Beth

As I paced in my new furnished cabin chic suite I spoke out loud, "What am I thinking of calling another family meeting? Who am I but lil mousy Beth? I should just do as I'm told and stick with the program? I'm a follower not a leader." As I paced I imagined my room growing bigger than turning into the racetrack outside our former High School. It took me a moment before I found myself dressing in track shorts and a tee shirt running full speed around the track. My legs weren't weak and my heart wasn't beating out of my chest. As far as I could tell I was making pretty good time--maybe even breaking a world record.

I hurt a faint knock at my bedroom door. It creaked open. "Hey Beth.... " As Jo got a good look into my enormous room her mouth fell open. "What the--? Where are we Beth?"

I slowed my running down to a jog and then a fast walk and headed toward my sister. "I think we're in my imagination Jo."

Jo reached down and pulled up some green sod. "You've got some imagination Beth."

I closed my eyes and put us back in my usual bedroom with its matching peacock quilts and pillows. "Is this better?"

Jo grabbed my hands and forced me to sit on my four poster bed. "Beth, your powers--they're growing."

My cheeks were hot. I felt as if I were glowing. "Jo, that's why I wanna have a family meeting. We four sisters coupled with mom's journals are like pieces to a puzzle. Once we're connected they'll be no stopping us."

Jo nodded. "I agree. We can't hide out in this ever changing cabin for the rest of our lives--as appealing as they might sound."

Amy, who'd been eavesdropping, popped her head in. "Yah! And I'm getting super bored. I need to see species of the other sex--besides dad, Uncle Jay and our brother in law to be." Amy crawled upon the bed and squeezed her way between me and Jo.

Then we heard a tap tap at the door. Meg swung the door wide. "You're not having a pre-family meeting without me are ya?"

When Meg pushed me over Amy knocked Jo onto the floor. We hadn't laughed that hard in a long long time.

Dad must have heard the commotion and soon he joined us sitting on the edge of my bed. "I have something I need to share with you girls."

Dad held a journal in his hand. It was one we'd never seen before.

"I've been afraid to read this..." Dad began to cry. Ever since he was filled with the Holy Spirit he couldn't stop crying.

Meg took the book from Dad's hands. "What is it daddy?"

"Your mother wrote me a letter before she died. She found a deaf nurse and used ASL while she was on the ventilator."

"Mom always said her sign language skills would come in handy one day." Jo rested her head on her father's shoulder."

I continued staring at the letter and mumbled, "Yeah..." I put my arm around my daughter's shoulders. "Do you wanna open it?"

Jo looked me square in the face. "Dad, it's probably full of mushy stuff. Maybe even about your love life!"

"She signed it to the nurse Jo!"

"So! She knew she'd never see her again. You read it. Share the parts that aren't..." Jo whispered, "Private."

I fell down into the kitchen chair. "I can't Jo. As long as I have this letter it's as if your mother is with me. Once I read it there'll be nothing new left."

Jo staired gently into my eyes while shaking my shoulders. "Dad... mom has YEARS of journals. You could have a new memory of mom every day until you die. Right now we need current information. Maybe mom was trying to tell us something. Now is not the time for romanitising!"

I buried my face in my hands and pushed back the tears. Suddenly I felt the weight of my loss pressing down on me. I did not want to cry.  I blurted, "You open it."

Jo tore into the letter. "It smells like lavender. Not a good sign."  As Jo pursued the letter she had a hard time reading the nurse's handwriting. "It's all scratchy and the words are out of order."

"The nurse wrote down what mom said. Remember she signed it..." I peeked over Jo's shoulder so I could read it too. I read aloud, "Sweet Reggie. I love you. Thank you. You love me too. Get out of New York. New York Bad. Power men bad. Jesus Good. Follow Jesus. Stay awake. Don't walk. Run. Fly. You can fly. You will fly. Power coming. Power takes away good. Power makes us small. Dead. God is bigger, BIGGEST. Don't worry. Worry not help. Faith. Faith is the answer. Move the mountain. Don't go around mountain. There is no mountain!"

Jo looked confused. "Is she talking about the Midtown tunnel?" Jo reminded me of Amy.

"I saw a tiny scribble at the bottom. "Matthew 7:14..."

Jo went to her bible app on her phone and looked up the verse. Firstly, I was impressed that she had the bible app at all. Secondly, how people could gain knowledge in nanoseconds astounded me.

"If you have faith as small as a mustard sea you can say to the mountain remove yourself and fall into the sea."

Words fell out of my mouth, "Faith moves mountains. It's something your mom said all the time."

Jo grabbed the letter from my hand, "There's something written on the back too." She showed it to me. It's a drawing... a symbol of sorts. It looks as if mom drew this herself. It's very shaky." Jo examined the sketch closely and read, "Peacock."

I looked but the picture looked nothing like a peacock--more like a weird illuminati symbol with protruding appendages and a creepy all seeing eye in the center.

Jo gasped. "Mom's peacock journal! I haven't finished reading that one."

"Go on! Go get it!" I didn't mean to be so pushy but it was fun feeling like Nancy Drew.

"It's at my apartment in New York City, dad. We left in such a hurry. The Powers That Be were everywhere."

I put on my serious dad face. Yes, sometimes we have to. When it comes to daughters we honestly want to give them the sun, the moon and the stars. "You're gonna have to pop in and pop out. It's what you do!"

"Yeah dad, it's what I do, do. But it's freaking dangerous!"

I asked, "Do you want me to come with you?" I didn't really want to go but it seemed like the right thing to say. I'm the dad. I should be protecting her.

"Do you have any secret gifts dad?"

I always knew my wife was special--different.  She was Samantha and I was Darrin. "Not that I know of sweetheart. I'm good at fixing broken things."

I knew what Jo was thinking, Why didn't you fix our family? It's broken.

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