Following are excerpts from the book:
Later when
they were driving home in the van, Jeff could tell Dwight was still troubled by
the explanation he’d given him about the attack on Quint. After all, it was a lot to swallow, even for
a fantasy gamer like Dwight. And maybe
the more he thought about it, the more he realized how outrageous it
sounded. Why should anyone believe such
crap? How could anyone believe
it? There were irrefutable laws of
physics, and what Jeff claimed to do had violated all of them.
Jeff
suddenly hated what was happening to his life.
He was changing, becoming more serious and reserved. And it wasn’t just because of his
paralysis. It was because of his mom’s
death, his Uncle Hank and the traveling dreams - everything. It was all making him more internal, more
secretive. He wasn’t the same boy he was
when he and Dwight first met as freshmen.
Now he was different, very different, and he wouldn’t blame his friend
if he decided to cut him loose. After
all, who would want to put up with such drama.
If their roles were reversed, he wasn’t sure he would.
So far,
neither boy had talked on the ride home, then suddenly Dwight said, “How come
you didn’t tell Klein what you told me?”
Jeff
shrugged, watching the road ahead. “I
didn’t think it was the time.”
“But you
told me.”
“Yeah - I
did.“ He thought a moment, then said,
“You’re my best friend. I needed to
confide in someone. I figured you
wouldn’t automatically tell me I’m crazy - at least not at first.” He turned to Dwight, trying to read his face. “I don’t expect you to buy into it
completely. I know I’ve got to prove it
some way…and I will. Just give me a
chance.”
Dwight began
shaking his head
“Dude -
you’re kinda weirding me out,” he admitted.
“It’s creepy. I mean, how can you
leave…how can you be…outside of yourself?
And don’t say it’s like Dream Masters. You ain’t no video game.”
Jeff
sighed. Nothing he said would make any
sense, and he knew it.
***********
He said,
“This thing that happened - it’s going to change everything.”
Jeff didn’t
reply, and slowly wheeled himself to the table.
Hank took another pull from his water, studying the boy.
“Since your
dad disappeared, I’ve worked hard to make sure you were protected,” he went
on. “But an incident like the one on
Saturday can make that harder. There are
people who are…well, you have to be careful, Jeff. You understand that, don’t you?”
Jeff didn’t
reply at first. After what happened
outside Reese Perry’s trailer, he and his uncle had spent a quiet day on Sunday
mostly avoiding each other. They didn’t
say much of anything. It was as though
they knew they needed time to think.
Something new had come crashing into their lives, and there was a lot to
absorb. Everything was different. Even things that always seemed normal looked
skewed somehow.
Now Hank
seemed ready to talk. Jeff wondered if
he had made some decision, and what it would be. He knew what he thought should be the next
step, but he wasn’t sure his uncle would agree.
Finally, he
said, “Uncle Hank, my dad is alive. I’m
sure of it. I need to try to reach him,
to let him know we want to help him.”
The big man
stared at his water bottle, looking troubled.
“How can you
be sure of what you’ve seen? That it’s
really him being held somewhere, and not just a dream?”
The boy
shook his head. “I wasn’t sure
before. I admit it. But now, knowing what you told me about mom,
and knowing what happened on Saturday…it just has to be dad. I can feel it. I know I was there…with him…in that room.”
Hank closed
his eyes and sighed deeply.
“Even if
that’s true, what do you expect to do?
James could be anywhere. It’ll be
impossible to find him.”
“But I need
to try,” Jeff argued. “I need to get
back there somehow - to be where he is - and listen to conversations, maybe
look for something that can tell me his location, a landmark or something.”
Hank took
another swallow of water, then screwed the cap back on the bottle. Jeff felt himself grow anxious, and wondered
if his uncle really understood how important his dad was to him. He saw his face settle in thought, hoping it
was a sign of agreement.
Jeff said,
“He’s alive, Uncle Hank. And you know
that. I can tell.”
Hank looked
at him soberly.
“I want to
believe it - yes.” He stood and carried
the water back to the refrigerator, then turned back to his nephew. “But what does it matter, Jeff? What you’ve experienced so far has
been…random. You admit yourself you have
no control. How do you expect to target
the next event? In order to find your
dad, you have to be able to…navigate some way.
You’ve never done that before.”
Jeff thought
about this, and realized his uncle was right.
There was no way to know when he would travel next, or where it
would take him. The dreams he thought he
was having of his father weren’t planned.
They just happened. But why? What had caused them in the first place? And the incident at Reese Perry’s house. Why had that happened? Was it the sight of his friends being
beaten? Was it his own rage that had
triggered something? How had that
worked? And how could he ever plan such
an event in the future?
He felt
defeated, thoroughly frustrated, and it must have shown on his face. The next thing he knew Hank had pulled up a
chair next to him, and had a hand on his arm.
“Jeff, you
need to take a step back. Maybe it’s
best to take things slow, see what happens from here on - not get too far ahead
of yourself.”
Yes, of
course, thought Jeff. It was the same
old advice. The same old Uncle Hank
telling him to be cautious, to resist temptation. The man with the one-track mind. Be careful.
Be safe. Think before
acting. All the bullshit stuff. What was his problem? Hadn’t he ever been young? Hadn’t he ever been impulsive, or passionate
about anything? Couldn’t he understand
what Jeff felt?
“Look,” the
big man went on. “I know of a woman - a
professor at Ridgemont University - not far from here. She knew your mom and dad. I’ve spoken with her a few times since James
disappeared - and once since…since the accident. I think she might be able to help. If you let her, maybe she can give you some
answers - open some doors.”
Jeff
realized he was gripping his chair so tightly his fingers had gone numb. What did he say? Had he heard his uncle right? He looked over at him, his stomach churning
with anticipation.
“What -
? Who is she?” he asked.
“Her name is
Dr. Sharon Xavier,” Hank answered.
“She’s a clinical psychologist.
She’s familiar with your dad’s research - with CIEP.” He hesitated before going on. “If we meet with her and you tell her about
your dreams - the traveling - she
might have some insights that can help you.”
“You’ve
known about her all this time?”
Hank
sighed. “Yes. But I wasn’t sure - it wasn’t until recently
that I felt I should call on her to help.
She’s a busy lady. She has her
classes and her research. I’m not sure
how much time we can get with her. But I
think it might be worth it.”
DREAM TRAVELER, coming October 5, 2012
An Amazon e-book.
Available now at Amazon:
www.amazon.com/dp/B003YOSYHK www.amazon.com/dp/B004RJ81LU
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