Dreamland is a fantasy about a 7 year old girl named Tara and her nightly visits to Dreamland. Dreamland is a parallel universe where everyone who dreams goes. It's as real as the place we inhabit in our waking hours, separated by the fabric of time. Tara was connected to Dreamland, as was her Mother and Grandmother. Each generation produces a special person, in her family to protect Dreamland and Earth, if it was ever necessary. Now it is necessary, and it might just be up to Tara this time.

Dreamland

Tara's AdventuresBy C.L. Rodd

AuthorHouse

Copyright © 2011 C.L. Rodd
All right reserved.
ISBN: 978-1-4490-7792-1

Chapter One

It started like any other dream Tara ever had. Floating, happily, as a 7 year old does, between her own world and Dreamland. She was dressed in a flowing angelic white gown as she flew and floated through the darkened streets of her own neighbourhood.

As she floated happily, over the familiar rooftops of her friends' houses, she noticed a sudden damp chill in the air. It was like a misty, cold wave of fear and darkness.

Suddenly, she was standing in an old fashioned parlour, in front of a huge set of glass doors. They were like French doors with the wood slats all through them but these were gold slats and trim around each individual pane of glass. As Tara turned from the window, slowly, as in a dream, she saw the outline of a small child curled up, in a huge overstuffed chair in front of an ornate fireplace. The fire seemed to be slowly dying out as the red and yellow flames slowly danced in a row over a tiny pile of glowing embers. The child, crying as if his heart was breaking, seemed not to know Tara was even there.

Tara edged closer to the sobbing child. As she neared the chair the boy bolted upright, from his fetal position, at the sound of her footsteps. When their eyes met he bolted from the chair into Tara's outstretched arms. Tara was so surprised that her arms had even been outstretched, let alone that he had jumped into them, that she lost her balance and fell backwards. Just as she felt herself fall she glanced over her shoulder, and much to her relief, she noticed another overstuffed chair there to break their fall. They landed with a thud and the little boy on top of her giggled. His wide eyes and shy smile made her giggle too.

"Mama, mama your back!" he shrieked

Tara looked down at herself and realized that she wasn't 7 years old any more. She was a grown woman, obviously a mother, and dressed in early 19th century clothing, complete with lace up boots. Before she could fully digest this amazing and spontaneous transition, she could hear herself speaking.

"There, there now Seth. What is all this fuss about? I was only in the kitchen making our hot cocoa." Tara soothed.

Tara's mind was reeling. How could she be this little boy's mother when she was only a 7-year-old girl a minute ago? The only explanation she could find was that she was in Dreamland and that this little boy must need her there for some reason. So, she decided to relax and just see where all this would lead as the dream unfolded.

No sooner had Tara made this decision, when she and Seth heard an incredible crash. It sounded like it was directly over the house. Seth clung to her even harder now and began whimpering. Tara knew that their only hope was to follow her "gut" instincts, because she had no idea what to expect. This dream drama was about Seth not Tara the 7 year old. She had to become his mother in order to really help him. Suddenly, another loud bang. This time it felt like it was inside the house, upstairs. Sheer terror overtook her senses as she grabbed Seth's little hand and swiftly rose from their chair.

"The shelter." she heard herself whisper to Seth.

"Yippee!" Seth exclaimed.

The words were barely out of his mouth when they were on foot rushing toward the parlour door to the hall. Seth was leading the way and Tara could only assume they were headed for the shelter that she, herself had mentioned.

Seth dragged her through the enormous kitchen at the back of the house then, down a long hallway, through another narrow door, left, and then down a winding hallway. Seth stopped short in front of a small door that looked to Tara to be too small to even fit through.

"The key, mama, the key!" Seth whispered urgently.

Tara searched through the folds of her antique house dress until she finally found a hidden pocket, just behind her waistband.

She gently pulled on a ribbon that was pinned to the pocket lining. When she pulled she could feel something sliding out of the pocket. It was an ancient skeleton key tied to the ribbon. She immediately grabbed it and slid it into the keyhole of this odd looking door. Much to her surprise the key not only fit, it turned and the door swung open with such force that she and Seth were nearly knocked to the floor.

Tara gently shoved Seth behind the folds of her skirt as she peered carefully around the corner of the doorway. What she saw amazed her. The staircase was unlike anything she had ever seen. It was a spiral, but it was made of black iron. It looked like it wound around itself as it gradually led downward. She clutched Seth's hand, and as they began their descent the stairway began to sway gently, back and forth. As Tara looked towards the ceiling she could barely make out suspension cables of some kind. They creaked ominously as she and Seth stepped from one stair to the next. It was like walking on air. Seth clung to her skirt and hand as they slowly navigated each stair.

Tara was grateful for the kerosene lamp she had taken off the wall outside the doorway, because there was no other light source on the stairs. It felt, to Tara, like they were entering the very core of the earth. The smell of dampness was almost overpowering.

There seemed to be no end to the staircase.

They slowly moved further down into the vast darkness with only the small lamp to guide them.

Suddenly there was a huge flash of light. It was a bright red colour and it blinded Tara. She stumbled and felt herself falling for what seemed like an eternity. As she fell all she could hear was Seth's tiny, frightened voice screaming

"Mama, mama, don't leave me here all alone. Mama, please ..."

Chapter Two

Tara awoke bathed in sweat and screaming;" Mama, mama don't leave me here all alone"

Katherine, hearing her daughters' distress, bolted up the stairs, two at a time. When she reached Tara's bedroom door, it was locked from the inside and there was an eerie red glow all around it.

"Tara, open this door, now!" Katherine screamed through the door.

"I can't Mommy. It's too hot." Tara whined back at her Mother.

"Andrew come here, quickly, it's happening again!" Kay, which had been her nickname since birth, bellowed to her husband.

"Kay, my Lord, you'll wake the dead screaming like that. What is it now?" Andrew shot back as he, too took the stairs two at a time.

Andrew reached the top step just in time to see the red glow fading. Tara's door flew open as if it had a mind of its own and crashed against the wall.

"Dear God in Heaven, what now?" he muttered to himself.

Kay was on the bed, in one bound, holding her quaking daughter.

"It's okay, honey. It was only a dream. Everything is going to be all right. Mommy's here now honey." Kay crooned to her terrified child.

Andrew slowly approached and sat gently on the edge of the bed. He laid his hand on Kay's shoulder to soothe her, but the look of agony in her eyes was finally more than he could bare.

"Honey, we need help. This can't go on any longer. This is not normal." he whispered to his wife.

"Alright Andrew, I'll go call Dr. Cain again and see if he has any new ideas for us. But I had better wait until morning, it's only 3 am, now." Kay relented.

"Tara, honey, you get some sleep now. Daddy will call Dr. Cain in the morning. Everything will be okay, just rest now." Kay whispered in a desperate attempt to comfort her child.

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