Dream Makers

Chapter 1: Escape “BEWARE – BE AWARE When You Cross Through This Portal Your Life Will Be Transformed.” “Will, wake up! I just heard something outside,” Dee said in a hushed but urgent whisper. “At first, I just heard a dog barking in the distance. But then I heard something strange. I’m not getting a good feeling here.” It was about six in the evening on an early spring night in Eastern Europe. Earlier that afternoon, the two youths had risked life and limb to escape from a lifetime of child labor at the hands of the infamous Dr. Frederick Fud, owner and procurator of the Fud Institute. Now, the people who had kept them under constant surveillance throughout their short lives were hunting them down like animals. Will’s blue eyes popped open immediately. Aroused from an exhaustive sleep, he reached for his forehead, which was throbbing in pain. He could feel the cut through the blood-soaked, makeshift bandage his sister had skillfully wrapped around his head to stem the bleeding. He struggled to his knees and crawled to the window. Bruised and battered from their ordeal, Will and his sister had taken shelter in a deserted, twelfth-century home on the edge of town, complete with dirt, dust, mold and cobwebs. Thanks to its view of both the main street and the village beyond, it seemed like a good location for an interim hideout. For protection from the early evening chill, they covered themselves with musty sheets that were strewn over bits and pieces of discarded living room furniture. Then they huddled in the corner of what had once been an elegant dining room for some much-needed sleep. It was now early evening and the sun had just set. Will rubbed his eyes and shook his head to get his bearings. Will was a thin, gaunt-looking boy of fifteen. Though he was quite pale, with the oily, acne-covered complexion of most boys his age, he also possessed many striking features that made it clear he would be a handsome man – wavy, sandy-colored hair, a strong jaw line and, most impressive of all, piercingly-deep blue eyes. His sister, on the other hand, was already maturing into a beautiful young woman. Her short, cropped auburn hair set off her large, green eyes. And her olive complexion, though pale from spending most of her time indoors, was free of blemishes or freckles. Tonight, however, it was hard to see her complexion at all under the dirt and grime from their harrowing escape. Suddenly, Will heard the rustle of the overgrown bushes surrounding the property. His eyes scanned left, then right, surveying the yard as best they could in the subdued moonlight. He caught a glimpse of something in the distance – the reflection of shiny steel against the dense landscape. “Come on, Dee!” exclaimed Will, now wide-awake. “We have to move!” He grabbed her hand, pulled her to her feet and headed for the stairwell leading to the second floor. But Dee stopped abruptly. “Wait,” she said. “The first place they’ll look is the attic. I’ve heard that these old houses have dug-out cellars with crawl spaces that could offer us better hiding places.” Will considered it for a few seconds. “Okay, let’s hurry,” he said, rushing around the corner and through the tattered basement door. The wooden stairwell with its unstable handrail descended a few steps to a flat landing. From there, they could move off to the left, or continue down another set of steps to the right. As they continued deeper and deeper, away from the main floor and their pursuers, the only light they had to guide them came from a street lamp that shone through a small, grimy basement window. They did not stop to think; they brushed aside the cobwebs and kept going. As they descended, the pungent, musty odor of the damp cellar filled their nostrils. After three levels of staircases, they finally reached the bottom and found themselves almost completely in the dark. Will grasped his sister’s hand tightly and fumbled about to the left. “No!” insisted Dee, yanking him in the opposite direction. “Something tells me we need to go this way.” Will silently consented, allowing his sister to take the lead. Over the years, he had come to appreciate Dee’s unique knack for sensing what was right in tense situations. This was especially true if his logical but decisive mind didn’t have adequate time to work through the problem in its entirety. Even though Will liked to be the leader, it was at times like this that he gave way to Dee’s intuition. He tentatively followed her lead but continued to look over his shoulder to make sure Fud’s henchmen weren’t closing in on them. As they moved forward in the darkness, they could hear men entering the house. “You two, check upstairs. And make sure you search the attic! That’s one of the favorite places for kids to hide,” commanded a booming voice. “You two, check the dining room and kitchen. And you two search the living room and study. Open every drawer, door and cabinet. Find them!” Without the faintest glimmer of light to illuminate their path, Will and Dee moved along the basement wall quietly and quickly. Suddenly, Will’s head brushed against something hard; the basement ceiling was narrowing! Though he wasn’t particularly tall for his age, Will was several inches taller than his sister, but soon the ceiling grazed the top of her head as well. At first, they had to bend over at the waist to move forward. Eventually, they had to crawl – and ignore the fact that their knees and hands were getting cut on the dirt and cinder floor – as the walls also starting closing in around them. “Will, this is good,” whispered Dee. “They’ll never be able to follow us into this small space.” Without warning, they ran into a dirt-packed wall, which blocked their path. They felt the wall to determine if they could possibly get around it to go any deeper. Will’s fingers fumbled until he found a board securely fastened against the wall on a set of rough hinges. He ran his fingers across the board. To his surprise, he felt shallow grooves that seemed like writing. Something had been etched deep into the wood! “Dee,” he said. “There’s a sign here, and beneath it, a small door handle!” “Can you make out what it says?” she asked. “I can’t tell for sure, but the first word seems to be ‘beware.’” “Then, we should probably read it before we try to get in that door,” said Dee hurriedly. “Last night we found a box of unused stick matches in the kitchen upstairs. There was only one left. We were going to use it to build a fire, but you said the light might attract anyone searching for us. Do you still have it?” “Yes, it’s in my pocket,” he replied quickly. “But my pants are damp and cold from crawling on this floor. I’m not sure the match will light.” By now Fud’s men had found some displaced dust and broken spider webs on the first floor. Will and Dee heard one of the men shout, “Someone has been here recently. And look! There’s fresh blood on the floor over here.” Suddenly, the cellar door flung open and heavy footsteps thundered down the steps. “You two, take this level and we’ll continue down below!” the leader bellowed. Dee urged anxiously, “Quickly, Will, light the match. Light it now before they reach the bottom level!” The first strike didn’t work – not even a spark. The second strike was similarly futile. “The match will light on this strike,” Dee said with a sense of urgency and purpose. “It must light on this strike,” Will demanded as he turned the match to the fresh side and pulled the wooden stick across the rough edge of the matchbox. The match tip exploded into light, and the stringent smell of burning sulfur burst into the air! Will held the lit match up to the sign. Together they whispered the words aloud: “Beware – Be Aware. When You Cross Through This Portal, Your Life Will Be Transformed.” They looked at one another over the faint flame and saw the bewilderment each felt reflected on the other’s face. Was this a real warning or a silly joke played by