In Your Dreams
Part One
The cool purple light reflected a warm summer sunset on the glassy surface of the lake. The blazing reds and purples matched the blazing feelings of love and passion blooming inside her. The scent of pine and warm grass enveloped them, relaxing her mind and body. She let out a happy sigh and cuddled closer to her love as a light mist blanketed their feet dangling in the water. Her love leaned over to murmur sweet nothings into her ear.
"Brrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrriiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiinnnnnnnnnnnnnnnngggggggggggggggggg"
Rebecca closed her eyes tighter trying to block out the shrill ringing of he alarm clock. Groaning she rolled onto her stomach and covered her head with a pillow, trying desperately to hold on to the dream she'd been having. It was such a good dream and she had felt so safe and loved.
Grunting defeat she rolled out of bed, shut off her alarm, and started her morning routine. She showered, dressed, woke and dressed Molly, ate breakfast, walked Molly to school, then waved a taxi and started for Higher for Hire her air cargo business.
She sighed as she thought of the stresses awaiting her at work. Customers whining about late cargo, the ever growing mound of paperwork, the bills for maintenance on the company plane, The Sea Duck. When she started the business a year ago she had no idea how hard it would actually be. At the time she had though that her new life would be full of success, adventure, and romance. Not stress and paperwork.
Groaning she slumped back in her seat, stared out the car window, and let her mind drift back to the dream. She had been having dreams like this on a regular basis for the past five months. She didn't know who was in the dream with her, he was dream blurry and she always woke before he could say any thing. Still they left her feeling safe and happy.
"All in all," She said to her self, "I'd say that that is a pretty good way to start a day" She propped her head on her fist and continued to stare out the window at the bright sunny morning "Perhaps today won't be so bad after all"
***
Sixteen hours later, Midnight Higher for Hire.
Her day hadn't been bad, it had been horrible. And it just didn't seem to want to end.
The clouds had been gathering all day, and now the raging storm outside matched her mood exactly. Pacing in circles around her office, Rebecca glared at the clock with unbridled fury.
"If time doesn't pass more quickly I'm going to throw the stupid thing out the window" she growled to herself, hating the unbending clock which had only moved a minute since the last time she scowled in its direction.
" If that fat, lazy irresponsible bear isn't back here in the next ten minutes I'm going to fire him, then I'm going to throttle him, then I'm gong to… to…. tie him to an ant hill!" This bit of rage brought a small smile. She did enjoy the thought of torturing her pilot. She would never carry her sadistic thought to actions, but she did love to let her imagination punish him for his habitual tardiness.
"He's probably off at some party having the time of his life, while I'm stuck here with angry customers who need their deliveries made". She stopped pacing and pounded her fist on her open palm, "I am so sick of him wasting my time" Fuming she continued her pacing.
"How many times have I told him more time means more customers more customers means more money, and money is everything. No," She corrected herself turning to her sleeping seven year old daughter, "Money is nice but it is not everything"
She couldn't bear to leave her daughter with the babysitter for yet another night this week. That was again Baloos fault she thought of that and resumed her scowl. He came back late each cargo run he made for the last two weeks. Snarling she resumed pacing. It was only her daughter's presence that kept her from jumping into Cape Suzette Harbor, swimming all the way to Louie's and beating Baloo with is own bongo's. She smiled at the mental picture. "I could probably do it too" she mumbled "I know I'm angry enough!"
She glared at the clock. Five minutes had passed. Strangling him and leaving his unconscious body on an ant hill just wasn't good enough anymore, She'd have to think of something better"
Again she glared at the clock. Six minutes. "Hmmmmmmmm maybe I'll fire him beat him, then strangle him them leave him to in Thembria to freeze…in jail!" She snarled. She glowered at the clock, seven minutes had passed and she had worked herself into a true fury. The kind that blocked out all reason.
The sound of an approaching airplane broke into her rage. Shaking with fury she threw open the door, stalked out side, and watched the airplane, her airplane, land in front of her. As soon as the door opened she let out a bellow that would have made even the most sinister of harpies proud.
"BAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAALLLLOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! What stupid excuse do you have for me this time. This is the third time this wee-"She froze mid rant when she saw that it was not Baloo that come out of the plane but a stranger.
He was a rather lean badger not much taller than she but muscular and tough looking, with a distinguished way of carrying himself despite his tattered and damp clothes.
Quickly changing gears she demanded "What is the meaning of this?! Who are you? Where is Baloo? Where's Kit?" The latter two questions were immediately answered when a large grey bear and a smaller brown bear cub exited the airplane looking dazed and mumbling incoherently. Without even glancing at the shocked, silent Rebecca, Kit and Baloo walked stiffly into Higher for Hire.
Suddenly at a loss for air, she stumble back and sat down hard on the dock. Recovering herself almost immediately she stood up brushed at her now wet clothes, and addressed the mysterious badger in front of her. "What happened? Who are you? Why did you come here?"
The badger did nothing at first but stare at the apparently deranged woman standing before him, getting soaked in the rain. After a few agonizing moments he finally spoke "Perhaps Madam," He said in a posh slightly accented voice "We should discuss this inside"
In control of herself again she escorted him inside, asked the badger politely to sit down then excused herself. She moved Molly upstairs so that the conversation she intended to have would not wake her. She tucked molly in on a big chair in the boy's bedroom. She thought briefly that it might be wiser to leave molly down stairs because Baloo's loud snores would surely wake her. She jerked in surprise when she noticed that Baloo was not snoring. She turned and looked at her pilot and navigator and saw that neither was sleeping. They were simply lying on their beds staring blankly at the ceiling. Now she was really worried.
She loitered upstairs, stealing a few minutes to analyze the situation and completely compose her thoughts. It did not look good. She decided the best thing to do was to try and sort this mess out, "That man down stairs must know what happened" she told herself "I'll talk to him then see what I can do with these two". She cast another worried glance at Baloo and Kit still staring at the ceiling like zombies, and then headed downstairs.
"Now, I want some answers," She demanded upon entering her office "Starting with who you are and what happened"
" I," said the Badger shifting in chair to meet Rebecca's gaze "am Jack Calloway, and as to what happened," He paused reaching in his jacket pocket to pull out his pipe, "I am not entirely sure of myself"
Part One
The cool purple light reflected a warm summer sunset on the glassy surface of the lake. The blazing reds and purples matched the blazing feelings of love and passion blooming inside her. The scent of pine and warm grass enveloped them, relaxing her mind and body. She let out a happy sigh and cuddled closer to her love as a light mist blanketed their feet dangling in the water. Her love leaned over to murmur sweet nothings into her ear.
"Brrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrriiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiinnnnnnnnnnnnnnnngggggggggggggggggg"
Rebecca closed her eyes tighter trying to block out the shrill ringing of he alarm clock. Groaning she rolled onto her stomach and covered her head with a pillow, trying desperately to hold on to the dream she'd been having. It was such a good dream and she had felt so safe and loved.
Grunting defeat she rolled out of bed, shut off her alarm, and started her morning routine. She showered, dressed, woke and dressed Molly, ate breakfast, walked Molly to school, then waved a taxi and started for Higher for Hire her air cargo business.
She sighed as she thought of the stresses awaiting her at work. Customers whining about late cargo, the ever growing mound of paperwork, the bills for maintenance on the company plane, The Sea Duck. When she started the business a year ago she had no idea how hard it would actually be. At the time she had though that her new life would be full of success, adventure, and romance. Not stress and paperwork.
Groaning she slumped back in her seat, stared out the car window, and let her mind drift back to the dream. She had been having dreams like this on a regular basis for the past five months. She didn't know who was in the dream with her, he was dream blurry and she always woke before he could say any thing. Still they left her feeling safe and happy.
"All in all," She said to her self, "I'd say that that is a pretty good way to start a day" She propped her head on her fist and continued to stare out the window at the bright sunny morning "Perhaps today won't be so bad after all"
***
Sixteen hours later, Midnight Higher for Hire.
Her day hadn't been bad, it had been horrible. And it just didn't seem to want to end.
The clouds had been gathering all day, and now the raging storm outside matched her mood exactly. Pacing in circles around her office, Rebecca glared at the clock with unbridled fury.
"If time doesn't pass more quickly I'm going to throw the stupid thing out the window" she growled to herself, hating the unbending clock which had only moved a minute since the last time she scowled in its direction.
" If that fat, lazy irresponsible bear isn't back here in the next ten minutes I'm going to fire him, then I'm going to throttle him, then I'm gong to… to…. tie him to an ant hill!" This bit of rage brought a small smile. She did enjoy the thought of torturing her pilot. She would never carry her sadistic thought to actions, but she did love to let her imagination punish him for his habitual tardiness.
"He's probably off at some party having the time of his life, while I'm stuck here with angry customers who need their deliveries made". She stopped pacing and pounded her fist on her open palm, "I am so sick of him wasting my time" Fuming she continued her pacing.
"How many times have I told him more time means more customers more customers means more money, and money is everything. No," She corrected herself turning to her sleeping seven year old daughter, "Money is nice but it is not everything"
She couldn't bear to leave her daughter with the babysitter for yet another night this week. That was again Baloos fault she thought of that and resumed her scowl. He came back late each cargo run he made for the last two weeks. Snarling she resumed pacing. It was only her daughter's presence that kept her from jumping into Cape Suzette Harbor, swimming all the way to Louie's and beating Baloo with is own bongo's. She smiled at the mental picture. "I could probably do it too" she mumbled "I know I'm angry enough!"
She glared at the clock. Five minutes had passed. Strangling him and leaving his unconscious body on an ant hill just wasn't good enough anymore, She'd have to think of something better"
Again she glared at the clock. Six minutes. "Hmmmmmmmm maybe I'll fire him beat him, then strangle him them leave him to in Thembria to freeze…in jail!" She snarled. She glowered at the clock, seven minutes had passed and she had worked herself into a true fury. The kind that blocked out all reason.
The sound of an approaching airplane broke into her rage. Shaking with fury she threw open the door, stalked out side, and watched the airplane, her airplane, land in front of her. As soon as the door opened she let out a bellow that would have made even the most sinister of harpies proud.
"BAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAALLLLOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! What stupid excuse do you have for me this time. This is the third time this wee-"She froze mid rant when she saw that it was not Baloo that come out of the plane but a stranger.
He was a rather lean badger not much taller than she but muscular and tough looking, with a distinguished way of carrying himself despite his tattered and damp clothes.
Quickly changing gears she demanded "What is the meaning of this?! Who are you? Where is Baloo? Where's Kit?" The latter two questions were immediately answered when a large grey bear and a smaller brown bear cub exited the airplane looking dazed and mumbling incoherently. Without even glancing at the shocked, silent Rebecca, Kit and Baloo walked stiffly into Higher for Hire.
Suddenly at a loss for air, she stumble back and sat down hard on the dock. Recovering herself almost immediately she stood up brushed at her now wet clothes, and addressed the mysterious badger in front of her. "What happened? Who are you? Why did you come here?"
The badger did nothing at first but stare at the apparently deranged woman standing before him, getting soaked in the rain. After a few agonizing moments he finally spoke "Perhaps Madam," He said in a posh slightly accented voice "We should discuss this inside"
In control of herself again she escorted him inside, asked the badger politely to sit down then excused herself. She moved Molly upstairs so that the conversation she intended to have would not wake her. She tucked molly in on a big chair in the boy's bedroom. She thought briefly that it might be wiser to leave molly down stairs because Baloo's loud snores would surely wake her. She jerked in surprise when she noticed that Baloo was not snoring. She turned and looked at her pilot and navigator and saw that neither was sleeping. They were simply lying on their beds staring blankly at the ceiling. Now she was really worried.
She loitered upstairs, stealing a few minutes to analyze the situation and completely compose her thoughts. It did not look good. She decided the best thing to do was to try and sort this mess out, "That man down stairs must know what happened" she told herself "I'll talk to him then see what I can do with these two". She cast another worried glance at Baloo and Kit still staring at the ceiling like zombies, and then headed downstairs.
"Now, I want some answers," She demanded upon entering her office "Starting with who you are and what happened"
" I," said the Badger shifting in chair to meet Rebecca's gaze "am Jack Calloway, and as to what happened," He paused reaching in his jacket pocket to pull out his pipe, "I am not entirely sure of myself"