Follow the Hummingbird (The Dream Tamer Chronicles Book 1)

by Elena Carter

  She was actually enjoying the walk. She felt light and focused and full of energy. Another pleasant surprise was that she was wearing comfortable sneakers. She wondered where they came from; she didn’t have a pair like that.

  Well, that’s pretty handy, because I’ve got to do quite a bit of walking here.” Tina kept moving. The scenery around her was beautiful, and the magical path powered her with energy.

  Tina lost track of time as she enjoyed the process of putting one foot in front of the other. She wasn’t getting tired, she wasn’t impatient about reaching her destination, and she couldn’t even tell if she’d been walking for five minutes or five hours. Time had ceased to exist; there was no such concept as time. There was only a glowing road of light and the dark cones of mountains up ahead. It was not important when she would get there, because there was no such thing as “when.”

  What a strange word, Tina thought. When … when … It leaves a strange feeling in my mouth, even though I’m not pronouncing it out loud. So weird.

  She shrugged and tried to stop thinking about it, focusing on the mountains again. However, there were no mountains ahead of her anymore. In fact, they were around her, and she was looking into the sky.

  The road was going up, and she was following it, sticking to a vertical path like there was no gravity—another word that all of sudden sounded alien to her and left a bad taste in her mouth.

  What’s happening to me? Apparently, a part of her still knew the meaning of those words and that part was finding her own thoughts very strange.

  She blinked, and the scenery changed. She was still on the same road, but the mountains were now behind her, and she was walking downhill toward a green valley, divided into two by a blue ribbon of a river. On the side of the valley closest to Tina lay a little village of maybe thirty or forty houses. The rooftops and houses were brightly colored. From a distance, they looked like a bunch of doll houses—small, neat, and colorful, like children’s toys. Each house had a beautiful garden around it.

  Another blink, and Tina found herself only a few steps away from one of the cheerful-looking dwellings. This one boasted a dark purple roof with salmon-pink walls. There was no fence around it, but the garden was full of arches with a mix of white, red, and orange climbing roses.

  Tina inhaled the fresh, floral-scented air. She felt like she was inhaling all the beauty around her at the same time, absorbing it with every cell of her skin. Warmth spilled throughout her body and ran through her veins with each breath.

  Light is flowing through my veins, a voice she recognized as her own rang in her head. I am the light.

  She felt the urge to lift her hands and look at them. Her fingers were starting to glow. They reminded her of the road that brought her there, only the light emanating from her hands was warmer. She moved her fingers slowly, almost hypnotized, a soft smile playing on her lips.

  I am the light, the voice repeated. Everything is the light, and the light is in everything.

  Her thoughts—although she wasn’t even sure if they were hers—were interrupted by a light clink, similar to the sound two crystal glasses make in a toast. Tina turned around, following the sound, and froze.

  In front of her was a being—the best epithet Tina could think of, being still a little bit fazed by the “light mantra”—that looked like it was made of glass. The contours of its body glowed slightly, but the rest of it was transparent. Judging by the silhouette, she figured it was a woman in a long dress, and something like a cape with a hood covered her head. The skirt was so long it was covering her feet completely, but Tina still could see that she wasn’t touching the ground. The crystal lady was about half Tina’s height, and she had her hands clasped in front of her.

  When the beautiful crystal figure moved toward her, it touched one of the roses on the arch and made the clinking sound again.

  Tina couldn’t move. She stared at the being with her mouth open. There was something stunningly beautiful about it, and at the same time, something in its appearance scared her.

  Fear doesn’t belong here. It should give place to the—

  The creature opened its mouth, and a series of little clouds flew out of it, arranging themselves into letters that formed a word in the air: Light.

  Light. Oh, I see. It should give place to the light, Tina thought.

  As if they felt that they served their purpose of conveying the message, the tiny clouds melted in the air.

  Tina gazed at the glowing creature again. She had her head tilted slightly to the side, as if studying Tina or waiting for her to talk.

  “Hello,” Tina said uncertainly.

  The creature nodded delicately and opened its mouth again. This time, the obedient little clouds lined up, forming another word: Welcome!

  Wow, so that’s how they speak. This is so strange and beautiful, Tina thought. She cleared her throat and said, “Thank you!”

  Her crystal-clear host floated upwards until it was on the same level with Tina. When moving, it made light tinkling sounds.

  Almost like music, Tina thought.

  “What is this place?” she asked

  Callima was written in the air in little clouds.

  “Callima…” Tina read out loud slowly, not sure if she was pronouncing it right. “Oh, I see.” She nodded with a serious look on her face. She was absolutely confused, but she didn’t know what else to say.

  The creature tilted its head back and started laughing—at least that was what it looked like to Tina. It sounded like a million tiny bells were chiming. And the clouds coming out of its mouth didn’t make any words. Instead, they exploded into smaller and multicolored clouds. It reminded Tina of fireworks.

  This is the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen and heard. She couldn’t take her eyes off the extraordinary show, and she didn’t mind being the cause of the beautiful laughter.

  When the chiming stopped and the last mini-cloud melted in the air, the creature turned around and glided along the path leading to the village.

  A gut feeling told Tina she had to follow.

  They passed the colorful houses that were drowning in flowers. Tina looked around in admiration. A great deal of butterflies fluttered around.

  This is some kind of a fairy land. Or maybe I died and I’m in heaven, Tina thought jokingly.

  And the next moment she stopped a split second before walking into the word No written in clouds right in front of her face.

  “Sorry. Hope I didn’t offend you. I didn’t realize you could read my—”

  Thoughts appeared in the air before she pronounced it.

  Suddenly, one of the huge bright yellow butterflies with black circles on her wings landed on Tina’s nose. She couldn’t help but laugh, although she stumbled and almost fell. At the same moment, a tingling feeling blossomed in her chest, like a hundred butterflies were fluttering and tickling her from inside.

  Somehow, she knew what it was. It was the crystal being’s smile. She could feel its smile.

  “What’s your name?” Tina asked, and caught herself, thinking she didn’t actually have to say it out loud.

  Kraya was the answer delivered by the clouds.

  “Nice to meet you, Kraya. I’m Tina.”

  Another little colorful show in the air, accompanied by a song of tiny invisible bells, told Tina that Kraya was laughing.

  I guess, she knows who I am. But making her laugh is definitely worth it, Tina thought.

  They reached something resembling a central square. In the middle of it was a fountain that was also made of glass and glowed along its contours. The water shimmered with all the colors of the rainbow, and single drops that flew to the sides sparkled like precious stones in the sunshine. The splashes of water made clinking-crystal sounds, similar to those that Kraya was making.

  “This is beautiful,” Tina said. Kraya nodded without sending out any more clouds, but the tingling in Tina’s chest told her she was smiling.

  The clinking sound grew louder and see
med to be coming from all around now. Tina attempted to force herself to look away from the hypnotizing fountain and saw something even more fascinating.

  Crystal glowing people were arriving in large groups, gliding through the air. As soon as they reached the square, they would stop, hovering in the air. They soon formed a big glowing circle around the fountain and Tina.

  She gazed around in astonishment. Something important was about to happen, she could feel it.

  As the figures settled and the chiming stopped, leaving only the sounds of the fountain, Tina felt like everyone was looking at her. She also felt like they were waiting for her.

  “Ahem … Hello.” Tina raised a hesitant hand to waive. She wasn’t sure what she was supposed to say or do.

  Ask, written in clouds, appeared above the fountain.

  “Oh. Okay. Thank you.” Tina paused for a minute.

  It makes sense. I’m a guest in their world, and they think I must have come here for a reason, and that I must have questions. Because we are—

  Different appeared in the sky.

  Tina nodded with a smile. “Indeed. Very different. Thank you for welcoming me in your beautiful world, first of all. I have never seen anything like that. And it’s absolutely stunning!” Tina pressed her palms together in front of her chest. “I have already learned your world is called Callima. And you must be …”

  Callimani, the clouds wrote.

  “Very nice to meet you.” Tina bowed slightly. “You know, I’m very new to this. Well, this whole traveling-while-dreaming thing. I suppose I dozed off in my chair after work, then I opened my eyes here, you know what I mean?” She giggled nervously.

  No response followed.

  “I don’t know what I’m doing here, or how I get back. I don’t even know if I’m safe here. Am I?” She looked around.

  Yes.

  “Thank you.” Tina puffed out a breath. “It’s relieving to know.” She thought for a moment and continued. “Why am I here?”

  Learn appeared after a short pause.

  “What do I learn?”

  “Harmony. Peace. Tranquility. Light. Clarity.” The words changed one after another.

  “That sounds like something I’m lacking.” Tina chuckled. “Do I need to learn that to get back home?”

  Not only.

  Tina wrinkled her forehead, and then said, “Do I need to learn that to keep traveling?”

  Not only.

  “I see … I need to have the peace of mind and clarity to be able to travel and return. Maybe, I need them to find Greg and Alice too?”

  Yes.

  “You said ‘not only’… What else do I need it for?”

  Survive.

  The answer sent shivers down Tina’s spine.

  “But how? What do I do?” she blurted. She blushed and decided to rephrase the question. “Can you please help me?”

  Close your eyes. Breathe.

  Tina closed her eyes and took a deep breath. The chiming around her told her that the Callimani had started moving closer, but she kept her eyes closed. She knew she was safe. She could sense it.

  She could also feel them surrounding her—like a light breeze—and the light from their glowing figures increased even through her closed eyelids.

  She shuddered when she felt the first cold touch of a glass hand. Some Callimani were touching her shoulders, some were holding her hands, and one had its cold palm on her forehead.

  First she felt the light, then she could see it. Without opening her eyes, she saw streams of light entering her body and filling her veins. It was as if she became transparent too, and she could see her own veins and vessels, only instead of transporting blood across her body, they were now channels of light. She felt warm and weightless. Her eyelids became transparent and she could see the square, the fountain, and the Callimani around her—surrounding her, reaching out, touching her, fueling her with their light while theirs was getting brighter.

  The feelings of peace and harmony consumed her. All the thoughts, worries, doubts, and fears disappeared. It was only her and the light. She was the light, and the light was in her.

  How could I forget about the cat?

  Tina opened her eyes. She was sitting in her chair, where she fell asleep and eventually ended up in the amazing realm called Callima.

  The first thing that surprised her was that nothing hurt. She’d fallen asleep in the most uncomfortable position in a place that was not designed for sleeping, yet she felt like she’d had a good night’s rest in a luxurious bed. She was fresh and full of energy.

  That’s a present from the Callimani, I guess, Tina thought. That, and the clarity in my head. How could I forget about the cat?

  She’d been so worried about Alice disappearing, she’d kept looking for her everywhere, even in her dreams. She went to her house and tried to leave her messages. But she hadn’t once thought about Esmeralda, Alice’s cat.

  I can’t believe it. What’s wrong with me? Poor Emmy. Is she there all alone? Is anyone feeding her? Unless … Maybe the neighbor I met?

  She remembered the old lady she spoke to and saw in her dream.

  Actually, that’s a great way to find out more. If Alice knew she was leaving, and even made up a story about visiting her kids, she would take care of Emmy too, right? She’d either take the cat with her or find someone to watch her and feed her,” Tina thought.

  Still doesn’t explain why she hadn’t called me, though. Hadn’t warned me she was leaving, nor asked me to look after Emmy. Tina gazed at the ceiling with a sigh. However, instead of getting into her usual state of panic, calm radiated through her and allowed her to focus.

  I’ll go there again and check. But this time, I’m looking for Esmeralda.

  She got out of her chair and stretched with pleasure, still amazed nothing in her body was causing her any discomfort.

  With a large grin on her face, she marched into the kitchen. When she reached for the coffee jar, she remembered she was out of coffee. On any other day, this wouldn’t have been the recipe for a perfect morning and would run the risk of ruining her day completely. But she was feeling different.

  She put the empty jar down, shrugged, and said with a smile, “So what? I’ll get a coffee on the way. Haven’t done that for ages. And I can grab something to eat too.”

  It sounded like a great idea, and Tina headed to the bathroom to take a shower and get ready.

  Half an hour later, feeling fresh and happy, Tina locked the door and ran down the stairs, looking forward to her coffee while making a plan in her head for Operation Esmeralda, as she jokingly named it.

  She decided she would go to a pet shop and buy something for Emmy, which would give her a valid reason to knock not only on Alice’s door, but also on the neighbor’s door. She’d say something like “I just bought this for Emmy and happened to be passing by. I know Alice isn’t back yet, do you happen to know who’s looking after the cat?”

  Happy with herself and her newly constructed plan, Tina entered the coffee shop.

  Fifteen minutes later, she was smiling even more when she strolled out of there with a large cappuccino and a couple of mouthwatering, freshly baked croissants in a paper bag.

  When Tina arrived at Hummingbird Lane, everything was the same as she left it last time. She had a quick look around the house, knocked on the door, and checked the pots—there was nothing new. No sign of Alice’s presence.

  And no sign of Esmeralda either, she thought. But I know Alice wouldn’t leave her like that. She must have thought of something.

  She gazed at the neighbor’s house. She didn’t even know if the lady was home, but she had to try.

  Tina walked over to the front door and was about to ring the doorbell, when the door opened. Tina froze for a moment with her hand still in the air.

  “Oh, dear! You scared me.” The lady’s eyes widened as she brought her hands to her chest.

  “I’m sorry. I was about to ring, but you opened the door.”

&n
bsp; “I was just going out … Wait, I think I need to have a glass of water now and maybe sit down for a minute. Come on in, dear.”

  “I … um … Yes, thank you.” The situation was getting awkward and wasn’t really going according to the plan, but Tina had no choice, and she was feeling a bit guilty too. She followed the lady into her kitchen. “Can I help you somehow, Mrs. …?”

  “Emma Morrison. Call me Emma. Makes me feel younger. Much younger than Mrs. Morrison, don’t you find?” She poured herself a glass of water.

  “Definitely.” Tina’s lips curved up.

  “Would you like something to drink, dear? I’m sure I have some orange juice in the fridge. Let me check.” Instead of taking a seat as originally planned, Emma rushed to the fridge.

  “No, thank you, I’m fine. Really,” Tina said, while thinking to herself, she invites inside someone who scared her and tries to make them comfortable. That’s called loneliness. And it’s very sad.

  “I’ll take a seat then for a minute if you don’t mind. Need to catch my breath. Otherwise, I won’t be able to work in the garden. Take a seat, please.” She landed on one of the armchairs and gestured, inviting Tina to sit down on the other one. “What brought you here? You are looking for Alice, right? She still hasn’t come back.”

  “No, I actually was—”

  “Meow,” sounded right behind Tina’s back, and it was her turn to jump.

  “Oh, dear, don’t be scared, it’s just a cat.” Emma laughed.

  Esmeralda meanwhile repeated her meow a couple times, while making her way around the armchair. She sat in front of Tina and looked her straight in the eyes.

  She’s probably asking how the hell I could forget about her, Tina thought.

  Tina reached out to stroke her, but Emmy pulled away with an annoyed meow. She walked over to Emma and jumped on her lap, where she immediately curled up comfortably and started purring.

  Tina smiled and shook her head. “I was going to ask about Esmeralda, and she just answered my question.” She laughed. “I brought her a little treat.”

  “Oh, this beautiful lady is absolutely fine. She loves spending time with me. Emma and Emmy. Cynthia used to laugh about it. She always said we are very similar—that’s why Alice named her cat like that. But the cat got a prettier name, because, well, because she is a cat, and they deserve the best. Cynthia loved cats, you know…” She nodded with a sad smile, while gently stroking Emmy’s shiny black fur.