AllFreeNovel
Share Us
She pauses, closes her eyes, and she’s in it. In a trance. “And Mr. Wilder is getting frantic, because every time he gets close to the shore of this island, one of those backward waves pushes us out farther. Like in that one movie, where Tom Hanks is that castaway dude on that island with his pet volleyball?”
Cabe chuckles. “I think it’s called Cast Away, Hannagan.”
“Yeah. Whatever. Meanwhile, Mrs. Wilder is still sitting on the deck, reading a book, oblivious to the storm. Weird, I know. He calls to her to get inside the cabin and get the life jackets out, but she can’t hear him. And then the yacht starts spinning and slams into the reef, and we’re all flying out into the water. The yacht is in smithereens, and all the stuff that was inside the cabin is floating around, being carried by waves.
“Mrs. Wilder is flailing and drowning in the water, and Mr. Wilder swims around picking things up out of the water. He sees his wife struggling, and he grabs life jackets—there are at least fifteen of them floating here and there, and he’s got maybe eight or nine of them strung on his arms. He starts to swim toward her. . . . ”
Janie closes her eyes and swallows. Her voice is shaking. “And I think, he’s going to save her. . . . ”
Cabel bites his lip.
Captain offers her a break.
She waves her hand, trying not to lose concentration, and continues.
“He starts to swim toward her with life jackets. But instead of saving her, he says . . . um . . . he says, ‘You can rot in hell, you old bitch.’ And then he swims past her, toward the shore, with all those life jackets.” She takes a breath. “Like they are the most important thing in his life. And . . . ”
She pauses.
Continues in an odd voice. “And the jackets, they aren’t floating anymore—they’re dragging in the water. Sinking. Pulling him down. Under. And he won’t let go.”
Janie opens her eyes and looks solemnly at Captain. “I think the packages you’re looking for might just be sewn inside the life jackets, sir.”
Captain is already dialing the phone trying to get a search warrant for the yacht.
Cabel’s mouth hangs open.
Janie’s head throbs. “Do you have any Excedrin?” she whispers.
10:30 a.m.
Janie and Cabel sit down for their math exam.
10:55 a.m.
Janie, parched, salty tears running silently down her cheeks, closes her blank blue book, stands up, turns it in, and walks out of the classroom, every eye in the room staring at her as she goes. Cabel scribbles a few more answers, waits a few minutes, and turns his in too. Initially, he looks in the parking lot for her and, seeing her car being slowly covered in the snowstorm, breathes a sigh of relief she’s not out driving in this mess. He goes back inside the school and searches the rooms.
He finds her, finally, passed out on her table in the empty library.
Picks her up.
Takes her to the emergency room.
On the way, he calls Captain. Tells her what’s going on. Suggests maybe now’s not a good time for Janie to get stuck in the dreams of random hospital visitors.
When they arrive at the ER, they’re ushered to a private room. Cabel grins. “I love this job,” he murmurs.
Janie is dehydrated. That’s all.
They give her an IV, and then Cabel takes her to his house. She sleeps a long time. He sleeps too, on the couch.
She blames it on the salty sea.
GLORY AND HOPE
December 16, 2005, 4:30 p.m.
Cabel and Janie sit in Captain’s office.
Captain comes in.
Closes the door.
Sits down behind her desk and takes a sip of coffee. Crosses her legs. Leans back in her chair and looks at the two teenagers.
“We got it,” she says. She smiles, and then laughs like she won the lottery.
And shoves an envelope toward Janie.
Inside:
a contract
a scholarship offer
a paycheck
“Read it over. Let me know if you’re interested,” Captain says.
And pauses.
“Good work, Janie.”
December 25, 2005, 1l:19 p.m.
Janie swipes the last bit of frosting from the cake at Heather Home, walks the rounds, says silent good-byes to the sleeping residents, and gives the director a grateful hug. She takes a red helium balloon from the cake table, turns, and walks out the door for the last time, slowly now, through the parking lot to Ethel.
Drives to her house, and sprints through the snow to his.
Opens the door.
Slips in.
He’s waiting, in his sleep, for her.
She slides into the dark shadow against his body. She kisses his shoulder. He takes her hand. Strings his fingers through hers. Holds on tightly.
And they are off, through the link of fingers.
Watching themselves, together.
Catching his dreams.
STILL AWAKE?
THERE’S MORE:
FADE
1:42 a.m.
Janie dreams in black and white.
She’s walking down Center at dusk. The weather is cool and rainy. Janie’s been here before, though she doesn’t know what town she’s in. She looks around excitedly at the corner by the Dry Goods store, but there is no young couple strolling arm in arm there.
“I’m here, Janie,” comes a soft voice from behind. “Come, sit with me.”
Janie turns around and sees Miss Stubin seated in her wheelchair next to a park bench along the street.
“Miss Stubin?”
The blind old woman smiles. “Ah, good. Fran has given you my notes. I’ve been hoping for you.”
Janie sits on the park bench, her heart thumping. She feels tears spring to her eyes and quickly blinks them away. “It’s good to see you again, Miss Stubin.” Janie slips her hand into Miss Stubin’s gnarled fingers.
“Yes, there you are, indeed.” Miss Stubin smiles. “Shall we get on with it, then?”
Janie’s puzzled. “Get on with it?”
“If you are here, then you must have agreed to work with Captain Komisky, as I did.”
“Does Captain know I’m having this dream?” Janie is confused.
Miss Stubin chuckles. “Of course not. You may tell her if you wish. Give her my fond regards if you do. But I’m here to fulfill a promise to myself. To be available to you, just as the one who taught me remained with me until I was fully prepared, fully knowledgeable about what my purpose was in life. I’m here to help you as best I can until you no longer need me.”
Janie’s eyes widen. No! she thinks, but she doesn’t say it. She hopes it takes a very long time before she no longer needs Miss Stubin.
“We’ll meet here now and then as you go through my case files and learn from my notes. When you have questions about my notes, return here. I trust you know how to find me again?”
Janie’s eyes widen. “Yes . . . you mean, direct myself to dream this again?”
Miss Stubin nods.
“Yes, I think I can do that. I’m sort of out of practice,” Janie says sheepishly.
“I know you can, Janie.” The old woman’s curled fingers tighten slightly around Janie’s hand. “Do you have an assignment from Captain?”
“Yes. We think there’s a teacher who is a sexual predator at Fieldridge High.”
Miss Stubin sighs. “Difficult. Be careful. And be creative—it may be tricky to find the right dreams to fall into. Keep up your strength. Be prepared for every opportunity to search out the truth. Dreams happen in the strangest places. Watch for them.”
“I . . . I will,” Janie says softly.
Miss Stubin cocks her head. “I must go now.” She smiles and fades away, leaving Janie alone on the bench.
2:27 a.m.
Janie’s eyes flutter and open. She stares at the ceiling in the dark and then flips on her bedside lamp.
Scribbles the dream in her notebook. Wow,
she thinks. Cool.
BUT WAIT, THERE’S MORE!
Lisa McMann presents
Janie—the way Cabel sees her . . .
October 14, 2005, 10:05 a.m.
“Good luck,” he says, his voice harsh. Cabel Strumheller shoves his way past classmates and off the bus, and enters the hotel in Stratford, Canada. Fuming. Still shaking a little. Eyes to the ground, not wanting to accidentally look at her, see if she’s coming.
He goes straight to his room and flops on the bed, staring at the ceiling. Three other guys let themselves in. They rummage around the room for a few minutes, but Cabe barely looks at them, barely acknowledges their presence. They don’t talk to him, either. What else is new?
Once his weekend roommates are gone, off to see the first play, Cabel rolls over on the hotel bed to think about things.
