Chapter Three

Chapter Three

Josh starred out the window listening to the old house creak and moan; then swung around and gazed into the computer screen. Moments later, his eyes closed and he fell into a deep trance.
It was then that the shimmering gateway materialized three feet in front of his desk. A voluptuous young woman stepped lightly through it; static electricity crackling in the air around her.
She sighed, letting the tension drain.
The solid wooden floor felt good beneath her bare feet. Would she ever get used to these trips? This one had been particularly difficult. The field was disturbed, almost violent.
A lingering "hissss" followed by an abrupt "zaappp!" signaled the gateway’s disintegration. She turned quickly to see if the sound had disturbed the one they'd sent her for. He remained motionless behind his fortress desk, staring into his computer screen.
Good. She smiled. That was how he was supposed to be.
“El professor Wilbeth is truly Azul. One of us,” she whispered. “I would have come eventually. But the fear, that cry from his heart. I could not wait.”
Still tense, she peered around the dimly lit room, took a deep breath to relax, but gagged on the lingering scent of ozone from the gateway. Three of the study's walls were lined with shelves, each crammed with books and objects. Turning toward the nearest -- her light sun dress swirling in an elegant arc -- she began to tour the artifacts of the man's mind.
An unearthly light radiated from deep within her. Passing through her ripe copper-colored flesh, it encased her in a ball of faint illumination so that she glowed as she moved, like a firefly drifting through a summer twilight.
She paused before the worn, rough-edged Aztec sword. Her eyes widened and the glow flared. She touched its cold blade and the glow flared brighter. Grasping the hilt with both hands, she lifted the sword from the shelf, turned slightly and thrust the weapon straight out in front of her.
The glow leapt from her arms and flared around the sword casting wild shadows across the shelves. Then eyes closed, she turned inward to sense the blade’s history and its connection to him who'd placed it there.
The glow subsided. She moved on, stopping to handle a clay Inca fertility figure, a fierce Japanese Kabuki mask, a brightly colored native American Kachina doll, and a smooth, greenish-white human skull.
The skull gave off strong vibrations and left a dry chalky residue on her fingers. Died violently. Immense power. A female. Roja. Four hundred years old. Imminent danger.
The young woman shuddered. Her suspicions were confirmed. There was danger. Perhaps that was why the field had been so violent.
She shuddered again, returned the skull to the shelf and walked to the massive desk. Stepping into the pool of lamp light surrounding it, close enough for him to feel her body's warmth and smell its musky fragrance, she lifted his trance.
He shifted and blinked.
"Welcome. Please sit down."
His twitching nostrils seemed to be reaching out for her warm scent.
She sat in the chair Paul Holcomb had occupied only moments before. The glow intensified around her.
"You've come about the Dream Group?" Josh asked.
She nodded.
"Our Group is quite well known among scientists studying sleep phenomena, both here and around the world." He smiled.
She returned his smile. They had told her it would be a pleasure working with him and they were correct. He responded to her scent, saw the glow, but said nothing. He was strong indeed. How the unslaked curiosity added to the sparkle in his greenish-brown eyes!
She looked from his face to his body. He responded with a self conscious brush of his full, slightly graying mustache and a glance over his shoulder to the diplomas on the wall.
Excellent, she thought. He wants my approval. That would make things much easier.
He crossed his legs with an easy movement that showed the strength of his fit two hundred pound body.
Yes. Quite a man. And proud, too.
Josh leaned forward and inhaled.
Bien. Breathe me in. Her eyes returned to his face.
Josh exhaled. "The best way to learn about the Dream Group and the science of dream research, is to participate yourself."
She leaned closer and saw her youthful face reflected in his eyes.
"During weekly meetings, we share more than dreams. We share intimate thoughts and feelings. We have to trust each other to do that. You'll have to keep whatever you hear confidential."
She inclined her head.
"Dream work is like detective work. The clues come from both waking and sleeping. We weave them into a web-like fabric and interpret by slipping it on, matching the fit to subsequent dreams and waking experiences."
He paused and looked into her eyes.
She stared back levelly, full lips touching.
Yes, Doctor. I understand, but do you?
Looking deeply into him, she held his eyes a beat longer. No. It seemed not. That was why his spirit, not his mind, had cried out to her. He was not yet sure. Not quite ready.
Very well. We shall pretend a little longer. The situation was grave, but could be dealt with well enough once he was prepared.
She smiled, giving the encouragement he sought.
Josh leaned closer to her, eyes sparkling.
"The web-like themes actively involve us with spiritual forces,” he said. “We learn to use them and let them use us. Waking and dreaming blur. Our lives become like scenes from half finished stories -- no beginnings, no endings. Only themes. Find the themes as you listen to our stories. They bridge dreaming and waking, spiritual and mundane. They are the gossamer strands that anchor the Web of Life.”
He leaned back in his chair.
"I've talked too much, haven't I?"
"No. Thank you for explaining."
"There's a Group meeting tonight, at the University."
She shook her head.
"Too bad. The Group is vital. They make the understanding, growth and synergy possible. We've got some characters, though."
"I may already know one or two. Another time, perhaps."
"O.K. Next best is to meet individually. One-on-one interviews. Like ours. And please, when you meet, remember to listen for the themes. Let's start with Paul Holcomb."
"Good. It is time I communicated more directly with him. Thank you, Joshua.”
She smiled softly into his eyes. "You've done well. I am grateful, very grateful. It has been an excellent first visit."
He smiled. Then leaned toward her, head cocked to one side as if trying to recall something. She sighed. Whatever it was, it would have to wait. She'd already summoned the gate. Trance induction had begun.
"I must leave you now. . . ." Her voice trailed off.
Josh blinked as the familiar drowsy sensation floated into him on the warm fragrance of her body.
She was all right. He’d be able to rely on her.
His head lolled, eye lids fluttered.
It would be good not to have to bear the whole burden alone.
Sighing, feeling as if they'd just accomplished a difficult task and were ready for a well-deserved rest, he let his head sink to his chest.
As his consciousness ebbed away, he saw her aura flare and heard her say, "Thank you for inviting me, my dear Doctor. We have much work ahead. But rest awhile longer. We will meet again very soon, when you are prepared, in the skies over Mexico. . . ."