Читать книгу The Project Zoe - Galina Nelson - Страница 8

“Thou wilt shew me the path of life: in Thy presence is fullness of joy; at Thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore.” – Psalm 16:11

At this point they had already passed empty Main Street and turned into the pathway in the woods – shortcut leading to the Community Church. Lucy did not pay much attention to the surroundings and looked drowsy when she suddenly opened her eyes wide and straightened in her seat. “Mommy, mommy, I just had a premonition… it is going to be very slippery, please slow White Bear down,” she whispered fiercely.

“Are you sure?” Grace looked at Lucy in the rear-view mirror and slowed down the car, “How do you know?”

“Miss Sunshine told me,” Lucy continued, “Watch mommy, watch!” She pointed to the sidewalk. Grace did not understand how it had happened. She could swear the road was empty just a moment ago, but right after Lucy’s extraordinary proposition, about one hundred feet ahead of them, in the middle of the road, a young deer appeared out of nowhere: it was common young dear, except its eyes were nearly the same large as its ears. Moving its long slender legs graciously, it went toward the car, then stopped, staring at them, sharply turned around and walked forward along the road. Grace pushed the horn but the deer didn’t move away. It slowed down and nearly stopped right there in the middle of the roadway. “Are you deaf?” Grace steered to the sidewalk and was about to stop the engine when Lucy suddenly asked her:

“Mommy, please, do not stop. Please try to follow the deer, it will move if you come closer. It is waiting for us.”

“I do not think it is a good idea… Grace started, but was taken aback by Lucy’s begging whisper:”

“Mommy, please! You promised to believe me! The deer wants to show you the gate to the Kingdom of Grace! Just drive carefully.”

This advice would not make sense in any other circumstances but, to her own surprise, Grace followed it. First, Lucy did know somehow that the deer would be there, this is the fact, second, I can drive carefully. Grace thought to herself and followed the doe slowly.

“Okay, I will try, hold on.” She drove forward again. The doe, like it knew what they were talking about, looked over its shoulder, suddenly turned around and walked toward the car again. Grace pushed the break and came to a full stop, watching the deer as it continued toward them, staring into her eyes. Closer, closer, closer. “Are you mad, deer, what are you doing?” Grace whispered. All that she could see was the hypnotizing honey-colored gaze of the doe. Soon the doe was as close as thirty feet away and was closer with every step. Grace could not decide what to do, when suddenly she realized that either through the gaze or through some other mystical way, the doe was talking to her: “Please follow me,” it said, “This is the distance you shall keep, trust me.” The doe turned around and led the way along the road.

“Ufff,” Grace breathed out. “Is this really happening or am I dreaming? Lu, can you pinch me please?”

Lucy, enchanted, was staring at the doe. “What?”

“Daughter, pinch me, please; I think that I am dreaming.”

Lucy leaned forward and pinched mother on her neck.

“It hurts, – so, I am not dreaming,” Grace concluded. She moved White Bear forward, slowly, “Let’s go to the Wonderland, then,” she said.

“Did you hear, Lucy? The doe was talking to us.”

“Mommy, of course I did!” Lucy replied. “I know… something really good is going to happen!”

The deer, meanwhile, was moving at a slow pace, breaking the thin ice on the road with its hooves. The pieces of ice twinkled in the air like a fairy dust. From time to time the doe was looking over the shoulder to make sure they were following. In this way, they traveled for several minutes. Then something strange happened again.

The air around them became thicker, cuddling White Bear with the passengers into a soft, white bubble. The deer, like a vision, slowly melted away. Soon, to Grace’s despair, they could not see anything at all, not even the roadway. They have been in the middle of nowhere in the thick milky-white air. Grace switched on fog lights, but it didn’t help. The fog swallowed everything around them and crawled in the car. She nervously glanced at the car clock. The electrical car indicators were the only things she could see at the moment. The clock showed 7:42 a.m. when the dots between the numbers abruptly stopped blinking. “Something is wrong with the clock, look Lu,” she said, but Lucy didn’t answer. Grace could no longer see the clock. Trying not to panic, she pushed the brake and stopped White Bear. Nothing was visible. What is going on? Is Lucy okay? Grace whispered.

“How are you, daughter?” Grace attempted to say, and realized how difficult it was to speak; her lips and tongue didn’t follow her. She attempted again, delivering every sound separately. With a great effort, she managed to say slowly: “L-u!” She thought she yelled, but her voice was silenced, trapped by the white fog.

Grace, struggled with the strange fog, was not able to move even a finger without a strong effort. She attempted to fight, but at once was disarmed and felt dreamy, comfortable and cozy. She felt no panic, no despair anymore. Cuddled like baby in the soft blanket of the fog, she felt calm and happy and as if she was resting on a luxurious, fresh bed. All she wanted was to sleep. She fell into a sweet dream, she didn’t know for how long, when nervous strange voice startled her:

“L-u!” That sound was so loud, it woke up Grace straight right. Goodness gracious… Grace stretched, – I can move again…

“Mom, why are you yelling? I am here, I am okay.”

I can hear Lucy’s voice – Grace fixed the fact.

“Mom, you sound so strange.”

“Lucy… I am glad you are okay, daughter … (It is easy to talk again – thanks God) Listen, I did not call for you now, I said it before… I worried for you… I couldn’t hear myself, I was in panic. Hmm-m… Do you understand what had happened?”

“…It was like the fog swallowed all your words at the time when you couldn’t hear yourself and spitted them out just now, mommy,” Lucy gasped.

“Yes, you are right. Have you been scared, baby? Honestly, my heart was in my mouth.”

“I know, mommy, first I was scared. But then I had happy feeling …Then I was falling asleep.”

“So did I, honey.” Grace, trying to find logic in whatever illogical event happened to them, proposed a theory:

“I think, daughter, we were in transition. Like caterpillars, before they turn into butterflies we were wrapped in cocoons, … cocoons of time.”

Lucy liked the proposition … “That is right, mommy. We were wrapped into cotton candy cocoons!” She exclaimed, “did you notice, mommy, the fog was sweet, like cotton candy?”

When they were talking the fog gradually thinned. When it and vanished completely, Lucy gasped, “Mommy, now we are in the new world! Look!”

They were in the forest, but could not recognize the road, nor the trees, nor the sky, nor the land. The sky was not just blue, but deep blue, and the birches were not just white, but shiny white, the pines were not just green but emerald green and the snow was sparkling as diamond dust.

In front of them was a vast valley, encircled with slender aspens, white thin birches and lanes of strong, tall pines. There was one oak tree on the right. It was wide, strong and ancient. The tree spread its branches far away in all directions.

Grace mechanically attempted to look at the rear side mirror …And what about the rear side mirror? She held her breath.