and after Karma Visited…

Dave was working late that night doing a double, he was covering someone else’s shift. Maybe that was a good thing, Donna had already raised his suspicions and it wouldn’t sit well that she had continued to avoid Annie. He would want to investigate, he would want to know what Donna’s story was. Annie was getting curious too, but she was determined to handle it her way. Annie was sure that Donna wasn’t a widow, she just wasn’t sure what was going on and why the woman was so scared of the police.

Sighing loudly she plopped down in the old recliner where she loved to study; she was annoyed because she was letting herself get too wrapped up with what was going on with her tenant. Her gaze settled on the coffee table where Dave left one of the books that he bought online about astral projection. Until now she only practiced the exercises when he was there, she still frequently traveled in her dreams but none of those were really controlled.

She wondered how many dreams belonging to other people she shared. It was hard to forget the sexy dream on Dave’s couch or his angry dream about his ex. She would have to learn to get more control of those travels also, the last thing she wanted to do was intrude on other people’s personal thoughts. Annie couldn’t help the grin that came to her face as she thought of Dave’s acceptance of all the strange baggage she brought with her. She didn’t think she could be so calm if the situation were reversed.

“What the heck,” she spoke to the empty room, “I’m not frightened anymore.” There was a tiny tremor to her voice as she reached to pick up the book. Annie opened the book to one of the exercises and read it quietly as she walked to her bedroom; then she put the book down on the bed and sat cross legged next to it just the way she did when she practiced with Dave. She held a modified Lotus pose and focused on breathing easily, she felt each breath cleansing the path it took, until she felt completely relaxed.

Annie piled a few pillows and laid down facing the ceiling. With her eyes closed she continued to relax her body until she felt close to drifting off to sleep. Her body began to tingle slightly as she relaxed her muscles and felt as if only the bed was keeping her at that time and place. Holding herself in that hypnagogic state between consciousness and sleep, Annie concentrated on her inner self. She believed she could make the transition on her own, Dave had helped her learn how to do that.

The vibrations in her limbs were growing stronger and now was when she had to free her mind of everything except where she wanted to go. It would be fun to pay a visit to Dave at work and surprise him by telling him she was really awake. He had worked with her so seriously and he was so patient, she was sure he would be happy to know how much progress they were making. Annie was sure she would succeed. She almost lost her control when she chuckled about this strange hobby the couple shared. Releasing a slow deep breath, she gently brought herself back to the transition phase.

********

She heard barking. It was really more like a whining. Annie was in a white room, there were no windows or doors, the room seemed to go on forever. She turned and watched a shadow in the distance running towards her. Slowly the shadow took on the form of a dog and it came closer, the whining grew louder and more pitiful.

She knelt to greet the pup and stretched her arms out. It was a medium sized brown dog and she was horrified to see blood dripping from its body. The closer the dog came, the more it bled. She could feel her tears falling as her arms wrapped around the dog and she saw the dog’s blood on her arms. He rested his head on her shoulder and howled in pain. His paws began to slip out from under him and the whining grew weaker. Annie tried to find the source of the blood, there was just too much.

The dog slumped against her bent knee and looked at her. His eyes were filled with blood and she swore that there were tears. She cried harder as the dog’s panting grew slower and he laid on the white floor in a pool of blood. The dog stopped panting and was still. Annie tried to wake him but she knew he was gone.

Annie woke with a loud gasp. There were tears on her cheeks. She looked at her arms, even though she could feel the blood there was none. Her arms were clean. She had to catch her breath before she could even stand.

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