Chapter 4
Sebbie
I was dreaming of the river again.
I was on my boat heading towards the shore (because I had a boat and totally knew how to drive it in dreamland), and I could already see the throng of people there. My boat was pretty small, but somehow, all the people always fit anyway.
Because, yeah, this was a dream I’d been having since I was little. My mom had told me I was a “lucid dreamer” back when I’d told her about it, because I knew I was dreaming and could control my dream. She said my ability to have lucid dreams showed I was intelligent and creative.
I think all moms have to say that about their kids, though.
It was kind of a gray and dreary day, but that didn’t suit me, so with a thought, the sun peaked out from behind the clouds, shining down on the shore and the water.
I used a long staff to guide the boat into a dock, and I hopped off onto the wooden deck (because it was my dream, so of course I was graceful and could easily hop off a boat).
I walked towards the people, who were all sort of milling about, looking confused and lost, and I flipped off my hood. (I had on this cool cloak thing—very Renaissance Faire stylish—except mine was pink, because I was in a pink mood today.)
“Hey, guys!” I called out, waving at the crowd and making my way toward them.
Everyone sort of murmured when they saw me, and I saw some smiles and waves back.
There were a lot of vaguely familiar faces—probably people I’d seen in passing, because I heard you couldn’t make up faces in your dreams. Anyway, I sort of recognized everyone, but there were definitely some people who I knew a lot better than others.
“Mr. Russell!” I cried out when I saw him, because he was the nearest person. “It’s so nice to see you!”
“Sebbie? I didn’t expect to see you here, although I have to admit it’s nice to see a familiar face.” He stuck his hand out for a handshake when I got over to him, but I pulled him into a hug.
“So good to see you! I told you that you’d be on to your next great adventure!” I said, giving him a squeeze. I pulled back, asking, “Would you fancy a boat ride?”
He chuckled as he looked at me, taking in the pink cloak and my staff. (Did I mention the totally cool staff? It might have been bedazzled, too.) “Sebbie, you are a wonder.” He frowned then, a thought seeming to occur to him. “I don’t have any coins, though. I didn’t know…”
I tilted my head. “Coins? Whyever would you need coins?”
“To cross, of course,” he answered.
“Oh, Mr. Russell, don’t be silly. I wouldn’t charge you. You’re an old friend! Go on and climb in the boat while I greet everyone. I bet you’ve got lots of friends and family waiting on the other side,” I told him.
I almost laughed at the thought of charging people for a little boat ride. How odd that would be. After all, I knew all these people. Why would I charge them to cross? We could chat and catch up on the way over, and that was certainly payment enough.
Mr. Russell nodded his head and headed to the boat, and I turned to greet the next person, because everyone had sort of lined up to wait their turn.
They did that. I could control the weather, my clothes, and lots of other things, but the people always lined up.
Nevertheless, one thing I never could quite predict was what other people would say.
I suppose my subconscious had to have a little bit of fun.
The next woman was older, and only when I looked into her eyes did I recognize her. “Mrs. Rippa! Oh my gosh, is that really you?” I cried out, grabbing hold of her and pulling her into a hug. “You were my favorite English teacher ever!”
She laughed, squeezing me right back. “Sebastian? You’re all grown up!”
And so it went. It was always fun to figure out who was joining me on the crossing.
I knew them all, but sometimes we had to figure out how we knew each other.
Like the girl who told me I looked fantastic and made me a rum punch at a college party, or the guy who bought me a coffee at the store when I spilled mine.
They were all great people, and I looked forward to giving them a ride across the river.
After I’d greeted the last one and everyone was on board, I hopped back on the boat(still gracefully!), and I used my staff to push us off, starting the journey.
The atmosphere was festive, as most people had gotten to talking while waiting.
They could trade stories about me for starters, which I knew sounded incredibly self-centered, but really, I was just a good ice breaker.
People would ask how someone knew me, and off they’d go into their story, and from there, they’d start talking about themselves.
I loved it when the boat was chatty and everyone enjoyed the ride.
Although… it could be even more festive…
“Who wants rum punch?” I cried out, a pitcher and a stack of cups appearing in my hands.
Not everyone did, and that was fine, because I could fill a cup with water, too, and I got to go around and chat with everyone again.
We were moving along in the water, so I didn’t need to guide us much, and I loved mingling.
It was usually so much fun on the crossing, everyone laughing and reminiscing.
I was always a tiny bit sad when the fog started to roll in, because it meant we were getting close to the shore.
Someone inevitably asked about it.
“Why is it getting foggy?” Keith asked. (He’d been my next door neighbor when I was a kid, and he’d been super nice. Even though he was older, he’d always picked me for his team in games.)
“Oh, we’re getting close, is all,” I answered.
Everyone got a bit quieter at that, and I could sense their nerves. I understood. They hadn’t made the journey before, after all.
“Listen, guys, it’s going to be fine. I’ve done this loads of times, and I promise there’s only good things ahead for all of you. You have each other now, at the very least. Plus, there will be people waiting on the shore for you. I know you’re all super excited to see your loved ones!”
My little pep talk seemed to do some good, because the chatter started back up. As we got closer to shore, people started calling out, hands waving at the shore.
“I think I see my Laura.”
“Dad? Is that my dad?”
“Greta! Oh my gosh! I see you, Greta!”
There were more cries of joy, and tears of happiness, and it all gave me warm fuzzies. I barely had the boat docked before people were lined up to file off.
They all still gave me hugs and thanked me for the journey, even though I knew how excited they were to disembark and see their loved ones.
Mr. Russell was last in line, and he gave me an extra hard squeeze. “You were right, Sebbie. Isn’t she beautiful?” he asked, pointing towards the shore.
“I’m sure she is,” I answered.
He looked at me kind of weirdly.
“I don’t see them. I know they’re there, and I can hear them, but they’re your loved ones, not mine, so I don’t see them. I’m so happy for you, though. I’m so happy I could be here to bring you to the other side.”
Mr. Russell smiled. “Yes, Sebbie. Thank you. Thank you for not letting me make the journey alone.”
We hugged again, and yeah, maybe I got a little teary, but I shooed him off to go find his someone special, giving a sigh of happiness when the boat was empty. I leaned on my staff, looking out across the water, waiting to wake up.
Only I heard a crow caw, then it flew over and landed on my shoulder.
“Hello, love. Fancy meeting you here,” I said, giving the crow a little head scratch.
I turned around, already knowing who I was going to see.
It was the man in the dark suit. He was as handsome as ever, and as refined as ever, too. Not that I was attracted to him in that way. Eww. He was almost like my dad or something, even if he was hot. I’d known him since I was a little kid, and I just couldn’t think of him like that.
“You’ve been up to some trouble,” he said in greeting. Then he really looked at me, giving my pink cape and hood a once over. When he spotted the tiny jewels on my staff (don’t judge—it looked pretty), I could tell he wanted to smile, even if his face made some sort of weird spasming movement.
“Do you like the outfit? And we had rum punch on the way over!” I gushed. “They were a great group.”
He rolled his eyes and sighed. “Of course they were a great group. You only choose the nice ones.”
I shrugged. “Nice people deserve nice things.” It was true—I really did believe that.
The man in the dark suit sighed again. “Well, you‘re going to have to deal with more than nice people in the near future, I’m afraid. You’ve already dipped your toe into that, and you’ve rippled the waters. What has been unlocked cannot simply be locked up again.”
I gave the crow on my shoulder another scratch. “It’ll be fine,” I declared.
I had full faith it would be. After all, I had a pink cloak, a boat with rum punch, and a bedazzled staff. Of course it would be fine.
I couldn’t wait to tell Toby about this dream. Maybe I’d even try to find a pink cloak for real life. It was so cool looking.
With one final roll of his eyes, the man in the dark suit waved his hand, and I opened my eyes to the first rays of sunlight peaking in through my bedroom window.
I gave one long, luxurious stretch, hopped out of bed, threw on my slippers and my robe (unfortunately it was not pink), and headed toward the kitchen.
The sun was only just rising, and it was my favorite part of the morning. I brewed myself a nice cup of tea, added a bit of honey to it, and grabbed the bowl I’d set out last night, taking the foil off the top.
I went out onto the front porch, smiling as the soft sound of caws greeted me. “Good morning, loves! I brought breakfast!”
I set some nuts and berries along the railing, and I watched as my breath came out in little puffs of steam. “Chilly morning. I’m going to grab a blanket to wrap up in. Watch my tea.”
I set my tea next to the rocker and went inside, grabbing a throw off the couch before heading back out and settling into the rocker. I was wrapped up and cozy before long, and if my nose was a bit chilly, I just held the steaming mug up to my face to warm it.
The crows were still softly cawing, and I smiled and watched as they enjoyed breakfast. A few left little tokens on the railing for me—a coin, a pretty stone, a twig covered in soft-looking green moss. I thanked each crow as they left something, smiling at them.
My favorite gift was still the stuffed crow that I'd been brought a few weeks ago. It tickled me beyond all reasoning that they’d found such a thing and brought it to me.
Speaking of… Yes, I thought I saw the crow who had left it sitting over in the trees.
They were a little larger than the other crows, and they seemed to be…
I don’t know, more intelligent or something.
It was probably silly, but I felt like they were the head crow.
I took another sip of tea, luxuriating in the morning. I had four whole days off ahead of me, and I could do anything I wanted. Maybe it was time to pay a visit to Toby.
He totally wouldn’t mind if I had ulterior motives. In fact, if I told him I was trying to run into Corbin, he’d probably help me arrange it.
Toby was a great bestie for things like that.