Jana wished desperately that they were getting off at Denver or Golden. Even Conifer would be fine. Why would anyone name a town after a kind of tree. Jana also heard that there was a townnamed Aspen. They had had an Aspen tree outside of their wagon back in Chicago. Well, the suburbs. Jana tried to sleep in between Denver and Conifer, but she kept dreaming about songs—and music. Anything to do with music. In her first dream she was watching a boy maybe 15 or so play the fiddle for a girl slightly older than her. When they looked at her fires seemed to be going in their eyes. Jana woke up sweating. When she fell asleep again the same thing happened. The 3rd time, she was in a circle, like in one of the stories she'd read, the little elves danced around and around with Jana, singing. When she was tired and tried to stop, the elves didn't let her. Finally, Jana collapsed with exhaustion and the elves trampled her, still singing.
"Well why don't you sing with them?" Baba joked. But Jana took it for granted. This time the boy with the fiddle and the girl were there too.
"Oh Shenandoah, I long to hear you.
"Way hey, you rolling river.
"Oh Shenandoah, I long to hear you.
"Away, we're bound away
"'Cross the wide Missouri." They stared at her, captivated.
"I am tired, and wish to rest," Jana
told the elves.
"We will rest too," said a man in all green, "To bed, elves!"
Jana smiled and curled up on the velvety chair soft grass and closed her eyes only to be awakened by Uncle Philip yelling, "Conifer—next stop South! Park! City!"
YOU ARE READING
A New Life
Historical FictionThe lovely green silk was now fairly dusty from the train ride, a bit muddy from a puddle in front of their house, and the matching shawl was ripped on the door hinge at the mayor's house. Jana bit her lip, why had she been so careless? ~ 10-year-ol...
