[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]

was not alone.
Sam exhaled hard, his breathing coming to an abrupt halt as though dying all over,  Jill?
THE WAY
 Sam? she dropped the lantern that she grasped in her hand.  Oh&  she knelt to the ground where
she tried to grab the handle, fumbling as her hands shook.
We all faced each other, all frozen in either shock or curiosity. The young girl that had emerged was
no older than eighteen, but clearly not from the modern time either. She had long straight hair that
fell to her waist, brushing over her back as she stood and flipped it behind her. Her leather bell bot-
toms were a far cry from stylish, and her beaded necklace was painfully familiar to the stereotypes
of the late sixties.
 Sam, you know this woman? Margriete finally broke through the thick tension.
Sam turned his head to face Margriete but his eyes remained on the woman,  Yes, I do, he
breathed, his mouth moving as though it was not a part of his face.
Jill spoke then,  Sam I&  she blinked and took one step toward him,  I never thought I d see you
here.
Sam stepped forward as well, but kept his body back, as though frightened by her presence.  Er& 
he tilted his head, finding the words,  How are you?
Jill looked around her,  Well I& I was just awake a minute ago, I needed some water, but&  she
looked around again,  I must be dreaming again. She looked down at her body,  And I m young
again! she gasped, smiling like a child, her mind clearly in a fog.
 Dreaming? Sam uttered in disbelief.
Margriete and I looked at each other as her face lit up, remembering something.
 Jill, Margriete took one brave step toward her, placing one hand on the shoulder of her brown and
mustard colored polyester blouse,  You re human right?
Jill looked at Margriete sideways,  What do you mean? Of course I m human.
Margriete turned to face us.  She s dreaming, she stared at Sam.  I told you, this is the place hu-
mans come to dream, their perfect world so to speak.
Sam blinked hard,  Jill I&  he froze as Jill finally pressed past Margriete and ran into Sam s arms.
He closed his eyes and embraced her, Margriete and I now both completely confused, our mouths
gaping.
 Sam, who is this? Margriete finally hissed, her patience wearing thin.
I had known who this was as soon as Sam had said her name, but I hadn t found it appropriate to fill
Margriete in. I watched as Margriete s brows furled, a surprising hint of jealously crossing her eyes
as I let a sharp breath of amazement pass my lips, finding this moment a revelation into the hearts of
all things.
Sam opened his eyes and let go of Jill,  This is Jill, my love.
Margriete rolled her eyes and turned away, pretending not to care, though I knew that for some
strange reason she did.
Jill stared deep into Sam s eyes,  Oh Sam, you saved me, I never got the chance to thank you, to tell
you I loved you. Her face suddenly changed as though her mind had just forgotten what she had
said, showing that in the world of our dreams, things were not always clear.
I continued to gawk even though Margriete had given up. I was too taken by the moment and the
true love before me to let myself miss this. It was sad to see Sam in such a state, to see the one thing
that could ever make him falter.
He looked back at Jill who was looking around, confused and lost,  How did you come here?
She took a step back as though realizing where she was for the first time,  I am dreaming, aren t I?
She stumbled over a rock but Sam was quick to grab her arm and steady her.
Sam looked at Margriete for affirmation.
Margriete pulled herself together enough to nod. It didn t seem that Sam was picking up on Margri-
ete s jealousy, but I could understand why. His mind was likely too overwhelmed to even notice or
care.
An innocent smile grew across Sam s face, like a teenager in love,  Yes, I think you are.
Jill frowned.  I wish I weren t, she whispered, her voice sounding tired and distant and her gaze
falling to the ground.  Oh Sam, I think about you all the time.
Sam smiled,  Me too.
I laughed to myself, I had been right. Sam did have the capacity to feel after all, but he had hid it
from me in a metal cage within his heart.
 Oh, she cooed again,  I was in the most amazing place before&  her voice trailed off.  It was
like heaven.
Margriete grabbed Jill s hand,  Is that where you came from, through that cave? It seemed she had
settled her emotions and was trying to be civilized.
Jill slowly turned at looked at her, as though trying to find her through a thick fog. Her mind
worked hard to remember, but dreams were as such.  I think so, but I m not sure why I entered the
cave. She looked at Sam,  But I think I see why now.
The love between Sam and Jill was undeniable and I suddenly realized why he had done what he
did and why he had watched over her, even when she had chosen to love someone else.
Margriete s eyes lit up then,  That s our cave! She pointed toward where Jill had emerged,  We
need to go through there.
Jill looked stunned as she stared off into space.  Oh, she cried,  I think I m waking again.
Sam thrust himself toward her, his wings now exposed,  No Jill, don t go.
She gave him a rueful but surprised look.  Oh Sam, I never stopped loving you. You were always
my knight. She finally noticed his wings and gasped,  Oh Sam! Sam you re an angel!
Sam smiled,  All because of you my love.
Jill s long straight locks blew behind her then, as though in a vortex not our own. Fear crossed her
eyes,  I m falling Sam!
Sam wrapped his arms around her, engulfing her in his strength as he tried to keep her.  No& I can
save you Jill! The torn expression on his face struck fear into my heart and I helplessly watched as
the horrors of his past were relived.
 Jill began to scream then, her voice fading as her body began to disappear in the wind like particles
of sand.
Sweat coated Sam s brow, his body somehow alive and warm in her presence.  Come back Jill! he
yelled, but she was already gone. Sam fell to the ground as his knees cracked hard against the stone,
his face buried in his hands. Margriete and I approached with humble determination, placing one
hand on his back as we tried to bring him comfort.
 She was all I ever wanted, his voice was muffled and sad.
I rubbed his back as hard as I could in an attempt to help him feel.
His face twisted to face mine,  I see now Elle why you torture yourself. Why you are so determined
to find him. I remember the love now Elle, I remember... his voice trailed off into sobbing, his
large body shaking as Margriete and I tried all we could to help him. [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]