Anna's Visions (5 page)

My gift was
stronger when I was young, and until a few years ago, I used to slip into the
deep trance, where I saw my visions clearly. As I grow older, though, I just
fall into a half-sleep and only catch glimpses of disembodied faces and random
scenes. But the vibes I still get from a touch or a voice are as strong as they
ever were.

I spied a sign
posted on a stand in the middle of the hall that said, Babies with Mothers. I dodged
it, hoping a nurse didn’t spot me before I reached Mona’s room.

I pushed open
the door, which squeaked a bit, reminding me of my fragile and porous bones. I
quietly shut the door, and whispered, “Hi Mona.”

“Ma, what are
you doing here? You’re not supposed to be on the ward. They just ran Ed off,
and he’s the daddy!” Mona said as if she thought I might face jail time if
someone found me in the room.

“Yeah, I know,
but nobody saw me,” I said as I looked down at my granddaughter. My breath
caught in my throat.
Finally, the little girl with red hair.
She opened her eyes as I reached out and lifted her into my arms. Even though I
knew a newborn’s eyes aren’t the color they’re going to stay I could already
see they were going to be green. She was going to be the spitting image of Tom
Morgan.

I placed my palm
on the baby’s head and closed my eyes.

“What is it Ma?
What did you feel?” Mona asked softly. “You know your vibes and visions give me
the creeps sometimes.”

I handed the
baby back to Mona, smiled, and replied, “She’s going to be a happy child.
She’ll live a fairytale life.”

“Yes, she will.
Ed and I will see to that. She’ll have all her little heart desires,” Mona
said, staring into the tiny eyes that seemed to know that she was born to be a
princess.

I smiled,
squeezed Mona’s hand, and asked, “Have you named her?”

“We named her
Tori Ann. Tori, because we like the name, and Ann, after you, Ma.”

“Ah, that’s
nice. Tori Ann Hicks,” I said. “It has a nice ring to it, and she looks just
like your pa.
 

“Yeah, she has
the red hair and most likely the temper that goes with it,” Mona replied with a
laugh. “We’ve got a female version of Pa.”

“Well, I guess I
need to slip out of here before I get caught,” I said, kissing Tori on the
forehead and Mona on the cheek. “Bye, my sweet girls. I love you.”

“We love you
too, Ma. See you later,” Mona said, raising Tori’s tiny hand and waving it.

I slipped out of
the room and hurried out of the hospital. Although it was a hot, humid day, I
shivered in the car as I recalled the sensations
I’d experienced as I held baby Tori in my arms.
Then suddenly my body jerked as if it were being riddled with bullets as a
series of horrifying images flashed through my mind – a man in black, a pool of
blood, a gun, a knife – and a coffin.

As I sat trying
to figure it all out, I could feel a tear run down my cheek.

Anna West-Morgan

Chapter Three

Tori

Tori bounced down the staircase as if she had springs
in her shoes. Then she pranced across the living room wearing a blue-and-white
pinafore Grammy Anna had made and Momma had starched and ironed to perfection.

“I’m ready for school, Momma. How do I look?” Tori
asked, turning in circles, pulling the hem of her skirt out with both hands,
and doing a curtsy. Her parents and grandparents had always pampered her as if
she were royalty.

“You look beautiful, sweetheart,” her mother said, her
eyes showing that she wanted to grab Tori in a bear hug. Tori wrinkled her
nose. She loved Momma, but all the hugging was just too much.

Her mother sighed but never reached for Tori. Good,
Tori thought. At least she was trying to control her urges.

“Here let me put this blue bow in your hair,” Momma
said, stretching out her arms and gathering a hunk of hair as she tried to hold
Tori still.

Tori didn’t want the bow in her hair, but she let her
momma clasp it, planning to pull it out as soon as she was out of sight. After
Momma straightened the bow, she held Tori’s face with both hands and gazed into
her eyes. “I can’t believe my baby girl is in first grade. It seems like only
yesterday you were born.”

Tori rolled her eyes and whined, “I’m not a baby
anymore, Momma. I don’t need you to hold my hand and walk me to school either.
It was okay when I was in kindergarten, but not this year.”

“Okay, Miss Independent, I’ll watch from the front
yard,” Momma said, and Tori could tell she was fighting back tears.

Tori smiled and kissed her cheek. “You can watch from
the front yard. Do you think you’ll be able to see me the whole two blocks?”

“Yes, sweetie, I can see you until you go into the
school,” Momma said, playfully pinching Tori’s cheeks.

Tori grabbed her red-and-white checkered book satchel
that held all of her school supplies: writing tablet, four number two pencils,
an eraser, a bottle of white paste, and one box of crayons. Then she ran out
the door, bounded down the three steps, hit the ground running, and didn’t stop
until she reached Skycrest Elementary.

“I’m in real school this year,” she mumbled as she
walked into the building and down the hallway looking for the door that would
have her name on it. “Door number three,” she said as she finally found it,
hoping she wasn’t going to have Witch Hazel for a teacher.

Witch Hazel was a name her daddy called any woman who
never cracked a smile, was bossy, and acted as if she were the ruler of the
world.

She marched into the room and recognized several kids
from the neighborhood, but she ignored Tommy Hill, who lived behind her and was
always throwing dirt clods over the snowball bush hedge when he heard her
playing in the backyard. Her daddy told her that Tommy did it because he had a
crush on her, but all she knew was that she wanted to crush
Tommy
when a
clod hit her head or splattered a clean dress.

She scanned the room, looking at all the students.
Boys were booger eaters and had cooties as far as she was concerned, and she
didn’t intend to be friends with a one of them. Then she saw a blue-eyed girl
with golden hair hanging to her shoulders,
who
leaned
against the wall, looking scared. Tori’s heart went out to her and it was if an
invisible force drew her toward the pretty girl.

She smiled and said, “Hi, I’m Tori Hicks. Do you want
to be my friend?”

The blue eyes lit up and she gave Tori a smile. “I
sure do!” she said. “My name is Jill Moss.”

Jill reached out and took Tori’s hand. Tori felt a
jolt, like an electric current passed between them. Tori looked at her hand,
half expecting to see sparks. Then she saw that Jill was doing the same. Their
eyes met and then they started to giggle.

Mrs. Hawthorn clapped her hands and yelled over the
roar of chattering children. “Settle down and take a seat anywhere you like for
now,” she said in a stern tone.

Oh, No. She was Witch Hazel!

Tori and Jill sat in desks next to each other.
Throughout the day, they whispered to each other, giggled and paid little
attention to Mrs. Hawthorn. Tori could tell from the looks Mrs. Hawthorn kept
giving them that she intended to make them tow the line before long.

At the end of the day, Tori and Jill grabbed their
satchels, held each other’s hand, and ran out of the room.

Outside, Tori asked, “Which way are you headed?”

“That way,” Jill answered, pointing her finger toward
Maple Street.

“I’m going that way, too!”

Still holding hands, they ran across the street,
jumped the curb, and began skipping down the sidewalk. Midway down the second
block, Tori pointed. “That’s my momma standing there.”

“And that’s
my
momma standing beside her!” Jill
said. “I wonder how they know each other.”

“I don’t know,” Tori said as they both began to run
the rest of the way.
Tori was
breathless when she
reached her mother’s side. “Momma, this is Jill, my new best friend. We’re
going to be friends for the rest of our lives!”

Momma smiled. “She’s also your new neighbor. She lives
next door.”

“Next door!”
Tori cried, looking at Jill. “How come I’ve never
seen you until today?”

“Because we just
got here last night.
We drove
all the way from Texas, and that’s a long, long way from here.”

“Oh,” Tori said, though she didn’t know where Texas
was.

“This is my momma. Her name is Rose,” Jill said.

Tori looked up at Rose Moss, who was as pretty as a
movie star. Tall and slim, she had honey-blond hair, sky-blue eyes, and a
beautiful smile, just like Jill’s.

Tori smiled.
“Nice to meet you.”
Then she pulled on Jill’s hand. “Come on to my house. I want to show you the
dolls Grammy made for me. She makes prettier dresses than store-bought ones.
She’s the greatest! I’ve got to call her and tell her about my first day in
real school.”

Tori practically dragged Jill up the driveway and
through the carport. Then she pushed open the side door that led into the
kitchen and grabbed the wall phone by the door. “Just a minute, I want to call
Grammy before we go upstairs to my room.”

The aroma of fresh baked cookies filled the air. Momma
had been baking. Tori reached for Jill’s hand after she
dialed,
half expecting to feel sparks again.

“Hi, Tori,” Grammy said when she answered the phone.
“How was your first day of school?”

“How do you always know it’s me, Grammy?” Grammy
always amazed Tori, even though she was used to it. “I had a great day and I
made a new friend – and something weird happened when we touched hands. It sort
of tingled. Can you explain such a crazy thing?”

Grammy paused a moment, then said, “Well, yes, but,
I’m not sure I can explain it so you’ll understand. Let me say this – you two
are going to walk through life hand-in-hand – your spirits are linked.”

“Our
whats
are linked?”

“Your spirits,
sweet.
You know, the part that
goes to Heaven when – oh, never mind. It’ll make more sense when you’re older.
Let it go for now.”

“Okay, Grammy. But I want to put Jill on the phone so
you can pick up her vibes.”

“Put her on,” Grammy replied.

Jill backed up for a moment, but Tori pushed the
receiver toward her. “Just say hello.” She pressed the phone to Jill’s ear.

“Hello,” Jill said hesitantly. Then there was a pause,
after which she said, “We just moved here from Texas. June fifteenth. Okay,
bye.” She handed the phone back to Tori, whispering, “Your grandma sounds
nice.”

Tori smiled and took the phone, placing it back to her
ear. “Well, Grammy, are we going to be best friends forever?”

“Yes,” Grammy replied, “And her birthday is on June
fifteenth–”

Tori interrupted, “Wow! My birthday is on June
fourteenth! I’m only one day older!” She looked at Jill and smiled. “We can
celebrate our birthdays together – and have our parties on the same day!”

Grammy laughed. “I think one big birthday party would
be fun, too. Jill’s going to be a great friend, and a best friend is the
greatest gift anyone can ever hope for. As you go through life, friends come
and go, but your one best friend will stay in your life forever.”

“Thanks, Grammy,” Tori said, “But I need to go now. I
want to show Jill the dolls you made for me. Bye. Love you!”

“I love you too, sweet,” Grammy said.

Tori put the phone on the hook. “Grammy said our
spirits are linked, which means we’ll be best friends for the rest of our
lives!”

“Cool!” Jill smiled, and then followed as Tori raced
toward the staircase.

At the bottom of the stairs, Jill asked, “Can’t we
have some cookies first?”

“I’ll tell you what. I’ll show you my room and then
we’ll get some cookies and milk, okay?” Tori took Jill’s hand and pulled her
onto the first step. “Don’t step on the second one because it cracks louder
than thunder.”

As Jill skipped the second step and they walked to the
top of the stairs, Tori pointed like a tour guide. “The first room on the right
is mine. The one at the end of the hall is Momma and Daddy’s, but we can’t go
into it, ever. I think there must be secrets that nobody is supposed to know
about except Momma and Daddy. That’s all I can figure out, but Momma acts as if
something terrible will happen to me if I enter their chambers. It’s silly.”

Jill eyed Tori’s parents’ bedroom. “I think I see a
green monster sticking its head around the door. It would probably eat us if we
go too close,” she said, her eyes widening in horror.

“Don’t be silly,” Tori said with a giggle. “There
aren’t any monsters of any color in there. We just have to stay out. Momma will
be the monster that will eat us if we disobey.”

“Okay,” Jill answered.

They entered Tori’s bedroom and Tori watched as Jill
eyed the lavender walls and the blue, lavender, and pink bedspread and pillow
shames.

Jill looked up at dolls on the shelf above the
headboard of Tori’s bed. There were twenty dolls on metal stands and a few
regular baby dolls lying on their stomachs in front of them.

“Grammy knitted sweaters and booties for the baby
dolls,” Tori said, picking up each doll one by one and handing them to Jill.

As she looked at them, Jill said, “Your grandma sure
is a good knitter.” She set the last baby doll back on the shelf and added,
“Those big dolls are so beautiful! Did your grandma make their outfits, too?”

“She sure did! That’s why they’re so special. She made
dresses and headgear according to each doll’s nationality.”

“That’s cool. Do you think she might make and outfit
for one of my dolls? I only have regular baby dolls, but it would be great to
have a pretty sweater and some booties for one of them.”

“I bet she would.” Tori picked up the only boy doll
from the shelf. “This is Farmer Brown. Grammy made him some blue overalls and a
red flannel shirt, then stuck a straw hat on him and put a blade of straw in
his mouth.”

Jill took him from Tori and looked him over. “He sure
looks like a farmer to me.” Then she placed him back in his spot and lovingly
caressed the outfits of the girl dolls. “They’re all so beautiful! I sure would
like to have dolls like these.”

“I bet Grammy could order you some from her catalog
and make outfits for them. She says she sews every stitch with love,” Tori
said.

“Oh, I’d be the happiest girl in the world if I had a
doll collection like this!” As Jill gazed at the shelf, her face fell and eyes
watered. “I had to leave my grandma in Texas, and I miss her so much.”

Tori reached, gently wiped away Jill’s tears with her
palm, put her arms around her, and patted her back. “I’m sorry. It must hurt
something awful. I think I’d die if I had to leave Grammy and Poppy. They’re
the only grandparents I have. Daddy’s parents died by the time I was two, and I
don’t remember them.” She paused a second, and then said, “You know what? I bet
Grammy would be happy to be your grandma, too. She’d love to have two
granddaughters, since I’m her only grandchild.”

“You really think so?” Jill exclaimed. “I only have
one grandma and grandpa, too. My Daddy’s parents died before I was born, so I
don’t remember them either. Where do your grandparents live?”

“Not far at all,” Tori said. “They live in the country
on a big farm. It only takes about twenty minutes to get there. It’s beautiful,
and Poppy has a horse named Henry. I’ve been riding Henry since I was big
enough to sit up. He eats sugar cubes out of my hand.”

“I’ve never ridden a horse before – I’ve never even
fed one. Do you think I could ride Henry?”

“Sure you can,” Tori said. “I spend every Saturday
with Grammy and Poppy.”

“Oh, that would be great. I’ll ask my momma, but I’m
sure she’ll say yes!”