As the women settle in for the evening, Oberon and I find a spot in the corner and make ourselves comfortable for the night. I’m exhausted and so is he, he falls asleep quickly.  I stay awake and ponder the day’s events.  There is a little light in the barn, save for the rising moon, beginning to show through the barn windows.  The Artists begin to softly snore, I smile as I begin to doze.

I begin dreaming. I’m running again, fast and furious, the dragon in relentless even in my dreams.  I scream, “Please someone help me”.  Suddenly someone reaches for my hand in the darkness and immediately I’m calm. “I’m here, I’ve always been here watching you. You’re safe, you know what to do, you always have.”  I look at who is holding my hand.  In shock, I see that it’s an old love, Teddy.  “What are you doing here, I have missed you so much, why did you leave me?  Why did you die!?  You see, my friend, my lover, my first real love, Teddy had died 20 years earlier.  I had missed him so much, he offered protection in my life when I was vulnerable to evil when I was weak from abuse.  He embraces me with his strong arms, they fill me with a feeling of security and warmth to my soul, he says, “You have grown strong since I left, you needed to be on your own path to do this, I was there and supported you, but you needed to do this by yourself.  I will always be here.  I will give you a reminder of me when you wake, you will find a bell. When it rings, you will know everything is alright, exactly how it should be.  But right now you need to go back, It’s not your time.  Remember, I’m here, watching and waiting for you.”   “No”, I cry, tears in my eyes and he slowly fades away as he repeats, ” No, it’s not your time, I’m waiting”. I wake. Wishing the dream lasted longer,  I am still feeling the warmth of his hug, how strong it was and how reassuring it was to be back in his arms.

It is dawn. Oberon comes to my side wearing a small bell on his collar and licks my tears away.

Author’s Note: About my Featured Image, I visited Melrose Abbey in Scotland having just spent a week driving all over the Scotland and the UK.  I took 300 photos a day with my Rebel DSLR.  I took some great pictures.  The picture before this photo did not have the mist on it and the photo afterward did not have the mist on it.  I discovered the mist on the image when I got back and enlarged the image on my computer.  I keep my lens clean. The photo is not photoshopped or enhanced in any way. Is it a remnant of the past? A spirit of a monk or nun? Who knows?

Feature Photo: Melrose Abbey, Scotland.  Photography by Candace Stauber