Time Traveling Blues

Chapter 8

I woke up the next morning hugging my pillow at home, in my bed, in 2012.
I squeezed it, pulling it to my face as I made myself into a ball to cry into it.
I cried for so long that I ran out if tears, but I continued to cry. I gripped the pillow as I became light headed and trembled.
Was this even real? WAS EVERYTHING JUST A DREAM?
"Robert!" I cried softly into my pillow several times.
"Maddi? Madeline, what's the matter?" I heard someone come into my room. I was so out of it I could hardly tell whose voice it was.
I couldn't believe anything anymore.
I was so stupid to believe my dream was reality. No one could fall in love with me, not even that quickly and yet, I remembered his kisses. How they felt on my skin, and how warm and loved they made me feel.
I could count, I could feel. I cried, I read and I wrote. I remembered those boring lectures, my schedule, Susan's smiles and all of my friends at lunch. I could feel the warm sun and cold breezes, I noticed the details of the lake, different settings, of faces.
I could not stop crying.
"Madeline!" my mother called me, and I finally got myself to stop crying, but the shaking I couldn't control.
My mom sat down on my bed.
"What's the matter, honey?" she put her hand on my back.
"I don't want to talk about it." I think I said not even bothering to look at her. "It will make you feel better." she said after a moment. "I just had a lucid dream about R-Robert Plant that's all. It was too real. I thought it was reality and I wake up back here." "I can see how that can be a letdown for you, sweetie. Why don't you come out and have some chocolate chip pancakes? That should make you feel better." she smiled.
I didn't want to come off as depressed to my mom, so I agreed.
For the rest of the day however, as painful as it was, I spent the entire day alone, literally locked in my room in the dark, lying under a blanket watching Led Zeppelin concerts until my dad got home.
He knocked on my door and eventually unlocked it.
"Hi, baby girl." my dad walked in to find me the way I was. "Mom told me about the situation. It really hit you hard huh? You must have dreamed yourself up a really good lucid dream, didn't you?" "Yeah." I replied acrimoniously.
"This came in the mail for you today. I thought it might help you out." he turned on the light.
I frowned confused pausing the video.
It was a paper package and my dad handed it to me, but he didn't leave the room.
"It's from England." I frowned; wide eyed I looked up at my dad. As I continued to read, it was from a Robert Plant.
I couldn't believe my eyes as they welled up in tears to the very brim. "Dad, did you see who this is from? This isn't funny!" I said as tears trickled over my waterline. "Sweetie, this is the first time I see it. Open it. Did you win some sort of prize or something?" he sat on my bed.
I opened the package without another word.
There were numerous letters inside. I took them all out and looked from the top.
The first one was dated from 2012, but the one behind it, 2010. The further I went back, the older the letter got. Each letter signed at the bottom, "With much love to my girl from the future, Robert Plant."
I quickly turned so happy. "He remembered." I said as I could not help crying. "What?" my dad asked.
The earliest letter was from today, 42 years ago, and that's how far I had traveled back in time.
I hugged the letters crying. "Thank you." I looked up thanking whoever was responsible.