The Wizard of Dreams (Or The Dream Collector) - Chapters 1-3 (By MRicciardi)

The Wizard of Dreams {or The Dream Collector} M.A.
Ricciardi 1

THE WIZARD OF DREAMS
{or The Dream Collector}

By Michael Anthony Ricciardi

Chapter 1 The Calling

With eyes closed, the dark-haired girl stretched out her arms, tilted her head back, and bathed
herself in the noontime sun. The warmth on her skin, the smell of salty air, and the sporadic
screeching of gulls engulfed her joyful mind. Melody loved many things, but most of all she
loved the seashore. It was always an adventure, and any time of year was fine with her
(especially nowadays with the weather getting warmer all the time). Practically anything you
could want to do, you could do at the beach...You could swim or body-surf, of course, or collect
strange looking rocks or beautiful shellsYou could have a picnic or get a sun tan (always
remember to bring the sun-block cream!) or play soccer or FrisbeeBut best of all -- if you were
of a creative mindset (and Melody most certainly was) -- you could make sand creatures.
Now, some people make sand castles, but not Melody. She thought sand castles were just
plain ordinary. There are so many wonderful things to make, Melody would often say to
herself, Why waste time making the same old ordinary things? Melody didnt like wasting
time. For her, time was the most precious of gifts.
Why would anyone waste Time? she wondered aloud. Melody noticed people spending an
awful amount of time doing things that seldom seemed very important.
Making sand creatures is a very important thing to do. She said aloud.
Talking to a ghost? Came a voice from behind her.
Melody spun around, startled. It was her best friend Marcus. His long, dirty-blond hair blew
in front of his face. The corner of his mouth held a faint flicker of a smile, and his dark eyes
The Wizard of Dreams {or The Dream Collector} M.A. Ricciardi 2

narrowed. He looked mysterious, or mischievous, or both perhaps. Marcus was always sneaking
up and surprising her. He had the strangest way of just appearing, it seemed, out of nowhere --
and disappearing just as quickly. She liked Marcus. He made everything seem like an adventure.
And having adventures was almost never a waste of time.
No, said Melody, smiling and blushing a bit, Not a ghost...just a nobody.
Oh, said Marcus, teasing her, a nobody
They both laughed at the same time. What should we make today? asked Marcus.
Melody looked down at the sand as if it were a blank painters canvas, studying it closely,
thinking. Well have to use our imaginations
The two friends knelt down onto the cool, damp sand and began scooping handfuls of sand
into a large mound. This was their custom. They both knew from experience (they were
practically experts at making sand sculptures) that something would emerge from the sand,
almost like magic.
Melody marveled at the countless millions of grains of sand that, now cooled and still moist
from the out-going tide, enveloped her hands, fingers, and toes. She remembered the day she
realized that each tiny grain of sand was once a part of a large rock that came from somewhere
deep inside the Earth a long time ago. She remembered reading that these big rocks were pushed
over great distances and left behind by glaciers, which were like gigantic, slow-moving sheets of
ice and snow. With the passing of time, those rocks were worn down and broken up by ocean
waves and ground into the tiny pieces that now played between their fingers and toes. Nature
was a giant rock-polisher, thought Melody, with some amusement.
Now, as any practiced sand-sculptor knows, you must not begin building too far from the
water (the sand will be too dry), or too close to it (the sand will be too wet). Melody would

always wait for the tide to go out just about midway before she would start building. That way,
there was more time to spend sculpting, and it would last longer too.
When the tide did return, the encroaching waves would start eroding their newest creation.
Although this saddened them, they both knew it was just one of those unstoppable facts of life:
the tide always returns. But Melody and Marcus had their own special custom to take away the
sadness of the seas destruction: Before the returning tide could do its damage, they would rush
in together and stomp their sand creature flat, laughing and shouting all the while. This was
almost as much fun as making it. Besides, thought Melody, if anything was going to destroy their
creature, it was going to be themnot the uncaring ocean!
Are you getting anything yet? asked Marcus, knowing that it often worked this way. The
two friends would continue scooping and piling and smoothing the mound until that certain
moment of perfect revelation.
Melody scanned the mound with a smile, still working her hands over the sand. Then
suddenly, the image appeared in her head. A bird! she exclaimed, a magnificent birdunlike
any other!
Yes! agreed Marcus, enthusiastically, and it will be our gift offering to the sun and the sky
on this perfect day!
The two friends laughed in approval and began their creation with great exuberance and
purpose. It was always like this. Each time they would make a new sand sculpture, it was as if
that were all that mattered; as if they had entered a private dream world that would become more
real and true as their sand-sculpture took shape. In this case, it was a sand creature.
For the next several minutes they worked silentlytoo absorbed in their task to even think
about speakingtheir hands dancing in the sand: molding, carving, and smoothingEach friend

had begun with a different bird image in mind, but, as time passed, each would grow aware of
the others image, and so, the two sculptures would blend into one. It was like two musical
instruments that, at first out of tune with each other, soon learned to play in harmony.
Can we help? came two voices, in unison, from behind them. Melody and Marcus looked
up, their private trance momentarily interrupted. It was Josh and Jessica. They were brother and
sister, one year apart, and just a little over half Melodys age. The two lived just a few houses
away from Melodys, and she would often earn money by babysitting them. They were always
together and eager to join in on anything that held the promise of fun or adventure.
Sure. said Melody, Were making a magnificent bird
Wheres its tail? inquired Jessica.
We havent got to that part yet. explained Marcus, that will be the last part we make.
We will need some pretty rocks and shells. said Melody, You could help us by collecting
some
No sooner had she spoken when the young siblings were off and running in search of
seashore treasures. Marcus began fashioning the tail of their sand bird while Melody began to
sculpt its wings. By now, the two had carved out the basic shape of their sand bird, and so began
to give their rough creation more detail, more life.they carved-out feathers, a large, curved
beak, an eye (only one since their bird was a profile) and feet (with claws)Melody
remembered the word for such foot claws: talons.
Were almost finished sighed Melody, almost sadly, but I think the tail feather should be a
little longer. Marcus scooped a few more handfuls, molded the sand into place, and patted it
even with the palms of his hands. With that, the two stood up and stepped back to get a better
look.

Wow! exclaimed Marcus, Its great!
Its beautiful, agreed Melody, but its still missing something
Were back! proclaimed Josh and Jesse, their mission successful. Melody and Marcus
turned around to see Josh and Jesse, hunched over from the weight of their load, let go of the
ends of their tee-shirts and release a shower of shells and stones at their feet. The two gave out a
sigh of proud satisfaction at their accomplishment. Everyone knelt around the pile and dug their
hands into the sparkling wet heap of purple and white shells and speckled and banded rocks. It
was like they had just discovered buried pirate booty, and each cockle shell or rounded piece of
granite was handled and looked upon no differently than if they had been rubies and emeralds.
These are perfect! said Melody. Now, our bird will be truly magnificent!
Lets use only the very best ones said Marcus, decidedly. Josh and Jesse began holding up
different rocks or shells, each time asking: How about this one? Marcus and Meghan played
the role of judge -- giving approval or disapproval to each offering.
Theyre all special, said Melody, but these are the most beautiful. She gathered together
the selected stones and shells, and, with careful consideration, she and Marcus would playfully
direct their two, younger companions to the proper placing of each stone or shell. And so they
began placing them upon their marvelous sand bird, with the young siblings oohing and
ahhing with each choice and placement. A large, bright rock with reflective specks in it was
used for its eyetwenty, milky-white pieces of quartz stone to outline its beaklots of purplish-
green rocks to accent its feathersstrips of green seaweed fringing its neck...razor clam shells
for its crest...and lots of orangey-pink scallop shells to fill in its belly body feathers.

As she was placing the last decorative rock, a shadow passed over her eyes. Melody looked
up but saw only blue sky and the bright rays of the sun. Looking back down, she pressed the rock
into place. There!
The four friends stood up together and gazed at their work of art in silent admiration. It was
indeed a truly magnificent birdsplendidly adorned with the colorful jewels of the ocean.
As they stood looking silently down at their creation, once more a large shadow passed across
the spot where they gazed. Four heads looked up at the same moment. Almost completely black
against a backdrop of sunlight, a large, solitary bird glided gracefully in a large, widening circle.
As the bird flew out away from the sun, they could suddenly make out its amazing plumage.
Melody quickly realized that this was no ordinary sea bird.
Melody pointed. Look how long its tail is!
Look at its wingspan! added Marcus. It must be four feet across!
Its got a red belly! chimed in Josh.
And green on its head! noted Jesse.
I think its some kind of tropical bird, a macaw, I think, said Marcus, whose knowledge of
animals was really good, But whats it doing here, in New England?
Maybe someones pet escaped, offered Melody
Like saluting soldiers, the four friends shielded their eyes from the sun and stood motionless,
mesmerized by the colorful, winged creature soaring over their heads. Suddenly, the strange bird
broke from its circular pattern and began flying straight up the north end of the beach.
Its flying away! cried Josh.
Lets go after it! exclaimed Jesse.

Melody turned around to see what Marcus thought, but he was gone. She looked back up the
beach to see her disappearing friend running as fast as he could after the mysterious bird.
You rat! yelled Melody, excitedly. Wait for us!
Melody bolted after him, with Josh and Jesse, running side by side, not far behind.

**************************

Chapter 2 The Sleeping and Forgetting

The four friends raced along the beach, occasionally looking up to make sure the marvelous
bird was still in sight. Though nearly breathless and absorbed in pursuit like her companions,
Melody had a short-lived thought: the strange bird -- a macaw, if Marcus was right -- never flew
too far ahead or too fast. It was as if the bird wanted them to follow it. But how could that be?
Melody forgot the thought almost as quickly as it appeared in her mind. For suddenly, the
colorfully plumed bird turned away from the beach and flew towards a thick stand of pine trees
about a hundred yards away and just alongside the salt marsh.
Its heading towards the pine grove! yelled Marcus, looking back at Melody and the twins,
but barely slowing down. Melody caught site of the birds brilliant blue tail feathers just as it
entered the grove and flew out of site behind some pines.
Melody and the twins arrived in the center of the pine grove just a few seconds behind
Marcus. But he was just standing there, looking up, with his mouth open.
Its gone! proclaimed Marcus, mystified.

Still a bit out of breath, the others looked around the grove in silence, certain that such a
colorful creature would be easy to spot. Its not like it wascamouflaged, like many native
birds, thought Melody.
Thats impossible! exclaimed Marcus, We werent that far behind it!
True enough; it was as if the bird had just vanished into thin air, for it was only out of site for
a couple of seconds, it seemed. All four of them grew decidedly disappointed that their sudden
adventure had suddenly evaporated, along with the mysterious bird.
Wait, said Melody, cupping both her hands to her ears (a trick she learned on a nature field
trip when she was younger). Do you hear that?
I hear music! announced Josh.
It sounds like Jesse thought for a moment, a flute, yes!
But where is it coming from? Its like its coming from everywhere. observed Marcus, with
a puzzled look on his face. Melody recognized that look. It was the look he always had whenever
considering some mystery or puzzle or difficult brain-teaser problem. This was turning into a
very strange day, thought Melody.
Im getting tired, said Jesse, giving out a big yawn. Josh began yawning too. Even Melody,
so excited just moments ago, was also now feeling terribly sleepy. I guess all that running tired
us out, she thought. She looked over to see Marcus trying to stifle a yawn, and suddenly found
herself falling to her knees onto the soft bed of pine needles that lined the entire center of the
grove. She looked over at the two siblings, but they were already lying down and nearly asleep.
She could still hear the pretty flute music in her ears.
Whats happening? asked Melody, yawning more deeply now. A thin mist seemed to be
filling the grove. The last thing she saw before her eyes closed was the puzzled look on her

friends face as he too, fell to his knees and curled up on his side, too sleepy to respond, as the
strange melody, playing over and over, filled her head.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

At some point later, Marcus began to awaken, then Melody, both feeling very fuzzy-headed
and a bit disoriented.
Wow, said Marcus, still groggy, I havent had a nap like that sinceI dont know how
long
Melody slowly nodded her head in agreement, managing to ask: What just happened?
I dont know exactly said Marcus, All I can remember was following that strange
birdcoming here into the groveand that musicthe flutethen waking up just now.
Yeah, agreed Melody, me toobut how strange that we all seemed to have fallen
asleepat the same time!
They both looked over at the two siblings, still sound asleep. Melody tried to shake off the
fuzzy-headedness and took a deep breath. I think we should wake them up. Marcus moved
over to the siblings and gently shook them on the shoulder. Slowly, the Josh and Jesse began
stirring from their slumber.
Mmmhh mumbled Josh, then yawning.
Heywhere am Iwhathappened? asked Jesse, her eyes barely open
What do you remember? asked Melody, her curiosity rising.
Umchasing the bird...um...music said Jesse, uncertainly.

And nothing elsenot even any dream you had? asked Marcus, whose curiosity, like
Melodys, was growing by the minute.
Nope. said Jesse, rubbing her eyes.
Me neither! proclaimed Jesse.
Now, that is strange, said Melody, baffled, Neither do I
WellI guess were four for four, offered Marcus, No dreams here either.
Well, we were only asleep a short while, suggested Melody, so, I guess its no big deal...
But something inside her made her doubt what she had just said.
For several moments, all four friends were silent, still a bit too dazed to think much more
about it all. Melody looked over at Marcus who still had that perplexed look on his face, but now
even more so. Josh and Jesse, ages seven and eight would most likely forget all about this
strange occurrence, soon enough. But Melody wouldnt and neither would her friend. They both
loved a mystery, and here, it seemed, was a genuine, and growing, one.
Maybe we should head back to the beach, said Melody.
Yeah! exclaimed the twins, in unison, Lets find our sand creature!
The four headed out of the pine grove and started the long walk back down the beach. It was
then that Melody noticed how much lower the sun was in the sky. She looked at her plastic,
multi-colored watch, but it appeared to be stopped, or broken maybe. She yelled after her friend
who had walked ahead of her.
Hey, Marcus!
Marcus looked back, and then slowed down his pace to let her catch up.
What is it? he asked, seeing the puzzled look on her face.
How long do you think we were sleeping? she asked.

I was just wondering the same thing! Marcus exclaimed, It seemed like only a short time,
but it feels much later now. He looked at the sun, now well past its zenith, as if reading
Melodys mind.
Yes, exactly, agreed Melody, Look at the sunit must be past four oclock!
I see it, but thats impossible! Marcus exclaimed again, It was only about one oclock
when we finished making our sand creaturethe tide was mostly still out, I know that much!
Yes, agreed Melody, but now the tide is starting to come back inwe were asleep for
three hours! They both slowed their pace and fell silent for a few moments, amazed at their
sudden realization. They let the two siblings walk a ways ahead of them. Then, as they focused
on the returning tide, a thought came to each of them at nearly the same moment: The sand
creature! They took off running down the beach with Josh and Jesse now yelling after them and
trying to keep up.
The four adventurers arrived back at the site of their sand sculpture just in time to find the
first waves of the returning tide beginning to erode the edges of their marvelous creation.
Melody, at first distressed at the approaching waves, took out her pocket camera, aimed its lens,
and took a picture. Lets save the shells! cried Jesse. The twins quickly plucked up the colorful
shells and stones and piled them in the centers of their beach towels, carried them several yards
above the high tide mark, and deposited them, satisfied. They ran back to the sand creature in
haste.
For a few moments, they all stood round, silently gazing down at their now unadorned but
still marvelous bird of sand.
Then, without saying a word, they all rushed in at once and began jumping onto the mounds
of sand--stomping their creature flat! This part of the game was almost as much fun as making

the creature in the first place. Besides, thought Meghan, it was they who had brought forth the
creature, and it was their right alone to send it back from where it had come. After a few
seconds of exuberant sand-stomping, the waves rushed in and flooded over the remaining few
lumps of sand -- the only signs of what had once been their marvelous sand bird...and, as a few
more minutes passed, every trace of the creature had vanished.
We should head back home, said Melody, looking at their young companions, Their
parents are going to start wondering where they are.
Youre right, agreed Marcus, Im getting hungry anyways.
They walked back up the long boardwalk carrying their towels and shoes. Their recent
creature-stomping had only temporarily distracted Melody from her more absorbing thoughts.
She would walk the two siblings back to their house and then head home for dinner. Before
heading off in different directions, she exchanged a look with her friend, and he nodded silently
to her. They would talk later about their days strange adventure.

************************

Chapter 3 A Mystery is Pondered & A Plan is Hatched

Sometime later, after an unusually quiet dinner with her parents, Melody lay on her bed, her
opened journal lying upside down on her stomach, thinking over the days events. Something
was still bothering her. It was something Marcus had wondered just after everyone woke up: if
we remembered any dreams we had had. No one could remember their dreams! Why this fact
should bother Melody so much was simple: she was well practiced in recalling her dreams upon

waking, whether it was after her nights sleep, or just a short nap. Sometimes she would even
write down what happened in these dreams in her journal. And she felt certain that she had
indeed started dreaming as she drifted off into that strange, long nap. Yet, true enough, when she
awoke, she could not recall a single detail. And neither could anyone elseFour children with
active imaginations, all fall asleep, then wake upseveral hours laterand not one could
remember a single thing from any possible dream.
Now, it was true that sometimes Melody would forget her dream completely...and sometimes,
she would remember it only much later, when some random event happened that triggered the
memory. That experience was like having lived the event twice, as if she knew exactly how
things would happen before they did so...but completely forgetting a dream was unusual. Even
then, there was usually some small remnant, however fuzzy, that lingered for a few minutes after
waking...but not this time.
And there were the other events that preceded this forgetting of dreams: the appearance of the
strange, beautiful bird, the flute music that seemed to come from nowhere, or everywhere, and
then everyone falling asleep, almost at the same time.
Now, any one of these four events (the fourth being the forgetting of dreams) could be taken
to be a bit unusual, but not so much that it would make you wonder for too long. Maybe even if
two of these events had happened on the same day.but not all four of them, on the same day.
And further, thought Melody, they all seemed connected somehow...on a deeper levelof
understanding. But that understanding whatever it could be -- wasnt coming through to her;
the facts as she knew them didnt add up to anything real. In her journal, Melody had written: 1
+1 + 1 + 1 = ????

B-b-b-r-r-i-n-n-g! The phone on her nightstand table jolted her from her absorbing thoughts.
Melody knew immediately who it was. She had already picked up the phone before her mother
could call upstairs for her to pick up.
Hi, came Marcuss voice.
Hey said Melody.
Hey is for horses replied Marcus, in his usual teasing way.
I dont care about horses! Melody retorted, which wasnt true, she loved them, but she was
too excited to hide it. Arent you at all curious about what happened today?
Yes, of course I am, said Marcus, the tone is his voice now more serious, Ive been
thinking about it since we left the beach! My dad thinks somethings wrong.
Melody laughed slightly: Yeah, mine too, me too
Melody, her patience with small talk gone, hurriedly began telling Marcus all her thoughts on
the days events, listing off the four strange occurrences, and how she felt strongly that they all
had to be connected, somehow.
Yes, I agree, said Marcus, they are all connected, were just missing the key, the one part
of the puzzle that lets you see the whole picture.
Like what? asked Melody.
Well, like some kind of.magic is going onmaybe
Magic? Yes! Some kind of magic! agreed Melody, her curiosity fully aroused. But what
kind...what for?
Im not totally sure, began Marcus, but, remember what we were doing just before the bird
-- the macaw -- appeared?

Yes, we had just finished the sand creature, the magnificent birdOhh! exclaimed Melody,
with a sudden realization.
Exactly, Marcus, affirming her unspoken thoughts, We were making a magnificent bird,
and then a real magnificent bird appeared we made the bird appear -- we called it!
Normally, such an idea would have seemed a bit crazy, but now, in talking it over with her
friend, it suddenly seemed so clearly true, though part of her still couldnt believe it. But then she
realized that, of course, she had experienced many dreams in which she had some magic power
(although in those dreams, the magic power would usually get all messed up, or just go away
completely, without warning). This power now seemed to be a real one. But was this her power,
or Marcuss, or both of theirs? It seemed that it was partly from somewhere else, or, from
someone else.
Ok, Melody began, cautiously, lets say we did call the bird, without knowing it...then
what about the flute, and falling asleep?
That, said Marcus, was the other magic.
You mean, like being put under a magic spell?
Well, maybe like being put into a trance...I read about it in a book on magicians. Its called
hypnosis.
Ok, yes, Ive heard the word before...so we gothypnotized into a tranceby the music,
said Melody, thinking the idea through. But who or what would want tohypnotize us?
I dont know, said Marcus, But the answer to that question is the key to what really
happened when we all went to sleep.
Yes, agreed Melody, thats it!

We could be wrong about all of this, you know, it could just be a coincidence. said Marcus,
trying to be more scientific about all this.
But Melody felt deeply that they were not wrong. This was a real mystery, and they were on
to something.
Ok then, began Melody, cautiously, If this is true, and theres more to this than
coincidence, then how do we prove it?
Well, hear me out... began Marcus, Lets suppose that we did call the bird somehow, and
that we were hypnotized, and that whatever was going on, happened when we fell asleep.so,
all we need to do to figure this out iscall the bird againand...not fall asleep!
Yes! exclaimed Melody, But, what if the bird doesnt come again?
Then it was all just a strange coincidence, or, a freak event, came Marcuss curt reply.
Right, but if it does come, and it leads us to the grove again, or somewhere, and we hear the
music againhow do we not fall asleep?
Ahh said Marcus, in a mischievously tone of voice, We wont fall asleep if we dont
hear anything
Melody smiled to herself and her heart began beating a bit faster. The thought of tricking
whoever or whatever was behind all this made her excited. Too excited, in fact, to fall asleep,
after saying See you tomorrow to her friend, and hanging up the phone. She didnt feel like
watching TV or playing computer games either -- all that seemed sodull, and ordinary, all of a
sudden. And she didnt feel like writing in her journal either. She just lay there, wide awake, her
feet twitching side to side, wondering what adventures tomorrow would bring. When at last she
felt herself slipping into sleep, Melody conjured up an image of the beautiful, tropical bird, only
bigger, with her sitting on its back as it soared above the treesand higher.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The next morning Melody awoke quickly, jumped out of bed, and dressed as usual for the
beach (a one piece, green and blue bathing suit under cut-off shorts, and sandals). She galloped
down the stairs and began making a quick breakfast. She started making some PB & J
sandwiches (one for her, one for Marcus), grabbed a few cookies and a couple of apples, filled
her water bottle, and tossed everything into her backpack.
Before leaving the house, Melody hesitated for a moment, wondering if she should take the
cell phone with her that her parents had bought for her just for emergencies as her mom and
dad said she was too young still to have her own cell phone. She decided against it, but didnt
know why, exactly.
Are you going to the beach again, Melody? came her mothers voice.
Yes, mom, replied Melody, Same as always. Melody tried to speak casually, to hide her
excitement.
Well, OK...: said her mother, but dont go out above you head, and be home before six
oclockyour dad and I are going out for dinner. Ill leave something for you to eat. Melody
was an excellent swimmer, and normally, she would have protested her mothers order. But,
today was different.
OK, no problem, was all she said. Melody skipped out the side door, hopping down the
steps in one jump, and headed off to the beach with a warm breeze at her back.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Melody took off her sandals and began walking quickly down the long board walk which was
already getting awfully hot from the late morning sun. She walked up the beach a ways, away
from the few early beach-goers that had already laid down beach towels and pitched umbrellas.
The beaches around here would be covered with people by noon time. When she arrived at her
favorite spot -- at a point on the curved beachhead closest to the sand dunes -- she discovered
that Marcus was already there, sitting on the sand right next to the pile of stones and shells from
the day before, and staring out at the ocean.
You beat me! exclaimed Melody, smiling. She noticed that her friend seemed to be thinking
about something. Whats wrong?
Oh, well, I was just thinking, began her friend, What if we dont do it right, I mean, I
forget exactly how our sand bird looked when we finished it. What if it has to be just right?
Melody realized that she too -- just one day later -- had only a somewhat fuzzy recollection of
the sand creature. Was this also part of the forgetting, she wondered? But then, with a sudden
smile, she remembered her camera which she always kept in her back pack.
Dont worry, said Melody assuring him, Remember? I took a picture! She dug around in
her pack until she found the small digital camera she had been given on her last birthday.
Normally, after any day of picture taking (and she loved to take pictures), Melody would plug
the camera to her computer, and then erase the old pictures (the camera had a limited memory).
But she hadnt done so last night. She had been too preoccupied with the mystery of the bird and
the sleeping to remember her usual photo-taking routine.
I still have the picture from yesterday, said Melody, pushing the memory button, Here it
is! Not a bad picture, thought Melody, although she wished she had taken some more. But, she

was happy enough that she had thought to take this one, with all that had happened before that
moment in time.
Awesome! exclaimed Marcus, The tide is going out now -- lets get started!
And so the two friends got to work. Melody had decided not to call Josh and Jesses parents
to let them know that they would be at the beach today. She would often baby sit the two
children here at the beach...but not today. This was an experiment (or, was it more of a trick, or
both?). They both agreed that it would be best to be cautious and keep their younger beach
companions out of it.
At first, several times, Melody and Marcus had to stop and take another look at the digital
picture, to refresh their memories. But soon enough, they had managed to reconstruct enough of
the sand bird that they didnt need to look at the picture too much more -- except for the proper
placement of the stones and shells. Adding this final touch to their sand creature would have
been a major chore -- they would have had to spend extra time recollecting new ones -- except
that Josh and Jesse and dumped most of the stones and shells in a pile above the high tide mark
(which was their habit), for safe keeping.
After about an hour of working in almost total silence, the two finished their reborn sand bird.
They stood up to survey their results, comparing the cameras image, but finally -- with a few
small adjustments of stone or shell -- feeling confident that they had achieved a faithful
recreation of their sand creature.
Now what? asked Melody, half knowing the answer.
Now we wait... came Marcuss expected response.

And so they did. They waited for five minutes...now ten minutes...now longer. Nothing was
happening. They looked at each other, catching the same, slight, disappointed look in each
others face.
I dont think its working... began Melody, her patience not being her greatest trait.
Wait...just a little bit longer.... said Marcus, testing his own.
Above the sound of the ocean and the random screeching of the usual herring gulls, a sharp
squawk could be heard. At first, it was subtle, easily missed. But then it came again...and again.
The two looked up, turning around and around to locate the source of the squawking. Its come
back! It worked! Melody and Marcus were suddenly elated and cheering, hugging each other as
they jumped up and down with excitement. The magnificent macaw had returned --from which
direction it came they couldnt tell -- and again, it began to circle over their heads. And once
again, it broke off from its repetitive, circling flight path and began heading up the beach, away
from where the other beach goers, and the two friends, were standing.
Lets go! yelled Marcus, already breaking into a run. This time, Melody was right along-
side him.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The two friends chased, or more truthfully, followed, the bird back into the pine grove, as
before, and just as before, the colorful, tropical bird now seemed to have vanished.
That bird must be a magician, with the way it disappears! exclaimed Melody.
Or maybe it belongs to one! said Marcus, thinking out loud. He was about to explain his
latest theory to his friend, when Melody shushed him with a finger up to her lips. Like the bird

that came from nowhere, they could just begin to hear the first few notes of the mysterious flute
music. Quick! whispered Marcus, pulling the two sets of earplugs from his swim shorts pocket
and handed a pair to Melody (Marcus had grabbed them from his dads tool shed before leaving
for the day). They quickly stuffed the soft, spongy plugs into their ears, muffing the world
around them, and entirely blocking out the entrancing flute music. They had agreed to wait a few
seconds just like yesterday, then, they would pretend to yawn. This they did almost perfectly,
like well-practiced actors. Melody half felt like laughing, partly out of being anxious, even a bit
scared. After counting silently to themselves, they slowly fell to their knees, curled up and closed
their eyes, as if falling asleep. The trick (and the trap) had begun! Melody felt her heart beat
speed up, thinking: But what, or whom, were they about to trick...?

************************

The Wizard of Dreams (Or The Dream Collector) - Chapters 1-3 (By MRicciardi)

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The Wizard of Dreams {or The Dream Collector} M.A.

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