tion>
Quilt of Dreams
by
Michael A. Markey
Copyright 2011 Michael A. Markey,
All rights reserved.
Published in eBook format by eBookIt.com
ISBN-13: 978-1-4566-0076-1
No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means including information storage and retrieval systems, without permission in writing from the author. The only exception is by a reviewer, who may quote short excerpts in a review.
DREAMS CHANGE LIVES.
They are a part of you. Dreams visit in your sleep late at night and slip into your life, usually when you least suspect. You have no control over the when, or if, it’s about to happen. And, often you don’t even remember them by morning. And sometimes that’s okay, for they can scare the dickens out of you as the dream takes place.
But other times – for good or for bad – they become a part of you forever.
And so it is with young Kristen Marsh. She dreams too – dreams brought on by a strange power within. For most of us our dreams mean nothing. But for Kristen they are special, affecting the lives of those around her. Are they beautiful dreams? Do they make the world a better place in the end? Or will they reveal deep dark family secrets in these learning moments in the night, secrets that destroy lives?
Ten-year-old Kristen Marsh is about to find out.
It is all in what you touch, Kristen – all in what you touch.
CHAPTER 1: NO MORE SCHOOL
“Hey, listen to this, guys. C’mon, it is so cool.”
The chatter on the school bus stopped for the moment. Everyone recognized the piercing voice of little Ryan Marsico, the neighborhood bigmouth of Limestone Way.
“Thirteen days. Thirteen days. I won’t see Miss Louden for thirteen days. C’mon, everybody…help me out now.”
All the kids joined in.
“Thirteen days. Thirteen days. He won’t see Miss Louden for thirteen days.” His fellow students repeated the chant, only a little louder this time. “Thirteen days. Thirteen days. He won’t see Miss Louden for thirteen days.”
“Lucky for her, kid. And I won’t see you for thirteen days either,” bus driver Mister Owen muttered to himself as the chant continued, all the way to the next stop. “Sometimes I just don’t understand these kids, with all their stinking noise.”
Normally he would raise a fuss about distractions, and then give the big sermon about how it made safe driving impossible for him. But after all, this was the last school day before their Christmas break, so why not give them a chance to let off a little steam on the way home. Mister Owen simply gave a sigh, took another relaxing sip from his convenience store coffee cup, pulled the folding door shut and continued to his next stop.
What a great day for Kristen Marsh: December twenty-third, and school was over until the Monday after New Year’s Day. She could simply not wait to be on her Christmas vacation, off for big holiday adventures with her good friends up and down the block. It wasn’t that she didn’t like school and Miss Finnegan, her teacher – because she was a good student, really - especially in reading and writing for she loved to use her imagination in those subjects. But it was time to put away the nasty old books until 2009, and just play for a few days.
Kristen felt very much at home in her neighborhood just five miles outside Philadelphia. Across the street lived her curly blonde-haired best friend Katie Weber, who was also in Miss Finnegan’s class. Since she (Katie) moved in three years ago, the “K” sisters, as they were called, did nearly everything together. They went for long bike rides around the block, the girls shared computer time at Kristen’s house, and sometimes they even got into trouble side by side. Like the time the two of them strayed off from Katie’s mother while shopping at the mall – just not paying attention while her mom was in the changing room – which nearly got them left behind in a Macy’s one scary Saturday evening at the King of Prussia Mall. Thank goodness for some very considerate (and forgiving) security ladies who finally discovered them off in a dark corner of the Kids Department.
Mostly though, they were good ten-year-old girls who enjoyed their days with each other. And for the next thirteen of them there was no school to keep them from having fun at home. Kristen’s family would simply make a quick trip to her grandparent’s home upstate in Pennsylvania for Christmas, and then it was back to 443 Limestone Way again for the rest of the holiday with friends.
The bright orange-and- black school bus came to a halt down the street from Kristen’s house. Neighborhood kids clambered out, laughing and screaming, some still singing the songs they learned for the Christmas play that was performed earlier this morning. Making things even better, skies were cloudy. Maybe – just maybe – there would be snow for Christmas, and not just a wimpy coating to make the sidewalks slippery. How many years has it been since there were a few inches of snow on the ground this time in December?
“Merry Christmas, Kristen,” said Katie as she gave her best friend a mighty hug right there on the sidewalk in front of the Marsh home. “I’ll miss you so much!”
“Oh it’s not all that long. My parents said we’re coming back the day after Christmas, you know.”
“Yeah, but even two days seems like almost forever.”
“I’ll tell Mom to call and talk about sleepovers when I get back.”
“Remember now; don’t open my present until Christmas morning. I know you, Kristen. You won’t wait, will you?”
“Oh, you can trust me. I can wait until Christmas morning,” she replied with fingers crossed behind her back.
“Call me while you’re away, okay?”
“I know Grandma will let me do that. See you in a few days, Katie.”
Kristen dashed inside the house and pulled off her snug pink winter coat, along with the scarf of crazy bright froggy designs. She hung them on one of the hooks to the left of the front door.
“Mom - where are you?”
“In the laundry room, dear. How was school today?”
“All kinds of fun. We did great in the play. Johnny Stover didn’t get anything wrong when he sang his solo. But then, I knew he wouldn’t.” Kristen thought Johnny S. was kind of “cool”, even if he was one of those boys who didn’t have a clue there were girls in his class.
“That’s wonderful, Kristen. Ready for your after-school snack?”
“What do we have?”
“On a cold day like this, would a hot cup of cocoa warm you up?”
“With marshmallows and some of your snicker doodles?”
“Coming
