Catching Shadows

Prologue

I could feel my pulse beat through me with every step I took further away from the car. Whether it was excitement or fear that had me hooked, I wasn't quite sure. Maybe it was equal parts of both, but that didn't matter. I'd already made my mistake, I might as well follow through with it. We still had several hours of drive time until we got to our new home in Charleston, but my sister had complained long and loud enough that my parents finally gave in and found a nice sized road stop with the 'appropriate' amenities. I'd been ordered to the bathroom and straight back into the car while the rest of my family sat down to a hot meal.

Instead, I was creeping across the vast expanse of bright green grass to the array of tables, each displaying a different type of art.

When we'd stopped in the parking lot of the roadside conglomerate, the small arts and crafts fair spilling in the field alongside had called to me. The chance to indulge myself didn't come along often and though I had no money to speak of, I was happy enough to wander around the tables and admire each vendors' trinkets.

One display, in particular, caught my attention though I wasn't sure why. Still, I made my way over to it, and my gaze was instantly riveted on the objects fluttering in the breeze. The basis of each was a round hoop that was decorated in leather, with layers of yarn crossing through the middle in intricate patterns. Different things decorated each, from beads to feathers to small charms.

The one that had captured my attention was on the smaller side though its colors were vivid. The leather that wrapped around the hoop was a dark brown, with the yarn in the middle a creamy tan. Nine bright pink beads nestled along the inside edge, evenly spaced and attached to each point where yarn met leather. Along the bottom edge, eight more strips of leather dangled while a ninth playfully fluttered from the yarn at the whim of a butterfly charm. The strips were decorated in brilliant pink feathers, with more beads in varying shades of pink. What caught my attention most, however, was that each leather strip had a single elongated, opaque bead. It was almost as if someone had washed away the color, and now they waited to be repainted.

Movement from the other side of the table caught my attention, and I jerked my gaze from the beautiful object to an old woman I hadn't noticed before. Obviously of Native American descent, she smiled at my from her rocking chair. For a moment, I wondered what was holding her together. She seemed made up entirely of wrinkles, except for her serene smile. Looking into her eyes made me shiver. While the rest of her was old, her eyes were ancient. Completely black, it was like looking at a highly polished stone. A piece of history that had been around since the beginning of time.

"Excuse me," I stammered, dipping my head and edging away. The way her eyes fixed on me was unnerving.

"My dreamcatchers are enchanted by you," the old woman stopped me with her croaky voice.

"I'm sorry?" Had I taken up space for someone else? "Dreamcatchers?"

The woman waved to the objects I had been admiring. "One has stolen your heart, I think."

"Oh." I felt myself blushing, even as my eyes darted to the one I had been admiring a moment before. "Yes, they are very pretty." A note of longing had slipped into my voice and the woman's eyes squinted as she studied me.

"Do you know the legend of the dreamcatcher?" My head shook. "They protect sleepers from the shadows in the dream world. Dreams that wish to visit during the night get caught in the web. Good dreams find their way down and drip from the feathers into the mind. Bad dreams, they get lost in the web and circle aimlessly until the morning sun rises and banishes them forever."

I felt my eyes widen as she spoke, my lips parting on a breath. I had so many nightmares that most nights I was afraid to close my eyes. It would be wonderful to be safe from them, to have a haven to escape the nightmares that haunted my waking world, but it didn't seem possible. She seemed to see the thoughts in my eyes because she smiled ruefully.

"You have to believe it, of course. Why should the Spirits expend their energy to protect someone who is ungrateful? But for those who believe, they know the truth."

My hand stretched, and I found myself softly tracing the feathers of the dreamcatcher. The desire I had for it was obvious because the woman reached forward and lifted the thing into my hands before I could stop her. I stammered and blushed, even as my fingers closed around it possessively. "I... I'm sorry, I didn't mean to give the wrong impression. I can't... I don't... I've got no money to buy it with." My cheeks heated more with each word.

"Everything has a will, child," the seller told me dismissively. She flicked her fingers at the dreamcatcher I clutched. "That one, it tells me it chose you. It will protect no other."

"But..."

"You do not argue with the Spirits, child!" The woman sounded aggravated, her eyes daring me to disagree with her.

"Thank you."

"Don't thank me. I only follow the will of the Spirits. Now, run along. You have other places to be." The old woman turned away from me, and I remembered that I had only meant to have a quick look through the tables. I glanced back at the car and briethed a sigh of relief that my family was nowhere to be found. There was no telling how long my luck would hold. Turning back once more, I meant to thank the old seller one more time, but the woman was gone.