Stolen Dreams Read Free Page A

that if I could just take
control while I’m dreaming, I could find out what’s causing it.”
    “You do realize that sometimes we have nightmares because
our conscious doesn’t want to deal with something, so it gets pushed into our
subconscious,” Gracie warned. “Sometimes we aren’t emotionally ready to face
those issues.”
    “Well, it’s about someone taking a baby away from me,” Mary
said. “So if it’s a subconscious fear, I’d rather deal with it now, before
Mikey is born.”
    There was a small pause in the conversation.   Then Gracie spoke again.   “You would have named that baby Gracie if you
were going to have a girl, right?” Gracie teased.
    “Oh, yes,” Mary replied, nodding into the phone. “That was
our first choice.”
    The soft chuckle on the other end made Mary smile. “Okay,
here’s what you can try,” Gracie said. “But it might take some practice. Before
you fall asleep you go through the scenario you want to have happen in your
mind.   You tell yourself you are in
control.   Remind yourself that this is
only a dream. Keep repeating those thoughts.   Then keep replaying the scene the way you want it to go as you fall
asleep.   That should be the last thing on
your mind.”
    “Okay, I’m in charge of my dream, right?” Mary asked.
    “Yes you are,” Gracie said. “But you have to believe it. If
you are locked in a room in your dream, you just tell yourself there’s a key in
your pocket.   Then you reach in your
pocket for the key and get yourself out. It’s your dream.   You get to write the script.”
    “This is so cool,” Mary said. “I never knew I had so much
power.”
    “That’s the problem with most of us, sugar,” Gracie said. “If
people would just believe in their own abilities and be courageous enough to
put them to the test, there’d be a whole lot more happy people out there.”
    “Thank you, Gracie,” Mary said.
    “Any time, sugar,” she replied. “You give that hunky man of
yours a kiss from me and give your baby girl a hug from Auntie Gracie.”
    “I will,” Mary said with a smile.
    “And when are you going to get your little pregnant self to
Chicago so I can see how cute you look?”   Gracie asked.
    “Soon. I promise,” Mary said.
    “I’ll hold you to that,” Gracie said. “Let me know how your
lucid dreaming works out, okay? And be patient with yourself. This stuff takes
a little time.”
    “I will,” Mary said. “I’m going to try it out tonight.
Thanks again.”
    Mary hung up the phone and sat back in her chair, replaying
the dream in her mind and deciding how she wanted it to end.   There were several sequences that were always
the same every time she had the dream.   That’s where she could take more control, in the areas that were familiar.
    She was startled from her musing when the bell over her door
rang again.   She looked up to see Bradley
walking in with a couple of bags from the local deli.
    “Sorry. It looks like I interrupted you,” he said, holding
up the bags. “I brought lunch.”
    She shook her head to clear it. “No, I was just planning
some things out,” she said. “But I’ll always stop for food.”
    He sat on the chair in front of her desk and placed the
white paper sack in front of her. “So, what are you planning?” he asked.
    Pulling out a styrofoam cup of soup
and a half sandwich, she arranged her food in front of her before she answered.
“I’m planning what I’m going to do in my dreams,” she said, lifting the
sandwich up and taking a bite.
    Bradley paused, his sandwich halfway to his mouth. “Planning
your dreams?” he asked. “Can you do that?”
    Still chewing, Mary shrugged and nodded. “I’m going to try,”
she finally said. “Gracie thought I could do it.”
    Bradley took a bite of his sandwich and chewed for a few
moments, contemplating what Mary had said. “So, is this Gracie’s idea?” he
asked before biting again.
    Mary shook her head. “No, it was actually