Dreams Unleashed by Linda Hawley Page A

Elinor rushed over to us.
    I turned to her crying, "Oh darling, darling. Daddy's gone. He's gone."
    "Daddy," she called out, mustering him.
    No reply.
    With all of the courage that a fourteen-year-old girl could summon, Elinor gathered up her father, kissed him on the forehead, and whispered, "Goodbye, daddy. Watch over me," as tears fell from her eyes onto his lifeless face, with her new hat perched upon her head.
    At that, neither of us could hold back our desperate grief; we sobbed together, holding him until the tears cleansed our minds, replacing thinking with a numb existence.
    They called it shock. I suppose it was. I barely remember the drive off the mountain. Cosette was kind enough to take us to Aunt Saundra's house in Bellingham. I guess someone from the rescue team called ahead and prepared my Aunt, because when we arrived, she was waiting for us.
    "Hi," I softly greeted her at the door with Elinor at my side.
    My aunt hugged us both hard, silence buffering her own grief from us.
    Finally releasing us, she said, "I'm sure you both need rest. Let's get you upstairs, where I've made up beds for you."
    "Thank you, Saundra," I replied.
    We solemnly began treading upstairs. I stopped after several steps, and Elinor followed. I turned toward the front door, where Aunt Saundra quietly talked with the relief worker.
    "Cosette, thank you," I offered with as much voice as I could summon.
    "You're welcome, Ann. I'll think of you both," she responded.
    I tried to smile, but failed. I broke eye contact with Cosette, looked at my aunt for a moment with nothing else to say, then turned and continued slowly up the stairs with my arm around Elinor.
    "Mommy, I want to sleep with you, okay?" she pleaded softly.
    "Of course, sweetie," I replied with empathy, gently kissing the side of her head.
    We entered the room at the top of the stairs that seemed ready for us. The sheets were turned down on the queen bed in the large room, and a vanilla candle was burning on the dresser.
    I appreciated my aunt's kind gesture. Seeing the candle, Elinor turned to me, putting her head on my shoulder.
    "It's going to be okay," I whispered, with my arms around her. "We're going to be okay. Daddy will watch over us."
    Saundra appeared in the doorway. "I've got some pajamas set out for both of you, from when you stayed here before, so there's no need to worry about anything," she assured us. I was again grateful for her kindness.
    "Thank you, Saundra," I responded, flatly.
    "Do you want some herbal tea?" she asked.
    I shook my head.
    "I think we'll just sleep," I said, looking around the room.
    "Both of you---just tell me anything you need---and I'll get it."
    "Tomorrow I'll need to get our things from the rental cottage on the mountain and check out."
    "We'll worry about that tomorrow, Ann. And you don't have to get it; I'll work that out. Just rest yourself now. You can stay with me for as long as you want," she protectively offered.
    Both Elinor and I dressed down quickly and dropped into bed like we were unaccustomed to gravity. Exhaustion drew us quickly to sleep.
    After sleeping for five hours, I awoke suddenly.
    I quietly left the bed, careful not to awaken Elinor, and walked down the hall to my aunt's bedroom. "Saundra?" I whispered quietly.
    I had always been very close to my aunt; she was kind and gentle. Besides my husband and daughter, I was closer to her than anyone else.
    She slowly awoke from sleep, "What is it, dear?"
    "Can you talk for a bit?" I asked.
    "Of course, come snuggle here with me," she said, pulling the bed covers aside.
    I lay in the bed with her, with her pillows behind us and Saundra's arm wrapped around me, holding me to her carefully.
    "What is it?" she questioned.
    "At the end..." I started to softly cry. "Armond said, 'The Herkimer. Believe...'"
    "What? What was he talking about?"
    "It was as if he was going to say something else, but he didn't have enough time."
    "What do you think he was going to say?"
    "I don't