Legacy of the Dreams

Chapter 9 - A Relaxing Day

Nearly everyone slept late on Tuesday morning at the mountain house. The adults who went skiing the day before were recovering from the unaccustomed activity, while the children were happy to have a day to themselves.

After breakfast, the teens ventured into the yard to check on the state of their igloo. They showed it to the Wilsons, including Peter, who were all suitably impressed. A discussion of building snow forts using similar construction followed their description of how the igloo had been made. Soon those present were dividing themselves up into teams, organizing for a snowball fight to take place sometime before noon, after the two forts on opposite sides of the side yard were ready.

Jessie stayed in doors with Cindy most of the morning. After discovering Cindy had colored pencils and was good at drawing, she was fascinated to see the pictures she made. Following Jessie's descriptions and directions, Cindy began to draw figures on index cards. By working together, they soon had drawings of most of the characters in Jessie's story. Seeing Johnny and her mother, represented as drawings on the cards, pleased her immensely, and soon Jessie was moving them around as she talked to Cindy about her memories about what happened to her after the crash. Mr. Simms looked on when he discovered what they were doing, but he didn't interfere. He was eager to hear what Jessie would say. It was the best account he was likely to get of what happened to his granddaughter-in-law and great-grandson before they died in that far away place.

Once Jessie was happy with the people, they moved on to the scenery. Cindy used large sheets of paper to create half-dozen backdrops representing specific scenes. One had waves and a yellow boat. Another featured a volcano like peak towering above a village with palm trees all about. Another had a grass hut where a family could live, and a fourth featured a larger building built in the same way, with long tables and an open side. There was also one that featured the inside of a volcanic cave, and the last one featured another sort of hut on legs, with a river flowing beneath it on one side. There were more drawings done on cards of specific objects Jessie told her about, becoming props for the story. Using the backgrounds, props, and character cards as tools, Cindy encouraged Jessie to use them to tell her story again, this time while Cindy took notes.

Slowly the details of Jessie's story began to come into focus while half-dozen people listened. Greg and Susan were among them, listening in fascination to parts of Jessie's story they never knew. Aided by the pictures provided by Cindy, Jessie was able to move the characters through the scenes, effectively acting out the stories she could remember, even when she had difficulty putting it into words.

When they came to the part where the bad men forced everyone into the cave, Susan found she had to step away. Listening to Jessie's narrative was just too much to bear. Greg followed when Susan stepped outside through the patio door. Standing out in the cold, he watched as she struggled not to cry.

"What is it, Susan?" Greg asked.

Susan gave him a pained look. "I still have nightmares about that cave ... the remains we found ... that little boy's body stretched out on the floor. I know we've come to terms with the dreams given to us by the Lord ... but that one ..." Susan sighed.

"It was a traumatic experience for all of us," Greg acknowledged.

Susan nodded. She shuddered slightly, but she said, "I'm glad Jessie is getting the chance to tell her story. Dad was right. Staying true to our own stories is the best thing we can do."

"Your father was very wise," Greg said. "I'm glad he had the chance to counsel you about it before he passed."

"Me too," Susan told him. "I think Cindy is doing a good job with Jessie."