Glide Along: FOUND

There is a rhythmic tapping on my door. ‘S h a v e  ana haircut, two bits.’ I rush to respond. ‘Who ya gonna marry. Tommix.’ How can this be happening? My last night’s dream has not yet left my thoughts. In it, my parents came to see me. Our joy, our dancing finally woke me. ‘I’m coming,  Momma.’ Did I walk or fly to her? I don’t know but when I open it, there she and my father are, almost the way they were when they suddenly left me years ago.

 

My arms grab them close. I hug, kiss their pale faces. ‘Daddy are you O.K. Mom, you look tired.’ Mom replies in a weak voice, ‘We are as good as we will ever be. Don’t worry about us. How are you?’ ‘Look around, don’t you see how well Tim and I are doing? I have everything except having you here with us. Where the dickens have you been? The police searched for you for weeks but you had vanished. Last year. Lt. Collins told me your case is marked ‘closed.’ There is nothing more to be done.’

 

‘Pay attention, Darling. Don’t question our preposterous story. Accept it because it is true. Remember Dad and I were in Vermont during the fall, having a lovely time until Dad got a bug up his rear he wanted us to fly around, into and over the Green Mountains in a glider plane? My refusal fell on deaf ears. He twisted my arm and we went. It was beautiful, magnificent..until..Dad couldn’t take the plane back, couldn’t control its flight, could not land. Instead of going down, we went up, up and away. The Green Mountains disappeared. There was only the blue void below us. You can bet your soul we were frightened. Time meant nothing. Our watches had stopped. Our little glider didn’t waver from the path it set for itself. It was colder and getting colder, unbearable, in fact.

 

There was almost nothing but ice and darkness. A few times we imagined we heard you calling us but had no way to answer. Our mouths were frozen.  Dad and I could see each other. I knew I was dead, just waiting for god to decide what to do with us. When or how it happened, we don’ t know but here we are with you again.

 

Maybe it was your dream last night that brought us down here. Maybe god felt our bond, our loss and gave us this precious time with you. I feel us fading. Tell Lt. Collins to forget us. We were covered by snow when we crashed in the mountains, far from where we meant to be. We loved you, Darling. Goodbye.’ My parents disappear before my eyes, eyes that are teary.

 

I rub them, dry them and wake to a wet pillow and an open window that has let snow pile on the sill. I brush it away and shut the window, but so far have not been able to shut the dream from my mind.

 

And I don’t intend to. My parents were here with me and will stay forever. I wish I could have saved the snow.