Tell Me I'm Dreamin' Read Free Page B

She was frustrated within minutes because her nylon-like top seemed to get snagged on every other branch, and although she wore her hair close to her head, the ball in the back was still a magnet for low-hanging tree branches.
    The stranger’s actions backed up his words as he moved swiftly ahead. It was evident he was not concerned about her welfare, and if Nadine hadn’t clearly heard his reluctant invitation she might have assumed he was trying to lose her.
    Suddenly, a ripping sound erupted as Nadine leaped over a large, decaying branch. She stopped, knowing the pants she had bought especially for this trip had torn. “Is there anything else that can happen?” she moaned and tried to continue, but one pants leg had gotten caught on a protruding stump of the dead plant. “Wait!” she yelled as she bent over to free the material, ripping the seat of her pants even further. Her request was met by dead silence, and her heart jolted when she could no longer hear the stranger crashing through the woods ahead. The sound of man had totally been replaced by the night sounds of nature.
    Alarmed, Nadine rushed forward, only to emerge on a well-formed dirt road. She desperately looked in both directions, her head swiveling back and forth. She knew luck was with her when she caught a glimpse of the stranger’s white sleeve reflected by the pale moonlight. Mentally and physically drained, Nadine pushed herself to follow the fleeting sign as the stranger rounded a bend. Even though she was terribly frightened, and should have felt thankful for any assistance the man offered, she could not help but feel anger welling up against him. But Nadine continued to follow him, wondering if he had been sent from heaven or hell.

Chapter 2
    The house was so much a part of the forest it would have been invisible if it were not for a light billowing out of a tunnel-shaped entranceway. Nadine entered it with caution. She stopped near the wavering flame of a wall-mounted candle beside the door. For a moment she allowed herself the luxury of marveling at the flat shell shape of the base filled to the brim with wax. Reality would not allow her to dally for long, and Nadine was forced to confront the full impact of her predicament. She was deep within the island facing the unknown. “This is ridiculous,” she said, staring at the large wooden door. “He tells me I can follow him, then he leaves me, and now I’m forced to figure out how to get into the place.” Frustrated, Nadine looked down at the limestone floor. “I bet he doesn’t even live here.” She could feel beads of perspiration forming above her lip as she contemplated what to do. Alright, just be calm, she told herself. Whoever comes to the door, you’ll just have to tell the truth about how you got here. What can they do to you, anyway? She raised her hand and knocked before her mind conjured up answers she was afraid to acknowledge.
    It took several efforts, each one more nerve-racking than the last before a strained female voice called, “Who’s there?”
    â€œUh, excuse me,” Nadine stammered, not knowing where to begin, “I know this is going to sound a little strange, but I was invited—”
    â€œI cannot understand you,” the woman replied, cracking open the thick oak door just enough to create an opening that resembled a straw filled with light.
    â€œI’m sorry.” Nadine spoke inside the cranny. ‘This is rather difficult to explain. My name is Nadine Clayton. I’m an American. I am here with the World Treasures Institute to do some preliminary work.”
    â€œYes?” The crack widened until Nadine could see a middle-aged woman in a colorful dress wearing a wrap on her head. The woman looked at her with a skeptical curiosity, then with an increasing look of astonishment.
    â€œA man led me here after the earthquake, but he was going so fast I couldn’t keep up.