Chapter 6 Candy's Dream/Nightmare

After a full nights rest Jeremy continued on to his journey. He was just walking with Brownie when he looked ahead on the trail. Squinting his eyes, he thought the sun was playing tricks on him. Brownie stopped and would not go farther'

Jeremy patted Brownie and held her close to him. He understood she was scared, she had either seen something or felt something. He looked down the trail and saw what Brownie had seen, it looked like the road was washed out. So, he decided that they could go another way, around his parent's cabin to get to where he wanted to go.

Back in Seattle, Candy went to see if Jeremy was home or at camp. When Jason answered the door she looked first.

"Candy? What are you doing here?" Jason asked her. She looked around him and almost walked into the cabin but stopped because Jason would not let her in the door.

"Miss Pruitt, Joshua is not dressed yet! And Jeremy is still on his camping trip!" Jason said loudly, so that Joshua would hurry up and dress.

"I am sorry Jason but I had a bad dream about Jeremy and I wanted to see if he was home yet?" She walked in when Jason finally invited her into the cabin. Joshua was just pouring his coffee and offered her a cup. She smiled and took it.

"Candy, It has only been a few days, we don't expect him until Saturday or maybe Sunday. Didn't he tell you it would be a week?" Joshua went and sat at the table with his coffee and a biscuit.

"Well, yes he did, but…" She stood up and walked to the window nervously. Placing her hands on the buffet and said:

"I know, but what I dreamed was so real, it was a nightmare!" Jason looked at her and said,

"Please sit at the table with us Candy and tell us about it!" Joshua nodded and grabbed the extra chair and had her sit down.

"It all started with me dreaming about Jeremy and I taking a walk. We found ourselves at your parent's cabin and we went inside. All of a sudden a strange wind was blowing. It got very dark and suddenly the door opened and something small and tiny ran into the cabin and under the bed. I stood behind Jeremy; he was standing there. The little creature, it looked like a little boy, almost the way Jeremy might have looked like when he was little. Then a large creature came into the doorway and said that it was going to eat the little boy! Then Jeremy had a sword and was fighting the monster!" She started to cry, because she was getting scared again and very anxious for Jeremy and the 'little boy'?

Jason went over to her and held her for a moment. Joshua got up and poured a fresh cup of coffee and then sat down again and looked at Candy and his brother. Jason let go of her and sat back in his seat and said:

"Miss Pruitt, Candy, that was only a nightmare. Jeremy is camping. He has gone camping by himself many a time before you showed up. I would be surprised if he doesn't go camping again after you are married. It is his way of relaxing and thinking!" Candy looked up and said:

"I know, that is one of the things he said that he likes to do. Sometimes there is too much commotion and it is hard to think so he needs to take a camping trip every now and then."

They sat there at the table when Swede came in and said:
"I think there is someone up at your old cabin, Jason!" Jason looked up at Swede and asked;

" is it Jeremy?" Swede looked at Jason and said:

"I think so, Brownie is there but there is another horse as well!" Joshua looked at Swede and asked:

"Does the other horse look familiar?"

"No, not really, it is a black horse, the eyes are very strange as well. I did not stay to find out." Swede answered unsure of what else to say.

"Oh, Jason, that black horse was in my nightmare! I think the creature who was after the little boy rode it!" Candy said then she said:

"Oh, Jeremy may be in danger! We have to go help him!" Joshua looked at Jason and then Jason said:

Candy, Stay here, inside the cabin. Don't go to the dormitory, and don't open the door to anyone!"
"What about Biddie?" Candy asked. Jason had a suspicion about what was happening but he did not want Candy to worry. He also did not need anyone else involved in this 'little problem!'

"No, not even Biddie!" She asked, thinking that if she was not back in time to help fix dinner, Biddie would come to find her.

"I don't think we will be gone that long. Just stay put, please! Jeremy would be very upset if you were hurt!" Joshua said, Jason looked at him and said:

"That is not helpful, Joshua!" Candy said:

"What do you mean hurt? Is Jeremy in some kind of danger?" She stood up and was ready to go out the door to look for him. Jason stood in front of her and did not let her leave the cabin.

"Candy, I know you are worried, we all are, maybe it is nothing, but if it is something, we need, … Jeremy needs you to be here safe and sound!"

Chapter 7 Images, Real and Unreal!

Candy was sitting alone in the Bolt Cabin, she had kept the door closed and locked, but she thought she heard a little child crying. She went to look out the window, when a large gust of wind blew across the porch and a tree branch almost struck the cabin she was in. The window rattled fiercely then it died down.

She went to sit by the fire. She would make sure the fire did not die down.

" If Jeremy was there he would probably be cold, maybe he was hurt as well?"

She thought to herself. Again, she heard what sounded like crying, or maybe a cat meowing? She decided to go look again. This time, the thunder sounded louder and lightning struck. The storm was not in Seattle, but it was very near. She took a candle and opened the door just a little, she saw a small child, huddled close to the door on the porch. She took the child in and placed it next to the fire to warm up. She brought some tea and helped to dry the child. She held the child for awhile to help it get warm. When it was warm she put it down on to Jason's chair since the child was small enough and there was no fear of it falling off the chair.

"What is your name?" Candy asked the 'child'

"Ghellie!" he said to her. She heard 'Jerry'! He did not correct her but let her believe it was 'Jerry'. He sat quietly for awhile and then started a Scottish lullaby that put Candy to sleep. He then got down from the chair, he placed a branch, leaf and twig on the floor and created what looked like a small child. Next he took a lock of Candy's hair and placing that on his head, he transformed himself into a copy of Candy. He then went to where the wagon was kept and brought it around. Biddie was coming quickly to the Bolt Cabin when she saw 'Candy'.

"Candy, Candy, we need to get to the dorm now, the storm is about to hit us!" Biddie shouted above another clap of Thunder. The creature, maintaining its disguise said:

"Biddie I have to find Jason; this little boy needs him! I am going up to the old cabin, Jeremy is up there!"

"Oh, okay, then I will make sure that the door is locked to the Bolt Cabin, don't want any wind and water coming in!" She said as she went to the Bolt cabin. 'Candy' and the 'boy' got on the wagon and were out of town before Biddie had time to get to the door of the cabin. She went to the cabin to close the door. She saw a funny looking bundle near the fire and decided that it should be pulled away from the fire before it caught fire.

At the logging camp, Jason had gathered up some of the men to come with him, he wasn't sure what was happening and decided that it was better to have too much help than no help at all.

"Swede, you said both brownie and a black horse were in the stall?" Jason asked as they prepared to go up to his parent's cabin.

"Yes I did. That is why I came to get you?"

"Well, sometimes we have people coming through who need to shelter in the cabin. If Jeremy is with them, maybe everything is okay. We can go there and aske if they need anything." Joshua came up with a couple of bags of food and blankets and said:

"There seems to be a storm starting up, I thought I would gather some food and blankets in case there was a need for them. We don't usually have a storm this time of year, not with lightning anyway!"

Jason did not comment, but he did make note of that, this was unusual with a storm this time of year. They got on their horses and rode out to the cabin. Once they got there, they looked to see if they could get to the cabin. The storm winds had torn down many trees and the trail to the cabin had been blocked. They got off their horse and went by foot. As they approached the cabin, the sky grew darker, there was much more lightning now and thunder. In fact, when Joshua looked to the sky, he thought he saw two swords clashing. He shook his head and decided that it was just a trick of the light.

Biddie ran screaming to Aaron that afternoon. She had moved what she thought was a bundle of stuff and found out it was Candy. Aaron came and looked in the Bolt's cabin.

"Miss Cloom, can you tell me all that happened?" Aaron asked her as he sat down after they had put Candy on Jeremy's bed. She was breathing, and okay, he had checked to be sure that no bruises or bones had been broken. Biddie sat on the chair, drinking some water and said:

"Oh, my Aaron, can I have something a little stronger than water?" Aaron looked at her and said:

"Yes, after you tell me what happened, then we can go to Lottie's." as he said that he looked at her annoyed at her because she was always telling gossip but this wasn't gossip and needed to be taken seriously.

"Well, alright!" she said and then she said:

"I was coming to get Candy so we could get dinner started. I was surprised to see the wagon was hitched up and ready to go and there was this strange little boy, I had never seen him before. I asked her if she was going to the dormitory and she said she was going up to the Bolt's parent's cabin. She said that the boy needed to see Jason. I then said okay and told her I would lock the door for her. She left very quickly because when I turned around to say something else, she was gone!" Biddie said and sipped some more water.

"Then what did you do, when you came into the cabin?" Aaron asked her
"I was going to lock the door but I noticed a bundle too close to the fire, so I went over to move it and well, it moved and I pulled the blankets back and it was Candy! Do you suppose I saw a ghost?" Biddie said as she stood up and went over to the buffet and found Jason's whiskey. She poured herself a drink and offered it to Aaron who shook his head 'no'.

"I then ran out and went to your home to get you. I hope someone hasn't kidnapped Jeremy or the Bolt Brothers?" Biddie said in alarm. There was a sound of horses hoofs and a wagon coming back to the cabin.