Another Dream
It was on my first night in Minas Tirith, curled up on the luxuriously soft bed, that I dreamed of home for a second time. It seemed to me that I stood once again on the hill to the west of my house. The sun rose over the mountains directly to my front, and as the morning mist lifted I could clearly see the house and stables. I saw no sign of the battle on the land, as I had in the last dream, so I knew that this dream took place before the other.
As I watched, I saw a young woman carrying a bag run up the drive to the house. A man and woman burst from the front door to meet her, hugging her and spinning her around. As is the gift of all dreamers, I could see and hear everything that happened although I stood some distance away. The older woman clung to the younger murmuring, "Cathy, Cathy."
Cathy squeezed her back. "Mama, I came as soon as I heard about Robbie. It's so awful. How are you doing?"
The man touched her head, "It's been lonely, little girl. Your mama has missed you somethin fierce. First Ben and Dan and Robbie leave, and then we find out that Robbie won't be comin back. And then your sister – "
Cathy backed up quickly, "What happened to Helen?" She looked at mother, "Mama?" No answer, "Papa?"
He sighed, "I guessed you mightn't have heard. Helen's gone, Cathy. No one knows where she is."
I wanted badly to shout at them, "I'm right here!" but the scene shifted to midday. It might have been the same day or it might have been weeks later. I could not tell. A tow-headed young boy sprinted through the pasture and vaulted the fence yelling, "The lists is here! Miz Wayfar! Miss Cathy! The lists has come! The lists has come!"
Mother and Cathy wrenched the door open and behaved as I had never seen those ladylike women behave before, grabbing the sheets of paper from the boy's hand. Mother scanned the names nervously as Cathy grabbed the boy's shoulder, "Nate Parker, run to the south field and tell Mr. Wayfar to come as quick as he can." Cathy had barely finished before the boy sprang from her grasp and ran to do her bidding. Cathy turned to find mother standing still as stone, all the sheets but one scattered on the ground about her. "Mother?"
"I can't look, Cathy. I just can't" Cathy took the last page from mother and clasped her hand.
"I'll look, Mama. I've seen too many casualty lists to let one more break my heart." She spoke bitterly, but Mama didn't rebuke her. She just hung onto Cathy's arm and lay her head on Cathy's shoulder. Cathy took a deep breath and read, "Tate, Teal, Turner, Turner, Vanderbilt, Van Hausen, Veal, Wanni, Washington…." She gasped and paused before going on, "Wayfar, Wayfar."
Mama lifted her head slowly, her face white as a sheet, "Two of them? Could there be other Wayfars? Oh to think that I would ever wish that some other woman would lose her sons."
Cathy shook her head, "No Mama. It says Daniel Wayfar and Benjamin Wayfar." For all her bravado her voice shook and she clenched her teeth.
Two tears ran down Mama's face. "First Robbie, then Helen, now Dan and Ben. Oh Cathy! How shall I bear it?" The two women clung to each other for support. For the second time in all these strange adventures I awoke with tears on my face.