by S. A. Glenn
“I don’t feel so dizzy no more, I s’pose.” He recalled something from last night. “I didn’t know you played the piano, Kat.”
“Yes, I do. After dinner Father and I would play together. He was an entertainer at a saloon in Manhattan; he taught me lots of songs.”
“Oh!” Samuel took her hand as he absorbed her story.
“But, anyway, I got bored, so I went over to the saloon to see if I might be allowed to dally around on the piano. And who happened to be there but…”
“Dr. Upton Quincy!” they said in unison.
“Yeah,” said Katherine. “We visited for a while, discovering that we both play the piano. Well, one thing led to another, and before we knew it, we had a crowd around us, listening to us make music. In the two hours we enjoyed ourselves we earned 24 cents. Jessy Frost, the owner of the saloon, approached us and asked if we wanted to work nights. Dr. Quincy declined since he’s only visiting, but I accepted the invitation, told Mr. Frost that I’d be honored to run the amusement aspect in the saloon.”
“That sounds great, Kat… Ahhh, shucks!”
“What’s wrong, Sam?”
“This Sunday’s The Fourth of July. I was gonna ask you to go down to the lake with me ’n’ camp out ’n’ all for the night, but it’s lookin’ like you’re gonna be busy.”
“I’d love to. It sounds wonderful! I’m sure Mr. Frost will not mind. I’m my own boss ’n’ all. I sound like you, Sam: ‘boss ’n’ all’,” she quoted herself, then laughed.
“Great! Oh… I almost forgot to tell you… I used to fiddle ’round on the violin here and there. If I ever own one again, maybe we could play together.”
“That would be nice, Sam. I’d really enjoy that.”
The rooster crowed, signaling the start of the new day. Katherine opened her eyes and peered over at Samuel who was looking up at her. “Oh, my dear, Samuel! I fell asleep on you. That was very irresponsible of me. I am supposed to watching you; not you watching me!”
“It’s okay, Kat. I’m fine,” he assured her, giving her a hug. “I’ve just been occupyin’ myself with thoughts about what I’ve decided to share with you. I stayed awake, watching you sleep, thinkin’ ’bout my future and our feelings for each other.”
She reached for his face and turned his head toward her. “Looks like the swelling has gone down. I am glad you are okay. Now what is this about you sharing things with me? And how long did I sleep?”
“’bout six hours,” he answered, gazing over at the clock. “There are things I need you to know. I’ll tell you at the lake with a campfire.”
She stretched with a sizeable yawn. “Sounds romantic! Are you hungry?”
“I guess I am. Haven’t eaten since lunch yesterday. And mighty thirsty, too. Can you fetch me orange juice?”
She stood, walked with grace to the door, opened it and turned to him. “I shant be long with your vittles. I will serve you breakfast in bed. I will bring the juice right away, my dear.”
“Thank you, my lady.”
Thirty minutes later they sat in bed, feeding each other till full. As Katherine removed the tray from his lap, a knock at the door was heard. “Come in,” they said in oneness.
The door inched open with Dr. Quincy’s head popping in. “Hey, kids. How’s my latest patient doing?”
“I’m feelin’ much better, sir. The bump’s gone down.”
“Hi, Dr. Quincy,” said Katherine as she sat the tray down onto the table. She walked over to him and took his hand. “Come in and have a seat.”
“Let me look at you, Samuel, and see if it’s okay for you to sleep.” The doctor sat and checked Samuel’s pupils. “Looks like you’ll live another day. Go ahead, sleep and rejuvenate your body and mind. And no work today.”
“Yes sir. I’m plumb tuckered out, I’ll tell you what. I’m fixin’ to get shut-eye right now.”
“Good, Samuel. It was nice meeting you. Take care. Well, you two, I need to be on my way, don’t want to miss the stagecoach.” He headed out the door.
“Good-bye, sir. It was nice meeting you, too.”
“I’ll show Dr. Quincy outside, then I’m going to work. Do you need anything, Sam?”
“Just some sleep, Kat,” he yawned.
She grabbed the tray, hurried over to the doctor then turned. “Have a pleasant rest. Dream about me.” She gave him a seductive glance.
“Only about you, Kat.”
CHAPTER 15
Back from teaching, Katherine tapped on Samuel’s door. He awakened having received sufficient rest, but a long and bizarre dream troubled him. Eager to share his outlandish images with someone, he hurried out a response for his visitor. “Come in!”
She opened the door. “How are you feeling?”
“Good! I’m so glad it’s you. Please, come, sit next to me. There is something I need to tell you!”
“Tell me what, Sam! What?”
“’bout my strange dream.”
“Oh! Was I in it?”
“Yes!”
She grinned. “Was I naked?”
“No, Kat! It wasn’t nothin’ like that!” He fluffed both pillows for them, breathed deep, then paused to get his thoughts straight.
“Tell me, Sam! You’re driving me wild with curiosity!” She settled herself against her pillow, curling her legs toward him, giving him her full attention.
“It starts like this…” He paused momentarily, gazing into his mind, extracting the peculiar vision. “I found myself in the future, in the year 2010.”
“Ohhh! How exciting.” She placed her arm through his, snuggling. “What were you doing there?”
“I was visitin’ a lonely man in jail, then I became him. He… I mean… I was locked up with no bars, just four walls and the ceiling and floor made of concrete. There was a solid metal door. Inside the chamber were two metal beds, a metal table and chair, and a lavatory. There was a long, thin window, but I couldn’t see outside because it was all scratched up. I was in that room, sittin’ at the table.
“The place was cold and smelled of urine. Sometimes you could hear others screaming, begging for help—but it never came—so they’d kill themselves to stop their anguish. Then someone else would take their place in the cell, not knowing what just happened—it was human warehousing.
“They treated me worse than the others. Someone stole my food, and when I asked for help to protect it, they beat me up and took my clothes, putting me in a place where insane men would scream all night and eat their feces. I wanted to kill the noise makers for keeping me awake with their mental torture.
“I waited for my trial for over a year and a half in 24-hour lock down, being told I needed to plead guilty to a lesser charge because I’d be found guilty at trial… but I wouldn’t take the plea since I wasn’t guilty of the charge.
“They tried hurting us there, forcing innocent people to accept what they called ‘bargains’ so we would feel the warmth of the sun again, someday. They manipulated us with fear, knowing we’d take anything they’d offered—but not me! They couldn’t make me play their game of lies. I would die in the name of innocence before I took one of their so-called ‘bargains’.
“The prosecutor was trying to make a name for himself and wanted to use my past against me. A past that I’d already suffered for, finding me guilty of it rather than what I’d been charged with. He tried to make a career move to line his pockets with more money and receive more power and control over people.
“The day I would be found guilty of a crime I didn’t commit, he would rejoice, though he knew that the one claiming to be a victim was a liar. He wanted the townspeople to fear me, and by doing that, they’d re-elect him, believing he could save them from future evil. My sentence would be so long that I would never see my family or home again.”
“That’s horrible, Sam,” Katherine said, giving him a gentle hug. “Is that the last of it?”
“No! It’s just the beginning. I was sittin’ at the metal table writin’ ’bout you and me and our past, present, and future. You was telling me from beyond your grave who you were… who I was… and that you needed me to tell our story! When I was writing our tale, I believed that I was in this latest life as this man. I was searching for you, Kat, to reunite with you once more, but I was getting old and hadn’t found you, yet. So I gave up looking for you after I realized I was never going to be free again. I decided that all of this about us living in the past was just a bunch of hooey, that you didn’t never exist but in my mind. For a long time I had faith that you were real. Then I figured you weren’t real; that you were just some stupid fantasy my desperate heart conjured up; that I was simply writing a book from my imagination.
“I sat in the chilly, lonely dungeon reflecting on my past life, knowing it didn’t have much time, because in a few months they’d take me away without a fair defense, using many past lies against me from people who hated me—and the sorrow it created for me would bring them comfort.
“My young children who were taken away from me would never draw me a picture or make a present for me since they’d never know I existed; nor would they ever grasp how much they meant to me—they’d forever live without me, not able to share their fears, or joys with me. All I wanted was to be in their lives to help them become the best they could be. Then I realized why I couldn’t find you in this latest life, Kat.”
“Why not, Sam?”
“Because I was you, Kat—I mean… he was you, and you were writing your own story, searching for yourself!”
“How does it end, Sam?”
“Well, as soon as you finished your book, you waited restlessly for the trial, not eating or drinking to make your body weak. On the day of your judgment you were found guilty. That night in your jail cell, you gathered up the large amount of a substance you’d been hiding—it was some kind of medication that they gave you to help you sleep each evening. One fourth of each dose had you resting all night. You’ve saved up over 300 doses, that was 1200 times what you needed to rest. But you weren’t satisfied with that alone. You wanted to make sure they couldn’t hurt you ever again. You also ripped off two narrow lengths of the sheet, tying off one end to the bed then the other end to your leg to hold you in place so you couldn’t alert them to your trouble. You swallowed the five handfuls of the medication. Next, you shoved something into your nostrils and mouth to block the air flow, making sure the items were too far in to get back out. You took the other long piece of sheet and tied it tight around your neck. You knew it was gonna scare you more than you could imagine. You knew you would want to stop yourself once the reality of your actions hit you. You’d be begging in your mind for someone to save you, to let them know you wanted to live, but you couldn’t have it both ways, Kat! You’d suffer more than you had ever experienced or could conceive—but only for a couple of minutes—though it would seem like forever. You’d be gone for good!
“When they found you in the morning, it would be long over with; the words ‘I’m innocent’ written repeatedly on the walls. The depth of your sadness was felt by the ones persecuting you. It touched their lives with your death. Your innocence didn’t seem real to those simple-minded accusers, though; they believed you ended your life since you couldn’t stand your guilt—they denied the truth—but then one day when their decency would be challenged, they would have a flash before their eyes and understand what they had done to you.”
“Sam!” Katherine cried out with extreme reluctance.
“I didn’t mean to upset you, Kat. I can’t help it that I have these dreams! I just needed for you to hear it!”
She sat silently, not blinking her eyes, casting despair. She removed her arm from his, placing daylight between them. “I do not like that dream at all, Sam! The hopelessness in it is quite disturbing! It makes me sick to my stomach. There’s too much darkness and desolation for me to absorb.” She turned to him. “How could the world be so grossly deficient in its ability to see the truth? It’s so brutal! Vicious! Spiteful! And me, telling you stuff from beyond the grave—that is just creepy!”
“Maybe you can change the future so that stuff don’t happen,” he calmly suggested, hoping to cheer her up.
“It’s only a silly dream, Sam. That stuff isn’t going to happen!” she sighed.
“Then why’re you getting so bothered over it? You wouldn’t never try killin’ yourself, now would you, Kat? You wouldn’t ever leave me all alone, right?”
“No, Sam, never!” she assured him, leaning toward him. “It’s not like you can tell the future. Anyway, that jail stuff is not going to happen for 141 years!” she said with a soft grin, making light of it.
“Yeah!” he agreed with a small smile, hoping the foresight had no merit, his dream of Herman Snodgrass running through his mind. “But, like I said, Kat… maybe you could try to change the future, just in case.”
“I don’t know what I can do, but I will work on it… for you, Sam.” She hugged him, then put her hand to her hip and laughed. “So! We’re only characters in a book, huh? How odd. I do not feel made up,” she claimed, touching the warm skin on her face. “Nobody would buy a copy of the book anyway, our lives are too boring.”
CHAPTER 16
JULY 1869
At 5:00 in the afternoon on a sizzling Fourth of July, Katherine, Samuel and Ruff walked through the crowded streets crammed with carriages. The sidewalks were overflowing with tourists, and the air was filled with clamor and lingering odors of gunpowder. Katherine was carrying a basket of fruit, nuts, peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, a container of mint tea, and a bottle of burgundy. Samuel had a two man tent, blankets and pillows rolled up tight and strapped to his back, wanting to make things cozy for Katherine for the festive night. He also had his bamboo fishing poles and tackle box, wishing to share the sport with Katherine. He planned to express his true and complete feelings for her after he explained his past, hoping it would not destroy what they had accomplished thus far.
The men of the town gazed at Katherine’s loveliness. Obviously they hadn’t met too many beautiful women. She seemed to like being a part of their fantasies; however, Samuel did not appreciate the looks she was acquiring, bringing attention to him that he would rather not have; and it brought out a zealous vigilance in him, as well. Samuel’s jealous hand hurried her down the dusty, dirt road, leading her off it, north toward the glen. She grasped his hand and he accepted her kind gesture, feeling less envious.
They journeyed through the lush grassland with Ruff in the lead. Samuel took the second position, stomping down the long, green blades to make a pathway for Katherine and her blue two-piece walking skirt. As they came to the start of the narrow hidden valley, Samuel and Katherine halted to take a quick breather; Ruff hurried ahead to take a plunge into the cool, clear water. Katherine opened her umbrella to shelter herself from the blistering sunshine. Samuel took the picnic basket from her hand to make the hike easier for her. He pointed down to the barely visible lake, showing her its cyan color. Getting up onto her tiptoe, she viewed the marvelous shade. With glee, Samuel took off, leading the way.
At the lake’s shore, they discovered Ruff paddling toward them. He struggled a bit to get out of the water but managed to pull himself up onto the shore. Standing at their feet, his coat dripped, then he abruptly shook himself free of the water, flinging it all over them. They backed away, but it was too late, so they laughed it off, trekking onward along the edge of the lake.
“I caught a big ol’ fish there, used a spear I carved from a stick,” said Samuel to Katherine, pointing at the prime spot under the large oak tree. “Remember that, boy?”
“Ruff!” answered the dog.
Katherine laughed. “You boys must’ve had fun that day.�
�� She folded up her umbrella and took back the basket from Samuel.
“We sure did! Ate real good, too!” Watching his step, he peered back at Katherine. “Be mighty careful, Kat. These prairie dog holes’ll hurt your ankle something awful if you land your foot in one,” he explained, pointing down at an opening.
“I can image.” She gazed into the deep, dark pocket and hopped over it.
Ruff took off like an erupting volcano, chasing one of the black-tailed rodents through the grass then up a slanted tree, barking frantically.
“Ahhh! You darn dog. You ain’t gonna catch it!” Samuel yelled. “Leave the dumb thing alone, boy. Get back here!”
Ruff quit yapping, replacing it with a whimper as he slowly returned to his master, looking back every so often at the distraction.
After reaching the other side of the lake, Samuel stopped at a site with a spectacular view of the water. The gentle meadowy slope leading up to town and the deep blue sky reflected off the shimmering lake, giving an excellent spot for camping and watching a romantic display of fireworks. “How’s this place look for settin’ up camp and throwin’ out a line for fishin’, Kat?”
“Seems wonderful!” Katherine sat down the picnic basket next to a tree. “What a breathtaking view.”
“Do you know how to fish, Kat?”
“Not really. I went with Father twice, but all I did was watch. I was young and didn’t want to touch the worms or fish, or hurt them either.”
Samuel pitched the tent while Katherine gathered firewood. Once he finished, he located a cool, dark, damp area under some bushes and dug up a half dozen earthworms, keeping them captive in a small tin container. He rounded up several large stones to form a fire pit. While placing the last of the rocks into position, Katherine and Ruff returned with the last of the wood. Samuel rushed over to her and took her armful of dried cedar then dropped it into the accumulated pile. They smiled as they quietly loaded the pit with fuel.
As Katherine set the last log into place, Samuel rubbed her back then took hold of a fishing pole. “You ready to bait your first hook?” he asked, winking.