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"She says she hopes you feel better quickly," I offered "Let me speak to that woman as soon as you're finished," she ordered

"I've got to go, Mrs Hudson Please call to let us kno you are doing Your sister would like a feords with you," I added "Thank you for calling"

"I don't know if I have the strength to listen to her, but put her on or she'll make your life miserable," Grandmother Hudson said

I handed reat-aunt the receiver and used the opportunity to slip out of the roorandmother After I closed her bedroom door behind me, I took a deep breath and started down the stairs When I had left my father's home and family, I started to hope that I could become part of his life, part of their lives I even fantasized that I would eventually , and eventually becoland as he had Grandmother Hudson would come over frequently to see me in major theater productions and I would return to Ae What d

reams

Are people like me more susceptible to dreaerms and viruses? Do we have less of an immune system when it comes to illusions? Surely people who are content with themselves, their identities and their lives don't spend asanother life, another identity They don't need the avenues of escape They're not trying to run from themselves

Would I always be like this? Maybe it would drive me mad and I would lose all sense of as real and as not Yes, Grandood advice Brush away the fantasies and concentrate on what you're there to do, she'd advised She was right I would not return toa dreaht, awake and ready to deal with cold reality

Maybe that was a vain hope as well for at the bottos, his hands behind his back

"Mr Endfield wants to see you immediately," he announced

"Everyone wants reat-uncle's office

"No," Boggs said "Not that way Follow me:' he commanded and opened the front door

"Where are we going?"

"Just step lively," he ordered and waited for o outside I did so and he closed the door and led the way around the house toward the cottage My heart felt as if it wasslowly down into e didn't look anywhere near as o with candles lit behind the translucent curtains, but I couldn't help thinking offrom one world into another, perhaps into someone else's fantasies and dreams

Boggs stopped at the door and knocked He gazed at me disdainfully and rocked on his heels, but I refused to let hiray eyes

My great-uncle opened the door and smiled