IN APRIL LIKE IN SPRING

 

  

A Novel

 

IN APRIL LIKE IN SPRING

 

There upon his lonely bed he'd made

Was he in sorrow and in angry laid

Waiting upon this dream to quit,

In this youthful time of his life.

 

In daytime seemed his life so fair,

But nighttime brought these awful scenes.

And then it came for him on one night,

Hidden in his mind so deep:

 

It was then he said upon his bed,

"I must if I am ever to sleep:

To put away this awful dream

That lands upon me in so great this anguish.

 

“It has to be another way than this,”

He said upon his lonely bed.

“Is there not another dream more dear?”

Then it came to him on a pleasant sunny day

In April, like in spring: That dream so fair.

 

So he laid there in his sleep,

Now in dreaming he had heard so clear

So like awake, so much alive,

Like in April, like the spring.

 

“Come and drop this veil born out of fear,”

Said the dream, “and bring you here to yourself

In those colors, oh so fine.

Bring me you in being you."

That's all it took and it was through.

 

All those times of dreadful dreams.

All the suffering there for him,

That had lasted, oh so long, was gone,

And now it's April, like in spring.

 

April 2007                                                                      

Preface

                                                                             

 

This work was conceived from the poem, In April, Like in Spring originally written by the author in 1992 and rewritten for the beginning note of this novel. This novel is about the dreams and visions people have who live in our world with their special powers and talents; who contribute to our society in a special way, albeit mostly misunderstood. Dreams like many parts of our life and existence come to us from some source that is little understood, but much studied.  Dreams for some people are playbacks of past happenings. For others they are unexplainable incidents that seem to have no relationship to the dreamer’s life.  For some people dreams come over and over and never seem to end.  For others dreams are things that set them up for what they must do the next day or week or year.  Dreams seem to foresee or predict the future for some people and are relied upon for direction and guidance in their lives.  Some dreams are haunting memories of things gone awry in people’s lives and continue to pester those dreamers, driving them mad with anguish and fear. Others are true celebrations of life’s successes put away there in our heads and replayed in this dream world of ours.

 

For some special people dreams are an escape from life–a way of getting away from reality. These dreams may come anytime, when a person is sleeping or awake. Some people call others who have these awake-time dreams “Daydreamers” and they are talked about in society as strange or crazy citizens who shouldn’t live in society’s world. But daydreamers are also at times inventors and innovators of things that need to be done or they are facilitators of changes that need to be made. These people daydream in positive ways that helps them come to grips with problems, or assists them in solving problems and coming up with new ideas. Though their results may often be very positive, people see these daydreamers as strange or eccentric, but none the less, they contribute to society’s improvements and changes.

 

Dreamers, people who fantasize, daydreamers, clairvoyants, psychics, channelers and seers all fall into the same realm of people whose actions cannot be adequately explained by science; who are often cast off from society for not fitting the mold; who are seen as strange or eccentric. But they all play a part in our society, though their lives may be different. Clairvoyants, psychics, channelers, and seers often make a good living from capitalizing on their talents, and some even play a role in society working with investigative authorities. But no matter what may be said of all these people’s actions, they all play a role in our society and all have a relationship somehow to all of us. 

 

Most people have at one time or other dreamt dreams of many varieties; have fantasized about something or someone; have done a little daydreaming about their life ahead or the things that are impacting their lives. Many people in our society have at one time or another noticed that they have read someone’s mind, have seen into the future accurately, or have known something that was someone’s reality before the other person even lived the reality. And how many times have we seen someone or met someone and suddenly we know all about their lives without our really having known them before?

 

The author has experienced most of these things in different times of his life, and has even had a long acquaintance with a practicing Clairvoyant. So it is not surprising that he has wanted to share some of his experiences of this paranormal stuff and offers it here for the interested reader.

Prologue

 

Adam North was one of those people that seemed to have a strange propensity throughout his life for dreams, fantasies and clairvoyance.  It got in his way many times and caused him to be shunned and cast off when he was younger. In all other ways he was normal and lived a reasonably regular life. However, these strange talents and behaviors bothered him and affected his life both positively and negatively in many respects. His life was not easy as a result of these things, but that was part of what was his reality.

 

One of the difficult times for Adam caused by this phenomenon occurred in early 2003. It was Adam’s last year of his four-year commission in the Army. He was stationed in Germany and was due to reenlist in 2004 for another four years. During this time of his life, he was having recurring and awful dreams that were making his life miserable.  He was traveling a lot then, most often to all parts of Germany, but with occasional trips to other European countries. At the time his travels took him away from base about twenty five percent of the time, so he was sleeping in strange beds a good part of the time. That’s when he began to notice the dreams coming more often. Adam had always been an active dreamer, but something about those particular dreams was bothering him more than they had years before. He would get these dreams and then in the morning remember that he had them, but was not able to grasp their meaning or recall their content. Somehow he knew they were special dreams–dreams about him and his life but that was all he could remember. He also knew some of the dreams were about impending activities or events, but when he tried to recapture the event or events, all he could remember was that it was an event–not what it was about.

 

Adam had dreamed and fantasized a lot early in his life, so this wasn’t a new thing for him. But these dreams were different, somehow. These were haunting dreams that contained an agenda or seemed that he was being called away by someone. He may have had dreams like this before but if he did, they hadn’t bothered him like these dreams were. He wondered if this was just a phase he was going through again in his life. He had gone through similar phases when he was a kid. There were times when he dreamed or daydreamed he was flying. Another time he would be traveling through space. When he was in high school he experienced knowing ahead of time that certain things were going to happen. Those periods in his life were strange and sometimes difficult, but these latest events were even more arduous. They were dreams, not fantasies. He wondered if they were happening because of the weather, his travel, because he was traveling a lot, or the way he was eating. He did eat out most of the time when he was on the road. Or could it be that they were caused by the relationship he was in at the time?

 

The more Adam received these persistent dreams the more he looked for ways that he might change things about his life and the way he lived so the dreams would quit. First he modified his eating habits. He didn’t eat late at night at all, and when he did eat, he cut down on fatty foods and drank less caffeine drinks, and never consumed any Coke or coffee after 8:00 p.m. He cut way back on food or drink that contained sugar. Nothing made a difference. His dreams kept coming. So he changed his sleeping habits and stayed up later to see if he was getting too much sleep. That didn’t seem to make a difference. Then he changed his pillow and took his own pillow with him wherever he went; still no change.

 

At the time while he was still stationed in Germany, he was involved with a German girl in a deep and complicated relationship, and he wondered if this had any bearing on his sleep behavior. He was caught up in this relationship in a serious way and was contemplating marriage. The stress of this initiative in his life was also a concern that he wondered was causing the dreams, but he did not know what to do about this either.

 

After several months of his problem, Adam decided to go to the military psychiatric clinic on base and see what the doctors there had to say. The military doctors didn’t know how to handle this type of situation, so they recommended that he go to a private sleep disorder clinic that was located in Downtown Stuttgart. When he agreed to do that they made an appointment for him.  The treatment, they told him would take about six weeks. He would have to come to the clinic for the tests and sleep there nights so they could observe his behavior during sleep. He went faithfully for the full time and hardly ever dreamed while he was taking these tests. Finally the doctor who was managing the sleep disorder clinic told him that they couldn’t find any physiological causes for his dreams, and that with the data they had, they couldn’t help him at all. They only suggested that he take some mild sleeping pills when he was traveling. They said this might facilitate sounder sleep and help with the debilitating dreams he was having. They gave him a prescription for the drug. When he left the doctors asked that he get back to them with the results of taking the drug.

 

After taking the sleeping pills for a week Adam noticed that his dreams continued. Yes, he slept better and noticed that he didn’t shuffle around so much at night, but the dreams didn’t stop; rather they became more intense.

 

At the same time that all of the dreams were going on, the relationship Adam was in with the German girl became a serious issue with his intelligence work and eventually caused him to be taken off his assignment. At the time he was working with the Army Intelligence Group in Stuttgart. New orders were being cut for him to return to a U.S. Army base in New Jersey. Before he left he broke up with his German girlfriend whom he had hoped one time to marry. He had realized by then that this relationship was not going anywhere as long as his life was so much in disarray. Adam’s father had been pestering him to partner with him in the family business, and perhaps this was his big chance. In March of 2004, almost a year after these most recent incapacitating dreams started Adam was in New Jersey mustering out of the Army. Soon after he was leaving his Army life behind and going home.

 

For a while after Adam’s return home the dreams went away, but then in a milder way than they had before, the dreams returned. But this time it was different. Though the dreams had not stopped Adam felt it was time for them to come to fruition. 

Chapter One 

It had been several months since Adam North turned in his commission and mustered out of the Army in New Jersey. As soon as he got home he bought a Jeep in which to run about. He was considering an offer his father had made for him to take over his small management consulting business but right then it didn’t seem like the right thing to do. He needed time to get his head was screwed on right, so he had been spending a lot of time fishing and camping in the Sierras. He had also been thinking about contacting the CIA or FBI about employment so he could continue along the lines that he had been pursuing during his Army career. All of this seemed a little premature. He wanted a little more time off before getting involved in something so long term. He was even thinking about contacting his old girl friend Elsa but it had been over four years since he had seen or heard from her and thought that she was likely married by now. 

It was Monday, one day before Adam’s twenty-fifth birthday. It was going to be another one of those birthdays he didn’t like. Early that morning just before he got home from the camping trip he had taken into the Sierras he had received a call on his cell phone from his friend Louis Spencer. Some of his friends were planning a get together for a backyard barbecue on Tuesday and wanted him to come. While it was not planned that way, his friend promised, it would serve both to celebrate his birthday and to welcome him home. He assured Adam it would be low key. Adam told Louis that he didn’t feel like going since all his old friends were married and it would be awkward for him a single man. But Louis had insisted and said there would be a lady friend of his wife there that was also single whom he could be with and get acquainted. “It’ll be good for you Adam,” Louis said, “This friend of Connie’s is first class American. Not like those German gals you dated while you were over there.” That was even worse, Adam thought, another one of those line-up deals that always turned out bad for him. However, Louis wouldn’t let him out of it, however, so reluctantly Adam said he would go. 

It was early afternoon before Adam got around to cleaning out his camping gear from the Jeep, getting ready for the party on Tuesday. While he stood in the garage looking at the gear a thought came to him that he wasn’t through camping yet. There was some place where he had to go, and it wasn’t to that damned birthday party. Furthermore something was telling him it was urgent and he had to leave that day. He was captured by this strange feeling that had suddenly come over him. It was like nothing he had ever experienced before. While he stood there the name Questa New Mexico came into his head. He didn’t remember ever hearing the name before and had never been to New Mexico. He didn’t even know anyone who had gone there or lived there. But the name kept repeating itself to him that this was where he had to go. He didn’t even know if the place existed. He couldn’t imagine what it might be like or where it was. Finally, what was holding him let go and he was able to function again. 

Responding without question, Adam set aside his cooler and dirty clothes and put all the gear he had unloaded back into his Jeep. When he came into the house, and before he told his mother about going to Questa New Mexico, his mother offered to clean out the cooler for him, but he said no, he would handle it.  

“Mom, I know this might sound strange to you since I just got back from one trip,” Adam told his mother as he made his way past her with his camp cooler and started replacing old things with new. “I’m leaving this afternoon for Questa New Mexico. Something unexpected has come up that I just learned about today when I got home. Don’t bother with my things, or my dirty clothes, I’ll just take care of them when I get home. I don’t think I will be long, but I am not sure.  Please if you will, tell Dad that I am still thinking about joining him in the business and will let him know for sure when I get home.” 

He only wanted to get some of the bottles of frozen water out of the freezer and would be leaving before evening. When his mother asked again where he was going, he simply said Questa New Mexico with no further explanation. She had sensed the funny way he had been acting since he got home, so she didn’t question him. That was good, he thought. He wasn’t sure where it was or why he was going there either. 

Adam found the ice and decided he would go to Safeway’s to get the rest of the things he would need to go on this mysterious trip to which he knew he was now committed. Before he left, he turned on his dad’s computer and looked up Questa New Mexico. After a few minutes search he found that it was in Northern New Mexico few miles north of Taos. To plan his trip a little more, he connected to Google Maps, plotted a route, and printed the directions. It was a long haul for him that would take a day and one half of driving, but somehow he needed to go and it was getting late already. 

In less than an hour after he had announced his trip to his mother, Adam had his Jeep repacked along with fresh clothing including hiking shoes, sun block, and fresh cookies he scrounged from the kitchen. Before another hour passed, still early afternoon, Adam was on the road working his way over to Interstate 5 and was officially on his way to New Mexico. He didn’t have a clue what the reason was, but it was clear to him now that he had to make this trip before he made up his mind about what to do about his future. The map he got from Google showed that he was traveling south almost the full length of California, through parts of Nevada, Arizona and then half way across New Mexico, finally to Albuquerque, up north to Santa Fe and then through Taos and finally to Questa. The trip according to the Google route was about thirteen hundred miles–two days drive at least. 

Adam was so excited about this adventure that he hadn’t even thought about calling his friend Louis to let him know he was leaving. So when he was passing Sacramento and had cell service he phoned Louis to tell him he was on his way to New Mexico. 

“Louis,” he said when his friend answered the phone. “Look, I had a change of plans that came up quite suddenly and I won’t be able to come to the party tomorrow.” 

“Are you dogging me, Adam?” was Louis’s first comment. “I know you didn’t want to come, but everyone’s expecting you. Come on, you don’t even have to dress up. Just be a sport and plan on it.” 

“Well, I can’t, really,” Adam stuttered. “You see I’m on my way to Questa New Mexico and right now I am calling you from just west of Sacramento. I’m sorry. This just came up for me and I had to leave quite unexpectedly.” 

“Where the hell is Questa New Mexico?” Louis questioned. 

“It’s in the northern part of the state, north of Taos,” Adam answered. 

“Well what happened that caused you to change your mind so quickly? Why, we just talked this morning. Did your grandmother die or something?” Louis chided Adam knowing this was “Adam” he was talking to. 

“It’s nothing like that, Louis; I just had to go, that’s all. I don’t know anyone there but I know it’s important that I go,” Adam answered apologetically, not really knowing how else to answer Louis’s questions. 

“Well it must be important if you are driving half way across the U.S.,” Louis answered now being more understanding. Adam’s friends had always known he was strange sometimes and did weird things that didn’t always make a lot of sense. Even when Adam joined the Army Louis wondered about Adam’s motives. Louis thought this new thing of Adam’s was just another one of his eccentricities cropping up again. The Army must have done something to him, he thought. 

“Look, Louis,” Adam said after hearing a few more questions from Louis that he was unable to answer very well, “I have to go now. The battery on my phone’s about to go dead and my charger is still in my backpack. Just explain to our friends that we’ll have another party when I get back, and I’ll be the host. I promise. And if that woman you wanted to hook me up to is still around, I’d like to meet her. I’ll call you again in a few days when I get to Questa.”   

“You crazy bugger,” Louis said with a chuckle, knowing that Adam was on another one of his special excursions. “I’ll wait to hear from you. Have a nice birthday” 

Adam drove late into the night until he reached Bakersfield when he stopped at a Best Western for the night. It had been a long day for him and he was exhausted—so much so that he just ordered some food brought to his room, ate it, had a shower, and went to bed. He had a very restful sleep without any dreaming. It was the first time in over a year that he remembered have a completely dreamless night’s sleep. 

Adam drove all the next day stopping only for gas and lunch. He was pretty tired by the time he got to Santa Fe and knowing he still had about ninety miles of non-freeway travel to get to Questa, he decided he would get a motel there and rest up before making the last leg of his trip. He had dinner in Santa Fe, looked at some of the shops downtown, bought a nice Indian blanket, and went to the motel. He didn’t sleep much that night because the questions about Questa and this strange drive that was pushing him to go there kept him awake almost all night. It was nine in the morning before he pulled himself out of bed and was ready to leave. He had a Continental Breakfast at the motel and was heading north by ten. 

Adam was fascinated by Taos when he drove through town with all its art and music shops. He was not planning to stop in Taos since he figured it was less than an hour’s drive to Questa, but something compelled him to slow down when he passed along the main street with its small, interesting shops. There was one shop on the corner of one of the side streets that advertised Native American Art. When he saw it he knew he had to stop there for some reason. There was no parking place near the shop he had seen, so he had to drive around the block to find a park place and walk about a block to get to the shop. While he passed through town, he had seen several other similar shops and there was nothing special about the shop, he thought, but he knew somehow there was something in there for him. So after hesitating a moment at the door he finally went in. The items he found there were fascinating, and before knew it he had spent almost a half hour looking around, finally picking out a small wall hanging that he thought matched the blanket he bought in Santa Fe. When Adam got to the counter and placed the item there the owner just finished with another customer, looked at him as if she knew him, smiled, and began ringing up his selection. And then she said:  

“I’ve been expecting you. Thanks for stopping by. I trust your trip has been interesting so far. It will be after lunch time when you arrive in Questa and you should be hungry by then. I recommend you stop at the small café right in the middle of town when you get there. It’s a nice place and the food is good. I suggest you sit by one of the windows so you can see down the main street. The woman that you will be meeting will make contact with you.” 

Adam was more than shocked at what the woman said to him as she casually took the things he had placed on the counter and checked him out, not saying anything more to him. He wasn’t sure he really understood her correctly or how she knew he was going to Questa, but he wasn’t about to get into it with her. So many things in his life were strange and puzzling, he thought this was just another one of them. He thanked the woman for the suggestion, took his wall hanging, and left. 

It was well into the afternoon when Adam finally arrived in Questa and he was hungry. About halfway through town he spotted Jerry’s Café on the right and pulled off the road on the gravel parking lot in front of the café. There was a large window by one of the booths, so he decided he would take that one as the waitress said he could sit anywhere. He ordered a hamburger and fries and a Coke. In a short time his meal was in front of him and he was busy consuming it with delight. As he ate, he kept looking up and down the street, but no one he saw appeared to be looking for anyone. However, across the street there was another small restaurant that sat between Wells Fargo Bank and a Laundromat. Something about the place was interesting and he wondered if this was the place where he should have gone. So without paying or finishing his meal or even remembering to pick up his brief case that he always carried with him, he got out of the booth, walked out of the café and headed across the street. Half way there he remembered his brief case and that he hadn’t paid for his unfinished meal. Before continuing he quickly returned to Jerry’s Café, picked up his briefcase and paid for his meal. When he left, the lady who took his money asked him if something was wrong with his meal. Adam just said he wasn’t hungry after all, and that the meal was fine, and then walked out the door. 

When he got to the other restaurant, he stood a moment at the door, but still felt compelled to enter. It was quite dark inside and when he got used to the dark interior he looked around. It was an ordinary place with little decoration and old Naugahide upholstery on the booths. In the middle on the right side, however, there was a lady sitting who was waving to Adam to come over to her booth. He thought this strange since he was sure he had never seen the woman before, but he obeyed anyway and walked cautiously over to her. 

“Come here, my dear,” the woman greeted him in a slight British accent as he approached her table, “please take a seat. I see you went to the wrong restaurant. Sorry we weren’t more specific about that. Did you get something to eat while you were there? You can order your meal here if you want. But first, I have something for you.” 

More shocked than surprised Adam sat down obediently and looked at the woman who was eying him up too as if she wanted to make sure he was the right person. She was a woman of about forty, he believed, with curly red hair put up nicely. She was definitely not out of the ordinary, but did look a bit like she might be an outdoors sort of person. After a short few seconds while they both assessed the situation, the woman spoke to Adam: 

“I must be brief with you since I have to leave in a moment” the woman started, “I want to tell you that you are here for a very important reason, and that I have some information that will help you find this place where you must go.” 

“What is this all about,” Adam questioned as sincerely as he could, hoping to not make the woman angry who seemed so intent upon leaving soon and giving him something. 

“It’s not important that you know your full purpose right now, my dear,” she replied kindly. “I will get right to the point so you can order your meal here if you are still hungry. You have to leave Questa as soon as you are though here and go to a very special place in the desert not far north from here. I have a map that will direct you how to get there. It’s good that you have a Jeep since the road is quite battered from the recent winter rains. You must stock up on plenty of water and food before you go. There’s a good grocery story just down the street. It’s well you’ve come prepared to camp out and have all the rest of the things you will need. You will be at this location for several days . . . I can’t tell you how many, but plan on a week anyway. It may not take that long. Be sure to follow the map exactly since this is very important that you don’t get lost on the way. I will briefly go over the map, and then I must be on my way.” 

The woman went over the map that had been drawn rather crudely on a piece of typing paper. It was sufficient, however. With the other maps Adam had brought along, he could find his way. When she was finished showing him while she was standing by the booth next to him, she thanked him for his willingness to come this far with so little direction. She then immediately left the restaurant. While he sat there in a daze reflecting on this second strange meeting with a woman he didn’t know the waitress came to his booth to take his order. He thanked her, and said he wasn’t hungry, but said he could use a cup of coffee. When the coffee came he continued sitting there looking over the map for another few minutes before leaving himself. All he could think of then was, this is Questa New Mexico; just a dot on the map out in the middle of nowhere. It was a beautiful drive getting to Questa, but now it looks like from the map and the directions the woman gave me that I will not be seeing any of the high mountains east of the place, but rather will be traveling north and somewhat west into the desert. 

Before Adam left Questa he stopped at the only supermarket in town and stocked up for a seven day stay in the desert. He bought plenty of water, more ice for his cooler, and many things that would last when his ice melted. He wasn’t sure he would be able to stock up again before he was finished, so he didn’t take any chances that he would run short of anything—especially ice. Looking around the store he found a small Styrofoam cooler, bought it, and filled it with another two blocks of ice as a backup. 

Soon Adam was following the map that took him about eighteen miles north and then west on a dirt road that had seen few cars in the past months. Several times he had to put the Jeep in four-wheel to get through sand washes without getting stuck. While he continued on the dirt track the elevation increased until he was able to see much of the country around him. The road then began to follow a narrow but shallow canyon that lead toward a large rock mesa with a few cactus and scrub mesquite. The trail finally ended and when he looked at his odometer he had traveled another twenty miles from the main paved road to get there.  

Adam checked his map to be sure this was the destination. It seemed to be in the right place. When he looked around he noticed that he was in sort of a box canyon that only went a little farther before ending in rock cliffs. There were trees all around him and it looked like there might even be a spring at the base of some rocks where the undergrowth and trees were a little larger. It was truly a beautiful place, but he was puzzled about what he was supposed to do next.  Before getting out of the Jeep he assessed the situation and surrendered finally that the best thing he could do at this point was to make his camp and see what came of his waiting. He hadn’t seen anyone or any cows, horses or sheep all the way into this place, and he was convinced that he was alone, at least for now. So he thought he better just get with the program and set up his camp before it got dark. Getting right to that task in a half hour he was finished. It was early evening by then. All that was left now was to prepare something for dinner and then get himself psychologically ready for his first night in this mysterious place.

Chapter Two 

Adam North finished his degree at University of California Davis and while there joined the Army Reserves becoming a Lieutenant specializing in Military Intelligence. His degree at UCD was in Organizational Behavior. His commission was for four years of service. He went to Germany right after finishing sixteen weeks of intelligence training at the officer’s school in U.S. Army Intelligence Center and Fort Huachuca, Arizona. In Germany Adam was assigned to an Intelligence Unit of the United Stated European Command (USECOM) in Stuttgart. Adam had never been oversees before and had only left California a few times in his life--on Summer Camp with his Reserve Unit and when he went to the Intelligence Center in the southeastern corner of Arizona. As a newly commissioned Lieutenant and with a fresh degree, Adam believed he had the world by the tail and was pretty haughty about his new assignment in the Intelligence Unit at the USEUCOM base. What he would find in a very short time was that he wasn’t so smart after all. 

Adam arrived in Stuttgart, on 2 April two days after his twenty-third birthday. The hills and wine grape farms around Stuttgart were green and lush in springtime. He was reminded of the beautiful grapevine hills in Napa Valley. Arriving there made Adam a little home sick.  

A couple of weeks after he had settled in and was getting acquainted with people in his department Adam found another young Lieutenant from Pennsylvania that was in his same unit and seemed to have the same goals in life as he did. They hit is off well and become friends in a very short time. Life there was pretty fast and easy at first. Sure, there were the difficulties of the language and customs of the Germans. It was still apparent that many Germans after so many years resented the Americans for having won the war and had bases in the country. But after the first thirty days in the country when all the military people were required to wear uniforms, Adam made sure that every time he left base he wore his civvies.  

Johnnie Call was good to have as a friend to Adam since he spoke some German. He had grown up in the Dutch section of South Western Pennsylvania where he had learned the language that was close enough to German that he could get along. They took leave often and visited some of the sights of the city. They felt they had to leave the city to get a real look at the Southern Germany from a better perspective.  

About two months after he got there, Adam found a used car sold to him by one of the other young officers who was leaving Germany. He bought the car for six hundred dollars, which for him was a lot since his Lieutenant wages were pretty low at that time. The cheap price of gas at the Post Exchange made up the difference for him. Adam was an explorer and needed the car to get him to some of the castles and places in Germany that he was reading about every minute he had a chance. With Johnnie now as his buddy with similar interests and goals for his term in Germany, they made a good team.  

In their travels out of the city, Adam and Johnnie soon found several places where they could get good German food and began to frequent those places whenever they were off base. The food in the base cafeteria was not of either of their liking, and this one restaurant, The Rotenmien, in a small village about five miles north of the base, was a great place for wiener schnitzel and brot kartoufal. After their third visit to this restaurant, a new waitress began working there. The place also changed management about the same time. Adam thought the new waitress was very pretty and was immediately intrigued by her. He especially liked how she walked and how she presented herself. She was not at the restaurant every time they went there, but when she was, she seemed to be strangely attracted to Adam. It was something about that interest she had in him that most fascinated him. 

Later on Adam learned that the girl’s name was Uta, and that she had another job; and that was why she only worked at the restaurant part time. He saw her near the base one day while he was heading for The Rotenmien. Uta was riding a fairly new motor scooter and the dress she was wearing was hiked up around her abundant thighs from the wind. Adam almost lost all perspective of the road staring at her and almost ran over a pedestrian who cursed him as he drove by. From that moment on, Adam was determined that he was going to get to know this lovely German maiden better. 

It was easy getting to know Uta. She was more than happy to spend time with him and did whenever he could make it over to Rotenheim. But, several weeks into his relationship with Uta, Adam started to get signals about her that disturbed him. They weren’t signal, signals, but rather were impressions he perceived that something was not right about the girl and her behavior. He couldn’t put his finger on it. It was only when he was not with her that he got these feelings. They would come to him as if someone was turning up the volume on his mind, like the way Polaroid film exposed over time while you counted off the seconds. Nothing was certain, but what he saw in these scenarios was Uta with other people, men mostly; and not one man, but many. It wasn’t as if Uta was having an affair with these people, but rather that she was in some kind of a business with them. But when he would actually be with her again, all his doubts about her and these images he retained in his mind would vanish. There was nothing to them, he told himself; nothing at all. 

During that first six months of his tour, Adam attended German classes at the base school four times a week. By the time his course was complete his German was good enough that he could get along most anywhere. He had always known he was a fast learner, and German, he found was especially easy for him. His skills were especially good when it came to ordering food at the restaurants where he and Johnnie frequented. His grasp of the German language was even better than Johnnie’s, as Johnnie had not taken the initiative to enroll in the same class Adam had. 

It was six months into his term in Stuttgart before Adam received his first real assignment to do some special intelligence work away from base. This first off-post assignment was a small one.  The Army had a contact that was a courier for them bringing information out of a Muslim faction operating in the outskirts of Frankfurt. This group had links with some terrorist organizations operating in the Middle East. Adam’s job was to meet this man, get the information he had, pay him, and bring the information back. He had to do this pretty discreetly since the Intelligence group was anxious to keep this undercover Turkish-born German Muslim on their side without his getting exposed. The plan was to meet the man at a restaurant some miles north of Stuttgart where the exchange would be made. It would have to look like it was a friendly visit by Adam with one of the natives of the country. He knew he could do it and would find a way. He was given the time the man would be coming to the restaurant and what he looked like along with a secret word that would identify him. That was all Adam had to go on. 

Adam met the man, made the exchange and the man left. Everything went very smooth. Adam stayed at the restaurant for a while longer and had some tea before he left. When he went out and was getting into his car he noticed a black Mercedes parked up the street with people in it. The street was otherwise deserted. Adam at first didn’t think much about it. But as he passed the car and glanced into it in the back seat he was certain he saw Uta sitting there. He thought this was strange since the town she lived in was about twenty miles from the town where he was based. He watched the rear view mirror to see if the car followed him, but with the curves in the road, it was soon out of view. While he drove down the windy cobblestone road that led out of town he kept thinking about this car and the woman in the back seat that looked like Uta. It finally bothered him so much that he stopped the car intending to turn around and take another look.  

Before he actually turned the car around, Adam thought once more that it seemed almost too strange and he had no business spying on Uta anyway. He didn’t really know the girl too well yet, so he just drove on a little farther ignoring at first the urge to go back. Finally, however, he pulled off the road and stopped his car again. He would either go back into town or continue on to the base. Almost the moment the car came to a halt Adam got one of these strange mental scenarios in which Uta was always playing the lead part. This time she was in a restaurant in a town something like the one he was in and she was with three other men and another woman. The scenario soon vanished leaving Adam more puzzled and frustrated than he had been in a long time. Why did he get these awful premonitions, he wondered? He sat there for another minute, then the urge overcame Adam and he put the car in gear made a U-turn and headed back the main road near the restaurant where he had seen the Mercedes. When he got there the car was gone. Strange, he thought while he once again discounted the premonition or whatever it was and put it out of his mind. He would just to ask Uta if she was there that day the next time he saw her. 

It was two weeks before he found time to go to the restaurant where he could meet Uta. When he got there Uta was not working at the time, but when the owner who had been introduced to Adam as Uta’s father, came out of the kitchen and saw him he called for Uta who came down from the upstairs living quarters of the restaurant. Uta met him, kissed him on the cheek and sat down with him. 

“Guten tag,” Adam said in his best German. He then continued in English as Uta preferred that he speak to her in English so she could practice, “How have things been going for you lately, Uta?  It’s been a while since we met.” 

“Yes,” she replied in English. “Where have you been, Adam?  I have needed to see you.” 

“Well my work has kept me busy. You know, the usual office paperwork and some travel. By the way, two weeks ago I was way to Korwestheim to try out a new restaurant I heard about there and I saw a black Mercedes parked on the road down the street from where I was. When I passed the car, I thought I saw you in the back seat with another woman. Were you over there one day about two weeks ago?  I was just curious.  I later turned around to come back to say hello but didn’t find the Mercedes there when I returned.” 

“Yes, Adam, I was out that way about two weeks ago,” she replied with no hesitation. “I went there with a friend whose aunt owns that place where you must have seen the car. We had lunch and then left taking the roads that lead to the town where my friend lives. The Mercedes belongs to my friend’s father who drove us there to also visit his sister. We must have been just ready to leave when you saw us.” 

Adam and Uta continued to talk, but his memory of her reply to him about going to Kornwestheim kept bothering him as she had a strange glint in her eye when she told him that she had been there. He wondered if she had really gone there with a boyfriend and didn’t want to reveal that to him. She hadn’t said what the person’s name was or if the friend was male or female. Before he left he made a date with Uta to see her again on the coming Saturday. He said he would be bringing Johnnie along and wondered if she had a friend who might like to meet a tall American soldier. He told her they would go into Stuttgart and have the girls find a place where they could listen to some music and perhaps dance and have a few drinks. Uta said she would find someone for Johnnie and then rushed off saying she needed to get ready for her other job. His meal came, he ate alone and left fairly satisfied that he had solved the mystery of why Uta was in Kornwestheim the same time that he was. 

Over the next few weeks the relationship between Uta and Adam continued to develop and get more serious. On one of their dates they went to a wooded area not far from where she lived and had sex in the back seat of his car. She was the one who suggested it and it came as a surprise to Adam since he would not have thought it quite yet appropriate to have this intimate relationship so soon with a German girl he didn’t know very well. At the time he had little desire for a having a long-term relationship. He was generally opposed to the one night stands that many of his officer colleagues were having regularly with German girls. He had also heard of several officers who had done the same with German girls later marrying them and taking them home with them. It was kind of a joke around, that there was a sort of conspiracy going on with the German women that got involved with American officers; that they did so only to get a free ride to the U.S. at the expense of the innocent soldier who was taken by their charm and open sexuality. After his affair in the car, Adam remembered some of these stories and committed to himself that if he was to have a long term relationship with this woman, he would make sure it was truly love-motivated rather than free ride to the U.S. 

Adam’s work with the Intelligence Department continued to develop as time went on. He was given more important responsibilities for investigations and courier work.  His Commanding Officer was very pleased with his work and told him one day that he was planning to put Adam in for Captain soon and hoped that Adam would see his way clear to make the Army a career rather than simply a four-year commitment. Not really sure if he wanted a career with the Army at that time. Adam thanked the Officer and told him he would consider his suggestion. His father had offered for him to take over the family business when he got out of the Army, so he had to consider this. His Commanding Officer said he understood, but would still be putting him up for promotion soon anyway. 

At the same time that he was being promised promotions he was realizing that his relationship with Uta was getting more intense and she wanted to see him more often.  Johnnie had been transferred back to the U.S. so he was out of the picture making it easier for Adam to give his full time to Uta. She was a very talkative woman he noticed from the first and wanted to know everything about his job and what he was doing with so much paperwork and travel. He couldn’t tell her much, of course, and didn’t reveal any more than the simple things about towns he had seen and sights he had enjoyed there. He never told her anything about his intelligence work and was sure that those few things he told her were not in any way troublesome to him or the department. But her constant questions about everything he was doing were somewhat disturbing to him. He didn’t believe she was a threat in any way, but was more a curious person that had this great need for knowledge. So as time went on, Uta learned a great deal about Adam, but in contrast, he realized one day that he knew very little about her.  

When Adam would ask Uta about her work, she simply said it was a job where she was required to move from town to town selling cosmetics; something like an Avon Lady, he supposed. But he never saw any samples that she had nor did she seem to wear any of the cosmetics that she supposedly sold. Strange, he thought, that she didn’t wear the things she sold. But again, he was really falling in love with the woman, and she seemed to be doing the same with him and it felt like a real love-love relationship, not one with an agenda. He finally put away all his thoughts and worries about her jobs and the unknown parts of them and let love have its way. The sex was good too and seemed every time they were together to get better. 

In January of 2004 Adam was expecting orders for redeployment believing that he would be leaving Germany by the spring of that year. He had made Captain by that time and was flying high both with his job and his relationship with Uta. His job was full of intrigue and he loved that part of it. And his assignment just after Christmas of 2003 required him to travel to Berlin regularly. Rather than take his first year’s leave back home, he had chosen to stay in Germany and spent most of the thirty days with Uta. She also took time off from both of her jobs so they could be together. They took his car to Berchtesgaden where they spent four days in a hotel almost never leaving their room. They also went to Switzerland and traveled to some of the lakes in the high mountains visiting some of the special alpine retreats that were accessed only by tram. He had another leave scheduled for March but didn’t know if he would take it then or not. He and Uta were talking of marriage and he was thinking that if he didn’t get his deployment orders back to the U.S., he might arrange getting married in Germany and travel to Italy for his honeymoon. 

By then Adam’s trips to Berlin were happening almost every week meeting with three counter intelligence agents–Germans, who were working for the Army collecting information from several possible terrorist organizations operating in and around Berlin. Adam didn’t know much of the details of his mission other than picking up small packages containing electronic data from these people that he carried back to Stuttgart and delivered to the Intelligence Analysts in his department. He never got to see what was in any of the packages. Furthermore, he was told that this was procedure to keep people like himself free from becoming victims of scrambles between the couriers and the analysts. He didn’t mind this and went along as his job. The way his relationship with Uta was going, he didn’t really want any more complication in his life right then. 

On 28 January Adam was returning from Berlin by train bringing back an item he had acquired there. Just outside of Stuttgart at one of the regular stops the train was boarded by a group of German police. This was something that had happened once before on one of his trips, but it had only amounted to a walk through by the police and a review of everyone’s papers. He told the police at that time that he had been visiting friends in Berlin while on short leave. There was no hassle that time. This time, however, everyone was asked to get off the train while the passenger cars were searched. It was freezing cold just outside but that didn’t seem to bother the police. It was a three-car Eilzug that he had been traveling in this time. This train was expensive and especially made for fast travel with only two passenger cars and a middle car for dining. The search inside the train didn’t take long, but when the police got around to checking Adam’s ID he was handcuffed and hustled to a waiting car and was taken away from the scene. He was also blindfolded when they put him in the back seat of the car. He was neither questioned nor treated badly, but was told to remain silent until they reached the destination where they were headed.  

Adam figured he was in the vehicle for over one hour when it finally came to a stop and he was ushered handcuffed into a building with his blindfold still on. Inside the building, it was cold but not like it had been outside by the train. His blindfold was removed but he was not released from his hand cuffs. Looking around he found he was in the company of three male individuals and one female. It was rather dark in the room as there were no windows and only a small light coming down from the ceiling and at first he couldn’t see his captors very well. In a minute or so when his eyes became used to the dark he was greatly surprised to see that the woman in the room was Uta. She greeted him warmly with a kiss on the cheek and whispered to him that she would explain later why she was there. She told him that he had been retained only for questioning about his papers that seemed to the police to be out of order. 

Before any questioning started, Adam, incensed by his capture and angrier that Uta was somehow involved with the German police shouted, “What is going on here?  And why are you here, Uta?” When he was first captured he had asked for some explanation, but was told he would have to wait for any answered until they had reached their destination.

Adam was not given an answer, but rather was challenged by the only uniformed policemen in the group with his first question: 

“Mr. North, or should I address you as Captain North, I see from your papers and pass that you were on your way back from Berlin after a two-day stay there. We know also that this was not your first trip to Berlin and we also know you are working for the U.S. Army Intelligence Unit in Stuttgart. What was your real mission in Berlin and why are you making these frequent trips there?” 

“I am Captain Adam R. North,” Adam shot back to the officer, “and my serial number is 56235035. And since I am being held against my will, by the Geneva Convention, I have no obligation to answer your questions.” 

“You didn’t answer my question, Captain,” the man went on. “Again, tell me what you were doing in Berlin?” 

Adam again repeated his name rank and serial number and that was all. He was sure he was up for a beating or some torture and figured he was with some intelligence branch of the German Government, but he couldn’t figure out Uta’s part in the whole thing. 

The questioning went on for some time and then Adam was brought to his feet, his handcuffs were removed, and he was asked to empty his pockets of everything. That done, he was asked to remove all his clothing. The contents of his trousers and coat were searched with no results. They also went through his overnight bag and briefcase finding nothing there either. The electronic data chip was in a special compartment which they soon found in his belt. Part of the Army’s program with its couriers was to put things they were carrying in places that were concealed, but could easily be found with a thorough search like this one. This was meant to be as the Army didn’t want its couriers to be beaten or tortured for finding anything like a hidden data chips or other documents they might be simply transferring.  He would learn later that the information he was moving from Berlin was low priority intelligence anyway that wasn’t too critical if it was discovered. If recovered it wouldn’t reveal any special programs or upset any plans the Army had for dealing with the German authorities. After finding the data chip in his belt, the search of his clothing and shoes and body cavities were completed without their finding anything else. All this time, even while Adam was standing naked right in front of the woman he thought he loved; she made no attempt to stop the procedure, nor changed her expression one way or another.  Within an hour of the time he was brought to this place he was asked to put his clothes back on, was blindfolded and handcuffed again, taken to a car and driven to the train station from where he had been removed. When he was released after the blindfold and handcuffs were taken off he realized that Uta had been in the front seat of the car all the time and had remained silent. As he walked across the platform into the station he looked back to see her standing outside the car.  Her unemotional small wave to him was, he was sure, meant goodbye forever. Then he watched Uta get in the car that soon disappeared around the corner and was gone. Adam caught the next train to Stuttgart and when he got to the office he reported into his Commanding Officer telling him the entire story. 

Adam was later debriefed by some officers on the intelligence unit he had never met. Three days later he got orders to muster out of Stuttgart and a plane reservation was made for him to return to the U.S. Before leaving Adam found out the Commanding Officer of his unit knew that Uta was a special agent working for the German Government Intelligence. He had let the affair with Uta and Adam continue to see how involved she was and to somehow find out if she might be a good candidate for recruitment into counter intelligence to become a double agent with U.S. Sometimes, they explained to Adam, when relationships between an officer and a known agent get strong enough they can be convinced of the possibility of becoming a double agent to save the relationship. But in her case she had already shown her cards and it was all over for her and Adam. He was given an official apology by his commanding officer and was told it was best now for him to just get on with his life. He was also told that none of this affair or the reason for his removal from the Intelligence Unit in Stuttgart would ever show on his record.  It would be seen as a normal move for him, and if he chose to stay with the service after his initial four years, his record would show as outstanding. Soon after Adam’s return to Stuttgart the restaurant where Uta had worked supposedly with her parents was found to be closed. Neither Uta nor her “parents” were ever seen again by the American intelligence force investigating the matter with her and Adam..

Before he left Germany and many times during the years that followed his return to the U.S., Adam wondered about his premonitions about Uta and her involvement with German intelligence. This was stuff he would wonder about most of his life and usually discount as simple fantasies.

 

Chapter Three 

Adam woke to a bright sunny morning at his desert campsite after a restful sleep on the ground in his sleeping bag. He didn’t put up his tent the night before, so the sun was raging on him from the east when the light from it woke him up. He made a simple breakfast and decided after to see what this area had to offer. He was still puzzled at what he should expect with being at that special place and had processed over and over in his mind why he was there in the first place. He didn’t get any hints about his mission from the lady he met Taos or the one in Questa, and there were no signs there in the desert pointing to what he should be doing or watching for, so he was just hanging out for the time being and was waiting for something to happen or for someone to suddenly show up to talk to him. In his mind he had fantasized that there might be some Native American Indian who would suddenly appear out of the desert to give him a blessing or to teach him something that he needed to know. But when he realized that he was really alone out there in the desert, it struck him that this would be a slim possibility and that he should start looking inside himself for some answers to this dilemma. 

At this point in his life, Adam had experience very little soloing or being alone for long periods of time. His only time that he could remember really being with himself for himself was when he was a little kid back home when he used to sit by the side of the chicken coop with his old dog Pudgy and watch the clouds until he believed he could fly with them. Recalling that experience that he had not thought of for many years, Adam thought back to this. The entire scene suddenly was in his mind again. He had been sitting by the side of his old chicken coop, and then suddenly he had gotten up, had waved his arms and found he could fly. He remembered sailing over all the neighbor’s homes and had seen people he knew below him. Whether he had actually flown like that was still a mystery in his life with which Adam had never come to grips. It was just too much to believe. Having this new experience with the ladies in Taos and Questa that seemed to know something about his life was another thing that was hard for him to swallow. It was somehow like his belief that he had flown without wings when he was a kid. This and some of the other strange things that had happened to him in his life, like when he was in Germany, were all matters he had a hard time dealing with and accepting as factual.  

Adam wondered what he should do as he put things away from his breakfast and rolled up his sleeping bag. One thing that came to mind was that he needed to put up his tent so he could have a place to store things other than in his Jeep. That took only a half hour or so and he was again wandering about trying to figure out what was the best route to take that day. Finally it came to him that he remembered a couple of old mesquite trees he had seen high up on the hill that were visible the evening before as he drove up the canyon that might provide him with some shade and also would be a lookout point for him to see if anyone would be coming his way today. Following this initiative, he packed a few snacks in his backpack along with his water and started the trek up the hill. It wasn’t yet too hot, so the walk was refreshing with the morning breezes coming off the desert. In less than fifteen minutes he was scraping the pebbles away from the place he had chosen to sit and was like the old chickens on his father’s farm, adjusting his butt into the nest he had made, dusting it over and over again to make it comfortable for what he thought might be a long sit. 

Adam had purposely not taken a book along for this session.  He had been tempted to, but given up on the idea so that he could just sit like he did when he was a child and contemplate on the clouds. But there were no clouds that day and as time went on, it became painful, not only physically sitting so long in one place on the ground, but painfully difficult to keep his mind chatter from running things. He would be feeling calm and collected one minute, and then his mind would take over and begin complaining about his butt being sore from sitting on the hard ground, or his shoulders and back aching from leaning back against the tree, or his leg cramps getting to him from having his legs stretched out in such an unusual a manner. He would get control and be quiet his mind for a while, and then suddenly he would notice his mind chatter again and the peace he had been feeling would be lost to his mind. Concluding that this was not working for him, Adam finally got up, looked at his watch and noticed that he had been sitting at that spot for over two hours without anything happening.  He stretched, turned around a few times, took a drink from his bottle, pulled out a granola bar and began to crunch on it. 

Adam stood by where he had been sitting for some time, and then he decided to take a hike around the massive hill that blocked his view from seeing the entire desert around him. It was a large outcrop and it took him a long time to get around to the other side. Along the way he spent time looking at desert flowers that were just coming out and kept his eyes most of the time on the ground ahead of him looking for any rattlesnake that might be lurking about. He wasn’t sure if that was a potential danger for him, but he wasn’t one to take chances with one of those creatures. 

It was a hard hike around the hill since it was rocky and the trails were not developed any too extent, so when he got to the far side of the hill after having to climb down into and up out of several washed-out ravines, he found an old mesquite tree and sat down under it in the shade.  The dead leaves that had fallen off the tree made a good cushion that was much better than the place where he had earlier sat, so he felt really comfortable . . . almost to the point that he knew as soon as he sat down he was going to fall asleep. And, of course, he did.   

Adam didn’t know how long he was asleep when he was suddenly awakened by a noise like something breaking. At first he was so out of it that things around him seemed out of focus and he was disoriented like he didn’t know where he was. When he was fully awake he straightened up a little frightened and cautiously looked around. In front of him was a large crow or raven, he was not sure which since he had never been able to distinguish between the two. He was pretty sure it was a raven, however since it was very large . . . he guessed at least twenty four inches tall as it stood there. But it was beautiful with its feathers glimmering with hues of blue, red and green in the sunlight. He seemed to be staring at Adam as he stood silent, turning his head from side to side like he wanted to get better views of him with both eyes.   

Adam sat transfixed by this large bird and somewhat shaken by its attitude. Why is he there, Adam thought?  Was this part of what he was supposed to learn here on this hillside?  Had the bird thought Adam was some kind of carrion waiting to be ripped apart as food for the creature?  Or was it simply that the bird had seen Adam and was curious?  He had thought these birds were known for their trickery and brilliance, but he knew little or nothing else.  Relying on his own curiosity, Adam didn’t move, but continued to stare back at the bird noticing his flinching manners, how the color changed when the sunlight hit him at different angles as he moved about. He noticed the color of his legs and the shape of his wings when the bird opened them up like he was going to fly off, and then seemed to challenge Adam for a moment.  There was something about this bird that Adam was sure was linked to his being there and the words the woman in the restaurant had said to him that his mission here was to be revealed later. 

In a few minutes Adam saw a distinct change in the attitude of the bird. The bird started to shift from side to side as if he wanted to get other perspectives of Adam. By then Adam was getting a feeling that he was seeing inside the mind of the bird like he sometimes saw into the minds of people. Could this be, he thought, that this bird had a message for him?  Thinking this, Adam concentrated more on what he was experiencing knowing that it was not normal or natural. It was like he was inside the bird now, looking through the bird’s eyes. The bird was flying and circling over something. Adam was high above the earth but the things he was seeing were clear and distinct. From this view, below him there was a clearing with what looked like logs around a place where there had been a fire. While Adam continued to examine this place below him he got the feeling that he was supposed to go there for some reason. As the bird circled, so did the vision of this place became clearer for Adam. 

The bird started to gain altitude and the scene below was beginning to seem broader and as it did, Adam could see much more of the desert around him. There was a distinct trail leading away from where he had seen this strange fire circle. And now the bird was flying in the direction of the trail toward the west. It seemed to be later in the afternoon since he could see that the sun was setting in the west. But it wasn’t a random flight. Rather, the bird was following a road that wandered through the desert. Soon in the distance he saw something he registered as having seen before. It was the hill he had walked around and where he was currently located on its eastern bench. The road the bird was following suddenly connected with another road that led to the hill where he was camped. Adam remembered this branch of the road when he came into the area where he was staying. He remembered slowing down when he approached the turnoff, but didn’t take it since the map he was following at the time indicated he was to continue toward the box canyon where he finally stopped. And then the bird turned and followed the road he recognized his camp below and his Jeep sitting at the side of the camp. It was so clear he could have almost read the license plate on the car if he had wanted to. But just then the pictures he was observing through this strange bird’s eyes began to fade and soon disappeared. He realized then that he was sitting where he had been all the time with the bird still in front of him. 

During the time this vision of his flying with the bird had been going on, Adam realized the bird had approached closer to him and was now standing no more than ten feet away. It was eerie now with this bird so close to him . . . almost threateningly close, he thought. Should I make a noise and scare the bird off, or just continue to experience what was happening and let it be, he thought? He couldn’t decide; but about that time the bird turned around, took a few steps, opened his wings and flew off.  He circled one time around Adam as he gained altitude, but was soon long gone into the west. 

Adam leaned back against the tree and for some time reflected on what he had experienced with this strange bird. He wondered if he had really been asleep and imagined what he had seen from the mind of the bird. For a while he discounted all that he had seen as imagination when he first saw the bird on waking up. But then he again realized that he was here for a purpose and that he should play out all that he saw, heard or imagined. Thinking more about the things he had seen, Adam got up from his nest, shook off the dirt from his trousers, and started to hike around the side of the hill that he knew would soon lead him back to camp. In about a half hour of walking that increasingly picked up as he went with an urgency that he couldn’t explain, he was back in camp leaning against his Jeep panting and out of breath. 

Adam had no idea why he had hurried getting off the mesa. Nothing had changed around his camp site. So he surrendered to this knowledge and simply puttered around camp. He even took time to make a sandwich from things in his cooler. Sitting on his camp chair eating his lunch, Adam replayed the vision he had seen through the mind and eyes of the bird. This place, Adam concluded, was a meeting place and he had seen it because he was supposed to go there for a meeting of some kind. He wondered if a meeting had already happened. Or perhaps, it was not yet convened. There had been a sense of urgency he felt coming back around the hill to camp.  He remembered he was almost running for the last quarter mile, but why? Did I need to get to that meeting? he wondered. While these thoughts rattled through his brain, Adam noticed that he was gulping his sandwich down like he had to get somewhere.  He did, he realized.  Remembering that the scene he had witnessed through the bird’s eyes was in late afternoon, he assumed he had to get to that meeting before sunset. He looked at his watch and it was approaching 4:00 p.m. and he knew because it was April, the sun would be setting quite early . . . maybe by 6:30 p.m. He hadn’t remembered how late it was when the sun went down the previous night. Why hadn’t he noticed? he chided himself. Something was pressing him to get on his way, so he submitted to these feelings and started thinking about the road he had seen and where it led. He had to go there and find out if this was imagination or some compelling event he had to attend. 

In minutes, Adam had secured his camp again, had loaded a few things into his back pack, thrown it in the car and was backing out of the camp area heading the Jeep down the road. It didn’t take long to find the turnoff he had seen coming in and from the eyes of the bird. He turned onto the road, and while he did, he looked at his watch. It was 4:33 p.m., he noticed, and he still had a way to go and a walk after that from the place where he had seen what appeared to be a place to park. The end of the road there was open and had room for several parked cars, he remembered from his vision. Would other people be coming out here to that same meeting? he wondered, and why?  What he was thinking was not even logical at best. But his continued urgency that he was feeling compelled him to continue. 

About another five miles down this road, he came to another road connecting the one he was on coming from the south. He had come from the south before turning off the main highway, so he concluded that this was a road parallel to the one he had taken after he left the main highway leading north out of Questa. As he approached this road he saw what looked like fresh tracks and was now following them still going westerly, but just as he had seen from his view above, the road soon turned north again and in minutes of driving he went over a small hill and there ahead of him was the parking area he had seen in his vision of the place. Adam slowed down as he approached the turnaround and parking area, and there parked in the shade of a large desert tree was a fairly new Land Rover. There was no sign of anyone around, so he parked next to it and got out to look around some more and also to see if here were any clues inside the Land Rover. 

There were fresh tracks leading away from the Rover and toward a distinct trail Adam thought would be the one he had seen from the air. After grabbing his backpack Adam looked at his watch and started up the trail. It was almost five o’clock by then. Still the urgency of this mission was pulling him on, so without hesitation he continued up the trail not knowing what he would find ahead.  The trail was steep in places and he was getting tired by the time he reached the top of a small hill. It was clear that people had been there recently since footprints showed occasionally in the dust. This was making him nervous, but he continued anyway cautious at every step watching for snakes and wondering if there would be people up ahead when he got to this place where the trail was obviously leading. Over the hill now, Adam noticed the landscape getting thicker with tall scraggly mesquite and some kind of tall tree-like cactus. The area was now becoming thicker with trees and some other kind of brush he thought to be tamarack.  As he continued the trail got harder to follow, but then he thought he heard voices up ahead so he abruptly stopped his hiking to listen more intently.  Finally he realized that he must have been hearing things and continued walking being as quiet as he could so if he heard any more strange noises he could be more focused on them. 

While Adam continued up the trail, he became more cautious and slowed down his pace. He still thought he had heard voices and didn’t want to barge in on a party or an affair where he was not supposed to be. Taking it easy now, he noticed the voices again and he also thought heard the sharp crack of an ax or something that sounded like limbs being chopped for a fire. He stopped to listen more intently, but that didn’t work, so he continued more cautiously until coming out from behind a tamarack bush Adam saw a woman picking up dead branches from under an old mesquite tree. She didn’t see him. To Adam, she didn’t look any way out of place or strange. In seconds Adam realized it was the woman he had met briefly in the restaurant in Questa. She was now dressed in tight Levis and was wearing hiking boots and had some kind of a safari shirt on and a large brim hat. She had her arms full of the branches she was collecting, so Adam in an unexpected impulse for him moved ahead and asked the woman if he could help her. She turned suddenly as if she was startled, but when she saw Adam, she smiled and greeted him warmly. 

“Adam,” she said, “we were wondering if you were going to make it here before sunset.”  And then she put down the sticks she was carrying, walked over to Adam, shook his hand strongly and gave him a big hug kissing him at the same time on both cheeks. 

Adam was speechless since he had never suspected he would see this woman again. 

“How did you know my name?” Adam replied to the woman who was still holding him in her grip. He was so startled by her behavior he hadn’t even lifted his arms to give her a hug back but was standing there as if frozen into the ground. 

“I am so happy you made it here, Adam. My name by the way is Danna Stansbury” she said ignoring his question and now releasing him from her hug and stepping back a foot or so. “I am so glad you are here. My colleague, Martha Allred, Marty, we call her, is collecting wood like me for our bonfire that we will have going in short order. You met Marty in Taos. She’ll be happy that you found us. We have a great program outlined for you.” 

This woman was beautiful now that he could now see clearer than he had in the old dark restaurant. Her red hair flowing out from under her hat was long and curly and she was freckled all over like she had been in the sun too long. Adam just stared at the woman speechless, but relieved that this was not some bad cult group or something like that he had wandered into.  Finally he got his courage up to say something . . . anything, he thought, just to get through this moment. 

“Like I said, can I help you with your wood?” he said, now thinking how stupid that might have seemed to the woman. 

“I’d love that,” the woman answered pleasantly picking up the wood she had dropped when she saw him. “Come on; follow me back to the circle. Marty should be there by now.” 

It wasn’t far that they had to walk, and were soon coming into and opening where a fire pit had been constructed with crude wood benches made from stones and pieces of wood someone must have brought into the area. On the way to the circle, Adam and Danna chatted some, but she still did not tell him how she knew his name. 

“Let me introduce you formally to Marty, Adam,” she said as they approached the other woman.  

Marty dropped the wood she was carrying, brushed herself off, and walked over to Adam and gave him a warm hug and kiss on the cheek. This time he was not so stiff, but hugged the woman back, still astonished at both the women’s behavior and the fact both of the women he had met the day before where now here in such a mysterious place miles from nowhere. 

“I am sure you have a thousand questions for both of us, Adam,” Danna started before Adam could open his mouth again, “but before we get to that, give us a little hand with this wood and let’s get a fire started.  It’s going to get plenty cold here in a short time and a fire will make things better for all of us.” 

Soon the fire was started and already Adam was feeling like this was going to be a wonderful experience for him. The women seemed so nice and accommodating, he immediately felt comfortable with them. It was getting cool as the sun got lower in the west, and Adam was sure this fire was later going to be a welcome companion to the meeting or whatever was going to happen. Before it got dark, Adam looked around and was certain that this particular meeting place was the same one as had seen from this strange vision he had experienced on the mountain side hours before, and yes, he did have some questions for his two companions. When Adam finally sat down with the two strange women who had somehow brought him there, he wondered if this was in any way related to the hard to explain visions, clairvoyance and realistic dreams he had been having for most of his life. 

Adam remembered that when he was a teenager he had this special propensity for seeing places where he had not been to before and actually sensing that he could go there. He didn’t really understand this special talent, but after trying it out a few times he was convinced that he really did have this way of traveling to special places. When he did this, like when he was younger and decided that he could fly, he would find a quiet place where he wouldn’t be disturbed, preferably out of doors, then he would find a comfortable place to sit down and he would concentrate on where he wanted to go. After a few minutes of deep concentration he would suddenly find himself there. When he wanted to return to where he started, he would simply concentrate on that place he had been first and he was back. For Adam, it wasn’t like actually leaving the place where he started, but rather somehow he would go to that place and be there for a while, but his body was still where he started. It was like his mind went there rather than his body. But what he knew about this was that he seemed to really be there and could touch and feel things and could sense what was happening where he was . . . he could experience it as if he were right there. 

One time he remembered when he was much younger, camping in the woods near his father’s farm. He had found a quiet place where he sat down next to a tree and was thinking about going to the High Sierras of California. He had never been there and didn’t have a clue what this place looked like, but suddenly by some means he didn’t understand, he was there. He was standing in a large meadow and he knew he was high up in the mountains. Large pine trees flanked all sides of the meadow. It was spring since the flowers were blooming everywhere and birds were flying around. He even picked a flower and smelled its essence that he realized for this particular small flower was not a pleasant smell. He walked across the meadow and entered the thick forest on one side and noticed his feet cracking the twigs, and the leaves crumbling under his weight. He touched the rough bark of the tree and noticed a squirrel playing a game with him by running around the trunk of the tree when he moved to get a closer look. Adam stayed in this special place for some time and then, just as suddenly as it had begun, he went back to where he started. 

Adam noticed when he went to these places he never saw or expected to see people there. One time in one of these strange sequences he went to a beach north of Marin County and found he was completely alone. He could hear and see the waves crashing against the rocks could feel the wet sand under his feet and could even smell the essence of the ocean water in the mist created by the waves coming ashore. 

When he got more used to these phenomenon, Adam never questioned this ability he had to go places and never shared this with anyone. He believed anyone listening to this tale of his mystical travels would laugh and think he was crazy. He had gotten plenty of that when he was young and used to tell people about is ability to fly. His friends even deserted him because they believed he was a little nutty. His old elementary and junior high school friend Ted Dahl, he remembered, was most adamant about his so-called ability to fly and told him he was crazy even believing he could do this. After a while, in the spring of the year when Adam was most interested in flying, he just quit telling his friends about his flights. So with that background and his newly found talent for this special kind of travel, he simply kept it to himself. 

These talents of Adam’s seemed to come and go. His flying ability quit when he was about thirteen years old. Somehow it just didn’t work after that. And then this new skill came to him where he became able to go places and that lasted about two years until he was a junior in high school, and then suddenly it was no longer possible for him. But in those two years he had gone to many places, dozens of them in fact, so he wasn’t sad when he lost the talent. During his sophomore year in high school he spent a lot of time in the library looking up and studying the places he had been to and he found in every case when he had gone to one of these special places when he looked it up in the library, he was always right on and the pictures he studied we exactly as he had seen them in this state of his. 

Later on, Adam’s special talents expanded and he began to notice that he could see what was happening in people’s lives around him before they happened. For some time he kept this talent a secret and simply let it develop on its own, sometimes even enjoying knowing what was going to happen before it occurred.

Chapter Four 

“I can’t believe you knew that I was planning to take you to Marie’s Stake House for your birthday, Adam,” his girlfriend Elsa said to him when they were down the road a couple of miles after he had picked her up for their date that night on his twentieth birthday. “It’s just too weird for me to swallow. You seem always to know things before hand and it bugs me frankly. It’s like there are no secrets between us.” 

As it happened this time, Adam had driven up to Elsa’s house and went to her door to pick her up that night. When her parents invited him in he sat on the couch a few minutes until she came downstairs for their date. He put his arm around her led her out to the car and opened the door for her. When he got into the car he innocently said to her, “It’s Friday night, and since we are going to Marie’s, did you think to get a reservation?”  That’s all he said and he knew immediately she was pissed at him. 

There was silence for a while as they drove down the road. Elsa hadn’t answered him about the reservation, but after chiding him she just pouted and didn’t say anything.  Adam finally broke the silence.  

“I’m sorry Elsa. These things just come to me out of the blue once in a while. I don’t really know where they come from.  It’s been happening to me for a while now when I get these notions that I know something is going to happen or know about things that I have not even heard about before. I know it’s weird, but I don’t seem to have any control over it; and really it doesn’t happen very often.” 

“Okay,” she finally said leaning over and kissing Adam on the cheek and blowing in his ear softly. “Do you know what I am thinking right now?” 

“Come on, Elsa, this isn’t funny,” Adam said to her a little embarrassed knowing he had to lie to her now that he really did know what she was thinking, “ Hell no, I don’t know what you are thinking. This thing just comes and goes, and maybe sometimes I have a good idea what’s on your mind, but not this time, I promise. Let’s just think about that lovely steak you are going to buy for me tonight. And by the way, what’s in that package you have?” He already knew what she had bought him, but he was determined he was not going to get into trouble again with her about this and would act totally surprised when he opened it.   

Adam and Elsa had been going out for almost two years after they both graduated from high school. But even though they were both in different colleges, him at UC Davis and her in UC Berkeley, they were still dating regularly. They had first met at a dance when they were high school age when he and his friend Don Lepore crashed a dance at the rival high school in the town next to his. It was an open dance with no dates so there were plenty of girls sitting or standing along the sidelines. When Adam saw Elsa standing with a group of other girls he knew she was the one he had seen the night before when he imagined himself and Don using the fake ID they had to get into the school dance at Riverside High. In this particular vision he had seen a group of girls, and one girl seemed to stand out. The night of the dance, when Adam walked over and asked the girl for a dance he was certain she was the same girl he had seen in his previous night’s dream or vision or whatever it was. The girl accepted his invitation without hesitation when he met her then, just as she had the previous night when he had seen all this happening in his mind. 

After Adam introduced himself to her and she gave him her name, she said, “I haven’t seen you in school before, Adam. Are you a new student?” 

“Well, not exactly, Elsa, but I would like to be after seeing you here. I’m really from Napa High School. Me and my friend over there, Don, suggested we crash the dance with some fake school ID he had his cousin make for us. Don’s cousin is a senior here in Riverside. We heard about this dance and so we decided we would come and check the place out.” 

Adam and Elsa hit it off right away, and from that moment on they dated steady and had been dating over two years before that night when she had planned to take him out to Marie’s Steak House for his birthday. All that time, whenever Adam was with her, he would get these flashes about things she was going to say or do and would always be right on. A few times he would let on that he knew something, but it was always done in jest and she had never mentioned before this night that it bothered her. After hearing her base anger about his knowing they were going to Marie’s he decided that for the sake of the relationship he would have to keep these things he always knew to himself. 

This thing had been going on for him since he stopped having these visions that he could go places that he had not been to before. This new thing had just crept in on him kind of unexpectedly. It happened first when he for some strange reason got up from his chair in the front room of his parent’s home, walked over to the phone, picked it up and said, Hi Don, just at the precise second that the phone was ringing and Don, had called him. The phone had not even rung and he was there knowing for sure it was Don calling him. He didn’t quite know what was happening, and didn’t reveal this to Don.  Don just thought he was sitting on the phone when it rung and picked it up right away. 

After that Adam noticed that especially with people he knew, he was always reading their minds and knowing what they were going to say before they said it or knew about things they were doing when he wasn’t really even with them. It was strange, he knew, but he accepted it as just another phase he was going through and didn’t mention it to anyone that he was having these things happen to him quite regularly. Once in a while he would slip, and people would say, How did you know that? And Adam would simply pass it off with, Oh, I just guessed, or I was just lucky, or some such discount so people wouldn’t think he was crazy.  Most of his friends and family accepted this from Adam, but when he was with a group of people he knew or with family members in a group, he had to be real careful since he was constantly reading what was going on in many people’s minds.  Soon after it started with friends and family, Adam began “knowing” things were happening with other people he didn’t even know. He would hear about something or someone he didn’t know by reading about it in the paper for hearing it on the news, and he would realize he had already known this information beforehand.  It was frightening to him sometimes, knowing about things that were happening and not knowing why this information was being revealed to him. He wondered often if he had been given this special talent for some reason. He had read and heard about people like himself as psychics, mediums and clairvoyants, but he didn’t put himself into those categories of strange people who claimed they had these special paranormal powers. He was just an ordinary person, he believed, and the fact that he had some of these special powers was just a plus for him most of the time, and he was sure in a short time it would all go away like these other things had done during his life. 

But this incident with Elsa was really bothering him. He was most worried that he knew all these things about her thoughts and feelings and how that might affect his relationship with her, and that was really scary. His relationship with Elsa was getting quite serious, and he wanted it to be something natural and spontaneous, but when he was always being flooded with these things he knew she was thinking or was about to do, he knew it would eventually impact his union with her. Just like when she got in the car and blew in his ear and asked him if he knew what she was thinking. He knew she was thinking about going to bed with him, and to know that somehow took the spontaneity out of something to which he put a great deal of importance. 

While they sat at the table that night at Marie’s Steak House chatting, laughing and having a good time, Adam was agonizing about what he should do about his relationship with Elsa. All through the meal she would say something that Adam already knew she was going to say, and he would nod his approval or comment on it as if he didn’t know, but it was difficult and distracting to him to not be able to turn this thing off. He had to do something about this, he knew, or his relationship with Elsa was down the tubes for sure. 

Over the next few days Adam spent a lot of his waking hours thinking about this problem, mulling over alternatives he had and wondering what alternative would be best for him to take.  He could just break up with Elsa and it would be over with her and him, but he wondered if he ever got into another relationship with a woman, would it be the same thing all over again? He guessed it would, so he wrote that one off as a viable alternative. What about going to a psychologist, he wondered? Could anyone who wasn’t right in his head fix this problem? Should he wait for a couple of years and see if it just stopped? Should he leave school and just disappear and start over with a new life? All the alternatives he could think of had problems associated with them and he just couldn’t make up his mind which ones he should take on. The psychologist alternative seemed the most plausible to him so he decided he would look into this, perhaps first with the school Psychologist and see where it took him.   

 “Mr. North we have been meeting now for six sessions on this matter of your supposed clairvoyance and how it is affecting your life,” the school Psychologist said to Adam part way through their session in his office that day. “From what you have been telling me, frankly I have come to the conclusion that you are in some kind of a fantasy state in your life right now.  I don’t have an official name for it, but my guess is that you have been lucky in your so-called ‘readings’ of people and their lives, and that it will soon go away as the price you have to pay for letting people know your intuition about them gets too high. My recommendation is that we stop these sessions and you continue your life as best you can. I am convinced this will all work itself out in time. We’ve seen no real evidence of your so called abilities and from the labyrinth of tests we have complete with you nothing serious is happening physically, so I believe it’s safe to say this will clear up on its own.” 

Adam did not immediately answer or comment on the Psychologist’s recommendation since he had already guessed before he said it what the doctor was planning to say. After finishing what he had to say, the doctor waited for Adam to respond. Adam finally said, “Doctor Price, up to this point in our sessions I have not had any intuition as you call it about you and your thoughts, but just when you finished and were waiting for me to go on, I started to get this feeling that I was in fact linking up with you like I have with many others that I have come to know well.  Would you like to have a little of that ‘evidence’ that you said I was not giving you?” 

There was a pause while the doctor considered Adam’s challenge, then he nervously said, “Look, Mr. North, I am not sure this is the place for you to display your fantasies. As I said I am not convinced that you have this power you have, so let this be the end of our session and you simply go on with your life.” 

“But doctor you said you didn’t have evidence, so what do you think about this?” Adam quickly replied to the doctor, not letting him push him out of the office right yet. Besides, his half hour was not over yet. “Just when you paused to let me respond to your question, doctor, you began to mull over the problem you are having with your car and its squeaky brakes. And also you were thinking about what you ate for lunch and were wondering whether that was giving you the heartburn you are having right now. So what do you think about that, doctor?” 

The doctor was silent for some time and simply stared at Adam like he was astonished at what Adam had just said. And then he finally responded. “Adam at first I was going to say you were off the board with your comment about me and what I was thinking, but I am astonished and must admit that you were right on. I do have a problem with the brakes on my Mercedes and was thinking I will have to take it to the shop soon before it gets worse. And yes, I do have heartburn, but I don’t think it’s about my lunch now. I think I am responding to what I didn’t want to believe all along with you. But now I am convinced, Adam, that you do have that rare power of clairvoyance, but honestly, I am not equipped to work with you on it. This is something I have only read about and all the articles I have read have been rather skeptical about this so-called power that people have. So I think it is best we terminate our sessions anyway. Adam, I apologias that I am not equipped to work with you on this matter. I am sorry for taking so much of your time listening to your stories. And also I am not able to even recommend anyone who might help you with this problem. All I can say as a manner of advice to you is to keep doing what you are doing and do your best to keep these things you are learning about others to yourself. That, I am afraid will be the best therapy for you. And as you said, some people who are really close to you will of course know when you are keeping things from them and you will have to just deal with that when it happens.” And then when the doctor stood up to usher Adam out of his office, he continued by shaking Adam’s hand and becoming formal again, “Adam, I just want to wish you the best of luck and again apologize that I was not able to assist you in any way.” 

“Thanks doctor,” Adam replied as he stood up from the chair and started out of the office. “It has not all been a waste of my time. I have had someone to talk to about this, and that has helped me to get through some of the difficulties I have had with this problem. And the advice you just gave me helped to reinforce what I was already doing to some extent. I’ll be all right, I know, and if it is like some of the other strange things I have encountered in my life before, I am sure this too will eventually go away.” With that Adam left the office and went home. 

The weeks that Adam had gone to therapy his relationship with Elsa had continued to deteriorate until there was not much left to do but to break up. In a last ditch effort to try to bring things back together, Adam asked Elsa out for a date to go to a very posh restaurant in Marin County that he had heard of but had never been to. He told Elsa this was a dress up affair and told her about the restaurant where he wanted to take her. She was excited when he called and Adam was holding out hope that maybe things would change now that his therapy was finished. 

At the restaurant Adam and Elsa had a fine meal and a lot of fun while they ate and a guitarist played music from a corner of the room. There was, however, a cloud over the evening while they talked and Adam tuned in on Elsa’s thoughts. It was so distracting at times that at one point late in the evening just about the time their check was to arrive Elsa asked Adam why he had been so pensive all night. 

“Frankly,” he finally said after a long pause, “I have been distracted all night as I listened in on your thoughts while we were conversing. It hurts me to do that and I am sorry, but I just don’t seem to have any control over this anymore. I try. Believe me I try to curb it and put things I hear out of my mind, but they just won’t leave.” 

“Where does that leave me, Adam?” she replied. “I was sure that something was going on and it was disturbing to me too as I am sure you already know. How can we have a relationship when things are so one-sided? You will always know what I am thinking and I will always be in the dark. It’s like we have two languages between us and I don’t understand yours but you do mine.” 

“I know exactly what you are saying, Elsa,” Adam responded. “I didn’t tell you about this, but for the past six weeks I have been going to therapy with the school psychologist at Davis. Those sessions ended this week in great frustration for both of us. At first the doctor didn’t believe I had these clairvoyant powers and when I proved it to him, he called our sessions off because he didn’t have any answers any more. My primary goal in going there, Elsa, was to attempt to find out what was behind these things I have been experiencing most of my life and to put a stop to them. But it seems hopeless now. Regretfully, I can see what it has done to our relationship. I love you dearly, Elsa, and would give anything if I could pull us out of this bind, but I think for now anyway, we should separate and quit seeing each other altogether. Though I regret it deeply I can think of no other option.” 

There was a long pause interrupted by the waiter bringing the check and Adam paying the bill. And then Elsa began: 

“Before I came on this date with you, Adam, I had been thinking about the same thing, that there is little hope for our relationship any more. And like you, I love you deeply. I have never in my life wanted something so much as a wholesome relationship with you, and even the marriage that we have talked about, but this thing that is between us is just too big. I have sensed it too and wanted to talk to you about it before this, but it was so heartbreaking I couldn’t come to it when I was with you. You’ve done us a great service by bringing it up tonight, Adam. I don’t know what to say other than I have to agree with you.” 

Elsa began to cry in deep quiet sobs while she finished what she had to say. And without any more discussion at the table, they both got up and Adam took Elsa in his arms leading her out of the restaurant. By the time they were in the parking lot they were both crying and holding on to each other like they had lost the most valuable thing in their entire lives, and perhaps it was true. They rode home in silence until they were at her doorstep after he walked Elsa from the car. They kissed deeply and Adam suggested that they not contact each other for at least six months, and that to be by letter or E-mail, not in person or by phone. They agreed and Adam walked to his car and went home.

Chapter Five                                                                             

Adam had been cooped up and restricted to the house too long for it to be fun anymore.  All winter he went to school and came home, there were always chores to do on the small farm his folks owned, and of course him being the youngest boy in the family he was always at the mercy of his older brothers who made him do their outside chores. His mom kept him busy inside too, washing dinner dishes, cleaning up things in the house and making sure the basement bedrooms were all straightened and beds were made. She always expected him to do things that by now he believed his younger sister could start doing. But his mom said she was too young and she didn’t want her doing things where she might get hurt or something. It was almost spring now and it was time to break away and do something for himself, so he snuck out of the house found his Spring Spaniel friend, old Pudgy, and took her over by the chicken coop where he could sit down, enjoy the sun that was warmer by the side of the coop and where no cold leftover winter wind could get to him. The south side of the coop was also next to the garage so he was hidden from the house where his mom would not be able to find him unless she came out in the cold to go somewhere in the car. 

That particular day was a special one for Adam. It was the last of March and he would be twelve years old in just three days. This was a time for him to celebrate his coming of age and to do something no one else was able to do. This was something he knew he was ready for and today would be the day he would do it while he sat there by the coop watching the clouds go by. So with Pudgy by his side nesting her head on his legs, Adam went to that special place in the clouds where he somehow knew he could go to and be free for a time. He had imagined himself flying many times before and now by just sitting watching those large Cumulus clouds move with the wind and change shape he was able to feel himself light as those clouds and would soon up there flying near them. He had not flown in an airplane before so he didn’t know exactly how it should feel, but just like he’d imagined himself doing this a week before sitting in the sun by the south side of the coop, he was able to get airborne again and see the things below him. That occasion was cut short; however when his mother found him and made him come in the house to do the lunch dishes before his dad came home. He had been determined this time to make his flight an actuality since he believed his mom was busy reading a book and his little sister was sleeping. But now that opportunity was lost. Adam complied and returned to the house hurrying through the assignment he had been given, and was soon back out by the coop in his nesting place again. 

When it started for him this time Adam actually felt himself getting lighter as he concentrated on those clouds and felt himself rising off the ground where he had been sitting. Once airborne, he opened up his arms like a bird gliding and he was off to the west. First he passed over his Schmidt’s house across the street seeing clearly the house, the four chicken coops they had and the large barn and coral out back. While he continued to gain altitude he was also able to see his Uncle Millard’s house and his broken down sheds out back that his dad always criticized his brother for letting get so run down. Adam’s Uncle Millard was getting into his old pickup truck when he flew over, but he didn’t see Adam above him a hundred feet or more. He never once looked up, but rather just got into his truck and backed out of the driveway Adam noticed when he looked back continuing to glide west.   

Now he was over the Pole Line Road and could see his friend Stanley Peterson’s house to his left. Adam wanted to fly over that way and let the Peterson kids see him up there flying along.  He had told them about his last short flight before, but they had refuted him and told him he was loony. If they could see him now they would eat their words, he thought, but no one was out in the yard or near the barn. Those Peterson kids were always being made to work, milking the cows and doing their homework. With Mrs. Peterson being a high school teacher herself, that made it worse for those kids; she expected them all to be perfect in school. 

Flying was really great Adam thought when he turned to follow the highway below. Now that he was going north the wind was hitting him in the face and it was getting harder and harder to keep going. He now wished he had a pilot’s hat and goggles to wear. But what a feeling it was to have that wind rushing though his shirt and up under his arm pits. His hair even tingled with the wind rushing through it. 

Now he was over the Woods’ house a little farther down the Pole Line Road.  He could see the snotty nose Woods playing in the yard. They looked like so many blond-headed ants down there with their hair all cut like their mother put a bowl on their head and cut around it. He could see that the Woods didn’t have any grass in the back of the house like he did. No wonder they were always so dirty, he thought; and that was sad, but maybe not so bad since they didn’t have to cut it. Looking at their old house, he noticed it didn’t have a lick of paint on it. He remembered his dad had always said that since he got to know Andy Woods, he couldn’t figure out why he didn’t take care of himself and take pride in his home. He made good money.  It must have been that flock of ten or eleven kids that made him so poor. 

Time to swing around and go back, Adam realized. It was getting so it was hard for him to coast against the headwinds, so he thought if he went around and headed south it would be easier. It was, so he swung a little more to the west over the Big Canal and followed it to where it crossed Center Street.  A little south of Center Street he crossed over the Dahl’s house and yard, but didn’t see anyone out there. Ted would have a canary if he saw him now. Rich Ted with all his games and model airplanes, Adam thought, couldn’t compare with this for any amount of money. Up to that time Adam hadn’t been able to convince Ted about this flying business of his, but he knew now that the next time he saw Ted he would tell him details of what he saw and the joy of flying, and that would surely convince him. Adam knew that Ted’s model airplanes couldn’t hold a candle to flying on your own. 

In minutes he was following Center Street back to his home and his seat next to old Pudgy by the chicken coop. With a little effort, he banked right just like he had seen the airplanes at the small airport south of town banking before they leveled out for a landing. This was Adam’s strategy: bank to the left, head down some, slow down and just swing his legs down for a soft landing just like birds do. 

When he had settled back in his seat on the dirt between his mom’s lilacs he told Pudgy all about his flight that day. However, he didn’t say a word about his flight to his mother or his sister or any of the family for that matter. This was his secret and only he would know about it, at least until he got to school the next day and told Ted Dahl and the Peterson kids. He didn’t care if they laughed at him; it was the beginning of springtime . . . April when special things always happened to Adam.

Chapter Six 

“Adam,” Marty started as the three of them, her, Danna and Adam were finally comfortably sitting on the benches next to the big fire they had started there in the New Mexico desert, “as you may have already realized, all three of us are very special people who experience things and do things that are extraordinary . . . sometimes referred to as ‘paranormal’.” 

Adam only nodded his agreement already consumed by the beautiful desert surroundings and these new strange women, not knowing where this conversation was going. 

“I know you have lots of questions for both of us,” Marty continued, “but before you speak into that need, let me tell you a little about us and why we are here.  

“Some years ago Danna came into my shop in Taos with a curiosity and ambience that I saw right away was of the same propensity as I. We quickly got acquainted and hit if off immediately. Soon we were talking about our own special talents and how we might use them to our best advantage. We both had businesses; me with my shop in Taos and Danna with her flower boutique in Questa. We ran our lives like normal people, but both had learned the hard way, like you have, that each of us had special talents that went far beyond what any of our family, colleagues or friends had. Our experiences, like yours, while delightful and exhilarating at times had gotten us into much trouble and turbulence throughout our lives. We both wanted something better so we began to wonder if there were others out in the world who like us were in turmoil and wanted more out of their lives than what was being served up to them in their businesses and lives in general. Adam, you will relate to this, I am sure: both of us had experienced relationships that didn’t work too well because people didn’t understand us.” 

“So the first thing we did,” Danna stepped in as if the two of them were playing the same track on the same record, “was to take some time off and come to this desert place where we could be alone and not be disturbed by anything or anyone and talk about our lives. At the time both of us were about your age, Adam, and this was in our minds a good time to be about what we were capable of being and see if there were others like ourselves who might benefit by networking and getting to know each other.” 

“Not much happened the first day or so that we were here,” Marty cut in, continuing the track that Danna was on. “We first hiked around and initially found this place where you are currently camped. It was a special place we knew right away and dedicated it to be the place where others should initially come to find this same peace we are experiencing in our lives now that we have found out how things work. We didn’t want a meeting place there, we agreed, but wanted to find some place where there was plenty of fire wood, where we could create a meeting place that was still close enough to the other place to make it possible for people to find, but far enough away so we didn’t disturb in any way the ambience of that location. We had discovered at our first visit there that strange and wonderful things can happen to people when they are in a mind to it. Like what happened with you and the bird that gave you directions where to come to find us. We didn’t put that bird there, it’s just part of the package that we know little about and don’t put a lot of time in trying to figure out. We have come to accept those many things in our lives that maintain and support the way we are.” 

When Danna paused, it was like a shifting of gears as Marty got right back into the dialogue. Adam made no attempt to charge in with his questions since most of what he was wondering about was being answered by this strange exchange going on with the two women. 

“In just the past two years, Adam, you may be surprised to know that we have opened this place up to over fifty people like ourselves from all over the U.S. The process we have used to find these people and you, Adam, is simple. We come out here and simply listen in, and people are revealed to us, wherever they are. Our mountain over there where you are camped is our reservoir of inspiration. All we have to do, Adam, is go there, find a place of quiet and peace and wait things out, and those names and people come to us begging for some help, like you did.  Yours was a long time in coming, however, as you were far away and the dream calls you were having were somewhat distant to us.  But when you got home it was different. We had been continuing to call you for some time, I think over a year when we learned about you, and you didn’t answer, but we knew you still wanted to hear from us. When you finally came home and things got clear to us and we were able to call you here. 

“We don’t attempt to try to understand all this, Adam, we simply accept it as a phenomenon that is beyond our understanding and use what talents we have to assist others in finding themselves.  And this, Adam, is the key to having you here. It is to assist you in finding yourself and all you have to offer your fellow man.”

“We see what we have as an asset, Adam, not a defect in our personality that is often mistakenly read by others who don’t understand us,” Danna now continued like she was reading this out of a book, “We are just in another realm . . . one that is powerful to an extent that even we are astonished with once we have recognized its power. Mind you, Adam, we were communicating to you while you were in Germany some time back, and while you didn’t understand us, you were tuning in and we were there with you. You had the essence of what we were saying to you, and you understood that in some way, but it didn’t come clear to you until that fateful day when you were back home when you said to yourself, this must come to fruition. Then it happened for you and for us.” 

There was a long silence as Marty then got up and threw some of the sticks she had gathered into the fire. It flamed for moments as the dry wood took off, then she sat down and neither of the women spoke. 

Adam was first to break the silence with his first questions of the evening: “Where are all these special people that you spoke of? And what are they doing now after visiting here with you?” 

“They are all back in their lives, Adam,” Danna answered, “doing what they were doing before, but now enhanced with the knowledge that they can find others like themselves and assist them in finding a larger part of their life.” 

“But they’re back, you say,” Adam continued, “and living their lives as before. What exactly is different about what they are doing?”  

“Good question, Adam,” Marty answered, “and let me illustrate the answer by telling you a story about Christine Allred who came here last year about this time. Christine is a woman that lives in Denver who is a homemaker with four children ages now about ten through eighteen. Christine knew she had special talents that she had applied secretly to her family for most of her married years, and in other ways as a single person growing up. Knowing her children as she did, she was able to see into their futures and predict with what potential they had and how they might succeed in their lives. So when they were on track with this potential she let them alone and watched their progress with pride and celebration. But when her kids got off track, as kids often do, she could assist them in making adjustments and did, until they were back on track. She was very sensitive about changing their lives, and she didn’t want to disturb their sense of self-worth and their personal freedom to choose and make mistakes, so instead of pushing them into these ‘better-for-them’ tracks like many parent do when their children are obviously off track, rather she nudged them a little here and there with questions that made them think and decide for themselves what was best for them. 

“Christine’s children are doing fine and the older ones are growing up into very independent successful young adults because of the influence their mother has had on their lives. But for years Christine has not been satisfied that her talents are being used to their fullest extent and did not know what to do about this. She, like you, has on occasions revealed her talents to others who like most people in our society shun that talent with disbelief and criticism. So for years, even from her husband, who is a good man, but with little tolerance for the metaphysical, she has kept her talents mostly suppressed, except as I mentioned with regard to her children.   

“Christine was calling out with her silent cries, mostly while she was alone in tearful sorrow about her situation. We heard her calls and beckoned her here. When she heard us and knew the urgency with which we can call people, because of her own personal family situation and her husband’s lack of understanding, she had to make up several lies, and save money to come here secretly. She had to surrender to the possible criticism she would get when she got back as a different person. So Christine came to Taos taking several bus connections from Denver. It took her two days to get to Taos and two more days of wandering around the city before she found my shop. Like you, she didn’t know what it was about, but she just knew she had to get to Taos and didn’t even know where she was supposed to go from there. When she turned up at my store the second day she was there not knowing who or what she was looking for, as soon as I saw here, and felt her special presence, I knew that she had answered our call. You see, in some cases, Adam, our powers are limited and things are not so specific as they were with you when you knew right away as you passed my shop that you should stop. Christine finally found my place, and immediately knew it was the right place. And I knew her right away too by the aura that was around her the moment she entered my shop. Soon after, Marty and I borrowed a jeep from a friend that she used to come to the place we sent you. She spent a week out here in the desert sometimes alone and other times with us and left a changed person. 

“Christine in now back in Denver raising her family as the good mother that she is, but in the year since she was here, we have heard good things about her life and her activities beyond her home. First, she was able to regain her love and life with her husband in a way that she never had before and he now understands and accepts her and her strange ways. He even supports her in her out-of-home activities with people she reaches with her healing talents.   

“Sometime after Christine returned home she found an enclave of Denver street people who live in shanties in vacant lots and under viaducts on the street. When she met some of these people and got close enough to them to read their potential and understood what brought them to this ugly state of their lives, she has been able to assist many of them to recovery and to a better life.  She has done this simply through honest persuasion and helping them to understand the reasons for their losses and the sense that they are not the victims they believe they are, and that has helped to bring many of them back. Christine has of course had many disappointments when she has attempted to assist people who have lost their way through alcoholism and drugs and are beyond help. But the people she has nudged to a different place are numerous and now she is getting the credit she deserves and the support from other entities in the city whose purpose it is to assist people like the ones she is contacting. 

“Others like her who have been here are likewise making a difference in their quests and with the energy they have along with those special talents and powers, they too are being successful with their new lives. Your life, Adam, has that same potential. We are not talking about commercial development of these special talents; rather, we are counting on your ability to turn these talents into real humanitarian initiatives.” 

Adam was silent after that and the women let him muse while they added wood to the fire again and stretched their bodies from the long sit on the bench. Adam finally broke the silence bringing the women back to the bench with him when he asked: “What’s next now for me?” 

He had realized by then that this was a special session set up specifically for him and he was anxious to know what he had to do to make the changes in his life that were beginning to come clear to him that he had to make. He didn’t know what they would be but he was anxious to get on with it and see what the women had to offer. 

“We are about finished with our part of the program for now, Adam,” Marty answered after a short pause. “Our job of getting you here is done, and all that is left for us to do is head you in the right direction, give you a little ‘nudge’ and you will be off like Christine Allred about whom I spoke. There’s neither a training program nor other assistance we will be offering you unless you ask for it later. You have all that you need already to succeed. But there are some things we can suggest that will assist you in getting started. You must go back to your camp and wait your inspiration out. Listen to the birds and the rocks and see what they have to say. Look at the sky and read the clouds when they appear like you did when you were young, and if there aren’t any clouds, read the wind and the stars. They will give you the answers. We will be here camped out a little way from this place and will be here for several days if you need us. Don’t hesitate to come by again if you want to talk or exchange ideas that you have come up with. It’s late now and you need your rest and all the energy you can muster for the next little while, Adam. We will show you the way back to your car, and then you are on your own until you need us again.” 

Both women then came over to Adam, who was standing by then mostly in a daze from what had transpired, and took him into a big group hug that lasted, he was sure, a minute or more as the three of them stood holding each other in silence. While he felt their bodies next to him he sensed their power and love and he knew he was giving his love back to them. It was a long and endearing moment for him that Adam in all his twenty five years had not remembered ever experiencing with other women in his life. It was like he was being renewed and charged with energy and life like he was a new form released from a cast. When that moment was over he realized he had tears streaming down his face and he wasn’t even embarrassed about it, but let the tears wet his jacket as they walked silently back to his Jeep. 

“Oh by the way, Adam,” Marty hollered to Adam as he backed his car away from the tree where he was parked, “we forgot to wish you a happy birthday.”

Chapter Seven 

During the summer between his junior and senior year at UC Davis, soon after he returned to California having finished his four week reserve training at Fort Lewis Washington, Adam met Barb Anderson. Actually, Barb Anderson found Adam eating alone in a small bistro north of Napa and introduced herself to him. Barb had been trying all summer since school was out to find Adam, initially not knowing he had gone to Fort Lewis Washington for ROTC training.  She too, was a student at UCD who by chance had overheard a girl talking about him in a school study hall. The part of the conversation she had overheard was a story this young student was telling another student about this crazy guy she had met who read her mind so accurately that it threw her for a loop. She had met this guy in one of her communication lecture classes while sitting behind him thinking she would like to know this tall blond fellow sitting in front of her. At that exact moment the young man turned around to her, the girl was telling her companion, and said that he would like to meet her too and introduced himself to her. He didn’t want to talk to her during class, the girl continued, and so Adam suggested that they meet after class. When they got together, she asked him how he had read her mind, but Adam admitted that he had not really read the girl’s mind, but really had wanted to meet her and it was simply a coincidence that he had turned to her just as she was thinking about wanting to meet him. The girl said she never believed the boy’s story, and after she got to know him a little better and had dated a couple of times she was certain that he had this special talent of reading minds. As the conversation went on between the girl and her companion, she mentioned that there were many instances when they were together that she knew he was aware of what she was thinking. It was too weird, the girl explained to her companion, so she made up some excuses about needing to spend more time studying and not dating, and broke off with Adam summarily. 

Barb was at the time studying paranormal behavior in a class she was attending, so apologizing and explaining to the girl about her research project and that she had by chance overheard her talking about this strange man, she asked if she could get his full name and how she might find him.  Barb further explained to the girl about her research into paranormal behavior and that she needed a live subject to study. The girl didn’t hesitate to tell Barb the whole story about her and Adam’s short relationship and even gave Barb Adam’s home phone number in Napa where she said he lived. It was Finals Week that week so Barb wasn’t able to reach Adam before he left school at the end of the term for his summer camp, so she decided that she would attempt to reach him during summer break while he was at home. She lived not too far from Napa anyway, so she thought this would be the way to contact Adam. Later she called his home and learned that Adam was away in Washington in ROTC Summer Camp and wouldn’t be back until later in the summer. 

During that four weeks that Adam was away, Barb, who lived in Santa Rosa, came over to Napa several times to do research on her target “live paranormal person.” First she found his old home on the small farm just north of Napa, and from that she deducted where he had gone to school and tracked down the names of some of his high school mates and found pictures of them along with Adam in the local library that had copies of all the high school yearbooks. Later she contacted several of the people whom she saw in high school pictures telling them she was doing paranormal research and asked them what they knew about Adam and his so called clairvoyant tendencies. To get the information she wanted from several of the people she talked to she told them that she was not looking for personal information but was simply doing research on people who claimed to have psychic talents. Most were willing to talk with her, but she didn’t get much information, other than learning that Adam had been a little distant and was a loner most of the time during high school. She also contacted Adam’s old girl friend Elsa and talked to her, but Elsa did not give her any information, and seemed definitely put off by the contact. 

Barb didn’t push any of the contacts she made gathering information about Adam since she didn’t want to have any of those people calling him when he got home and alerting him that he was being “studied” by one of his classmates at UCD. So she simply came back when she thought he would be home, drove by his house a few times to find out what kind of car he was driving, then staked out the house and watched for him. 

It was Sunday, two days after he got home that Barb drove over to Napa to attempt to make contact with Adam if she could. She was lucky this time and just as she came down the old highway toward his house she saw him pulling out of the driveway and heading north. She discretely turned around and followed his car about five miles to the north where he pulled off into the small bistro where she hoped he would be going to have lunch. Lucky for her, he was alone, so she parked her car, waited about five minutes giving him time to order, and then went into the restaurant to make contact. 

When Barb went in the bistro she was directed to a small table that just happened to be across the aisle from where Adam was sitting. She looked at the menu, quickly placed her order and then got up and walked over to Adam’s table. Up to that time Adam had not even noticed her come in and sit down since he was engrossed in a local paper he had found on the chair next to his. 

“Excuse me,” she started when Adam looked up at this attractive young woman smiling and obviously wanting to talk to him, “my name is Barb Anderson, and I am a student at UCD. I’ve seen you on campus and just wanted to say hello. Are you alone?” 

Barb was a seductive and persuasive person who used her charm and beauty to get what she wanted, and Adam immediately took the bait. 

“Actually, yes I am,” he said, intrigued by her sudden presence and assertiveness. 

“Then would you mind if I joined you?” she continued, “I hate to eat alone and I was hoping you wouldn’t mind if I joined you.” 

“Sure,” Adam offered, standing up and pulling out the seat next to him so she could join him. “I hate to eat alone too. I’d love to have you join me, please sit down.”

“So tell me about your classes in UCD,” Adam started as Barb signaled to the waiter to bring over her water and place setting so she could join Adam. “What major are you in and how did you happen to see me on campus?  I don’t remember seeing you in any of my classes. By the way, my name is Adam North, and I’m glad to meet you. Barb Anderson, was it?” 

“Well, actually,” Barb answered, nodding affirmatively to his question, “I don’t remember exactly where I saw you, but I remember you because you are blond and also you are a tall kind of guy and I am always looking for tall blond men since I am tall and blond myself. 

After a short pause, Barb continued: “Seriously, Adam, I’ll actually be a Senior this coming fall, and my major is Human Development and I am hoping to go on with graduate studies in paranormal behavior. In this program I am working on, I have tailored my classes to get started early on research so I can get a head start on my graduate research project. 

“What about you, Adam, what is your major direction of study?” 

“Currently I am working on a degree in Communications,” Adam answered, “but with my reserved unit, I am getting special training on Intelligence and hope after graduation that I get my commission and will be able to serve in an Army Intelligence unit somewhere. 

“What brings you to Napa, Barb?  Do you live somewhere in Napa Valley?” 

“No,” Barb answered, “My home is in Santa Rosa and I was actually on my way down to Marin County to hang out with some old friends for the weekend. Nothing was set up special, so I decided to take the long way around and come over to the wine country where I knew I would find a nice bistro where I could have a good lunch.” 

Lunch came as they continued to make small talk about school and life. Since it was getting time for the bill to come, Adam mentioned that he was heading north after he ate and was going to stop in a couple of the wineries along the way for some of the Sunday offerings of wine tasting and wondered if Barb would like to join him. She could leave her car at the bistro, he suggested and they could spend the afternoon together getting acquainted. 

Barb felt he was playing right into her hand, so she accepted saying she would call her friends and tell them she wasn’t coming to hang out with them after all. After they paid their bills, Barb excused herself to make the phone call she said she had to make, and soon they were loading into Adam’s old Volvo for the ride north into the wine country. 

Adam had immediately felt a connection between him and Barb that was unlike anyone he had ever met before. Surprised by her own reaction to the way Adam treated her, Barb also felt a strange attraction that went beyond her scheming to get information out of him about his alleged paranormal talents. She felt very relaxed around him and he felt the same toward her, but deep down as they got better acquainted, Adam was getting some vibes from her that he couldn’t figure out right away. 

It was after their second stop and several wine tasting sessions that they were both getting very relaxed and decided to stop at the St. Helena Winery and take some time walking through the winery’s gardens and relax a while on one of the park benches they found. They found a very secluded place where they could talk while they continued their exchange about their futures and school. It was after a while that they were quietly sitting together, Adam with his arm around Barb and her holding his other hand in hers, when Adam suddenly got a flash of something that for the moment paralyzed him. He could see Barb sitting in the study hall in school as if he was suddenly there looking over her shoulder. She was talking with two girls . . . one whom he knew was the girl he dated during the early part of the last semester, and they were talking about him. 

The conversation the girls were having was a little jumbled, but clearly understandable that his old girlfriend was telling Barb about their short affair and their sudden breakup. While he sat there staring off into space the scene shifted to Barb talking to his old girl friend Elsa in Napa and Elsa being sharp with Barb at what she was asking of her.  

Barb noticed Adam’s sudden stillness and the paralytic nature of his body and said to Adam, “What’s wrong Adam, you look as if you have seen a ghost?” 

There was a long silence before Adam responded. After taking several deep breaths, he said in as calm a manner as he could manage, “Barb, I don’t know how really to say this, but I am feeling very strange about our being together right now? I have a sense that our meeting today was not all that accidental.” 

Barb sensing that she had been caught at her game sat up, took Adam’s other hand in hers as he had removed it from around her shoulder and answered, “Adam, you are so perceptive. I am truly amazed. I’ll admit, I have not been honest with you. Our meeting was not accidental. I have been looking for you and wanted to meet you ever since the end of the term when I heard about you from one of my friends at school. But believe me, my intentions are sincerer. I just didn’t know how else to approach you but the way I did.” 

Not wanting to lay out all his cards on the table and let Barb know he had experienced the scene at the school and her meeting with Elsa, he was now in a serious bind. He knew there was something special regarding his feelings for the woman and didn’t want to break that off so soon after they just met, but on the other hand, he had to reveal something to her and hoped she would open the deck before he had to. So he decided he had to get the ball rolling and try something. 

“Look, Barb,” he started, “while we were sitting there a moment ago, I suddenly got this feeling that your meeting me at the bistro was planned and that you had some agenda when you introduced yourself to me. I’m not sure how I knew that, but I wanted to just find out if that was so. Don’t get me wrong, I am very happy we met and don’t want to break this off suddenly on a hunch. Let’s just be honest with each other and see where it goes from here.  Okay?” 

Barb, too, didn’t want to break off this special thing with him either, so after a long period of silence as her eyes welled full of tears, she decided to let him know her whole story: 

“First, please accept my sincere apology,” she started. “I mentioned to you that I am very interested in the paranormal. It’s more than interest, actually, it has become a passion for me lately and I think there is really something to the fact that certain people in this world have special talents that are given to them to look into the future, predict things that are coming, read people’s minds and even travel through time and space unlike the rest of us. 

“Well for some time as I have been pursuing this passion through study and research, I have run up against some of my professors who discount all literature on this matter, be it clairvoyance, psychic phenomenon and all the other paranormal stuff we hear and read about. I got into it with one of my professors after visiting a local clairvoyant in Oakland and am convinced that there is something to the research that is being done on this subject. The professor seeing a good opportunity to prove me wrong then challenged me to take the summer to do some research and prove to him that these phenomenon do exist. So being the girl-that-can’t-be-proved-wrong type of person that I am, I took his challenge, not knowing where I might find the proof. 

“Shortly after my meeting with the Professor, just by accident while I was in study hall near the end of the term, I was reading a book while sitting next to two girls who were talking. I couldn’t help overhearing their conversation, and soon realized it was about this guy who allegedly had read this girl’s mind. The one girl was telling the other one about dating this man later and then breaking up with him because she sensed that he was reading her mind all the time and she was too uncomfortable with that to carry on with the relationship and broke up with the guy. 

“Hearing that, I was so excited that I might have my ‘live paranormal’ subject to study to beat my professor over the head with, that I slid over by the girls, apologized for overhearing their conversation and asked if I could get more information about the guy they were talking about.  The one girl who had been your girlfriend for a time, I guess finding another person to tell her victim story to, gladly told me the whole story about your relationship, and then gave me your home phone number and where you lived and told me your full name. 

“I wanted to find you that moment and introduce myself, but I had some serious studying to do for Finals Week, and couldn’t take the time to track you down at school. So I decided since I had your home phone and knowing I lived only a few miles away from Napa, I would wait until the summer vacation was started and look you up then. I called you home and you mother, I suppose it was, told me that you were in Washington on Summer Camp with the ROTC, and that you would be home later in the summer. I wasn’t about to wait, so I came to Napa later, did some research on your high school yearbook and looked up some of your old friends. This weekend I decided I would come to Napa and see if I could find you. I actually staked out your house waiting to see what kind of car you were driving when you first got back from Washington, but I didn’t have courage to come to your house to get this thing started with you. Then as I was driving down here today, I saw you pass going north, so on a whim, I turned around and followed you, hoping you were going somewhere alone. Sure enough when you got to the bistro and I didn’t see you meet anyone and there were no other cars in the lot, I decided I would play my cards and see if you were really alone. That brings us up to date, Adam, except for one thing I failed to mention. While I was contacting people you knew in high school, I called a young woman, Elsa, who I had heard was once a girlfriend of yours or still is. She was very sharp with me about the call, so I didn’t pursue it further with her. Again, please accept my apology for this uninvited intrusion into your life. In fact, I am so ashamed, if you want, you can take me back to the bistro and I will be out of your life forever. I promise.” 

After the long, sincere, and seemingly honest story, Adam was captured by it and overwhelmed. Once again he was in a bind. Obviously the girl wanted information about his paranormal capability, but he knew if he revealed all, his budding relationship with this attractive woman would go down the tubes like his other’s had done, like with Elsa and the young lady at school last term. So what should he do, he pondered, knowing his silence was getting almost too heavy to manage? Should he tell her all or just let it go and try to make the relationship go on with it only being honest on one side? Before he had a chance to say anything, Barb started again. 

“Look, Adam,” she said, once again taking both his hands in hers, “I know this must be hard on you. Come on, let’s go to the car and you can take me back to the bistro right now. I’ve done enough damage for one day, and I am feeling pretty shitty about this whole thing.”

Finally getting his courage up and deciding to be honest with the girl himself, Adam made Barb sit down again since she had already gotten to her feet as if to go, and said, “Look, Barb. I already like you a lot and don’t want that to go down the tubes just yet. Let me tell you some things that might help to ease your mind. And by the way, I accept your apology. I know what happens to people when they have a passion for something. Nothing gets in the way, and I fully understand how that could have happened to you. 

“I wasn’t honest with you either, Barb. When I put my arm around you while we were sitting on this bench a while ago, I had this premonition. No, it was more than that. I saw you with my old girlfriend in the study hall in school and I even heard what you were saying to her. I suspect you may have been thinking about that when this thing hit me. And then right after that, I saw you in Napa talking to my old girlfriend, Elsa. And I even noticed that Elsa got a little sharp with you for asking so personal a question of her. This is my life and my burden, Barb. I’ve been carrying around this ball and chain a good part of my life, and it is very disturbing to me at times. 

“You mean you really saw me like a movie playing?” she interrupted to ask. 

“As strange as it may seem, Barb,” he answered, “that’s how it seems sometimes, and believe me it’s always in Technicolor. This has been happening most of my life, as I said, but in each phase of my life it has manifest itself in different ways. When I was very young, around twelve or thirteen, for example, in the early spring after being cooped up all winter, I loved to sit by the side of the old chicken coop out back of the house next to the garage and watch the clouds go by.  And then one day I stood up like I was feeling I was in the clouds . . . light, you know, and I found I was able to fly. I tried this many times and it was always the same. But when I told my friends about it, they called me weird and crazy, so I stopped sharing these things with anyone.  A year or so later, as suddenly as it began, it left me. 

“Later when I was in the early years of high school, I found I had another propensity to travel, but this time it was not by flying, but through a strange immediate transportation from one place to another. All I had to do was get in a quiet place, mostly out of doors, where I was alone, and I could imagine a place I would like to go, like to a special lake or to a quiet beach, and suddenly as I thought it, I would be there. It was so vivid, Barb, I could feel the air and touch the things around me and smell the flowers. Later when I went to the library and found pictures of these places I had been, I was always right on, though I had never been to these places before in my life. It was like flying. When I was flying as a kid, I had never been in an airplane, but the experience was real as I glided over my neighborhood and saw people there below me. 

“When I met Elsa, whom you talked to, we had a great thing going and I still love the woman dearly, but our relationship soured when she discovered that I was reading her mind all the time and she felt like we were speaking different languages . . . one that I understood, but she didn’t. So we broke up peacefully out of need rather than wishing it. That was a hard time of my life that I still regret and feel bad about. I have not talked to or seen Elsa for over a year since we broke up, but from what happened to you recently, she must be feeling the same way I am . . . still full of regret and sorrow over our breakup. During our waning relationship, I went to the school psychologist to get some help, but after weeks of therapy that wasn’t working, he blew me off when he realized I was reading his mind and he wasn’t getting anywhere with me. 

“It’s been a long road for me having this, what you call paranormal talent. I don’t really call it that since society doesn’t really accept that there are people like me in this world, and so like my therapist did to me, we get shunned by society and have to keep my powers under wrap so as not to be committed to an institution or some like place. 

“Before you and my school therapist, Elsa was the first person I ever had a chance to talk to about this situation of mine, Barb, and even Elsa was not able to accept me for who I was. It was just too difficult knowing what she did about me and being able to carry on a normal relationship with me. I know I am different, and that’s my reality, but what to do about it and how to get on the side of society with it is not something I am willing to attempt or even challenge.” 

After a short silence when Adam was finished, breaking the solemn mood they had both created, Barb jumped to her feet and taking Adam by the hand skipped down the path dragging him along with her. 

“Come on, Adam,” she said as she led him toward the building where the wine tasting was happening. Let’s have another glass of wine before we leave this place. I have lots more I want to ask you about and we have a relationship to begin to develop. I don’t want to lose you quite yet either. You are a valuable resource to me that I need to kick Professor Jamison’s butt with.” 

Adam laughed, loving her spontaneity and wit even more now. With that they went to the customer service building of the winery, had a glass of Cabernet Sauvignon and then bought a bottle and left the place walking to the car hand in hand like two young lovers. In the car Barb said, “What’s next with us, Adam?” 

“I want to know what you said to your friends in Marin County when you called them while we were at the bistro?” he chided her. 

“Actually I told them that I had found this tall handsome blond guy from Napa that I wanted to go to bed with and wouldn’t be coming to Marin today,” she laughed. 

Adam hadn’t missed the cue, so without saying anything he got onto Sage Canyon Road heading east to a piece of private property owned by his uncle that was secluded and in an hour they were drinking their wine while sitting under a tree on a blanket Adam had in his car eating the sandwiches they had purchased along the way. They stayed there for hours, and before they knew it they were frolicking on the blanket in a very intimate way learning a whole lot about each other’s bodies and feelings. 

Barb and Adam met often through the rest of the summer until it was time to return to school in the fall. They continued to have sex on occasions, but that was not the most important part of their relationship. Barb was nonstop in her attempt to collect data for her challenge of Professor Jamison and Adam attempted to assist her with data that could be substantiated by facts. But it was a hopeless task for both of them and soon they were disgusted with the challenge and simply gave up. Up to that time Barb had done a scholarly job of data collection, but there was little she could do but refer to her live paranormal and his testimony upon which to base her case. 

Barb and Adam continued to see each other on occasion all the senior year, but the pressure of their classes restricted them from doing much to develop their relationship. When graduation time came along, Adam was anxious to get with the program at the Intelligence Center in Arizona that had been offered him and Barb was planning on enrolling in Graduate School the next fall and was preparing for that with all intent. They had a mutually agreed-upon breakup diner at the bistro where they had met on the Sunday before Adam left for Arizona, and that was the end of it for both of them.

 

Chapter Eight 

Adam had a fitful night trying to sleep in his tent after the exciting episode with the two women in the New Mexico desert that evening. He thought he kept hearing noises that woke him up repeatedly, so finally he got up, relieved himself and tried again to get some sleep. It was late morning when the heat of the tent woke him up from a deep sleep. He guessed he had finally gone to sleep around four in the morning. 

What to do was his next challenge after he ate breakfast. Should he hike up to the nesting place where he met the bird the day before, or should he just hang around camp and try to concentrate on what the women advised him to do? He didn’t know and didn’t have anyone to ask, so he finally decided to do something completely different. He decided he would do a little rock climbing and see if exhaustion would bring about something for him before it got too hot. So he got his back pack, some water and snacks, and then he started up the steep side of the rock outcrop to see where it led him. 

Part way up the side of the mountain he had not seen before following a narrow rock ledge, he came upon a shallow cave that was as far as the ledge took him without having some serious rock climbing equipment. The cave entrance was sunny at the moment, but he knew from the direction that it was facing he would be in the shade before long, so he picked up some flat stones out of which he thought he could make a decent sitting place, constructed the makeshift seat and sat back leaning against the back wall of the cave. He folded a sweat shirt he had in his pack on the seat and fount it was comfortable; and for the first time since he had arrived at the cave he looked over the countryside at the far expanse of the desert to the east of him. A breeze was blowing cooling the cave for the time being, but he knew when it got shady it would be very nice here and he was quite satisfied with the choice he had made to climb the side of the mountain almost by default. 

It was about 10 a.m. by the time Adam got settled in the cave and without his even realizing it time passed quickly. Soon he was fully in the shade of the mountain completely enjoying the peace of this place. At first like before his mind chatter took control, but when he concentrated on ridding that chatter eventually he began to notice things in the environment around him . . . a fly passing his face or the subtle change in direction of the wind. Eventually as if he was entering some strange state in his mind and body while he looked out over the rocky plane below him things came into greater visual focus and he began to hear sounds he had not heard before. At first he believed the sounds were of the desert but couldn’t understand why they were so magnified. He attempted to identify their source, but they were all around him he realized, and soon they were encompassing him with their density. He could almost feel the pressure of the sounds and the visual impact of what he was seeing was even greater for him.   

When he tuned in to these visual images that were collecting in his mind along with hearing their accompanying sounds, he noticed that the deeper that he listened and attempted to make out their visualizations they seemed to sound like the voices of people. Yes, he concluded as he continued to listen in, they were voices, but so distant and pleading. What they were saying to him was unintelligible. He only knew they were there and he was hearing them. He also noticed that this special visualization he was having was vague, but was definitely small groups of people or individuals, he couldn’t tell for sure. 

As these images and sound became more intense his mind went to the place of figuring them out and analyzing them, and in moment they had disappeared and he was back to his normal state noticing the breeze passing his face and feeling the pain in his bottom from the rock he was sitting on. He even caught himself looking at his watch and calculating how long he had been sitting there . . . it had been over two hours, he realized, and he was getting thirsty and hungry too. Surrendering that this special time was really over for him now because his mind had taken over again, he broke out his backpack and looked through it for something to eat and his water to wash it down and quench his thirst. Thinking about what had just happened Adam realized a great moment had passed and he was disappointed beyond belief. Analyzing and trying to figure it out was the thing he realized he had done and he knew that he had to just accept things like they were and let them be served up to him without analysis and calculations. Committing this to himself, he relaxed some hoping that soon those sensations would return. 

Adam continued to remain a calm and focused as he possibly could for more than an hour to see if he could revive the feelings he had experienced. But nothing came of it. Standing up he was about ready to give up realizing it was time to leave this place and head back down the hill when a hawk flew over passing just above his head. And then without any sound or notice, the hawk gained altitude again, folded its wings to gain speed and almost fell upon him like he had invaded its dominion and was upset with Adam. The bird diverted his attack on Adam only a few feet away. As the bird banked, it let out a terrible pierce cry and swung straight away to the right of him. It so startled Adam that he almost lost his balance on the narrow ledge. Leaning back against the rock face while he recovered Adam noticed he was shaking fiercely and was breathing as if he had just run a race. He stayed there for a while before moving, but the hawk didn’t return and he wondered if he should attempt to come back to this place again. He had already decided when he was thinking about returning to camp that he wanted to come back to the cave later to see if he could relive the wonderful experience he had there, but now he was hesitant to consider it. 

Adam was completely exhausted when he got back to camp, though it had been a downhill hike all the way. He wasn’t even hunger any more, though he had not eaten anything since early morning other than the snacks he carried up the mountain. Using all the strength he had left, he pulled his sleeping bag and mattress out of the tent, settled it on a canvas ground cloth under the tree by his truck and lay down so worn out he didn’t remember a time in his life when he was so beat. In moments he was asleep and didn’t wake until evening. The sun had shifted by then and he was no longer in the shade, but the heat had not even awakened him. 

Cravingly hungry and thirsty, somewhat revived by the sleep, Adam quickly put together a cold sandwich from his cooler, opened a beer out of the Styrofoam cooler and fell back down on the sleeping bag again feeling the fatigue he had felt when he came off the mountain. What had happened to him at the cave, he deducted was more powerful than anything he had ever experienced and it had sapped his strength to no end. Reclining back on the bag again, he couldn’t hold his eyes open and was soon fast asleep. 

Long after he had gone to sleep the second time, he was awakened by the sound of a car approaching the camp. At first when he woke, he was completely disoriented as he looked up at the eerie light shining on the gray backed leaves of the mesquite tree above him. It startled him and he couldn’t figure out what he was seeing at first. Then as he came fully awake, the car was there in his camp and he thought it must be the Land Rover that belonged to Marty. The light from the headlights was so bright he couldn’t be sure it was Marty and Danna, so he got up, walked toward the car and soon realized as he heard Marty’s voice that it was in fact the ladies from Taos and Questa. 

“Hey, Adam,” Marty called as she got out of the passenger side of the car even before the lights were cut, “how ya doing? We said we wouldn’t contact you, but when we didn’t see you all day we thought we would come up here and see if you had a fresh pot of coffee brewing we could share with you.” 

“I’m okay,” he answered, pausing before adding, “now.  It’s been quite a day and I think I slept through most of it. What about you gals. How’s it been for you?” 

Adam didn’t know really what more to say, so he just waited until Danna got out of the car and he was more awake and rational. The sharp awakening by the car approaching and the funny lights on the tree that had shocked him so bad it had made it a little much for him and he needed those few seconds to fully recover. 

“So,” Danna finally broke the ice, “you had an exhausting day, I take it.” 

“Frankly, yes,” Adam replied, “I’ve never had such a day in my life. I’m not sure if I have yet recovered from it.” 

“I don’t smell any coffee brewing, Adam,” Marty broke in chuckling, “let’s see what we can do about that, then let’s hear your story.” 

The women walked over to his camp and before even asking where things were they started rummaging through Adam’s boxes and the tent until they found his coffee, coffee pot and water and started up his Coleman stove to begin making the coffee. His camp was a mess and while he stood helplessly aside, they straightened things up, rolled up his sleeping bag, mattress and canvas ground cloth and made a place where they could all sit down and enjoy the coffee that was soon brewing. 

Adam told them about the experience in the cave and about the hawk while they listened without comment. When he had finished, Marty spoke first: 

“My, what a story, and how did you come to find that cave?” Marty said.” I don’t remember ever seeing such a place when we were here the many times we have visited this place. Do you remember anything like this Danna?”

Without waiting for comments from Danna, Adam continued. “Actually, I didn’t know what to do first thing in the morning so I just took off and soon I was up on that south side of that rock outcrop and there it was.” 

“This was a great first step for you,” Adam, Danna cut in. “My guess is, this is just the beginning for you.” 

“I’m not sure I could handle another day like that,” Adam sincerely commented.  “I’ve never experienced such exhaustion before in my life. I could hardly get off the hill. I’m just glad it was all downhill coming back to camp.” 

“There’s a lesson in that for you, Adam,” Danna spoke up.  “It’s like that for all of us, but you will recover, I promise.” 

The women stayed for an hour or so continuing to question Adam, but never giving him any instructions or cautions for things to watch for as time went on. Adam was secretly hoping that it would be different and that was the reason why they came up. But true to their word, the women had nothing to offer him with regard to instructions or directions. He was truly on his own, he realized once again. But he also knew from the hugs he got when they left that there was more than just moral support available from these two special women. They were with him and he sensed that they knew already what was due to be doled out to him the next day or days to come. 

Determined that he wasn’t going to let a hawk intimidate him again, the next morning, his third day living on the rock outcrop, Adam worked his way cautiously up the cliff side toward the cave. He had dreamed about the cave and the experience he had the day before and was sure this was the place he had to go to that day. 

The climb seemed more difficult and different as he worked his way along the thin ledge that led to his hideaway, but he continued to climb looking up at every step to see if he was going to be attacked again by a hawk or something else. When he got closer to his destination, however, he began to feel dizzy, he thought from the height, and so he took more careful steps and didn’t look down any more. That eased the dizziness some, but he was still feeling woozy the higher he climbed. At one point he had to stop and rest, so he found a small tree clinging to the side of the cliff wall, took hold of it and waited there hoping his lightheadedness would end there and he could go on. 

It was minutes before he got control of himself again, and for some reason he couldn’t seem to get his feet to make one more step forward. Two or three times he tried, but continued to fail until he was shaking so bad from fatigue, he retired back to the safety of the tree he had held on to. He thought then, maybe he should try another route and decided to drop back some and take a lower approach to the cave site and see if that made any difference. But when he tried that and got close to the cave again, the same sensations took over his body and he couldn’t move.  Trying different methods of moving ahead were of no avail, so finally he retreated a few hundred feet to a wider ledge and sat down to attempt to come to grips with whatever it was that was holding him back from reaching the cave. 

The women the night before had said his visit to the cave was just a “first step” for him.  Did that mean, he wondered if there was another place he should be going?  Maybe that’s why he couldn’t make himself go any further. But then he kept going back to what the women had said to him the first night he met them. He would have to look for answers in the wind, or the ground or the clouds. His whole approach, he thought might be wrong. He was in a safe place now, perhaps he should just stay where he was and not try to go higher, but he truly wanted go to the cave again and now that he had regained his composure, he was even more determined to overcome whatever it was that held him back on his initial try. 

Adam sat on the ledge a few moments more, and then he got up, moved forward and was soon passing the tree that was his previous stopping point. Without experiencing any resistance from anything, he continued cautiously past the tree and was now only a few yards from the cave site. Still nothing. There was no hesitation in his walk; no dizziness or lightheadedness held him back. But now it was something else. He could not actually see the entrance to the cave yet, but he suddenly felt afraid that there was something or someone there waiting for him. Shaking like a leaf and breathing hard, Adam attempted to get a grip on himself, but couldn’t manage to calm down, so he remained motionless listening and trying to sense what it was that was frightening him. Then he remembered the bird from the other day and wondered if it was there waiting for him, and he calmed down a little, but yet he remained afraid to move on. What would the bird be doing there, he wondered? Did it have a nest somewhere in one of the pockets he had seen that were part of the cave? 

Another step and another and he was almost to the cave, but still couldn’t see inside. The ledge got thinner just before the cave entrance and he was now afraid of another possibility. What if something lurched out of the cave or a bird few out and made him lose his balance and fall?  It was a good twenty feet down to the next flat spot below him and he could be killed. Adam was now processing information like a computer on the loose. His mind chatter had completely taken over his body and actions. The what-if’s kept coming as  he continued to stand only feet away from his destination as if frozen to his perch. Calm down, his body kept shouting at him, but his mind kept saying, there’s something in there waiting to do something to you. 

It was after what seemed like minutes when nothing happened, and no bird or animal came lurching out of the cave entrance at him, that Adam finally reassured himself that it was safe to move on.  When he did, seconds later the cave entrance was visible to him that he realized it had all been in his mind and there was nothing there after all. 

Adam looked around to once again be sure there was nothing in or around the cave. This time he examined all the little pockets that he hadn’t bothered with before.  Just be sure, his mind chatter told him. Don’t take any chances. But then he finally sat down on the seat he had made the day before. Sitting there soon helped to ease the tension he felt and finally he was able to review what had just happened to him and the debilitating process his mind had just put him through. It was like nothing he had ever experienced before and he wondered what its purpose had been.  It sure didn’t feel like it was something from which he could learn anything since it seemed to him to be something he had little or no control over. But then he remembered what Danna had said to him the first night that he was there with the two women at the fireside—Adam, when you go back to camp you will be on your own and everything that happens to you will be of your own making. Your mind will fight you to quit what you are about and you can bet that it will win some of the battles. Her words now synchronized with what had just happened. His mind had just won that skirmish and most likely the one before when he became dizzy and disoriented. And . . . he thought to himself, he could likely expect more of the same in the future. This had after all been a lesson for him, and now he could choose to have the lesson over again or learn from it and move on to the next one. 

Once again relaxed and at ease with himself, Adam was able to begin to concentrate on where he was and what he was about and this he concluded was a great place to do that. Gazing out across the desert he tried to take in the sights and sounds of this place, and doing so he realized for the first time how beautiful it was. The pale greens of what vegetation that existed were startlingly contrasted with the browns of the earth and occasional rock outcrops. The old mesquite trees and tall cactus seemed like monuments carved out of the landscape, and as he looked farther in the distance at the mountains to the south and west of him, he realized the beauty in their colors and the fading grays to purples that they became as each outline of one ridge behind another grew fainter and finally faded into the horizon. 

Closer to him and hundreds of feet below the bushes and trees he could see were sharply focused and distinct. Their colors were bright and radiant like they were full of life and energy.  He realized, likely for the first time in his life, how these living and static things around him . . . the landscape in total, were like part of him. It was what sustained him and kept him alive. It made the chemistry that gave him breath and the ability to do what he was doing now. He had never realized or acknowledged that before. So while he sat on his perch in the mouth of the cave he was pleased with himself at his new insight and knew this was what he was here for at that moment. Nothing else mattered but what he was learning and experiencing and he knew that when he left here, what he left with would be his souvenirs forever.  

Adam hadn’t realized how long this process had gone on for him until he noticed how much of a back ache he was getting from being so still and focused on the landscape before him. When he looked at his watch he realized he had been sitting in that one spot for over three hours. He wondered if this was to be it for the day, and concluded it was. His expectations for some miracle like he had experienced the day before had not materialized and he realized that perhaps he was trying too hard to make it happen. He noticed he was hungry too, and took out some snacks and water and refreshed himself. When he was through got up and retreated down the mountain satisfied that it had been a great day for him. 

About fifteen minutes after he got back to camp he realized how refreshed he was and how energized he felt. He even felt like making some food and doing it up right for the first time since he had been camped out there on the outcrop. With that in mind he dug through his boxes, retrieved some basic cooking materials and made a great lunch that he devoured like he had not eaten for days. After cleaning up and straightening his camp he felt so good about himself, and decided to take a nap, and like the day before, drew his sleeping bag, mattress and ground cover out of the tent, stretched it out on the ground under the big shade tree and bedded down for an afternoon nap.

Chapter Nine 

The incident that Elsa had with Barb Anderson when Barb called her to ask her about whether Adam had paranormal tendencies disturbed her so much that she cried the rest of the day after Barb hung up. Even though it had been a long time since they broke up and she had other on and off relationships along the way, she was still madly in love with Adam and was sorry that she had not had the courage to hang in with Adam and somehow work things out.   

Throughout the next couple of days after meeting with Barb Anderson, the pictures of her and Adam’s relationship and fun activities they had enjoyed together kept coming back to her, until she became so depressed she didn’t know what to do but just cry some more and morn her loss of Adam. In a desperate move that was not common for her, Elsa called an old friend she knew in San Francisco and asked if she could come down and visit with her. Her friend, Vickie Wilson, had been a classmate and confidant when they when they first started school at UC Berkeley, and she knew she could count on Vickie for some good advice on what to do about her depression over Adam. 

Two days later Elsa and Vickie met for lunch in a small restaurant on Mission Street. Vickie could tell the condition Elsa was in, and it took no time for her to pull it out of Elsa. Elsa poured her heart out to Vickie like she had never expressed herself before. Most of what she told her friend about was the mysterious condition her ex-boyfriend had regarding reading minds and predicting the future. Without Elsa knowing it, Vickie had been studying paranormal behavior since they last met and had gotten so turned on by it that she had joined a movement in San Francisco that was researching, studying and searching out and identifying people in the San Francisco area that claimed to be clairvoyants, seers and mystics. As the girls talked about this and Elsa elaborated more on her experience with Adam, Vickie suggested that Elsa consider joining the group since many of them were experiencing the same things that Elsa was and the group operated something like a support group when they met. Elsa said she would consider the move and soon after, the girls parted company with Vickie promising Elsa she would keep in closer touch with her and assist here in her problems in any way she could. 

Elsa worked on a part time job through the rest of the summer, but her depression continued and finally, at the end of summer, she called Vickie and asked for more details about joining this paranormal study group in San Francisco. Her life had been so affected by the situation between Adam and her that had been rekindled by the visit from this Barb person, she felt she could not live with it anymore and wanted to get some kind of help from someone. She had thought about therapy, but remembered Adam talking about doing that with the school psychologist at UC Davis, and so she was hesitant to try anything with someone like that. In a short time Elsa was meeting with the group, but other than gaining a better understanding of Adam’s particular “talents” her depression never really abated. 

Elsa kept her promise that she and Adam would not contact each other unless it was by E-mail, which she never attempted, and Adam did the same, so time passed and the last year of her studies at Berkeley was finished and she went about her life. In the meantime she learned that right after graduation Adam had left for Arizona to pursue his military career, and that sixteen weeks later, he was off to Germany. After that she completely lost track of Adam. But nonetheless, Elsa had continued to pine for Adam over the years. Now everything she had experienced with Adam was coming back to her as she continued to work with the paranormal study group in San Francisco with an ever increasing interest in the subject. The work she had done with the study group in San Francisco gave her a clearer, more stable view of the entire world of the paranormal. 

Throughout this period and for the next four years, Elsa remained single and still held a candle in her heart for Adam. Her love for him never diminished, nor did her guilt for not talking Adam into staying together when she had a chance to do so years before. She had dated some men during this time but never could find any men who measured up to Adam. With her continuing on and off depression over Adam, Elsa just put her focus on work and home and tried to forget the sadness in her heart.

Chapter Ten 

When Adam was about ready to fix breakfast the next morning of his sojourn in the desert, the raven came back. This time it landed very near Adam’s camp. It looked just like the same one that he had seen a few days before and he assumed it was but he had no way of knowing for sure. Soon after it landed the bird began making a noisy outcry. It was like the creature was trying to alert him to something like impending danger or a threat to him as the bird definitely looked and acted like it was agitated. The whole thing unnerved Adam while he listened to the bird’s solemn cries. 

Finally Adam stopped fixing breakfast and walked out near the bird to discover what it was the bird seemed so stressed about. The bird stopped prancing back and forth when Adam approached, and then it started up again, cawing and hopping from side to side while retreating to keep its distance from Adam. At first Adam didn’t know what to make of this action while he watched the bird’s obvious agitation, and then he decided that the bird was attempting to tell him or show him something. Once Adam accepted that, he went back over to his eating area, put away his breakfast things that he was only starting on anyway, grabbed his hat, backpack, water and some granola bars and went back to the bird who was still cawing nervously and was now spreading his wings in a gesture that looked like he was ready to fly away. 

“Okay, Raven,” Adam addressed the bird out loud, “I’m ready. What do you want me to do?” 

Like the bird understood Adam, it immediately took flight and headed slowly west of camp.  It didn’t wait for Adam but continued on a straight westerly course that led out into the open desert. Adam didn’t know what to do at first while the bird continued in that same direction for quite a spell; but then Adam saw a large tree that it seemed the bird was heading for. Soon the bird was almost out of view, but then it began to circle like it was making plans to land. Then Adam believed he saw the bird land on the large mesquite. Though the tree was faintly visible to Adam he was sure it was at least a half mile west of camp. Adam was dressed and ready to for a morning hike. He also had water and snacks in his backpack that could make do for his breakfast so he decided he would follow the bird to wherever it would take him. 

The walk to the tree took over a half hour, but it was flat and easy walking, so Adam didn’t mind. He watched for any sign of the Raven when he got close to the tree, and at first couldn’t see the bird. And then as the bird shifted in its perch he saw it when the sun glistened on the bird’s feathers. When he got closer to the tree the bird acknowledged Adam with several loud caws and then took flight heading east almost straight back to the rock outcrop and Adam’s camp. 

Adam was really puzzled by then. Left alone at least a half mile from camp having followed a fool bird, he felt ridiculous and violated by the bird’s actions. He even imagined that the bird’s cries when it left the perch and returned to the camp were like laughter. The damned bird had tricked him into missing his breakfast and taking a half hour walk into the desert. By now the tricky bugger, Adam thought, was likely rummaging through his camp stealing anything he could carry away. He had heard or read somewhere that these birds were very intelligent, and nothing would surprise him. 

Adam pondered on the assumed trickery of the raven for some time not knowing what his next step should be. Should he stay here under the tree and wait for the bird to return, or should he simply return to camp and resume his day’s activity. What was his plan for the day, anyway?  He hadn’t even thought about that. The bird showed up just as he was fixing breakfast, so maybe, he thought, this was just another of these things Danna and Marty predicted would happen; only this time it was not his mind chatter running his life, it was truly a yes-no decision on his part to follow the so-called “directions” of this crafty bird. It hadn’t spoken to him or even given him any clear signals. It had simply flapped its wings, pranced back and forth, and then taken wing for the desert tree he was sitting under at the moment. 

There was a nice shady spot under the large tree, so Adam decided he would take a break and look at all the options he had to work with before returning to camp. He had walked in the general direction of where the two women were camped. He could trek over that way and join them. That would be one option, but what would he tell them when he got there? That he had been tricked by a fool raven into leaving camp. Another option would be to return to camp and see what havoc the bird had ravaged on his possessions and food. Then he could just sit here under the tree and enjoy the sounds, smells and general ambience of the desert. The last option really appealed to him at the moment, so while he weighed all the alternatives he had thought of, he pulled out a granola bar, his water and leaned back against the tree and had “breakfast.” 

The ground under the tree was strewn with the small dead leaves of the mesquite tree and so to make himself more comfortable, he got back up, raked some of the leaves into a nest where he had been sitting and flopped down again and began to enjoy the pungent smells of the leaves he had drawn into a pile under him. In moments his mind cleared and he began to be aware of the rustle of the leaves on the tree above him. A quiet breeze had come up, so it was cool now, and as he looked up at the tree’s leaves moving with the wind, it reminded him of the Russian olive tree in the back yard of his home back in Napa. The tiny round leaves of the mesquite tree, like the Russian olive leaves were green on the one side and gray underneath. As the wind blew them, the entire color of the tree changed from moment to moment. That thought led him into other thoughts about home and his past life and the things he was trying to come to grips with regarding his future.   

Many thoughts ranged through Adam’s mind as he sat comfortably under the tree. He forgot completely about his aggravation with the bird and was in some way happy that he had come all this way from camp and was now sitting under this beautiful scraggly old tree. But his mind continued to wander from subject to subject and pushed him deeper into his memory place and the events in his life that had put him here at this particular time. For some reason his short encounter with Barb Anderson came into his memory and of the fun he had with her both in the summer of that year, what was it, four or five years ago.  But then he remembered the conversation they had when she confessed to him about her research project and what that had brought into his life. 

As these memories continued to shift around in his mind, Adam remembered one of the things Barb had told him when she confessed her research project . . . that of confronting his ex-girlfriend Elsa. At the time he had not thought much about Barb’s statement that Elsa had brushed her off when she asked about him. But now for some strange reason it was bothering him and he didn’t know why at this particular time. All this had occurred over four years ago. Why was it coming up for him again now? 

In time with the breeze blowing freshly on Adam’s face and the comfort he was feeling with his entire surroundings Adam started to fade and relax so much he was forgetting where he was and what was going on with him physically. He only knew that the image of Elsa was on his mind and he couldn’t release from it. And then he got this image, something like the other scenarios that played into his mind from time to time. Except that now he was seeing Elsa on the phone with Barb together like they were right there in front of him. He could even hear their conversation, and it wasn’t a pleasant one. Barb was attempting to get information from Elsa, but Elsa was not cooperating. In fact she was making it pointedly clear that Barb should leave and not bother her again with this so-called research she was doing. 

The scene then changed and he saw Elsa in her bedroom sitting on her bed crying then sobbing and finally throwing herself on her bed snuffing out the sobs on her pillow. Adam could feel her sorrow and anguish and knew it was the aftermath of the scene he had witnessed with her and Barb conversing. Scene after scene appeared to Adam as time went on, and Elsa was still in the same mood, either crying, sitting with her head in her hands, or simply staring out in space. Another scene and another place: now Elsa was with someone in a restaurant and he could hear the tone of her voice while she told a story to a companion who was unknown to Adam . . . a story about her times with Adam and the disappointment she realized from breaking up with him. 

Adam could see the years passing and the depression Elsa was obviously experiencing as heart-wrenching and dramatic. There seemed to be no change and even support groups that Adam saw Elsa attending did not seem to make a difference. The support groups Adam learned were about people who had experienced what Elsa and he had gone through when loved ones were not compatible because one of their paranormal tendencies. Adam noticed tears rolling down his cheeks as the breeze from the desert evaporated them on his face and he automatically wiped them away while the scenes kept coming. He could feel the same depression coming upon him as Elsa’s heartache reached him and he felt the same as she. The scenes then suddenly stopped coming and all Adam could sense was the cooling on his face where the tears kept coming and flowing into the corners of his mouth. 

Adam’s back was aching and all his muscles were tense and sore when he realized once again where he was and how long he had been sitting in that one position. He became aware of the desert sounds and the breeze and he noticed that his stomach was churning, likely from lack of food, he thought. Moreover, when he looked at his watch it was almost noon and he could see that he had been sitting under the tree for over three hours. How time flies, he thought, as the memory of the scenarios he had just witnessed came back to him. What a sad situation Barb had created or at least stimulated for Elsa; when he thought about it he was amazed that was he had seen and heard happened years ago. It was old news and there was nothing at the moment he could do about it; or was there? 

This was a years-old problem he and Elsa had created. He realized after reviewing his own feelings that he too had been suffering all these years over the loss of Elsa, and felt guilty that he hadn’t made any attempt to contact her in all this time. He had experienced other temporary lovers over the years, but he knew he was still in love with Elsa and that the things he had just experienced may be the turning point in his life. His short-term affairs, like the one with Uta in Germany, had never become more than just that, and he was certain now that this old flame smoldering inside him was likely the reason they didn’t develop into long-term relationships. Everything seemed now to be pointing to a new effort on his part to reinstate his relationship with Elsa, if she was still available, that is. 

Adam struggled to his feet and looked around him; he was stiff and sore from sitting so long.  He felt like he needed to go back to camp and get something to eat. It was much hotter now as the sun had reached its high point and he knew the walk back would be quite different than what he had experienced earlier walking out to the tree. But just as he was adjusting his back pack and was taking a drink out of his bottle, he heard a rustle in the tree above him and when he looked up the raven was there perched looking down at him with its beady eyes as if to laugh at him for all of the accusations he had made against the beast. Now he felt quite different, and wanted to thank the bird for bringing him out there. But how do you thank a raven, he wondered? As Adam took his first steps out of the shade of the old tree, the bird took flight and disappeared behind him to the west.  

Adam was back in camp a little over a half hour later soaking wet from sweat, but feeling the impact of the morning’s accountings, and still with the sense that his morning that had been served up to him was a major milestone in his life. To cool off and relax a little, Adam found a towel, took it over to the small cool spring by his camp and had a bath. After, he made lunch, cleaned up and then while he sat on his camp chair he pondered on sharing his experience with his two women friends he hoped were still camped a mile or so away. He was excited to have their reaction and wanted to get some feedback on whether they thought he was through here or not. He was strongly thinking that he had to head back to Napa, get in touch with Elsa and see whether rebuilding their relationship was a possibility or not. In the back of his mind, Adam was thinking that the time was right for this; but on the other hand had too many years gone by with nothing in between to make an old love affair come back to life? These were questions that kept going through Adam’s mind as he cleaned up his camp after having a little lunch and trying to decide whether he should drive over to the other camp and share his experience. 

After the short drive over to the parking area near the women’s camp, and the walk into the area where he had found them before, there the two women were sitting on the makeshift benches facing the fire pit as if they were expecting his visit. 

“We understand the old bird visited you today, Adam,” Danna’s chuckled right after he greeted the women. “You’ve really been working over there. That damned old bird keeps you busy, doesn’t he?” 

Adam wanted to say, how did you know that, but instead just acknowledged Danna’s humorous comment with a short “Yeh, he did.” 

“We thought you might be coming over here today, so we cut up some oranges and made some juice that we’ve cooled with some of our ice over in our camp,” Marty added. “Let’s go over there. We have some comfortable chairs to sit on and we can talk there instead of here in the hot sun. It’s not far. Come on.” 

The three of them walked over to the women’s camp, and while they were walking, Adam felt a little foolish that he came over expecting to talk to them about his visit with Elsa and her woes, when they likely already knew the whole story. So he just walked silently back with them and took the camp chair they offered him. 

“Now let’s get down to business,” Marty started after they all had a cup of juice and were seated. “We didn’t get in on the entire story this morning. We only knew that the bird was doing his thing. Tell us the whole story, Adam. We’re dying to hear the rest of it.” 

Relaxed now and not feeling so distraught and foolish over coming to their camp, Adam related the entire story from walking over to the old tree and cursing the raven to the sad story of Elsa’s plight and the scenes of her life as he visualized them while sitting under the tree. He also told them how he was currently feeling and what the revelation had done to him. He told them that he was feeling like he should head out for home and attempt to call on Elsa. 

There was a long silence as the women seemed to be waiting for Adam to continue, and then Marty spoke, “Adam, you have had quite a morning.  I’ll say that. And now you want to go home. Is that what we’re we are hearing?” 

Adam felt the pressure of the question as if Marty was discounting what he had said about going home. What other choice did he have, he thought? He had to go home to attempt to somehow solve this great problem with Elsa or at least mitigate it some. He didn’t answer, at first, but soon the silence of the women waiting for his answer got to him and he replied hesitatingly, “Well that was what I had in mind, frankly.” 

“What about all the other things you came here for, Adam?” Danna replied with what seemed to Adam like deep sincerity and concern, not criticism.

Adam was caught now and thought seriously before he answered. “Yes, there were obviously other things,” he answered. “There’s my own future and career and other things that you told me I ought to be looking for while I am here, but how do I handle the thing with Elsa? That has got to be a high priority too.” 

The women didn’t have answers for Adam; just more questions. And when they were through with him Adam was convinced he had all the answers he was looking for and that he had to stay in camp longer. The women offered Adam a late lunch and he accepted as he had only snacked before coming over to the women’s camp and had missed his breakfast. After eating and without much other serious conversation Adam left their camp and returned to his own camp at the outcrop.

Chapter Eleven 

When Adam got back to his camp it was late afternoon and he knew the sun would be going down in a few hours, but he felt motivated to continue his day somewhere away from his camp site and make the best of it.  He had seen the sunset the night before, but wanted to get a more panoramic view of it from higher on the mountain, so he grabbed his backpack, made sure his head lamp was inside and that he had some snacks and water and started up the hill above his camp. Since he wanted to be in a place where he would be facing westerly, he went up a side of the outcrop where he had not yet ventured. It was hard climbing, but he found ledges and places where he knew he could descend safely later in the evening when it was dark and continued to climb. After several false starts up some places where he thought he could make it through and continue up the ledges, he found a place where a scraggly old mesquite tree was hanging off a crack in the rock. In a flat place near the trunk of the tree by sitting down he could easily see the entire westerly horizon.  The climb had taken him almost an hour, so the sun was very low in the west.   

There were no clouds in the sky when he took in the panorama in front of him. The colors were now getting very distinct from the setting sun and the moisture and dust in the air. He was sure the sunset was going to be spectacular. The western horizon was mostly rolling hills with some low mountain ranges behind. By now they were already turning purple and brown as the sun got lower in the west. He wanted to remember this few moments, so he concentrated on all that he could see both below him at close range and away. Occasionally he would see a small bird shuffle between bushes below on the flatter part of the desert. He could even hear them as their tiny chirps crested up the hill in his direction. Far away he saw a bird cross his view and wondered if it were another raven or a hawk. It was a big bird; that was all he could tell. Some distance away from him, he heard the call of a coyote and wondered if he would eventually be able to see him. He was certain most of their activity took place at night, so he guessed the animal was calling others of its species for their night’s activities. 

Just as the sun was more than halfway set he saw movement some thousand yards away from him in the same direction where he had heard the coyote barking and was sure it was the same animal now on the move. Several more times through the openings in the bushes, he saw the figure of the coyote and noticed it was coming closer to the mountain where he was sitting.  Minutes later he saw the animal dart below him then disappear around to part of the cliff that was not visible from where he was sitting. But he had confirmed it was a coyote and was thrilled he had seen it so clearly and less than a hundred yards from him. 

The sun was now almost all gone and it was getting darker where he sat but still quite light where the sun was lighting up the still remaining moisture in the air. The colors were so mesmerizing Adam could hardly keep his mind on what he had come here to do, and soon he was almost paralyzed into a deep concentration on what he was seeing as the last rays of the sun diminished all signs of light for him. Adam remained transfixed to the spot where he was, unable to move, knowing that something was coming to him like the time a few days before when he had gotten that feeling that he was being called to come to Questa. His whole body was feeling it now and flashes of light were coming into his vision with a figure who at first he couldn’t make out. Though she was sitting, facing away from him, he soon realized it was Elsa, and she was at a desk somewhere like she was working or on the job.   

The picture of her in his mind was so vivid that he felt like she was only a few feet from him and it was obvious she was concentrating on her work. She seemed calm and not depressed as she pecked away at a computer in front of her. He could see on the computer what she was writing and it looked like a letter on some letterhead apparently from the company where she was working. Adam was so close to her he felt motivated to speak to her, and when he did, he noticed her flinching as if she had just received a shock in her pants. He wasn’t certain she had actually heard him, but he was sure that she received some sort of sensation when he spoke. So he spoke to her again, only this time he told her that there was a very special place not far from Questa New Mexico that she needed to visit, and that she had to come as soon as possible . . . and that she would be camping out and needed to be prepared for a week or more stay. Adam didn’t identify himself nor was he any more specific than to say she must plan to leave immediately and that her destination was the Questa Area. Once again she flinched as she absorbed what had been told to her and stopped doing what she was doing. She then sat back looking side to side as if she had heard something that frightened her. For the next moment or so she ceased working, and then she began to type again. Adam spoke again, remembering now what the women had said to him on his first day with them; that he would be able to communicate with people across many miles and give them instructions. So he repeated what he had said to her, and immediately she stopped typing again and got up from her chair this time. He saw her take a few steps across the aisle from where she was sitting then she went directly to the water cooler and poured herself a drink while she stood there like she was in a daze. 

In a moment Elsa went back to her chair but did not start anything. Rather, she sat there staring out in space for several minutes as if she didn’t know what to do. Finally she got up from her chair again and this time walked down the hall to a glassed in office and went in. Adam was able to still see her but did not hear anything she said to the man inside. After what looked like an intense conversation she was having with the person inside the glassed-in office Elsa came back to her cubical, took a moment to finish the letter she had been writing and did something with it, and then she opened the internet, went to Google and wrote the word “Questa.” It was obvious to Adam that his message had been received as she read several documents about Questa New Mexico and then brought up a map showing its location. She took a few more minutes to print out a map of directions from her apartment to Questa and then in what seemed like a flurry, she shut down her computer and picked up her things and left the building. Adam was now on pins and needles wondering what her next steps would be.  

Adam was able to continue his view of Elsa’s actions as she left the building, got in her car and began the long drive home. Adam was there with her and could see now that it was late in the day and she was in heavy traffic. He could see she was agitated with the traffic, so once again he attempted to communicate with her like he had done before. At that moment the traffic came to a stop because of an accident on the road, and he could tell it was somewhere in Marin County on Highway 101 where she was held up.  He assumed now that her job was somewhere in Marin County and she was heading home . . . likely somewhere in Sonoma County where she lived the last time he was in contact with her. Sensing her frustration with the traffic situation, once again Adam decided to communication to her. With a simple and precise statement this time he told her to calm down and accept that it was going to take her some time to get home. She seemed to sense what he had said to her, and immediately leaned back in her seat and accepted that this was going to take some time. 

Nothing special happened for a while while Adam continued to hold his focus on Elsa’s trip home. In about an hour later while Adam continued to monitor her actions, he saw Elsa drive into the parking lot of an apartment complex in what he believed was Petaluma. He assumed she was now at the place where she lived. When Elsa got out of her car, Adam continued to follow her every movement and was soon like he was with her in the apartment where she lived. There was another woman she spoke to when she arrived, and Adam could tell she was talking to this person about something quite serious, but he couldn’t tell what since his vision now began to fade and finally disappear when he was momentarily distracted by some rocks that tumbled down the hillside not far from where he was sitting. He then heard what he thought might be a deer coming down the hill from a higher location on the outcrop. 

While Adam was coming out of this state he had been in he realized how dark it had become. It was a long way back to his camp, so he though he better get with it and leave immediately. He was certain by then his session with Elsa was over anyway. The stars as usual were out brightly, but gave little light. His trip back to camp with only his head lamp would be very treacherous, he was sure. He looked at his watch and was surprised to note that it was past 8:00 p.m. and he calculated he had been sitting in that one spot for over three hours without even realizing it. Using his headlamp and taking his time over the hard places Adam was surprised when he made it back to his camp in less than fifteen minutes. He sat down on his camp chair for some time, knowing that eventually had had to get his Coleman out and prepare some dinner going. But he wanted to reflect on what he had just experienced and note how powerful a thing had presented itself to him on the mountain. Elsa had been busy doing something at her workplace and Adam was able to communicate to her his desire to have her come out to Questa. He wasn’t certain at this point if he had actually influenced her to prepare to come to Questa area or not, but he had a hunch that was what she was talking to the lady about who apparently was her roommate.  Danna and Marty had assured him that if he was patient, he would be able to do things like that and he was now sure he had managed it on the mountainside where he had just been for several hours. 

What if he could do things like that from any location, not just here in this special place?  He knew the Danna and Marty had done it and had called over fifty people to come to this place. If Elsa was going to come here, was he supposed to stay? Or would he have to go home and let her have her thing here with the women?  He had to find that out, and promised himself in the morning he would do just that. 

In a half hour, Adam was busy with diner. He had retrieved some spaghetti sauce out of his goodies box, had some spaghetti cooking on the Coleman, his lantern was lighting up the place and he had also saved some good French bread that he bought in Questa for such an occasion.  For some reason that he didn’t understand, he realized after he was well into cooking the spaghetti sauce and pasta that he had made enough for an army and wondered what he was going to do with the surplus. It amazed him that he had been so involved with the memory of his recent hours with Elsa that he had completely flaked out cooking this meal.   

His dinner was almost finished when Adam heard in the distance a car approaching, and guessed it might be the women from the other camp. Now it made sense that he was cooking for three instead of one, and they had somehow given him the message that they were going to break bread with him that night. Before the Land Rover had even reached Adam’s campsite, he had broken out his other two small benches he had stowed in his Jeep and had three places set at his small camp table. He was one jump ahead of the women this time, he believed, and was down back of his Jeep to greet them when they arrived.

They laughed a lot that night while they ate spaghetti and finished off Adam’s French bread, but as the evening progressed, there was more to it than just reporting to them that he had called on Elsa to come to Questa and wondered what his next step was. They congratulated Adam on his milestone achievement where he was able to use his personal power to bring about such an awesome activity as having Elsa stop working, look up Questa on her computer and in all likelihood now in the process of planning her trip out to the desert. They were fully aware of the thoughts Adam had put in Elsa’s mind. It was now time to finish what he had started and continue the communication with Elsa. This could be Adam’s and Elsa’s opportunity to culminate their years-long wish to get back together and all that this now had to offer, the women remarked to Adam. When the women left Adam that night it was with many hugs and kisses and assurances that they would be waiting in Taos and Questa for Elsa like they had waited for him and many others who came before him. Their love and concern for Adam and his next step in life was an enormous gift to him that Adam reflected on deeply while he was cleaning up the dishes from his dinner that night. When he went to bed all he could think of was the challenges that he and Elsa were sure to be facing when they were once more together.

Chapter Twelve 

“Alice, you have no right to scream at me like this,” Elsa was telling her roommate. “This is my life and I get to choose how I live it.” 

“But to take off like this without knowing even where you are going; it’s crazy, Elsa,” Alice pleaded. “What about your job? What did you tell them there?” 

“It’s okay, Alice, I have plenty of leave time stored up,” Elsa assured Alice. “You know I haven’t taken a vacation in two years, and my boss knows it too. He even said that to me when I told him that something had come up that I had to take some time off. He said it would be good for me to get away for a while. You know how he is, Alice. Arnold is a great guy that understands me. He’s had to put up with a lot from me too, and you know how he’s handled that. And besides, this is the first time I will be taking my Landcruiser on a trip. I’m going to be camping out somewhere . . . I don’t quite know yet. So this is a great opportunity for me to try out all that camping gear I bought last year, and haven’t used yet.” 

“Did this come up because of those meetings you attend down in San Francisco? Are you meeting a bunch of those odd people down there?” Alice questioned, calming down some, now. 

“No, not really, girlfriend,” Elsa continued. “It doesn’t have anything to do with that. I just got this feeling while I was sitting at my desk today that I had to get away and go camping and somehow this name, Questa New Mexico came to me. I don’t even know where it came from. Somebody I know must have said something about it sometime. But before I left I looked it up on the Internet and it’s a small town in the northern part of New Mexico, and just a few miles from there is a resort town called Red River. There’s a national forest nearby as well. So there should be good places to camp. I don’t know any more than that. I’m sorry, I just have to go. I’m going to get a good night’s rest after I take my car down to Jiffy Lube and get it serviced, then I am off early in the morning.” 

“Do you have any idea when you will be back?” Alice questioned. 

“Not really,” Elsa continued, “I just know I have two weeks without even worrying about anything. Why, I could take a month and wouldn’t even lose any time at work, or any wages for that matter. I have well over a month vacation time saved up. And just think, I get to see a place where I have never been. It’s going to be great, you just wait and see. I even printed out a map on how to get to the town. Now let me get out of here and get my wagon serviced before they close.  I’ll see you when I get back. Don’t worry about dinner either. I will eat while I’m waiting. There’s a Burger King just next to the Jiffy Lube.” 

With that, Elsa was off and Alice was left wondering what was going on with this dear friend of hers who had apparently lost her rocker and was heading out to New Mexico in the morning. 

When Elsa got back, Alice was waiting for her with some news of some of the places near Questa that she wanted to tell Elsa about. She had spent the entire evening on the Internet looking up interesting places around Questa like Taos and some of the mountain resorts and forest camp sites that are near there. Alice got Elsa’s attention while she was packing, told her about these places and that she should make every effort, especially in Taos to go to some of the shops in the town and if she would, bring back something for her. She always liked Native American art and begged Elsa to pick out something for her and gave her one hundred dollars for the purchase. Elsa agreed that she would stop in Taos and spend some time there. When Alice asked Elsa where she was planning to camp when she got to Questa, Elsa told her she didn’t know, but so she would have some backup, she was planning to take all of her camping gear and cooking utensils along with her big cooler. On food purchase for camping, she was sure she could do it in Questa. 

Elsa wanted this strange happening to be something special since she had hoped it had something to do with the paranormal things she had been hearing about for the past several years while she was attending the meetings with the group in San Francisco. Over the years she had become quite attuned to this medium, but had never had anything happen to her that was even close to what she had been hearing about from others. She wondered if this urgent desire she was experiencing to go to Questa was one of these paranormal events, and she was not about to discount it or believe it was a figment of her imagination. Besides, the whole day had been one of the best she had experienced for some time and she felt renewed and energized like she had taken some drugs or something. She couldn’t remember when she had felt so good, and the spontaneity of this event had done it for her. Even coming home, she thought, when the traffic was so jammed up, she realized how he had sensed another calming influence on her that made it easier to handle the stress she usually felt driving home on Highway 101. 

Being the meticulous person that she was, however, after she got packed and spent some more time with Alice with all she had found out, she got on the Internet again, printed out more maps and plotted out her driving route, lined up two motels where she would stay in route and then she went to bed. She planned on filling her cooler in the morning with ice and some drinks and snacks she had purchased while her car was being serviced, but that was about all she had to do and she was on her way to New Mexico. She figured if she needed cash there would be plenty of ATM’s along the way, and otherwise her credit card would handle the rest of her expenses. 

She didn’t know this, but because she had planned her route to Questa using Google Maps, she was taking the same route as Adam had taken less than a week before. It was strange that with the excitement of this unexpected trip, Elsa had not even thought once about Adam, and this was the first time in an age that Adam was not somewhere in her consciousness. 

The two days it took Elsa to get to New Mexico had been so full of excitement for her she could hardly wait to get to where she was going. She didn’t even care what it was going to be like in Questa, she was ready for whatever the trip had to offer up for her. In her research of the Questa region and that which Alice had passed onto her she learned that it had been once a Mecca for the mining industry in the area, but now there were few if any mines operating in the area, and only the logging industry was supporting the economy of the area. Some miles away in Red River, of course, there was skiing during the winter, but this was early spring, and April, when little or nothing was happening even at that place. Elsa knew, however, that this part of New Mexico, especially, was dominated by Mexican Americans, and she was certain she could find some very authentic places to eat where she could enjoy her favorite, Mexican food. 

Elsa spent her second night on the road in Santa Fe. She arrived quite early in the afternoon, but had driven over ten hours already that day, so she thought she would take the evening off so she would be fresh for the last leg of her trip to Taos and on to Questa. She was fascinated with the shopping opportunities in Santa Fe since it was like nothing she had ever seen before. She had traveled to places like Chicago and New York City, but had never been in the Southwest except to take a couple of trips to Southern California and San Diego. The Native American things she saw and also the Mexican influence in Santa Fe was fascinating to her, and she couldn’t get enough of it. In Santa Fe she went to several very nice stores, but for some reason didn’t find anything she wanted to buy. She thought perhaps it was because she was so tired from driving. Taos wasn’t far away, and she had learned it was another shopping mecca, and she knew she would be there early in the day, so she decided that she would put more effort into buying something there and call it a day. So she went to the motel where she was staying sat on her bed in her night clothes and watched TV until past midnight. 

The drive to Taos was uneventful, but Elsa loved the country side, seeing the desert on one side and the mountains in the distance to the east of her. Taos immediately caught her eye and she was anxious to begin the shopping spree she had promised herself the night before and her attempt to find something for Alice. She was sure that would be easy, and the main part of the town was crammed with a variety of very attractive-looking shops. It would be fun, she concluded, since this was a small town and there weren’t too many streets to choose from.  Before she started to shop, however, she saw this Mexican restaurant with the sign, “Authentic Southwestern Cuisine,” and immediately decided to go in and have lunch. It was right on one of the main shopping streets of the town, so she thought she could shop after eating. To her delight, as soon as she sat down, she knew she was in the right place. The waitresses were all Latinos and she could see in the kitchen that it was the same there. 

It was just before noon when Elsa came into the Mexican restaurant and sat down at the table in the far corner. There was only one other customer in the place at the time, so she assumed that the lunch crowd had not started quite yet. The other customer, a dark haired tall woman, nodded to her and said hello when she came in and soon after she was seated and the waitress had given her a menu the tall woman got up and came over to Elsa’s table. 

“Good afternoon,” the lady started, “may I introduce myself.  My name is Martha Allred. Most people call me Marty. I’ve been expecting you, Elsa. May I have a seat?” 

Elsa was so shocked that the woman knew her name she just nodded and acknowledged the woman to sit on the chair next to her. Elsa was not able to speak or even ask how the woman knew her name before the woman resumed speaking to her. 

“I know this may be a shock to you, and I apologize for my boldness in wanting to sit with you.  I know your name from a very good source and also knew that you were heading this way. I also knew when you saw this restaurant and with your love of Mexican food, you would be tempted to stop here.” 

There was a pause at which Elsa simply said, “Oh,” and left it at that. Her only thought was that somehow Alice had set this up, but she couldn’t figure out how she had done it. 

The woman continued, “I am here to give you a little more information about your trip to Questa area that was not revealed to you a few days ago. You will be going through Questa, actually, and continuing on to a place in the desert where you will stay for a few days. I am presuming you brought along your camping gear. You will need it and also you will want to stock up on food and ice here in Taos or in Questa. I have a map on how to get to the place where you will be camping, and the SUV you have will be fine on the roads you will have to travel on. The place you are going is quite a distinct landmark in the desert. In fact as soon as you leave the main highway on the road I have shown on the map I will be presenting to you, you will be able to see the place. It’s a large outcrop of rock that is really a small mountain, but it is quite high, so it can be seen for many miles in every direction. You won’t be able to miss it as long as you take the right turnoff. How are you with maps, by the way?” 

Elsa could only say, “I’m okay with maps. I followed maps all the way here and never got lost once.”

After saying that, Elsa felt quite stupid since the roads she had followed were almost all freeway.  But when she saw the expression on his Marty’s face of acceptance and compassion, she was quite relieved. 

Marty then continue here impassioned instructions: “I won’t be going into much of what will happen to you the next few days. That’s all going to be up to you. But I am sure you are in for a delightful experience in the desert place north and west of Questa. You only have to be willing to be open to all possibilities and welcome change, and you will be all right. Now here’s the map I have prepared for you. Let me go over it, and then I must be on my way. You also have some shopping to do, so take your time. Just around the corner on the next block over is a wonderful shop featuring many good sample of Native American curios, blankets and other wonderful things. I own the shop, by the way, so please drop by. I’m sure you’ll find just what you need for your friend back home. And since you will be camping in the desert, not in a forest camp, I trust you have prepared yourself well for the primitive conditions you will find there. Oh, and by the way, you won’t need a tent, so don’t worry about that if you didn’t bring one.” 

Marty went over the map and finished just as the waitress came by to take Elsa’s order. She wasn’t ready, so she asked for a few more minutes to study the menu. In the meantime, Marty left and Elsa was left alone to ponder over the menu, select something from it, and then catch her breath since she had been holding it almost the entire time Marty was with her. 

The meal that came was about as good as any Mexican food Elsa had ever tasted.  It had the aroma that she expected and the taste she had never dreamed was possible. She ate with so much pleasure, in fact, that she almost forgot that Marty had even been there until at the end of her meal, she glanced over at the map Marty had left with her.  

Elsa took very little time getting the art work for Alice, Marty’ shop was better than she had promised. It had a huge variety of the very things she was hoping to find. The selections were easy and when she was through, she shelled out eighty seven dollars for the wall hanging that she thought Alice would love to have hanging in her bedroom along with another fifty dollars for an item for herself. Other than warmly greeting her when she came in, Marty was busy with other customers the whole time Elsa shopped, and only wished Elsa the best as she paid for her purchases and left the shop. Before she left Taos, Elsa took the time she needed to shop for the food and a few other things she thought she might need for camping. On leaving town, she drove around until she found a sporting goods store and purchased a Coleman lantern and some bottled gas. She did have a sleeping bag and tent with her, but wondered why she wouldn’t need her tent. On the way out of town, she stopped at a gas station, filled up with gas and bought a block of ice that she added to her cooler. The first thing she had done after leaving the restaurant was buy food, so she thought she was okay, but just in case bought some beef jerky and some granola bars for any hiking she might have to do. After all, the woman had told her that the place she would be staying at was on a mountain of sorts, and there must be some hiking involved in this adventure that seemed now to be coming to fruition.

Chapter Thirteen 

Adam was on the mountain thinking about the bushes and the open cloudless sky when he first saw the cloud of dust to the east that told him there was a car heading toward the outcrop. He had some field glasses in his backpack that he always had with him on these hikes, so he brought them out and focused in on the car. It was too far away when he first saw it and couldn’t make out whether it was a car or SUV. Right away from its color, he knew it wasn’t Marty and Danna. Finally when the car stopped and the dust settled at the “Y” intersection that led over to where Marty and Danna had been camping, he recognized it as quite new blue Toyota Landcruiser.  He didn’t know who it belonged to but he was hoping beyond hope that it was Elsa. The timing was about right, he thought, if she left the next day after the message he had given her. 

The car moved much more slowly now that the road condition on the last part of the trail to his camp was pretty rutty. Adam was quite high on the mountain and would take about fifteen minutes to get down, so as the car approached the camp, he began to work his way down the mountain.   

Elsa got to Adam’s camp before he got off the mountain and was now very cautious that she had found someone else in the camp where the map led her. Without getting out of the car, she went over the map and the directions Marty had given her and was certain she hadn’t missed any roads. It was obvious it was a well-established camp since there were things hanging from trees and she could see a tent behind the Jeep that was parked next to the camp. And like the directions that had been given to her, she was near a large mountain or more like an outcrop . . . the only feature of its kind she had seen anywhere in the region. Convinced that she was a the right place and that this was a gathering place of some kind, she parked her car so as not to block the other diver in case he or she had to leave, and got out of the car to make a more detailed examination of the place and the camp. 

First she called loudly to see if anyone answered. When no one replied she walked over by the Jeep noticing that it had a California temporary license sticker on the window indicating that it was a recent purchase. What would another Californian be doing way out here, she wondered? As a matter of fact, she said to herself, what was she doing way out here? She called out again when she got near the Jeep and was better able to see the tent and campsite that Adam had left earlier in the afternoon when he went hiking, but she call did not arouse anyone. It was too hot, she thought, for anyone to be asleep in a closed tent, so she concluded that she was alone and wondered what to do next.  

Elsa walked all through the camp now, looking for any clue as to who was the camper or campers were. There was one clue that told her that there was more than one camper in the sight since there was only one large camping chair and one tent. Except for a couple of small stools, the rest of the camp didn’t indicate there was more than one camper. It all seemed strange to her but she was told by Marty to accept the things she saw and heard and be open to any possibility, so she relaxed and took a walk out into the thick mesquite trees to see what else she could find.  She had to find a private place to pee, anyway. Soon she found the small spring that flowed through the undergrowth about one hundred feet then disappeared into the sand, so she went to the headwaters of the small gurgling brook and took a large drink from where it originated. While she was down on her knees bending over with her hands cupped getting a second drink, she heard a noise behind here that made her scream out loud she was so surprised. 

“Elsa,” was the next thing she heard, and recognized right away it was Adam. 

“Adam,” was her only reply as she jumped to her feet and almost slid into the pool. “What in God’s name are you doing here? And is that your camp and Jeep?” 

That was all she got out before Adam had her in his arms and had buried his head in her ample brown hair that was hanging all over her shoulder since her hat had fallen off when she took the drink from the pond. 

There was a long silence while they held each other in embrace, and then Adam pushed her back to get a good look at the woman he had missed seeing for so many years. Except for looking a little older, she hadn’t changed, but the tears streaming down her face were the same as he had remembered when they parted company many years before. That part of her had not changed. 

For a long time they simply held each other’s hands and stared without saying anything. It was, however, a silence that said a lot to both of them. They were together by some miracle that neither understood full . . . especially Elsa who had only two days ago been visited by some strange subconscious event; the first of her life. And she wondered right then if Adam had been part of setting this whole thing up. She didn’t care, though, she was with him after these long years and that was all that counted right at that particular moment.  

The couple returned to Adam’s camp not saying anything and when they got there, Adam offered Elsa a seat on his only camp chair. He placed the little fold-up stool across from Elsa, but didn’t sit down. Rather, he asked her if there was something he could offer her . . . juice, coffee, tea. She said no, so he sat down on the stool and just looked at Elsa, as if he had not seen her before. 

“You may be wondering what this is all about,” Adam finally started, rather nervously. “I will try to tell you all I can, but I really don’t understand it all either. For starters, let’s say you are here because I asked you to come here. There are others too who had something to do with creating this for us.” 

“You mean by others, like the lady I met in Taos, Marty, I think was her name?” Elsa questioned. 

“Yes, actually,” Adam continued, “there’s Marty and Danna.  Did you meet Danna?” 

“No, there was just the one lady who met me in a restaurant in Taos. It was the strangest thing.  She was in the restaurant waiting for me, and I would guess there are a dozen or more Mexican restaurants in Taos that I could have gone to, but that was the one, and I just happened to see it and went in and there she was. And, Adam, she knew my name and said she was waiting for me.” 

“That’s how all this works,” Adam replied, “and there is more to come, you wait and see. I would not be surprised if both of those women suddenly show up here. They were camped near here until day before yesterday, and then they left. But what’s more important is that you are here now and we are together again. Maybe there’s some hope for us after all.” 

Adam and Elsa soon warmed up to the fact that they were together again and began talking about their lives in the past five years and what they had been doing during that time. Adam shared his experiences with other women and even mentioned his short affair with Barb. Elsa also talked about meeting a fellow in the group sessions she had been attending in San Francisco. He was a man she explained who had been in an affair with a woman who became a professional clairvoyant. He broke up with her for about the same reason, she explained, that she and Adam had broken up. This man and the woman had a short-lived affair, she said, that lasted only a few months when she realized that the relationship was going nowhere and so she broke up with the man. Elsa explained that she had dated a few times, but that all her dates were about finding someone who seemed to have the same characteristics as Adam. 

They went on talking through the evening and then Adam suggested they stop and fix some dinner and then figure out what they were going to do about camping together. They both worked on heating up some canned stew he had in his stash, and then they cleaned up and returned to the chair and stool where they had been sitting for so many hours before. 

They hadn’t talked any up to that point about the phenomenon that had brought them together and Elsa was anxious to learn about that so when they sat down Elsa brought it up. 

“Adam,” she started, “you seem to have been here a long time. What was it that brought you here in the first place, and what have you been doing? You said those women were out here? What were they doing and how do they play into this whole picture?” 

“Those are a lot of questions and I am sure you have many more,” Adam began, “but let me start with the first one. Less than two weeks ago I was just returning from camping. I told you earlier that I have been home from the Army only a short time and I have been trying to figure out my life and what I want to do with it. My dad, you remember him and his business, well, he has been really pressuring me to get into the business with him and eventually take over since he is thinking about an early retirement. Well, anyway, as I was saying, I was returning from a short camping trip to the Sierras and was unpacking my things from my Jeep when suddenly I was thinking about Questa New Mexico, and that I had to go there right away. Nothing like this or even close to it had ever happened to me, but I kept thinking this was really important, so I told my mom to hold off my dad for a few more days, that I had some more camping I had to do. So in a few hours I was on my way to Questa.”

Adam went on uninterrupted until he had finished his story about getting to the rock outcrop and setting up his camp. It took almost an hour for him to tell the entire story, and it was getting quite dark by then, so he got up, excused himself and brought his Coleman lantern out for some light that he hung on a wire from the mesquite tree under which they were sitting. 

“So you have been here since a week ago Friday?” Elsa questioned. “How have you kept your supplies so well off? Did you ever leave and go back to town to replenish your stock of things?” 

Adam explained that the two women gave him some of their things when they left, and yesterday morning he drove into town for some ice and some other fresh things that were finished in his stock. He explained that this was the first time he had left the area since coming to Questa. 

“While you were talking, I was thinking about the same things that happened to me, Adam,” she added. “The whole experience is so similar, it’s haunting. I’m guessing you knew all along at least some of the things that were happening to me. Am I right?” 

“Actually, you are only partially right, Elsa. Let me tell you the rest of the story.” Adam added.  “It all started with the strangest thing happening to me a couple of days ago. I was right here early in the morning when this damned crow or raven, I am not sure which, came to my camp and made some noise and actions that I interpreted to mean that he wanted me to follow him. And then it flew off to the west of camp and landed in a tree about a half mile from here. Like a fool, I followed the beast all the way out there, and as soon as I arrived, he took off back this way. At first I thought it was a trick he had played on me to get me away from camp so he could go back and rob my camp. I was confused since there was nothing out there except this big tree that I was standing under, so finally I just sat down and tried to decide what I should do next. It was then that this image or series of scenarios started to appear. At first they involved this woman Barb that I mentioned I knew who had a confrontation with you. And then the whole emphasis shifted to you and me.” 

Adam was hesitant to bring this all up with Elsa, but it was started so he continued to tell her the complete story from the time Barb contacted here through the next four years of her deep depression and her joining the support group in San Francisco. And then Adam told Elsa about later attempting to contact her and tell her to come out here. He didn’t have much information other than telling her that he saw her flinch while working at her desk then leaving and going home where she told her roommate something that Adam didn’t have access to through his visions. 

All Adam told her was received by Elsa without comment while she sat calmly listening. It all seemed so weird to her that something like this could happen, she was helpless to make any comments either positive or negative. 

“You know, Adam,” she finally said, “your knowing all about my life and actions is what brought about this entire problem for us . . . for me anyway,” she confessed. “And that, I suppose has a lot to do with my being here. Do you suppose that this is the case, Adam?” 

“I’m sure it is, Elsa,” Adam commented, “but there’s some new things about your being here that I think we both will be learning about soon enough. This is a strange and wonderful place, like no other place I have ever been in, and I am sure you will agree with me in time. I’ve had some phenomenal things that have happened that I have not told you about that are so powerful and mind-boggling that even when I tell you about them it may still seem unreal and impossible.  How do we explain, for example, my being able to communicate with you over thirteen hundred miles away without the help of our electronic systems that we all know of and use every day?  And how did Marty know you were coming here and that you would stop to eat in Taos at a certain restaurant? When we fully understand the power of those things, we will not have to worry about our past experiences and difficulties. I am sure we will be able to work them out and have peace in our lives. We don’t even know, for instance, the influence our love for each other has in this matter. Look at how it has affected us already. Both of us have had plenty of chances to get involved with others in a long-term way, but the essence of what we created years ago has held us together and made it possible for us to get back together again.”

Adam stopped as the emotion of saying what he did was too much for him to continue. Elsa was of the same frame of mind and so they both sat there looking at each other without words to describe their joint emotions. Tears flowed down both their cheeks as Adam moved off his stool and knelt on the ground between Elsa’s legs and laid his head on her lap. She stroked his head and the both sat in silence for a long time without knowing what the next step was for them. 

The lantern began to flicker noting that it was low on fuel. Adam then got up and told Elsa he had to find another gas bottle and relight the lamp. She got up and said for him to wait since she had two new bottles in her car along with a new Coleman lantern she wanted to try out anyway.  The lamp flickering had called on them and given them the next step. They both knew it as they laughed and commented later on how simple things can have such an impact on their lives and actions, and sometimes even direct them into places they didn’t know how otherwise they would handle it. It was getting cold too, so Adam suggested they move over to where he had the fire pit he built a few days ago and make a nice bonfire that would warm them up and give them a place to change their seating arrangement. While Adam was doing that Elsa got into her SUV and unloaded some of her things, including another camp chair so they could both be comfortable while the fire kept them warm. 

It was about 9:00 p.m. when the fire was going full blast and the pot of coffee Adam had brewed was ready. And like all the other strange things that had been happening in the mountainous outcrop retreat, just at that precise moment that all those things were coming together, Adam and Elsa heard the sound of a car coming up the trail and saw its lights beaming on the hillside above them. Adam guessed it was his two women friends coming to have some of the coffee they had brewed. And like before when he had made a large portion of spaghetti without really realizing it, he had made a large pot of coffee . . . more than enough for him and Elsa. Sure enough when he could hear the engine of the Land Rover clearer, Adam knew it was Danna and Marty. 

They emerged from their vehicle both laughing and shouting at Adam asking if he had made enough coffee for all of them. Danna said that he had better have made some coffee since she had brought a dozen donuts from Questa. He had, of course, he assured them, and with that festive beginning the heavy evening that had preceded their coming was lightened significantly. 

“What’s all this sober sitting around talking,” Danna chided the newly joined couple after their initial introductions and greetings. “You two should be celebrating getting together again instead of all this deep discussion you’ve been having. Now, come on, let’s cheer up, we have a lot of work to do later that will be serious enough. For now let’s celebrate this momentous occasion.  Marty picked up a bottle of rum on the way out, and we can loosen up our tongues a little with some of that rum in our coffee. 

The rum was mixed with the coffee and in a few moments their laughter was echoing against the backdrop of the cliff behind them. The coffee and donuts soon ran out and rum was served with the crushed ice out of Elsa’s cooler until it was gone and the entire troop was having a great time. 

Before they left, the two women counseled Adam and Elsa to “discover the earth” and “smell the fresh air” and “talk to the animals” and they would find the answers for all their questions and perhaps even solve some problems outside themselves. It was after midnight when the women left with well wishes for the couple’s stay at this sanctified mountain as they called it. Elsa and Adam let the fire to burn down on its own since there was no chance of it causing any fires. Elsa brought her sleeping bag and mat into Adam’s tent while they rearranged the space with hers and Adam’s bags next to each other. They didn’t make any attempt to sleep together but simply cuddled into their warm bags sleeping close to each other for this first time in many years. With the warmth of the rum still in their bellies, the two of them slept through the night without moving. 

Chapter Fourteen 

“We need to work out some plan for assuring the success of Adam and Elsa as they move to this new place in their lives,” Marty was telling Danna on the way back to town that early morning.  “We can’t change their lives for them, we know that, but they have to experience something big that will push them into making some major choices. That should be our next task tomorrow, to make something happen that hits Elsa so hard that she won’t be able to resist it. This support group that she has attended for so long in San Francisco really hasn’t made much of a difference in her life. Neither has she accepted some of the work we have been doing, so what we must create for her has to be something like what she experienced when Adam called on her a few days ago. She really took to that measure and acted on it. This new initiative of ours has to be something like that.” 

“I don’t think we have to worry about Adam,” Danna added, “he’s in a good place to support anything that happens out there, and if he sees to it that Elsa has a good experience that will be about all he has to do. This thing with Elsa has to be big; I agree with you. And I think it ought to be something she experiences alone, not with Adam since it’s likely she will not respond and will expect that it was something set up by Adam. Her mind has to be clear, too, to accept what we make up for her, and I think there’s some way we can make that happen. Let’s get together tomorrow and see what we can conjure up.”

The next morning Marty and Danna met at Danna’s house in Questa, and then they took their camping gear and headed for their campsite near the rock outcrop. In an hour or so they were setting up camp, making things right for a two or three day stay. They would start on Elsa in the afternoon for her first encounter with the paranormal while she was on the outcrop. They knew from tuning in on the activities of both of their subjects that they had taken a long hike together the entire morning and Adam had showed Elsa the cave, had walked around the other side of the mountain and showed her where he first encountered the raven and had taken her out to the tree where he first got in contact with Barb and her through his vision. Elsa was impressed with the place, but had felt all morning that this was really Adam’s stuff. In addition the stories he told her about his visitation with the raven and the visions he had experienced with her that that he had told her about the day before were all okay, but she didn’t really in her mind connect with them. She didn’t tell this to Adam but went along with all he said with compassion and attempts at understanding what he had experienced. She could tell from his enthusiasm that all he was saying was true for him, but she still had a hard time understanding or owning it. She even reflected some on the times years ago when he told her about his special talents that he was speaking in a different language that she didn’t understand. This is what it seemed like again to her. 

The long morning’s trek for both Adam and Elsa had been difficult and tiring, especially for Elsa who was not in the best shape for such adventure. When they got back to camp and had some lunch, for both of them it was nap time and so they moved their camp chairs under the shade of the old mesquite tree, slid them close to each other, held hands and went into a kind of agreed-upon silence. It was not long that both of them were asleep, and it was a perfect time for Danna and Marty to begin working on Elsa. 

Elsa woke with a start hearing something making a barking sound in the distance. It hadn’t woken Adam since he was very sound asleep from the hike she thought. It was such a compelling sound; she noticed that she felt like she had to get closer to the animal that was making the noise. With a piece of paper she found in her car she wrote a note to Adam that she had heard something in the desert and she wanted to discover its source. She said in the note for Adam not to attempt to follow her; that she would be back soon, that she had her GPS with her and wouldn’t get lost. She placed the note where Adam would see it, retrieved her backpack from her car, filled her bottle with water, grabbed a couple of granola bars and was off to see what was making that noise so persistently. 

While she trekked out into the desert following the sound, she questioned herself as to the validity of her present action. She had never done anything so bizarre in her life and she wondered what it was that was so compelling about what she was doing. It was like she had no control over her senses, and was acting simply going on impulse. She felt like she was being controlled by some outside influence again, but didn’t know the source of the drive that was guiding her. Along the way when the sound got closer to her and she could hear it clearer, she thought it sounded like a small dog barking, then she realized that there are no dogs in the desert, but there was a good likelihood that there were foxes and coyotes, but she had never heard this particular type of bark of either, so she assumed it must be one of the two making that noise. 

She had been walking slow for a good fifteen minutes and stopping frequently when she again heard the bark of the animal and knew she was getting very close to it. So she slowed down more and began looking in all directions for the animal since the sound was only sporadic now like that of a small dog that wanted to go out of the house but there was no one to take him. She had experienced that with a small Cocker Spaniel she had for a couple of years, and this animal had that same demanding sound when it wanted to get out. In a few moments she entered a thicket of tall bushes that almost blocked her way, but the sound was right straight ahead of her, so she pushed her way through. There was an opening that she could see in the near distance, so she exited out of the thick brush into the opening. There standing on the other side of it was a beautiful animal about the size of a medium size dog that was staring at her as if frozen by her sudden arrival.  But the animal didn’t move. Rather it stood its ground with legs spread apart in what looked to Elsa as some kind of a challenging don’t-come-any-further stance. 

Elsa held her ground like the animal did for some time. The silence was now ringing in Elsa’s ears so she remained silent herself not wanting to frighten the animal. He was so beautiful, she thought, with its brownish coat that was slick and clean-looking. His tail was a beautiful bushy thing, but she was convinced it was not a fox since it seemed too big for a fox. Concluding that it was a coyote, she then began to wonder if they were dangerous. She had never known of or read anything about coyotes being dangerous. Wolves, yes, but coyotes? No.  He was too small anyway and could only inflict a non-lethal bite if any, so she eased her mind and thought now was the time to approach the animal to see what it did. Her experience of the animal had already been super and she was anxious to get back to camp to tell Adam about it. Not knowing what else to do she began slowly approaching the animal with a smile on her face that she thought would tell the animal that she was no threat to it. The animal didn’t move, but remained standing with his tail now swishing back and forth as if it was acknowledging that she was no threat. 

When she was about fifteen feet from the animal, she had this notion that she would sit down so she would be at its level. She had heard or read somewhere that some woman who had studied animals in the wilds of Africa would sit on the ground when she got near the animals she was studying to show them she was their size and not some big animal that would be dangerous to them. 

So Elsa sat on the ground and folded her legs under her. The animal relaxed and sat down too, still staring at her now with its tail curled under its back legs. As she sat there with the animal staring at her, she began to feel woozy like she was losing her perspective of the animal and was seeing through him. She shook her head to clear it, but the image persisted as if she was inside the animal and it was somewhere else now. She bowed her head to see if this strange sensation could clear itself, but it didn’t. It was like the animal had hypnotized her.  

In a moment, it was clear to Elsa that the animal was running, and she was with it, like she was inside its head. The animal ran fast, she observed, but then it slowed down and was climbing a steep hill that she could tell was the same one where she and Adam had climbed around earlier in the day. Up it went until it had a panoramic view of the camp where she and Adam were staying.  And then the animal sat down as if to rest, but its focus and hers was on the camp where two people were embracing, and she recognized it was she and Adam. How could that be, her mind asked her, but as she did she could hear these people talking and it was about their future. They were getting ready to leave the camp and they had somehow resolved this thing that had haunted them for years and were about to launch into another phase of their lives, now together, not far apart mentally and physically like they had been before. 

Their words were clear to Elsa and as she tuned into this conversation, suddenly it became all right to her that she was seeing this scene that had not happened yet but was sure to be a reality. Her focus was so clear, in fact, that she could almost feel Adam’s body against hers and she was warm to it and desirous of what was about to follow. Their camp was broke down partway, she could see, and the tent was down, but the sleeping bags were still open and were strewn on a ground cloth under the old mesquite tree where they had sat for so long that first night she was there. After watching this long embrace that seemed to be spontaneous to her and real, she observed as the two of them hand in hand went toward the tree, and she was sure from the silence between them that they were on the same track and were going to make love on the pads and the sleeping bags that were not yet spread out. Alone far away from anything and anyone, Elsa felt the surge in her groin and knew the other Elsa down below her was feeling the same.  She was feeling sweaty and hot herself while she watched them undress until they were completely naked. She almost felt Adam’s hand on her as she watched this scene unfold while first they stood close together caressing each other’s bodies and then while they lay there naked together in the open air of a desert morning. The feeling the other Elsa was having surged through Elsa as she visualized through this animal that she was part of this passionate foreplay below her.   

It was some time while Elsa watched with her own body steaming with the heat of the moment, and as affair was about to culminate with an orgasm that the scenario shifted suddenly and she and Adam were sitting on makeshift chairs made of flat stones at the entrance of the cave Adam had showed her earlier in the day. The animal she was with had moved to get a better look at the cave from far above it, but the visualization was very clear to Elsa while she overheard the voices of the two people in conversation about their lives and difficulties that the paranormal talents Adam had were being examined. She could tell she was in a different place about this and now somehow she understood and owned what he was saying and telling her. What he was saying was no longer in another language since she had now experienced some of the same and could interpret his mannerisms and talents as she had lived them herself. It was like there was a new bond between them now that made it easier to accept the things they were experiencing there on this sanctified mountain. 

Then Elsa heard her voice speaking to Adam while they were still inside the cave opening. She was explaining that somehow she had experienced something of a paranormal nature that she hadn’t shared with him until she felt confident that what she had experienced was valid. She then heard herself telling the story of her encounter with the coyote on not just one occasion, but three in the past three days that they had camped there. The first scenario she shared was when she visited the coyote in the desert setting while Adam was asleep after their long hike. The second, she told him, was on the next day when she had told Adam that she wanted to have some time alone and was going to hike up to the west side of the outcrop and have some quite time by herself. Next she saw herself explaining to Adam that she had visited with the coyote this second time and had gone with it to a place far away where she saw herself several years ahead in a new home she believed was in Napa somewhere and she was taking care of two small children, a boy and a girl. She saw evidence that the boy looked like his father Adam and she was sure she was married at the time and that she and Adam had been married at least four or five years to have two children that age. The third encounter with the coyote, she told Adam, was about when he left her in camp for a few hours while he went to town to pick up some ice. She reminded Adam that he had invited her to come with him, but she said she wanted once again to have some time alone to think things over so he had honored her wish and went alone. This time and coyote wandered into the campsite where she was busying herself with cleaning up after their morning breakfast. The coyote, she said whimpered to draw her attention, then left camp as if to ask her to follow. She followed the animal to a remote site quite far from camp where it went into a hole and brought out two pups for her to see. Up to this time, Elsa said, she had not looked that close at the animal’s body and believed the animal was a male, but now seeing the pups convinced her that this was a female, Its long hair had hidden the fact that the mother coyote was nursing two pups. Later, she played with the pups after which they went back into their den and the mother with them. She had not had any visualization or anything paranormal, she explained, but had only honored the mother coyote’s invitation to see her family. The experience was profound, almost more than the other things she had experienced with the animal, and she had returned to camp shaking and crying with emotions she had never experienced before, knowing that she would soon be a mother herself and that all that she had seen was true and perfect for her. 

When Elsa finished the three stories about her encounters with the coyote, she saw Adam’s reaction to the stories and then watched them embrace and sit quietly before they left the cave. As they carefully worked their way down in the dark Adam continued to talk excitedly about Elsa’s experience and asked if when she got back to camp that she would go over the experiences she had once more since he was so intrigued by the nature of them and wanted to hear about them again. 

Elsa then suddenly came out of the trance she had been in and realized she was back in the clearing in the desert once more looking at the coyote in front of her who was still gazing back at her like before. But then the animal got to its feet, turned and walked into the thicket behind it. There were no more sounds from the animal as it quietly took its exit and left Elsa still sitting cross legged on the ground. She stayed there catching her breath and wondering what she had just experienced and if it had really happened as she remembered it. It was amazing and more remarkable than anything she had ever witnessed in her entire life. To test herself against what had really happened, when she got to her feet she walked over to where the animal had last been seen, and sure enough in the soft dusty earth were fresh tracks of an animal that looked like dog tracks to her. The animal had been there and now she was sure she would be seeing it again the next day and once more sometime later and was anxious for that all to happen. She had actually seen into the future with the help of this mother coyote. But what should she do with this information. Until it was actually the right time, like at the cave where she had seen herself talking to Adam, it was necessary that she keep this event to herself she thought. 

Elsa made a couple of turns to get her bearings and walked out of the clearing through the thicket where she could see the large outcrop and made a beeline for the place and back to camp.  When she started back she glanced at her watch and realized she had been gone over an hour, and Adam was sure to be awake by now wondering about her and the strange note she had left for him. 

She was right about him being worried since apparently he had woke up from his deep sleep some time before she returned and was about to set out to climb the mountain where he could see in several directions out into the desert to see if he could see her. Lucky she returned when she did since he was about to write on the other side of her note where he had gone and for her to wait in camp for him until he returned.

Adam was a little peeved at Elsa for taking so long, but she said that he had a wonderful time exploring in the desert and had even found some beautiful rocks that she was going to take back home when she left. She was so excited that Adam didn’t have the heart to continue chiding her for being so long, and soon he had set about to prepare some fresh food for them. 

Adam and Elsa finished their meal and again built a fire so they could enjoy another night’s discussion, but unlike the previous night, they talked into the late evening about the desert, the beautiful surroundings they were in and about the fire and how it was creating for them such a wonderful ambience. There was no heavy talk that night, and because the night was so warm the fire was only for sound and sight and for romance, not so much for keeping warm. On a whim, when they were laughing at each other and having a fun time, Adam suggested that they get their towels, go over to the cold spring, take a sit bath in the pool, then come back and warm up and dry off by the fire. Elsa loved the idea and the spontaneity of the suggestion and the thoughts of running around naked in the desert and immediately got up found a towel in her stuff and some soap, and was complaining to Adam who had not found his towel yet to hurry up, that the fire would not be there waiting for them all through the night. 

The sit bath in the shallow pool was cold but fun for both of them as they stripped down, stepped into the pool and gingerly sat down. After the initial shock of the icy water, they were splashing each other, and helping each other soap down and rinse off before the cold chills got to both of them.  Still naked carrying their clothes and walking in the sandals they had brought over to the pool, they ran back to the fire dropped their wet towels on their chairs and huddled around the fire until they were dry and warm. Both laughed about this spontaneous fun time they had just had and without dressing ran to the tent, undid the zippers on both of their sleeping bags, laid them out on the mats and cuddled in under the one bag and on top of the other and clung to each other like they were still freezing. This only lasted a few moments when they realized that each were warm and anxious to make love. It had been many years since they made love, but it seemed the same as they touched and caressed each other for what seemed like hours of foreplay and love-making. Sometime later, they both got up put on some warm clothes for the cooler night ahead, but didn’t make any effort to re-zip their bags, but rather stayed under the one bag with only some blankets over it to make sure they kept warm enough.

The tent was warm from the rising sun in the morning when Adam and Elsa woke. The fervor was still there for them, and before they left the warm bag, they slipped their night clothes off and made passionate love once more. Breakfast was late since they got up so late, so they made it a special breakfast that included not only eggs and bacon that Adam had originally planned for that morning, but pancakes and syrup. They were both famished from the night’s and the morning’s love making and there was nothing left of the food when they finished. 

For some time, the two of them stayed in camp that morning. Somehow neither felt like doing much but sitting in the camp chairs and enjoying the sounds and the ambience of the desert. An hour or so before noon Elsa announced that she wanted some time alone to think things over and with Adam’s cautious concern that she not stay too long this time, she left and headed for the west side of the mountain where she hoped she would encounter the coyote again.  

Elsa didn’t know where exactly to go, so she just rambled up one of the trails that led to an overhanging cliff and some ledges and waited. Looking out across the desert for any sign of movement for a long time, she found herself being transformed again by dizziness and loss of focus. Luckily, she was sitting down at the time and at first thought it was the height of the ledge she was on that was making her so dizzy, but then she found herself believing she was down in the desert floor and was once again sitting cross-legged in front of the coyote. The dizziness then left her and like before she found herself like she was inside the mind of the animal and looking through its eyes, and they were traveling to some far distant place she could not recognize. Then suddenly she was in a new home and she saw herself calling her two children to come in from the back yard and have some macaroni and cheese. Then she heard their squeals and laughter as they burst into the house pushing each other for the best seat at the table. The scene went on and there again like she would later explain to Adam while she was sitting by him at the cave site, were these two beautiful children ages about three and five she thought, and one of them looked very much like Adam with his curly blond hair and his tall, lean figure. 

The visualization didn’t last that long, and as it faded, Elsa’s dizziness that she had felt moments before also left her and she was again looking out over the desert as if nothing had happened.  Yet she knew it was the coyote that made it happen the way it did, just like she had envisioned earlier. Then she realized that this cave event was yet to come, and that she had one more visitation coming up with the coyote if all of what she was experiencing were actually happening for her. For some reason, even though this coyote thing had happened to her twice, now that she was awake and rational, she was still skeptical and committed to keep the event from Adam until a later time that yet may happen at the cave. As Elsa climbed down from her sitting place under the overhanging cliff, she began to have some other doubts about the validity of what she had just experienced. What if Adam didn’t suggest that they climb up that steep trail to the cliff after all? When he had shown the cave to her he had explained how he had climbed there a second time and gotten all disoriented and couldn’t make it and didn’t at that time want her to go there for fear she might experience the same thing as he had. It was weird that she should feel that way, she concluded, but there it was all her old stuff coming up again with doubts and frustrations on what might happen in the future. By the time she got back to camp, however, she had talked herself into a normal state so she wouldn’t unduly agitate Adam. Excited and bubbly over her time alone as she came into camp, she saw that Adam had prepared some lunch and was calmly waiting for her to return. 

Adam didn’t question Elsa about the time she had taken to be alone, but accepted it as part of what they were about here. After lunch the two of them decided to take a hike to a different part of the desert where they could see from camp there was a slight rise like another outcrop. It was not rocky, but rather like a mound that had been built there on purpose. They hiked to the place and walked over and around it but saw nothing of any consequence, only a lot of interesting rocks that Elsa picked up until she had her pockets full. Later on their way back to camp, Adam became quiet and pensive, enough so that Elsa noticed it and asked him about it. 

“It’s really nothing, Elsa,” Adam replied, “I was just sensing that someone was calling me. It is very strange, like there was a voice in my head that I must go somewhere, but the message was not clear, nor was it in any sense audible so I could understand it. But the pressure was there to respond. It was like if your mother calls you on the phone and says, I would sure like to have you come over and see me. Well, you feel obligated because it’s your mother. This is what I was hearing like someone was calling me to come over and I need to respond, but I don’t have a clue to what.” 

They continued walking until they reached camp and sat down on the chairs under the mesquite tree. Only then did Adam get a clear idea of what or who had been calling. During a silent period where both he and Elsa were not talking about anything, Adam popped in with: “I know what it was, Elsa,” he started. 

His sudden outburst startled Elsa and she replied, “You know what, what was?” 

“I know who was calling me” Adam answered. “It was those two women friends of mine, Danna and Marty. They’re here. Well, I mean they are nearby in their camp, and we have to go there for something, I am sure.” 

With little or no more discussion Elsa and Adam loaded up in Elsa’s car and were on their way to the campsite where Adam supposed the women were waiting. It took only a few minutes to confirm that the women were in the area, when on approaching the parking area for the women’s camp, there was the Land Rover. 

On the way over to the area where Adam supposed the women were waiting, Elsa wondered how it was that Adam’s was able to tune into the call of his two women friends and how remarkable that was . . . that is, if that was really what was happening. It was like everything associated with this sanctified place, as the women called it, was in the air around them. The mystery of all of it was mind-boggling to Elsa and she didn’t know how to react to it. Before they reached the meeting place Elsa was saying to herself that there would be no women at the camp that Adam spoke of and all this would be simply an interesting afternoon drive in the desert. But now that their car was there and there was assurance that the women had come out here for something, she wanted to know if they had indeed called on Adam to come over to their camp. 

When the campfire circle came into view there the two women were sitting on the makeshift benches. Both had mischievous smiles on their faces like they had just discovered something about Adam and Elsa that was secret. In fact they had, and as soon as Elsa saw them both in this state of mind, she knew for sure they had called Adam without even asking them about it. 

“Adam and Elsa,” Danna started as they approached the fire circle, “how nice of you both to drop in on us. We want to have you stay for dinner unless you have other plans. We’ve fixed a wonderful Dutch oven dinner that we are sure you wouldn’t want to miss. But for now, let’s move over to the shade trees by our camp and have a little powwow. Dinner is going to be about two and one half hours from now.” 

The women didn’t wait for Adam’s and Elsa’s answer about dinner. Adam and Elsa knew somehow it was a given. They had come over there with no expectations and had been invited to dinner, and that was just fine. There was no need to answer since the women must have known they didn’t have any plans anyway. 

When the session began with the two women leading the discussion Elsa dreaded the thought that maybe the women would bring up the fact that she had visited with the coyote two times and it would become known that she had not yet told Adam about the incidents. It didn’t come up, however, since Elsa believed the women must have known that she had a purpose in keeping this information from Adam for the time being. Rather, the conversation centered on questions the women had for both Elsa and Adam: 

“When we left you two a couple of days ago,” Danna began, “you were just becoming reacquainted after being so many years apart. How has that been going for you?” 

This was a very personal question, Elsa knew, and for a few seconds she held back from answering. But she still wanted to be first to answer, so before Adam could speak up, she turned to him indicating by a head gesture that she was about to speak and would answer the question. 

“I think I would like to answer that question, Danna,” Elsa finally spoke. “But before I do, I want to give you a little background. You know the conditions upon which Adam and I broke up over five years ago?” She paused, and then Danna and Marty nodded in agreement. “It was a mutual agreement when we parted, but a sad one that I think I can speak for both of us that we both regretted. I was very depressed over it for a long time and I didn’t get over it through years of attempts at all kinds of hard work and support group work. Adam tells me he suffered the same way, and like me went through several relationships that failed because of this missing link in our lives. Now to get to your question: We have spent many hours since our reunion out here, and now with some of the insights I have received, I personally think that we are making progress toward a positive solution to our problem. I am feeling more comfortable, for instance, with these paranormal phenomenon and I think that is part of what’s making it easier for me.” 

“Let me inject here for a moment,” Marty said. “First these ‘phenomenon’ you speak of, I think you may be considering these as things that happen out of chance or like magic. But that is not the case. Rather, my dear, as you will soon be learning without doubt, these phenomenon are happenings that are controlled by our own personal power that makes them happen. Yes, they might be considered paranormal and out of the range of most people, but that is only because most people have not found a way to use these powers that we all have within us. I think you are already developing and recognizing some of these powers. Am I not correct in saying that, Elsa?” 

They were close to revealing what she didn’t want revealed and she was nervous about that, but Elsa finally answered, “Yes, that is true,” but didn’t elaborate. 

“You see, my dears,” Marty continued, “the people who have developed these so-called talents to do special things, like see into the future, read people’s minds or know their special conditions. They can communicate across long distances without the use of electronics; they don’t really have special powers that other people don’t have, they have just learned to use the powers that all of us possess and are either willing or able to explore, develop and use them.” 

This conversation continued for the full time it took for the Dutch oven food to finish. There were only a few times when Adam and Elsa were given instructions, but there were many questions that challenged them to think about their situation and reevaluate some of the actions they told the women they had taken or were planning to take over the next few days. 

The dinner was finished and the women said they were leaving and would not be coming back to the camp before Adam and Elsa left. They were given directions to both Marty’s and Danna’s homes and businesses and were invited to stop by when they were leaving, whenever that was to be. Elsa thought that those two special women would surely have already figured out when they were leaving and would be waiting for them when they showed up. She couldn’t get over the power these women had and when she and Adam left, she felt so energized herself that she believed with the things that were happening to her on the mountain, she would soon have some of the powers these women had herself.

On the way back to their camp, Adam and Elsa talked a lot about the things that were possible for them and Elsa shared her enthusiasm over feeling like she had the potential to be somewhat like those women. She was also almost jumping out of herself with happiness that she had come here on Adam’s mysterious call to her. Now, she believed, she was ready for the next step in her own transformation into the world of the paranormal. 

Adam and Elsa got right into bed when they returned from the long visit with Marty and Danna with the two sleeping bags laid out on the mats and extra covers over them to ward off the cold of the desert night. Cuddled together they talked for hours before they made love and called it a night. For Elsa the Adam, it had been one of the best days and nights either of them could remember and they relished the thoughts of it before they went to sleep. 

It was late morning when they awoke to the light in the tent and the heat of the sun that made the tent uncomfortable. They were both in need of a few hours more of sleep because they had talked so late into the morning, but it was impossible in the tent, so they got up, made some breakfast, took another joint bath in the cold water of the spring pool, and returned to dry off sitting naked in the sun in their camp chairs. It was ten thirty in the morning before they were dressed and started to clean up things around the camp. Adam checked the ice in the coolers and said he had to go to town to get some more ice since it looked like they might be staying in camp for another day or two at least. He encouraged Elsa to come with him, but she said she wanted to spend some time alone again and would be happy to clean up the rest of the campsite while he was gone. She promised him she would not wander out in the desert and get lost, but might take a short hike up on the mountain or around the campsite nearby. Hearing her promise, Adam was satisfied and put the coolers in the car so he could get them refilled with ice and do some other shopping for things they were out of.  He said it would take a couple of hours at least, but he hoped to be back sometime around noon or one o’clock. 

Elsa had temporarily forgotten about the vision she had about the third time the coyote would be coming to visit her. So she was surprised about twenty minutes after Adam left when she heard the whimpering of the coyote near the campsite. She had been so busy fussing around the campsite washing some hand towels and straightening up things that she didn’t hear the animal’s quite cries. When she finally looked in the direction of the sound it surprised her that the coyote was only a few yards from her and she was sure it was somehow attempting to contact her. As Elsa looked at the animal that was sitting on its haunches, she once again thought how beautiful it was. At first the coyote didn’t move when she approached it, but then when the animal was sure it had her attention, it got to its feet, turned and left the camp looking back as if to beckon Elsa to following. Elsa immediately abandoned the camp to follow the animal, not once thinking about the promise she had made to Adam. The animal moved fast and Elsa had a hard time keeping up with its pace. She continued to be in arrears since she wanted to reassure herself that the animal wasn’t leading her to some place where it would be hard to find her way back, so she paid close attention to the direction she was headed and the landmarks thereabout. But the animal was patient with her and would stop when Elsa got too far behind. 

Soon they were standing by a small hill on which had grown some thick bushes. The coyote then slid through some of the thickest brush and disappeared into a hole that was not visible to Elsa until she got down on her hands and knees to see in. In a few seconds she heard the sharp cries of some smaller animals and out of the hole came the same two coyote pups that Elsa had visited with before. She believed they were nor more than a few weeks old. They were fuzzy balls that were full of energy and not the least bit afraid of her. At first they kept their cautious distance, but soon she was sitting cross-legged on the ground with both pups climbing over her, biting her hands and fingers and frolicking with each other like small dog pups would be doing. It was a joy beyond belief for Elsa who played with the pups for what she believed was over a half hour.  Then almost as suddenly as it had started for her, the mother made a small bark and the pups immediately left her side and returned to the den. The mother coyote took one last look at Elsa as if to say goodbye, and retired to the den herself.  Elsa was saddened but knew it was time to go, and so she left the den, got her bearings from the mountain back of her and headed for camp. In total, she had been gone for over one hour and expected that Adam might now be on his way back. It took her only minutes to get back to camp and was relieved that Adam had not returned yet. It took another hour after she returned when Adam finally returned with his purchases. She helped him unpack the groceries and carry the coolers to the shade and then they took some time together on their camp chairs in the shade of the mesquite tree. 

In the hours that followed after Adam and Elsa had lunch and went on a hike, the two of them resolved a number of issues about which they were both concerned. First, Adam mentioned that he believed he was still the only one who had all the so called talents for seeing into the future and reading minds and communicating, and wondered how Elsa was feeling about that at this point. They discussed the matter at length with Elsa reassuring Adam that she was seeing these talents of his in a new light and that she was feeling all right about them. Elsa did have some questions about what he was planning to do with some of his new found energy and abilities, and they discussed that matter at length also. Adam told Elsa about what the women had told him that he would be able to do, like contact people and bring them into this transitional program. He didn’t know at the time how that was going to happen, and then he related the story to Elsa about the Denver mother who was helping to change the lives of street people in Denver and he thought some of his life would be dedicated to humanitarian causes like that. 

It was getting late afternoon when Adam suggested that they take a hike up on the mountain, and see what affect the sun had on the eastern horizon as it set on the west. They had already sat on the western side of the mountain one of the nights and watched a sunset, now he wanted to see it from the other perspective. Elsa thought it was a good idea and went along. They got both their headlamps so they could descend from the mountain safely, took some snacks knowing they would be having a late dinner and off they went up the mountain side. Adam was leading, but said nothing about where they were going until it was obvious to Elsa that they were heading for the cave site Adam had shown her earlier. She was secretly ecstatic about the possibility and started rehearsing what she was going to say to Adam when they got there. Finally when they were walking along the narrow ledge that led up to the cave, Adam stopped and questioned Elsa about how she felt climbing along the narrow ledge they were already on. 

“I guess you’ve figured out by now that we are heading for the small cave I pointed out to you some days back” he stated. When she nodded he continued. “I’m frankly concerned that you may not want to go there once we get a little farther along this ledge. It gets quite thin in some places and it’s a good twenty foot drop down. I’m only concerned that it will be quite dangerous returning in the dark if we stay that long.” 

Elsa said it was okay to continue, so he prodded ahead again. 

“Right ahead there is that tree where I almost freaked out the second time I came here,” Adam said as he approached the tree. “And I am afraid you might get the same sensation. This mountain has some strange powers, you know.” 

His assumption that she didn’t know the power of this mountain was contrary to what he would learn later, but right then Elsa believed was not the place to start a discussion about that. Instead she encouraged Adam to continue up the ledge until they got to the cave. She knew it would be hard going and coming back in the dark would even be more challenging, but she had to do it to fulfill the prophesy that the coyote had given her that she would talk to Adam in the cave not anywhere else. 

Adam wanted very much for Elsa to go to the cave with him, but on the other hand he wanted to be absolutely sure she was comfortable with the climb. Finally he was convinced and so they continued on the last few hundred feet that would lead them to the cave.  When they arrived at the old tree that was clinging to the side of the cliff, Adam stopped and took a deep breath. He realized he was not feeling so good right then and took hold of the trunk of the tree. Elsa caught up with him in a few seconds and immediately saw him hanging onto the tree and that he was ghostly white. She put her arm around him and kissed him on the cheek with an assuring, you can do this comment to him. He looked at her for a moment and said he had to go back, that he was feeling too dizzy to continue. The same thing had happened to Adam that had occurred before when he finally gave up his second quest for the cave, and he wasn’t about to try to go on feeling the way again. 

“Look, honey,” Elsa whispered to Adam. “This is important to both of us. Remember what Marty said last night about going through the barriers that face us. This is just one of those things that has gotten hold of your mind and is running it. Let it go and let’s go on. I know we both need this.” 

Her assurance immediately had an effect on Adam and he resolved he would take control of his mind and get through this. It took several moments for him to calm down and regain his composure, but he was soon seeing clear and the dizziness was fading when he said to Elsa, “You know, I am getting the feeling that you are gaining some of the power of our friends from Questa and Taos. You are amazing, you know, and I love you for that strength and determination.” 

Elsa reached out to Adam with another kiss on the cheek and a solemn, “I love you too,” upon which Adam let go of the tree and continued up the ledge with Elsa close behind, nervous now that this big moment she was rehearsing was almost upon her.

Chapter Fifteen 

Barb Anderson’s life didn’t turn out like she had hoped when she enrolled in Graduate School. First, her program did not suit here and she was always in conflict with it because of that. After a year of enrollment in the Human Behavior program and her constant clinging to the paranormal research that she wanted to do, but with which she was constantly frustrated, she finally dropped out of school and got a job. The job was in the physical therapy department of a small hospital in Santa Rosa, and while she thought she would like it at first, later on it became quite boring to her, and she quit. During the next year, she had three jobs, and her resume was beginning to look like she was a job hopper whenever she presented it. 

She moved to Oakland and got a small apartment that was in an old area of the town known for its drug dealers and crack pushers. With the little money she had, having been out of work several months of that year, Barb tried seeking out clairvoyants and other paranormal professionals still hanging on to the notion that there was something to the process about which she yet had to find out. Her short relationship with Adam was always on her mind and she knew that there was something to this thing about the paranormal, but she could never quite pin it down with facts and supportable data.

In her spare time Barb searched the streets of Oakland for people who might know more about this phenomenon and finally found one supposed seer who told her that drugs were the things that made people have these tendencies. At first she was skeptical about this but was soon drawn into experimenting for the first time in her life with some of the illegal drugs this person suggested she try. It turned out, however, that his profession was only a cover for his drug business, and soon she was spending all her money with him trying to get to these places he promised she would eventually find. During one of her trips over to the place where this man did business, the Oakland police had found out about this individual’s drug business and were laying for him. While she was in his apartment making a purchase, the police came in, arrested him and her, and since she was in possession of the drugs he had sold her, she went to court and received a stiff five year jail sentence. While in jail she cleaned up her act and in one year was out on probation. 

After her release the court assigned her to an institution in San Jose that was a halfway house for women who were drug abusers. Most of the women were prostitutes who were recovering addicts that made life very miserable for Barb, causing her depression and attitude about life to deteriorate once again. Fortunately her stay there was short since it was evident she was not a hard user of any drugs like cocaine or heroin and she was allowed to return to Oakland to start making something of her life again. She was placed on a three-year parole. 

Now with her jail sentence on her record along with the “job hopping” resume, she had a very difficult time getting work and keeping a job. Over the next two years (it had now been over four years since her graduation from UC Davis), she still had a hard time even holding waitress jobs in fast food restaurants, and life seemed to be further deteriorating for her. Through it all, however, she continued to report regularly to her parole officer and not once did she get in trouble with the law again. After three years that was behind her. 

During that difficult three years, Barb went from one boyfriend to another, always looking for strange men who might have the same tendencies as Adam with either clairvoyance or other paranormal talents. Some professed to have these tendencies, but usually they were directed at getting into bed with Barb and never turned out to be what she had hoped. So as a result, Barb bounced from one boyfriend to another, bedding down with them regularly, but never getting the satisfaction from sex that one was supposed to have. Through all this Barb believed she was still “researching,” but now down to its lowest level ever. 

On several occasions when she was so low she couldn’t even get out of bed, Barb seriously considered suicide, but never had the courage or inclination to try anything. On days like that she would just not go to work and often didn’t even call in, so jobs came and went like the wind.  Because she was living by the waterfront in Oakland, she went there often just to get away from the town’s noise and clutter, but more to try to clear her head and envision what it would be like to have some of these paranormal talents she had always heard about but never realized herself. Sometimes when she was alone next to the water with only the sound of the waves of the Bay splashing against the wharf, she cried out to whatever entity would listen to her trying to make contact with God or whoever she or he was out there in the Universe. When she didn’t get any answers and couldn’t come up with any good alternatives or solutions to her situation, she would always leave more depressed than ever, and felt more like she was nothing or nobody.   

Sometimes Barb would dream of Adam when she was at the waterfront alone and those feelings that he was still out there somewhere enjoying the talents he had would cause her to be envious and angry that she hadn’t made a stronger effort to at least keep in touch with him. She still knew where his original home was, but now after more than four years since she had seen him and knowing he likely spent at least four years in the Army, and may still be enlisted and serving somewhere in the world, she realized her chance that she would ever be able to contact him was almost nil. She had wondered a few times if it would be appropriate to call Adam’s mother and father in Napa, but ruled that out since she believed they would think she was some old brokenhearted college girlfriend who was simply desperate. She never made that attempt nor even considered seriously contacting Adam’s family. 

At times with Barb, it seemed like the only thing she had left was memories of school, of her relationship with Adam and a longing desire to know more about the paranormal. She had few if any friends, especially since she had been in prison and in an institution for a time. In addition, she was so embarrassed about her life that she had given up contact with her family. They didn’t even know where she was. With Barb, it was just her and her work when it was available and heartache over the way her life had turned out.

Chapter Sixteen 

By the time Adam and Elsa reached the cave on the east side of the outcrop the sun was just getting into the position in the west where the colors of the western sky were turning beautiful and the eastern sky where they were facing was beginning to take on the dark hews common when the sun begins to set. They first fixed a couple of stone chairs like Adam had arranged in his last visit to the cave and placed them close to each other so they could be close enough to hold hands as they began to enjoy the scene that was readily changing before them. By the time they had sat this way for about one half hour speaking little, they just enjoyed the sights along the eastern horizon with its rolling hills and little definition but the high mountains far to the east of the desert’s edge. It was a breathtaking sight just as Adam had predicted. At the same time all this was going on Elsa was rehearsing her talk with Adam and was looking for a good time to begin. It hadn’t yet come since they were so engrossed in the sunset’s eastern glows and fading attitude of the night sky, there was just no time, so she sat there silent like he did. 

The silence was not without its own drama as sounds of the desert reached them from far distant places and the call of several coyotes were beginning. That was Elsa’s clue, she knew, so on about the second time that Adam asked Elsa if she had heard the bark of the one coyotes that seemed to be to the south of them, she brought up the fact that she had been visited by one of those creatures. 

Adam turned to Elsa when she started telling about him her experiences with the coyote and how it had affected her life and attitude toward the paranormal. Adam listened intently and silently as she went on explaining in detail what had happened to her over the past few days and why she had kept it from him until now. It was only after her story was finished that Adam said: 

“Elsa, I couldn’t be happier for you. This is stuff I know that you have had a hard time accepting, and now you are telling me this incredible story as if it were old hat to you.” 

“It’s certainly not dated to me, Adam,” she explained. “You know how I have been struggling with everything that has happened to us out here. And even those two strange and wonderful women; do you think they are listening in on us right now? It’s all been strange to me and even until the third time the coyote mother took me to her den, I was feeling skeptical that this could be happening to me. It was all so new and unbelievable, and like I said, at first I didn’t have the courage to tell you about it until I was sure. But now I am okay with all of this and remain as an eager subject to whatever else might be coming my way regarding my understanding of what we, and I emphasize the WE, are about here in this sanctified place.” 

After that they sat silent again for some time; simply holding hands and watched the remaining light fade in the east until it was almost completely dark except for the dim light that was still reflecting above them from the remaining light of the western sunset. Neither of them wanted to leave this place and would have been happy to stay here the entire night, but it was now getting cold and they were feeling it enough that they were both becoming somewhat uncomfortable.  But silence was still the preferred mode, so they both concluded it was necessary to stay a little longer. 

After some time, Adam was first to break the silence:  “Elsa,” he whispered to her, “did you hear that?” 

“Hear what, Adam,” she whispered back now conscious that she had been thinking about the coyote they had heard some time back and wondering if it was the same one that had contacted her. Now she was completely conscious and listening. “No I didn’t hear anything.” 

“Shush,” he whispered again, “I’m not talking about an animal. I think it was a voice I heard. Maybe you can hear it too.” 

There was a long silence between them when all that was audible were the buzzing of insects and the ringing in both their ears.  Elsa broke the silence: 

“Where did the sound come from?” she whispered almost inaudible. 

“I’m not sure” he ventured, “I wouldn’t even want to venture a guess, but it was somewhere out there, I am sure of it. Let’s remain quiet and maybe we’ll hear it again. What I was wondering, was it our two women friends calling us from wherever they are right now? Maybe they are back down there camping somewhere. Who knows? You know how sounds carry in the desert, and especially this time of night.” 

Then again they remained silent, holding each other closely for some time. 

“I heard something, Adam,” Elsa spoke up. 

“I heard it too,” he answered. “What did it sound like to you?” 

“Definitely a woman’s voice,” Elsa said, shortening her answer to give listening some more time. 

“I agree,” Adam said. 

Elsa had slid over next to Adam by then so their heads were touching when the sound came to them again, and they simply nodded in agreement that they had both heard it, but then they realized it was not outside but in their heads and the voice was coming clearer. It was calling and begging for help, almost like a prayer and it was definitely a woman. While the voice became clearer so did a visualization of the person making the pleas, and they both recognized the woman to be Barb from both their pasts. They didn’t have to acknowledge what they were seeing now; they knew both were on the same track. Barb was calling for help, and they had tuned in, just like their women friends had described listening in on the calls of people who eventually came here to this special retreat to get help. 

Finally when this visualization continued for some time and both Adam and Elsa were able to see where the woman was and how she appeared to them. She was standing near a body of water, like on a wharf. Adam nodded to Elsa as if to ask her permission to speak. When she nodded back he spoke out loud to the visualization: “Barb, we hear you, and know you are calling.” 

Bard stopped what she was doing and stepped back from the place along the wharf where she was standing as if she was about ready to fall off into the water. She didn’t answer nor did she acknowledge that anything had happened in any way other than her quick step back. And then Elsa spoke. 

“Barb,” she spoke softly into the visualization, “it’s me, Elsa. We met at my place years ago.  We are here for you, Adam and me.” 

This time Barb turned as if to see who was speaking to her, but still didn’t say anything as she turned in all directions and even walked cautiously over to the edge of the wharf to see if there was someone down there in the water below her. 

Adam spoke again without consulting Elsa since he knew they were completely in sync to what was happening to them there on the cliff. 

“Barb,” he started. “You need to leave as soon as you can and return home to your mother. You’ve suffered enough. Your mother will take you in, don’t worry about that. She’s wanted you to come home for some time, but hasn’t had the means to find you and ask you to come home.  She will give you the temporary comfort you need. So don’t hesitate, leave as soon as you can assemble your things. We will be visiting you in a few days, you can count on that and then you can continue your healing process with our assistance. You won’t know who is coming to see you, that will be our surprise, but you can count on two people’s visit.” 

Barb stood in wonderment for some time not saying anything but continuing to turn around in her lonely place to see who might have been giving her those instructions or had answered her call. Finally she turned and walked to her car, got in and drove off. 

Adam and Elsa still did not say anything but remained connected to the scene with Barb as she drove home, went to her room, sat on her bed for a while and cried. She didn’t stay there long. Soon she was on her feet and moving around her apartment piling things here and there, getting a suitcase out of her closet and getting ready to leave. The communication had worked, but the visualization they were about to see was not yet over. 

Over the next hour, Adam and Elsa were privy to sketches of Barb’s life for the past five years since she graduated from UC Davis and was on her way to disaster in her life. It was shocking especially to Adam how low she had gotten in her life, especially compared to when he knew her during that summer before their last year in school and the times they had been together in school. Back then she was this tall vibrant woman who seemed to have life by the tail. Now she was haggard and depressed and it was hard especially for Adam to believe she had fallen so far in such a short time. He had told Elsa the entire story of his affair with Barb during the hours they had spent together the previous few. So Elsa was at least knowledgeable of that period. Now they were privy to the entire story and the things that had brought Barb to this point where Elsa and Adam had once again become a part of her life. 

The scene slowly faded for both Adam and Elsa over an hour after it had started. It was completely dark by then and only the bright large desert stars gave any light to the desert floor and on that part of the mountain on which they were perched. Though they were now shivering from the cold, they spend a few more minutes reviewing what they had seen to make sure both had observed the entire scene from beginning to end, and then they decided it was time to head back to camp. Both were cold and starving by now and they knew it was going to be a slow and dangerous hike back down off the mountain. 

Elsa and Adam spent a rather silent time fixing their dinner meal and eating it. By the time they finished, it was nearing 11:00 p.m., but neither was sleepy, so they built a fire in the fire pit, got blankets for their shoulders and sat next to each other near the fire. The incident on the mountain had such profound implications for both of them, and especially Elsa who had discovered that she could get into the same paranormal track as Adam that it was taking some time for her to recover so she could talk about it. 

Adam and Elsa sat there by the fire for almost an hour before either said more than just a few words like, please throw on another stick on the fire, or hand me that bottle of water. And then Elsa started to open up the conversation to what both of them were anticipating would have to happen sooner or later. 

“Adam,” Elsa started, “what’s going to happen when we meet with Barb and she realizes that you and I are the ones involved in encouraging her to make the decision to go home? It’s likely going to bring up some pretty heavy stuff for her regarding yours and her relationship that was mutually cut off years ago. From what we observed of her past life, it was obvious to me that she really loved you more than you ever believed, and that this love has only gained in intensity over these past few years. My question for your, Adam, is how is this going to affect you when you see her in the flesh again? Or maybe more important, how did you feel when it came clear to you tonight that you were seeing her for the first time in several years?” 

These were tough questions that Adam had already been preparing himself to answer all evening since the visitation with Barb on the mountain. He knew he had to answer it truthfully and fully as Elsa was now able, he believed, to do many of the things he had been doing for years, and perhaps would even be able to read his mind or at least anticipate his answers before he gave them. So after a few seconds silence, Adam started to relate his feelings when he first saw Barb and what he believed were the implications of that when he and Barb meet again. 

“I fully understand what you are saying and asking, Elsa, in light especially of my sexual relationship with Barb that summer we met and while we were in our last year at UC Davis. At that time, I really believed I loved her and could make a long-term relationship work with her.  There was one time when things were going so well for us that I thought marriage would be possible after we both finished school and I had done my four year obligation with the Army. I felt at the time that if we did get married we could make a go of it. But then I realized late in my last semester in school that Barb’s fascination with the paranormal, especially as it regarded me, was driving her actions more than true love. That’s when we decided mutually, as I told you, to break up. I believed, as least that I was completely right at the time to make a complete break with Barb, and I thought at the time that she too was committed to other goals. I think that drugs and depression were the things that later caused her to go back to that place where we saw her going, and not true love of me. Furthermore, I believe that she will realize that too that what she has been feeling regarding me is just a one-sided option. I am sure we will both see that when we start working on those issues with her.” 

“I can only hope that this is the case, Adam,” Elsa assured Adam. “To have that cloud the issues between you and me would be very hard to handle. I am fully committed to working with this woman with you and I believe with what we have learned here on the mountain, thanks to Danna and Marty, we both have the capacity to do that rationally and with some sense of professionalism. I just hope that with the drugs and depression that Barb has gone through that her mind isn’t so weak that she can’t get through this with us. I can only anticipate after thinking about this since we left the mountain that we have a big job to do; or should I say that we have chosen to take on a great and awesome responsibility with the life of another person, and it’s going to take our unconditional love of her to make that happen.” 

Elsa’s profound statement aroused Adam’s love for this woman and what she had become since her arrival on this mountain, and now it was his turn to acknowledge that.Without saying more, he took Elsa’s hand and urged her to leave the fire and bring along their blankets and they retired to the tent, where for the next hour they made passionate love and then went to sleep. It was past 2:00 a.m. by then. Adam noticed on his glowing watch as Elsa turned over and snuggled her bottom next to him and was breathing hard. He knew she had fallen into a deep sleep. 

Chapter Seventeen 

One week after Adam and Elsa returned home they got married and moved into a small house in Napa that Adam’s father owned but had been renting out for some time. Luckily for them, just when they needed a place to live, the current renter’s lease was up and the tenants moved out.  The house was old, but in good shape, so the newly married couple began fixing it up with paint and new appliances and new cupboards in the kitchen. There was never a happier couple than these young people who had found each other and now had a new lease on life. 

That same week that they were married, Adam and Elsa did some research on the home of Barb’s mother and found it was located on a small farm to the west of Santa Rosa along the old Russian River Road. Once they had the address, they decided to make contact and see how things were going for Barb. 

“Mrs. Anderson,” Adam questioned as the older woman came to the door on Adam’s knock, “my name is Adam North. You may remember my name. I was a school mate of your daughter, Barb at UC Davis. This is my wife, Elsa. We would like to find Barb and we have some very important news for her. Could you be so kind as to help us?” 

“Ah, Mr. North, Barb has spoken of you,” the woman thoughtfully answered. “In fact Barb just recently moved back in with me and my husband and just yesterday, I think it was, Barb mentioned your name and was reminiscing about her college days. Barb’s not here right now but I think she will be back in about fifteen or twenty minutes. Would you like to come in and wait?  I have a fresh pot of coffee I just made and would love to have you folks join me.” 

They went in and Mrs. Anderson introduced herself as Margaret and asked them to call her by that name. They had coffee and some cookies Margret had made the day before and chatted about how Barb was doing. 

“She’s been out of contact with us for some time,” Margaret said, “so we don’t know a lot about how she’s been doing in the past. I just know she has had a very hard time with her life. Living in Oakland, you know can be quite bad in some places. She hasn’t told us a lot of what she has been about these past few years and I really don’t care. I’m just happy to have her back with us. Whatever went on in the past with Barb is her business, and maybe now that she is here, there will be some things that will help her to change her life. We hope so anyway, and what’s important is that she seems willing to make those changes the way she talks. Why, right now she’s out looking for a job and following up on a few ads in the paper for employment. She got her hair fixed and dressed all up today with some new clothes I bought her and she looked wonderful when she left. She was smiling and said to me, ‘Mom, I think today is my lucky day.  I am feeling better than I have felt in a long time about my chances in this life. I’ve had this feeling all morning that something very important is going to happen to me very soon.  I just know it.’” 

Mrs. Anderson couldn’t stop talking about Barb, and as they finished their second cup of coffee, they heard Barb’s car enter the gravel driveway that led back to the back parking area behind the house. Adam and Elsa both prepared themselves for this surprise visit. 

“You sit right there, Mr. and Mrs. North,” Margaret said as she got up to go to the kitchen, “I’ll tell Barb she has some guests in the living room, and we’ll be right in.” 

“Adam,” Elsa whispered to Adam when Margret left the room, “I’m damned nervous about this, how about you?” 

“I was just thinking the same thing, honey,” Adam replied, “but let’s just be ourselves and let things flow as they may.” 

At that moment Barb entered the room. Still the same tall beautiful woman she had been years ago, she seemed even more striking with her long blond hair pulled back in a bun, and her long thin legs emphasized by the modest knee-length skirt under a beautiful blouse that showed off her wonderful figure. As she entered the room and saw Adam, then looked over to Elsa she was speechless for a few seconds, and then she burst out and ran to Adam with her arms out to hug him. 

“Adam, how good to see you,” she cried out as she threw her arms around him, but then realized that this might be his wife standing there. Breaking away, she turned to Elsa and grasped her hand saying, “I remember you. You were Adam’s old girlfriend that I met in Napa some years back, let’s see, Elsa. Am I right?” 

“Yes, in fact,” Elsa answered, “I’m now Mrs. North. Adam and I were married just this past week.” 

“Newlyweds,” Barb excitedly responded giving Elsa a warm hug and kiss on the cheek. “I am so happy for you; and you too, Adam,” as she turned to him and did the same. So you two are married. Is this something very recent, I mean you’re getting back together?” 

“Well, in a way,” Adam responded. “It was rather special and that is part of why we are here today to see you.” 

Sensing that this was to be a private conversation, Margaret excused herself and left the room. 

“Mother said you have something to tell me,” Barb started as her mother was leaving. “I love surprises. Well, you know that already, Adam.” 

Adam nodded in agreement, but it was Elsa who spoke next coming right to the point of their visit, “Barb, as a matter of fact, we know a little of your story during the past three or so years and we heard your call for help when you were standing in a depressed state by the waterfront. We’ve come to assist you in getting your life back.” 

“I don’t understand,” Barb replied quiet puzzled at Elsa’s remarks. “What do you mean I called you?” 

Barb made that last statement quite sincerely and it was apparent she wanted to know if they were playing a joke on her. But Elsa was quick to respond with a very positive and sincere answer herself. 

“Less than two weeks ago you were alone along the waterfront, we assumed was somewhere by Oakland where you had been many times and you were very sad,” Elsa started; “so sad, in fact that your heart was crying out and Adam and I heard you . . . more than that, we saw you there.” 

“You were there?” Barb interrupted quickly. “You saw me?  I thought I was alone. I know I was, in fact. How could you have seen me?” 

“We were not in Oakland ourselves,” Adam filled in, “but far away in the desert of New Mexico. It was by that very special means of communication that you have been studying and researching years through which you were able to contact us. When we heard you we responded by telling you to go home to your mother.” 

As Barb sat speechless just staring at Adam and Elsa, tears started to stream down her face. Adam and Elsa then continued, elaborating more on the events that led up to them being able to hear her pleading cries for help. She still didn’t reply to anything either of them were saying, so Elsa moved over from where she was sitting on a large couch by Adam and signaled Barb to sit between them. Now with their arms around Barb holding her and comforting her while she sobbed, she simply let her head fall to the middle of them. Her crying went on for a good five minutes until she began to recover and sit up. And then she was able to say her first words since the explanations started. 

“I’m sorry, you guys, for being such a boob,” she said half laughing but still sniffling and wiping her nose with her sleeve. “This is such a surprise and a shock, first of all seeing you, and then hearing that you contacted me, and that I was able to hear you by some strange means that I have for years known existed and tried to tune into, but have repeatedly failed to attain in all the attempts I’ve made and research I’ve done. Then, as you said, Adam, you were in the desert in New Mexico when you heard me; that even makes it more incredible. I don’t know what to say or how to thank you for opening up this window into my life.” 

“It was actually you, Barb,” Adam replied. “You always had the power to do this, and while none of us understand the means by which this all can happen, we have been assured, and I assure you that it can and will happen again for you. You see, Barb, Elsa and I have a new mission in life and that mission includes you and whatever we can do to assist you in getting your life back, as Elsa already said. It’s going to take some time, we know, but we are here to tell you that now that you have started this, and with your permission we are going to assist you in completing it.” 

“We have not decided how this is all going to work,” Elsa continued, much like Danna and Marty seemed to be on the same track when they were together, “but we do know that we have to find a place near here where we can all meet. When we have discovered that place we will contact you and invite you to join us. It may be near or far from here, but it is in this part of the country, we know. It’s just a matter of time.” 

“We’ve only been back here for a few days ourselves,” Adam picked up the dialogue, “and with our marriage and all happening so suddenly we have not had much time to pursue this matter of a retreat for our meetings, but for now we just need to have your assurance that you are willing to work with us and we will be in touch with you later.” 

The conversation went on for another half hour with Barb’s continuous stream of questions and many times confirmation of her desire to work with Elsa and Adam. When they left, Barb walked them to Adam’s Jeep and they once more said their goodbyes. 

 

Epilogue 

A little less than one year after they contacted Barb for the first time, Elsa and Adam were greeting people like they did Barb from time to time and making occasional trips to Questa New Mexico. Barb joined them on two of these occasions and was really making progress in her life because of it.  

Barb was still living part time with her mother, but had returned to school pursuing her Master’s degree in Human Behavior at UC Davis. During the week she stayed in campus housing and returned to her mother’s house on weekends. She was planning to go on for a PhD and take on a teaching job in some college or university. Elsa was pregnant with their first child, and through ultrasonic tests it had been determined that her and Adam’s first child would be a boy. Adam had taken over his father’s business, and his father was getting ready to retire completely.  

One morning in early April Elsa suggested that Adam and her take a picnic somewhere nearby to enjoy the early spring warm spell they were having. Almost every weekend for the entire year before they had been busy looking at places to create a retreat that would seem to them “sanctified” like the mountain retreat in New Mexico, but they hadn’t found that perfect place yet. With another weekend was upon them, Elsa suggested this would be good for them both to take a break from hunting for that special place. Adam agreed since he wasn’t busy that weekend and said he knew about a place on old Sage Canyon Road that his father had purchased some time ago and told him about. They agreed that this would be a great way to celebrate his coming birthday. Adam hadn’t seen the property yet, but suggested they go there since his father had said it was a very beautiful place. Elsa agreed, so he called his father, got directions and after a brief time to put together their picnic, and they were off. 

On entering the turnoff to the place on Sage Canyon Road his dad had told him about, Adam noticed the old barbed wire gate was down and pulled off to the side. He went through with his Jeep, and then went back and closed the gate wondering if someone had been coming in to this private property to hunt or fish the small stream that his dad said meandered through the property. He wasn’t too worried about it and continued up the trail and over the hill to where he saw some large trees and knew the stream was nearby. At first it angered him some when he spotted the car partially hidden in the thick brush next to the stream since this was private property after all, well-marked, and no one should really be there trespassing. But then he recognized what he was sure was the Land Rover belonging to Danna and Marty, and both he and Elsa knew immediately they had found their sanctified retreat. After all, it was April, like in spring. 

The End