The sky was already darkening when Lottie let Teddy out for his run. The wind howled through the trees, and little droplets of rain began to fall. The earth was fragrant with the primitive scent she loved. She drank it inthe smell of the damp earth combined with the scent of pineelixir. Teddy bounded out and she closed the door.
The pinging of the rain as it fell on the metal roof had a soothing effect. Lottie sat at the old dough box table with a pad and a pen, willing herself to relax. She closed her eyes, felt her body go limp. Breathing deeply, she allowed her mind to wander to a pleasant place as She drifted into an alpha state. Suddenly, the pen began to move across the paper. Lottie watched as the old-fashioned script wrote,
Lottie, come home. It's time. You are needed here. There is something you must do . . .
A persistent scratching at the door and Teddys urgent barking broke her concentration. The pen stopped flowing as abruptly as it had begun. Rain was coming down in torrents when the dog rushed in nearly knocking her down. The wailing of the wind as it moved through the pines gave her goose bumps.
She closed and bolted the door. After shed dried and fed the dog she returned to the table and picked up the paper.
It's time to come home? What does that mean? I am home. Who are you? What do you want to tell me?
She dropped the paper on the table and pressed her hand against her throbbing temple.
Paul may be right, I probably am coming down with something. Ill take a warm bath, have a nice hot toddy and read for a while.
Later, absorbed in the first Lotties journal, the violence of a nearby lightning strike startled her. The kitchen light flickered and died. Simultaneously, a loud banging emanated from the upstairs bedroom. She sat for a moment, collecting herself.
The oil lamp, she thought. She set the journal on the table and felt her way to the sideboard. Taking matches from the drawer she lit the wick and replaced the glass chimney. With the lamp in her hand, she headed for the stairs to investigate.
The house had never seemed spooky to her as it did to Paul, but with the storm, the darkness and the banging coming from upstairs it took on a mysterious air. She climbed the curving, narrow stairs with Teddy close behind.
She stood on the landing holding the lantern aloft and surveyed the main room. It felt cold and damp. As shed thought, the window had blown open. The curtains billowed into the room as if possessed. Lottie set the lamp on the dresser and reached out to grasp the flapping window. The rain clawed at her face as she struggled against the wind. Using both hands she pulled it closed and latched it.
The soft light from the lamp lent a hypnotic quality to the room. Lottie shivered from the cold and pulled a quilt off the bed, wrapping it around herself. She sat in the old rocker, tucking her feet up under her. Content to be wherever his mistress was, Teddy curled up on the overflow of the quilt.
Lottie admired the beauty of the room as she rocked. In the borning room, a small alcove off the main bedroom, an 1800's cradle that had rocked generations of Slocum infants now held a collection of Lotties old Teddy bears.
The magnificent walnut tester bed had been hand crafted by her great- great- great grandfather, Elihu, a wedding present to his wife, Cornelia in 1849. For some reason she couldnt fathom Paul had an aversion to the room, refusing to sleep there. Yet for her it held a special charm.
The faint scent of rose potpourri blended with the smell of aged wood. As she rocked contentedly, her thoughts drifted back to the cryptic message. If she tried it again, would it work? If it did, would the message be continued? The psychics prophetic words reverberated in her ears:
You have a mission, but you must work hard to find out what it is. Only then will you know true joy.
How was she supposed to know what her mission was, if indeed, she had one?
Feeling suddenly sleepy, Lottie stood. Unsteady on her feet she felt herself falling and reached for the bedpost.
Whoathe hot toddy must have been more potent than I thought. She saw Teddy watching her.
Theres no reason we have to go downstairs, is there Teddy? Youre not scared up here, are you? He cocked his head at the sound of her voice.
Let the wind blow where it will. She turned down the wick of the lamp, lifted the coverlet and nestled in the warmth of the down quilts. Not waiting to be invited, Teddy jumped up and settled on the foot of the bed. He snuggled against the footboard, warming Lottie's cold feet. Within minutes she fell into a deep sleep.
The wind moaned and shuddered through the trees like a creature in pain. Intermittent flashes of lightning alternately lit the room then left it in darkness, culminating in angry crashes of thunder. Rain lashed the window without mercyand still Lottie slept.
The mist enveloped the tunnel and swirled around her, lifting and carrying her forward. Her feet floated over the mire as she moved ever closer to the light. The voice called to her, Come, Lottie. Come home. Feeling light as air she came to the mouth of the tunnel. A woman, bathed in dazzling light pointed.
There. Lottie turned to look. A house began to take shape in the mist. She turned back toward the woman who nodded, urging her on. She glided up the steps and the door swung open. As she floated across the threshold, her heart swelled with boundless joy. She had come home at last.
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