best he can.

  As Charles Beckler sleeps in his bed, captive to his enigmatic dream, two beings are continuing their journey together as teacher and apprentice. Calvin and Brianna walk along a beautiful country path. Calvin fully understands and accepts that he's now in a place where conventional logic and expectation have no place. As they continue on in silence, he ponders the incredible things he's witnessed. He thinks back on his mortal life of eighty-four years. Seeing that life now from the other side, it seems a pale imitation of something much deeper, as if his physical life was an aberration, a temporary departure from what is actually normal, real, and permanent. Above all, Calvin senses a calming, powerfully tranquil energy permeated in and through everything around him. Calvin Milner knows profoundly that he’s in the close presence of a transcendent reality.

  As they walk along together in silence Calvin sees a gentle smile on Brianna's face as if she's somehow privy to what he's thinking. Looming in the distance, a large lake can be seen ahead of them.

  As they approach, Calvin sees a man standing on a dock next to the water and asks Brianna, ‘Do you know who that man is Brianna?’

  “That's Charles Beckler.”

  “Will you talk with him?”

  “No, that will be the job of our next arrival.”

  “Who's that?” Calvin asks.

  “Her name is Louise Robinson.”

  “She's the woman you mentioned earlier.”

  “That's right.”

  “Does she know what to do, or say to him?”

  “Of course. It's what she's been doing all her life.”

  “What did she do?”

  “She volunteered, helped others, and always tried to give good advice, just like you did Calvin. She's a perfect match for the work we have for her.”

  “What's that?”

  “She'll be a dream sentinel.”

  “What's a dream sentinel?”

  “It's someone whose left their earthly life and earned the privilege to return and counsel the living by appearing in their dreams.”

  “She must have a lot of wisdom,” Calvin says.

  “That, and something better.”

  “What's that?”

  “The inclination to share it,” says Brianna.

  “Where is she?”

  “She's with her parents, renewing a primal bond.”

  “Just like I did.”

  “That's right. Are you curious about this woman?”

  “Yes, I am. Will I meet her?” Calvin asks.

  “You'll be present, but won't interact with her. Like the others, you need only observe in silence. They're completely unaware of you, anyway. Are you ready?”

  “Yes.”

  “Let's go then and see this good lady.”

  Calvin sees his surroundings instantly melt into nothing and just as quickly he and Brianna are walking down a typical neighborhood street with houses on each side. Calvin notices no change of expression on Brianna's face and says, “Things change quickly here and without warning.”

  “That's right Calvin. Do you know where we are?”

  “I would guess we're going to meet our new arrival.”

  “Yes, we are.”

  As they continue they see a woman standing on the porch of one of the houses. It's Louise Robinson, and she's with her parents. The moment she sees Brianna, Louise embraces her mother and father and bids them a temporary goodbye, and walks toward her.

  “Hello Brianna.”

  “Hi Louise.”

  “My parents told me you were coming.”

  “I know. Did you enjoyed your visit with them?”

  “I did. ”

  She continues: “It was as if all the joy, and all the happy days of my childhood were concentrated into one afternoon, as if the timeline of my life had been purged of all but the sweetest moments of joy, and then compressed into a few hours of complete ecstasy.”

  “How sweet, I love the poetry of your words. They speak to and from the human heart. I'm happy for you but for now, there's work to do.”

  “I know. I wanna help as much as I can.”

  “That's the reason you're here Louise. Come, your first assignment is a man who needs help with a basket of fish. I'll tell you all about it.”

  Meanwhile, in the temporal world of the living Charles Beckler sleeps undisturbed in his bed at home, but his conscious mind is somewhere else. Still captive to his dream, he can't seem to leave the dreamscape scene of standing on the dock w
ith his basket of fish. He looks around again, and this time sees a figure approaching. It's a woman. He wonders, who could it be? Moments later he sees the smiling face of a middle-aged woman.

  “Did that woman send you here?” he asks.

  “You mean Brianna?”

  “Yeah, that's her name. She told me you were coming to help me.”

  “That's right Charley. That's why I'm here. You have too many fish in your basket.”

  “I know. I can't lift it.”

  “I know a child who needs some of your fish Charley. She's hungry. Do you want to give her some?”

  “Yes, yes, of course, where is she?”

  “She doesn't live very far from you Charley. I'll show you how to get there. I'll give you directions.”

  “What's her name?”

  “Her name is Angela.”

  “Well let's go give her some fish. I'm ready.”

  “Let's do that Charley. You grab one side of the basket and I'll grab the other.”

  As they lift, the basket suddenly seems as light as if it were empty. Charley feels instantly relieved and even carefree. He looks over at the woman on the other side of the basket and asks, “What’s your name?”

  He looks to see the woman's face and hears her say with clarity and emphasis,

  “My name is Louise, and yours is Charles Samuel Beckler.”

  Hearing his full name seems to summon Charles Beckler's conscious mind to awaken. He hears it as a cue and call for action and instantly opens his eyes. The bedside clock reads 5:41.

  After sitting up he turns and looks at his wife still sleeping soundly, then quietly puts on his bedroom slippers and makes his way into the kitchen. After pressing the button on the coffee machine, he sits at the table and thinks about his dream. He has no difficulty remembering every detail and clearly recalls the woman named Louise who helped him carry his basket of fish. As he pours his coffee, he recalls what she told him, about the child named Angela who needed some fish from his basket. He pauses and wonders, ‘Why am I thinking about this? Does it mean anything?’ Then he remembers Louise telling him that the nine-year-old girl lived not very far away on a street named Briarpoint wherever that might be. He pauses for a moment and then picks up the cell phone on the table.

  As he squints to see the numbers without his glasses, he hears his wife's voice. “Who are you calling this early?”

  “I'm trying to get in touch with John. I need him to drive me into town for something.”

  “Here, let me dial it for you.”

  After giving the phone back to her husband Connie says, “You look more like a caveman every day Charley. I'm, going back to sleep. I'll see ya later.”

  “Sure honey, go ahead.”

  Hearing his driver's voice on the phone, Charles speaks: “Hey John, I'm sorry to call you this early, but I wonder if you could take me into town this morning. I need you to help me find an address ... Great, uh, this won't take long. I'm not even dressed. I probably won't get out of the car. I'm just curious about something ... Thank you John.”

  Charles Beckler turns off his cell phone and waits for his driver to bring the car around.

  Meanwhile miles from Mr Beckler's home, at the Cooper residence, Regina Cooper wakes to find that Tom has for some reason left the house early. As she comes downstairs and looks out the kitchen window, she sees the reason why. Parked in the driveway is a large yellow moving van. Tom has rented a vehicle intending to leave for Ohio. ‘Is this what he meant when he said he'd reached a decision?’ Regina asks herself. She immediately braces herself for the argument that she's sure will come.

  Minutes later, Tom opens the front door, walks into the kitchen and is confronted with a question. “What are you doing?”

  “I'm trying to solve our problem.”

  “How, by running away from it?”

  “I'm not running away from it. I'm facing it head on.”

  “Is that what you call this?”

  “Look Regina, we can't stay here. You don't seem to be willing to face that fact.”

  “What upsets me as much as moving is the fact that you would rent a truck and start moving stuff without telling me first.”

  With his voice rising, Tom says, “Well, what have we been talking about for the last two weeks? Are you so surprised?”

  “Yeah, I am surprised. I'm surprised that you would do this without letting me know.”

  As Tom and Regina's argument continues their daughter Angela sits at the top of the stairs listening. She finds it difficult to hear what's being said and in a pschychologically instinctive act of simple retreat, she quietly makes her way down the steps and out the front door.

  Distracted by their acrimony, neither Tom nor Regina notice her leaving. Still carrying her teddy bear, Angela walks past the large yellow moving van. It looks ominous. She reads the words on the side, For All Your Moving Needs, and in her mind it verifies everything she's heard her parents talking about. Angela is faced with the reality of knowing she'll be leaving the only home she's ever known. It might even be today, she thinks.

  Filled with apprehension, she continues down the sidewalk, and within minutes turns a corner and is out of sight. As Angela wanders further away from home, someone else has left their home, and like Angela is not clear in their reasoning as to why or where they're going.

  Charles Beckler and his driver John are several miles away searching for something that has as yet eluded them.

  “I don't know John. We might be wasting our time.”

  “There's just one more to check sir. It's Briarpoint Lane. We've gone to Briarpoint Avenue, and Briarpoint Cove so, Briarpoint Lane is the last street by that name.”

  “Well, let's check it out,” Mr Beckler says.

  Riding in the front seat of his Mercedes Benz in his pajamas, still sipping his coffee, Charles Beckler feels foolish as they drive onward. He looks at the street ahead and sees nothing as he hears his drivers voice.

  “This is Briarpoint Lane sir.”

  With every passing block it feels increasingly as if he's wasting his time. ‘Why am I doing this?’ he asks himself, and what will he tell Connie when he gets back home? How can he explain searching for a child he doesn't know because a woman in his dreams told him to do so? Feeling somewhat ridiculous he tells his driver, “let's go home John. I'm wasting my time and yours. I ought to go to a barber shop and get a shave, start being sensible again.”

  “Should we find one sir?”

  As John asks the question, Mr Beckler glances across the road and sees a young child sitting on a bench. It's a girl.

  “Hey John, turn around when you get a chance and head back. I wanna see something.”

  Two minutes later, after finding a safe place to turn around, the car is heading back the way it came and once again Charles Beckler sees the girl sitting on the bench.

  “Slow down, John.”

  The child is sitting alone sobbing, clearly lost and forlorn with her teddy bear. It's Angela Cooper.

  “Pull over, John.”

  As John parks the car, Mr Beckler places his coffee cup on the dashboard. He reaches to disconnect the seatbelt and as he opens the door, his hand knocks over the half-filled coffee cup spilling the contents on his pajama pants.

  “Oh hell,” Mr Beckler says.

  “I have a towel in the trunk sir.”

  “That's okay. It's not that bad. I wanna talk to that girl over there.”

  “Should I stay here, sir?”

  “Yeah, I won't be long.”

  Seconds later, Charles is standing a few feet away from the child.

  “Hi my name is Charley. What's your name?”

  “Angela.”

  “Your name is Angela. What's wrong Angela?”

  Hearing no response, he asks, “Where are your parents?”

&n
bsp; “They're home.”

  “Do they know you're here?”

  “No,”

  “What's wrong Angela? Please tell me.”

  Mr Beckler quietly sits beside her and as Angela meekly sobs out her story, he listens without interrupting. The two of them sitting together make an odd looking pair. Charles in his coffee stained pajamas with an eight day beard, and nine-year-old Angela with her teddy bear sit for a few minutes and then with a motion of his arm Mr Beckler summons his driver.

  As John approaches, he stands and meets him halfway. Just out of earshot from the child, he tells him, “John, I'm gonna walk this child back home. She only lives a few blocks away. She's scared, and I think getting into a strange car might upset her so, why don't you stay here and watch the car. I should be back in a about twenty minutes.”

  “Will you be all right sir?

  “I'll be fine. I'm just gonna walk her back home.”

  “Yes sir.”

  Moments later with Angela clasping his hand and showing the way, Charles Beckler begins walking back to her home a few blocks away. As Angela and her new found friend make their way, Tom and Regina Cooper are still unaware of their daughter's absence.

  A tense stalemate hangs in the air as Regina tries to dissuade her husband from what she sees as a rash mistake, and she's ready to stand her ground.

  “I have to take Angela to school. I don't know what you plan on doing here, but if you put stuff in that van make sure it's just your stuff. Don't touch anything that's mine or Angela's. I mean it Tom.”

  “Regina, we don't have a choice. What do you want me to do?” Tom pleads.

  Almost as an exclamation point to Tom's question, Regina hears a car door being shut from the driveway. She looks out the window and sees their nemesis Scott Palmer standing in the driveway. The added aggravation of dealing with Palmer at such a stressful time might have rattled and flustered someone else, but Regina Cooper is not intimidated by the situation.

  She tells herself, ‘This is still my home. I'm not gonna be chased off by anyone. I don't care who it is.’ A resolute calm comes over her as she turns to her husband.

  “It's Palmer. Look Tom, I have to run Angela to school. Please don't get into an argument with him.”