Grace and the Crystal Cave

Before Grace could say yes or no, Joy broke into a run, still clutching Grace’s hand. Both of them sprinted toward the river and only stopped when they were directly on the bank, watching the water ripple gently along. “I know where I’ve seen you before,” Grace said, as it dawned on her. “I don’t think we’ve met but that’s nice,” Joy sang out. “You were the little girl in my dream!” Grace remembered the dream she’d been stirred awake from earlier that morning. Chills ran up and down her spine as she realized that everything that was happening right now had happened in the dream. Joy looked exactly like the little girl in the dream, and here they both were, talking and playing by the river. “Is that so?” asked Joy as she stooped to pick a dandelion. She blew, and the tiny fuzzy particles lifted into a cloud around her face, which made her clap in appreciation. She didn’t seem all that interested in what Grace was saying. “What could it mean?” Grace asked, but this time, she was talking to the Voice. “Can I see the future in my dreams?” The Voice said, “Sometimes, when a person starts to work with the keys or even just on themselves, this can happen. You start to be aware of the messages from the world around you in different ways, even dreams.” “How is that even possible?” The Voice answered in mock irritation, “Grace, by now, don’t you know that anything is possible?” A newfound sense of magic filled Grace’s heart. Maybe, if she really put her mind and heart to it, she could have a dream that would show her where Mary was! “Look, there are some really nice big ones over there,” Joy called out, pointing to the far side of the riverbank. “Last one there’s a rotten egg!” She giggled as she bounded toward the big dandelions, which covered the grass like a fuzzy cape. Grace smiled and ran after her. For a while, the two girls, one young and one younger, laughed and chatted as they plucked the dandelions and placed them in a small woven basket that Joy had brought with her. “Do you have any sisters or brothers?” asked Joy, looking up at Grace with big eyes as they plucked the dandelions and sometimes blew them out so they sat like a soft white fog over the blue water. “Yes, I have two brothers, one older—Dave—and one younger—James. I also have a sister named Mary.” Grace frowned as she mentioned Mary. “What’s wrong? Don’t you like them all?” asked Joy, catching the change in Grace’s expression. “Of course, I love them a lot! They’re my best friends—well, aside from Jane and Ben, our neighbors. It’s just that…I’m looking for Mary now. You see, she went missing recently and everyone in our town is trying to find her. And I can’t explain how I know this, but I know I can find her. That’s why I came to see Van.” As Joy listened, Grace wondered if the little girl was confused or if she thought Grace must be crazy. But Joy just smiled and nodded. “I’ve always wished I had a sister. It’s just me, Mum, and Dad. And of course, all of this.” Joy spun around in a little circle before stopping to look at Grace. “I’m sure you’ll find Mary. You seem like a really good little sister. You know you can make wishes on a dandelion, right? You just close your eyes, make a wish, and blow. Maybe you can wish to find Mary.” With that, Joy blew at an especially large dandelion, and the fuzz made a halo around her shoulders. Grace didn’t know why, but something about that made her feel sad. She wanted to say, “Well, I’ve made lots of wishes so far—on stars and other things—but I haven’t found Mary yet.” But she didn’t say anything. Joy was too young to understand. Grace just smiled and continued to gather dandelions, trying to keep her thoughts off Mary…while growing increasingly impatient. Under her breath, she said to herself, “Picking dandelions is nice and all, but I don’t see what it has to do with finding Mary!” Just then, a fat fuzzy bumblebee began buzzing around Grace’s face. In alarm, she tried to swat it away, but then she heard a tiny little voice coming from the small creature: “You need to stop buzzing around and trying to find a quick fix for everything! Calm yourself. Breathe. Stay with the moment. That’s the only way you’ll be of use to Mary.” Grace sighed. “I’m so tired of people—and you—telling me what to do!” she shouted in frustration. “What was that?” asked Joy, who turned around to stare at Grace. “Uh…nothing,” said Grace. “I think I’m going to take a rest. I’ll be just over there.” She pointed to a little bench a few yards away. Joy shrugged and smiled. “Suit yourself. I’ll be here.” She went back to her dandelions, as if she didn’t have a care in the world. As Grace sat on the bench, she felt her heart plummet. She wanted to be as happy as Joy seemed, but she felt more alone than ever. Was this how Mary felt, too, right at this very moment? Grace could feel her mind spinning out—running a mile a minute, as the Voice had warned her not to do, not to allow. But she just couldn't seem to help it. She wasn't the one who was in control. And who was to say that any of what she was feeling was wrong? She had a right to be worried about her sister, didn’t she? And wasn’t the fact that she worried proof that she cared? Grace could feel herself drifting further and further away from the riverbank and out into the cloud of her negative thoughts. She could also hear the Voice in the background—“Try to bring yourself back. This isn't helping anything! You're not seeing clearly!”—but it was like a distant warning bell that was easily drowned out by the other voice in Grace's head. This voice was much louder. It shouted, “How could you have been so stupid to have fought with Mary? This is all your fault. It's your responsibility to make things right. Why are you sitting here playing with some little girl when you could be looking for Mary? At this rate, you're never going to find her. She could be lying in a ditch somewhere, for all you know. If you don't hurry, it might be too late!” Just as Grace felt that she might drown in all the screaming inside her head, something happened. She could hear the crack of thunder. Startled, she looked up to see that a large fleet of black clouds had settled over the valley, blocking out the sun. One giant black cloud that looked mean and threatening released a torrent of rain. At the same time, Grace could feel the hairs on the back of her neck standing straight up. Oh no, she thought. With dread, she slowly turned to look behind her; there on a grassy hill stood the black horse, clear as day. Its red eyes glowed as it stomped upon the earth and tossed its mane, like it was laughing at Grace. As its red eyes bore into hers, she could feel herself shrinking inside. The black horse seemed to realize that Grace was utterly powerless. And what was worse, it was beginning to gallop toward her. Grace covered her face with her hands, as if to block out the ugly image. This can't be happening, she thought. Just then, the Voice spoke, but it felt just as faint as it had in these last few minutes. “Grace, remember that it's just your thoughts. When you think negatively, you feed the horse and it starts to take over your mind until it’s all you can hear. It starts to make you feel weak. But you aren't weak! You have to remember that you're strong!” Grace didn’t feel very strong; she felt afraid to turn around. But just then, she heard Joy's infectious giggle. “You probably like dandelions, don't you, black horse?” Grace quickly opened her eyes and snapped to attention as she saw Joy moving toward the black horse. “You can see the black horse!” Grace cried out in disbelief.