Eric--Part Forty-Four

Splog # 196

Forty-Four

 They all remained in silence for a little while and then his mother started speaking.

 "So. You went to the beach today and on the way home you got lost because some stars were shining so brightly that you couldn't be sure in which direction you were walking. Now you're here in bed." She took a sip of cocoa. "When I came in just now, you were telling Dad about the dream that occurred between then and now. Is that correct?"

 Eric just nodded his head.

 "And there was a small yellow feather in this dream?"

 Eric looked at his mother curiously.

 "How do you know about the feather?"

 His father walked over to the bed and picked up a small object that had been laying on the coverlet. All three of them stared at the feather he held in his hand.

  "I'm assuming you found this oddly-colored miniature pinion somewhere on the beach today."

 Eric looked into his father's eyes. "Not that I remember, Dad."

 "Then we'd both be very interested to hear where you got it from," his father said, sitting in proximity to his mother.

 "I got it from a bird," Eric started and then he hesitated.

 "So far, so good," said his father. "It looks to be derived from a bird so your explanation inspires an auditor with confidence."

 His mother gave his father a gentle slap on the arm. "If the bird wasn't at the beach, where was it, dear?"

 "It was in a tree."

 "Sensibler and sensibler," his father put in. His mother hit him again but both she and Eric had smiled at the remark.

 "The dream was very long and complicated," Eric tried to explain. "I don't know if I can tell you the whole thing in order tonight. There were a lot of different people and places and some animals and strange things happened. But it somehow seemed to all fit together, like a story in a book that seems weird because you haven't read all the relevant parts yet."

 After Eric stopped talking, his mother waited a few moments and then said,

 "That seems quite reasonable. Do you want to tell us any of it or just wait until tomorrow or whenever you're ready to discuss it?"

 Eric thought for a moment. "There was a sweet little girl that I met in a kind of restaurant up in a tree. She liked to talk about swimming and all kinds of stuff. See, there was a lot of nice things in the dream. Nice plain things. And we told riddles."

 Again Eric stopped talking.

 "I'm glad there were nice things, dear. I look forward to hearing the whole story."

 His father came over and took the mug and napkin, while his mother brushed the coverlet for crumbs. She bent down to kiss his cheek and then said,

 "I don't remember that shirt."

 Eric looked down at the dark green shirt Cor had lent him. He looked at his mother's puzzled face and said, almost as a question,

 "I got it in the dream>?"

 She looked at his father, who was holding the tray in both hands.

 He said, "I can't wait to hear all about it."

 His parents both stood where they were. They seemed reluctant to leave the room and Eric wasn't sure that he wanted them to go,.

 "Mom, Dad, do you believe - "

 But he stopped short because he wasn't sure what exactly he wanted to ask them. The feather and the shirt he'd received in the dream were here in his room now with his parents. But the items could have come from anywhere, as far as Mom and Dad knew.

 "There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio," his father quoted.

 "You're not afraid, are you, son?" his mother asked.

 "I don't think so," Eric replied hesitantly.

 "Was there anything threatening in your dream?" his father asked with concern.

 "Not really. There was a long time when I couldn't move. But I wasn't scared. Just hungry."

 His parents both smiled.

 "This might sound silly but..."

 "Go ahead, son," his father said.

 "We'll all still be here in the morning, won't we?"

 His father put the tray down and came and sat beside him. His mother was already there.

 "Eric, life holds no guarantees. But if anything happened to one of us, the other two would do everything in their power..." His father trailed off and the three of them sat with their arms around each other. Then his mother and father each planted a kiss on one of his cheeks and got up and left the room without a word. Eric looked to his desk to see if they'd left the tray with the cookies but, to his chagrin, it was gone. He wondered what would happen when he slept.