Dream Tunnel Read Free Page B

faster than before.
    “What’s that sound?”
    “The bridge is disintegrating behind us!” Conroe shouted. “Run!”
    The bridge began to tilt downward behind them, causing them to run at an ever-increasing uphill angle.
    They were nearly to the other side when Crane lost his grip on Conroe’s hand.
    She pulled herself up on top of the stone walkway. “Come on, Crane—hurry!”
    “I’m trying.”
    A board broke beneath his foot, and he nearly fell through. The bridge continued to fall at the back end, turning it into more of a ladder than a bridge.
    “Grab my hand,” Conroe said, reaching down with one hand while holding onto the edge of an embedded stone in the walkway with the other.
    Crane latched onto her hand just as the bridge broke loose from the side and tumbled down into the chasm. He tried to climb up the jagged rock surface with his feet and one hand. He was reaching for the edge of the walkway when one of his feet slipped, then the other, and then his hand. He dangled against the rock wall. His only means of support: Conroe’s hand.
    Her fingertips burned from the strain of supporting all of his weight. Her wrist, elbow, shoulder, back—every part of her body screamed for mercy.
    “I can’t do it,” he said. “I’m afraid I’m gonna pull you down with me. Just let go of me. It’s only a dream.”
    “No!” Conroe’s frantic voice echoed. “You can do it, Crane.”
    Conroe’s reaction seemed to frighten Crane and spike his adrenaline.
    He grabbed onto a rocky protrusion with his free hand, found a foothold, and then another. Grasping the edge of the stone walkway, he pulled himself up, assisting with his feet.
    When Crane was safely on top on the walkway, he and Conroe collapsed together, exhausted.
    “This is the scariest, most realistic dream I’ve ever had,” he said.
    Conroe put her arms around him. “You did great. I’m so proud of you.”
    Her hug seemed to make him quickly forget the horror he had just experienced. “Now what?”
    “Into the Dream Tunnel.” They stood up.
    “But aren’t we already in the dream?” he asked.
    “We’re sort of in limbo until we make it through the Dream Tunnel.” She took his hand and led him through the opening in the rock.
    “Why does it have to be so black in here?” His voice echoed. “The air is sticky, and it smells musty. I don’t remember ever smelling anything in a dream before. And how are we supposed to find the other end? Shouldn’t we have brought a couple of flashlights?”
    “No, they won’t work in here.”
    “Why—because it’s a dream? I wore my shoes . Why couldn’t I have put a flashlight in my pocket?”
    “Enough questions,” she said. “We need to get moving. But be careful not to trip—the ground is uneven.”
    “How do we know which way to go?”
    “There will be some light soon, but we can’t wait for it.”
    “You just make up all these rules as you go along, don’t you?” he asked.
    “Sort of.” She began walking.
    “Not too fast. I’m afraid we’re gonna walk into a wall or something.”
    “You’ll be okay as long as you hold onto my hand and do what I say.” She picked up the pace.
    “Are you sure?”
    “Do you trust me or not?”
    “Well, yeah—I trust you.”
    “Good.” She began to run.
    “Are you kidding me?”
    “You’ll be fine. Just hang on and keep running.”
    They ran faster and faster. After a minute or two, a dim light appeared in the distance.
    “There it is,” he said. “I can see the opening.”
    The light grew brighter until they burst out of the tunnel into blinding white light, rolling onto the cool, grassy ground.
    When Crane realized he was no longer holding Conroe’s hand, he jumped up. “I can’t see. Where are you?”
    “It’s the sun,” she explained. “Your eyes will adjust in a second.”
    “Where are we? And where did the tunnel go?”
    Conroe got up and went over to him. “It’s not a real tunnel. Remember, this is a dream. But