Page 63 of When She Dreams

Maggie turned to walk out of the office with Sam. She tried not to look at any of the paintings on the walls, but her gaze snagged on one. She stilled. So much darkness. So much pain. She was suddenly very certain the energy came from deep inside Luther Pell and that it flowed from his past.

He was old enough to have served as a young man in the Great War. One of her uncles had also served. She had met some of his friends who had endured things overseas they refused to discuss. Her uncle said that was because no one wanted to hear the truth about war. But she knew the effects of the violence haunted their dreams.

Keep quiet, she thought. Pell wouldn’t thank her for her advice. He wouldn’t even admit to having nightmares, at least not to her. But perhaps he talked to Raina. Or maybe Raina simply sensed the darkness because of the bond she shared with the man who loved her.

Whatever the case, Raina needed an answer.

Maggie changed course and walked to stand in front of the stormy landscape. Sam stopped. He did not ask any questions. He simply waited. Luther Pell did not move. Neither did Raina. They were all watching her now. No one spoke.

“There are a number of techniques for controlling one’s dreams,” she said, choosing her words with care. “Not all of them work for all dreamers. Most people give up trying to control their dreamscapesbecause it requires constant effort and because it isn’t always successful.”

“Very interesting,” Raina said.

“Some people experience lucid dreaming more readily than others,” Maggie continued. She did not take her eyes off the storm on the canvas. “There are those who have a natural talent for it. I would not be surprised if that is the case with the artist who did these paintings, for example.”

“Do you think so?” Raina asked.

“Yes,” Maggie said. “The fact that the painter is able to translate the nightmares onto canvas tells me that may be true. But he doesn’t know how to control the dream.”

“What advice would you give the artist?” Raina said.

“He should paint two more pictures.” Maggie took a breath and allowed her intuition to guide her. “One must illustrate a scene that is calm and serene. The subject doesn’t matter, but there should be sunlight and a sense of peace.”

“What about the second picture?” Raina asked.

“The scene will be a hallway with no beginning and no end. There will be two doors.”

“Why two doors?” Raina asked.

“Because you can open doors,” Maggie said. “More importantly, you can also close them.”

Sam and Luther did not speak, but Maggie knew they were listening.

“What would you advise the artist to do after he completes the paintings?” Raina asked.

“Each night before he goes to bed he should meditate on the painting of the doors and envision an art gallery behind each. One holds scenes from his nightmares. The serene picture hangs in the other gallery. When he finds himself trapped in a nightmare, he will remember that there is a door. He will go through it into the hallway and close thedoor behind him. He will understand that while the nightmares will always be there, he has the power to walk away from them. He can go down the hall and open the other door.”

“And enter the gallery that holds the serene painting,” Raina concluded.

Maggie turned around and smiled at her. “Yes. The technique will require practice and time. I must warn you there is no such thing as perfect control.”

“Some measure of control is preferable to none,” Raina said.

Chapter 26

Do you want to tell me what happened back there in Luther Pell’s office?” Sam asked.

“You’re talking about my advice to the artist who painted those landscapes, aren’t you?” Maggie said.

“Raina Kirk was very interested in what you had to say. Do you think she painted the pictures?”

“No, I think she was asking for a friend.”

“Luther Pell?”

“That would be my guess.”

They were standing in the connecting doorway between their hotel rooms. She was on her side. Sam was on his. There was an invisible wall between them. Sam had discarded his evening jacket. His shirt was open at the collar, and the bow tie was undone and draped around his neck.

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