Mind Games

“You surely do.”

“It’d be fun if it always was.”

“See that?” Gram slung an arm around his shoulder, then the other around Thea’s. “You never fail.”

* * *

Thea ranked it as the best day yet, and even wrote that in her journal. She’d milked Aster all by herself! And made an extra note to try to make the ham and gravy—with Rem’s help (and maybe Dad’s) for Mom for her birthday breakfast. She’d helped make soap, and though she wouldn’t be there when it was ready to wrap all pretty, Gram would send pictures.

They’d gone into town and passed the time. When they got back, the dogs got treats for guarding the homeplace. They got to make ice cream, and stick it in the freezer to ripen for later.

She and Rem made their own pizzas from Grammie’s dough and sauce while Grammie grated cheese. Thea made hers almost perfectly round. Rem said he made a hexagon pizza. Grammie added mushrooms and olives to hers so Rem made an ick face behind her back.

After the evening chores, after the stars came out, they had their sundaes on the back porch.

So many stars, Thea thought maybe her grandmother was wrong this time about a storm coming.

When Lucy came in for her good-night tuck, Thea set the journal aside.

“Tomorrow, a whole week’s gone already.”

Lucy sat on the side of the bed. “That means you got another whole week left. And aren’t we all going to the beach together in a couple months? I’m going to stay with my family in a house on the beach for the first time in my life! Your mama and daddy? It sure is a loving thing they’re giving us.

“And then, just a few months later, y’all are coming down here. I’m going to fix a Thanksgiving dinner even you can’t imagine.”

She tapped the side of Thea’s head. “You wait and see.”

“Everything’ll look different then. I want to see it all looking different. Then you’ll come for Christmas.”

“I surely will. And you’ll come for Easter.”

“I’ll see the redbuds bloom.”

“You should, and the wild dogwoods. They do make a picture. You dreaming that dream tonight, or are you starting up a new one?”

“I haven’t finished the other yet. The one in the magic forest of Endon.”

“Endon.”

“That’s the name of the world. And I thought of a couple new characters. I have to see what happens.”

“Then you dream good.” Lucy leaned down for a kiss. “I want to know what happens, too.”

Content, Thea snuggled in, closed her eyes. She drifted into the dream, so full of color and adventure and magic. While she dreamed, clouds began to smother the stars. In the distance, thunder grumbled.

When the storm came, as predicted, the magic dream became the nightmare.

Chapter Three

About the time Lucy put the ice cream in the freezer to ripen, Cora came out of a meeting. A very successful meeting, so she mentally patted herself on the back.

With the rest of her day clear, she decided to run some errands, and treat herself and John to a little celebration.

She could pick up the dry cleaning, stop by the printers for their newest flyers, hit her favorite wine store, swing by the market for a couple of steaks John could grill, then the farmer’s market for salad makings, a couple of potatoes.

John loved her twice-baked potatoes.

She’d never be the cook her mother was, but she thought between them, she and John did just fine in that area.