AJB

BC #20 Picture #1

Disclaimer: Story mine, characters mine.

"What a beautiful morning!" Jamie said, taking a deep breath and blowing out to watch the puffs of fog as her warm breath hit the cold air in the ice rink. 'I got here early enough - not many skaters yet.'

She slowly scanned the entire rink, appreciating the beauty of the Christmas tree and the lights decorating everything and reflecting off the ice. Some of the skaters were flying by - moving so quickly she was sure they weren't enjoying the view at all. Her favorites to watch were the couples more in the center of the rink. Some were obviously older and had probably been coming here for years. But the kids in the middle, with a parent or possibly an older sibling holding their hands keeping them upright - they were having fun.

She grinned again in pure joy and turned away to find an empty spot on the bench behind her. She swung her ice skates off her left shoulder and sat to remove her boots. She had just finished lacing up when she hesitated. 'Ok, something's not right - what is going on?' she asked herself. There was a thought floating someplace in the back of her mind that she just couldn't catch. Jamie closed her eyes and thought 'What is this? What's wrong here?'

"Hey - you ok?" a child's voice interrupted her musing. She opened her eyes and peered directly into a grinning face with large brown eyes. Startled at his closeness, she leaned back and saw that the boy had climbed the guardrail in front of the rink and was hanging over the top rung.

"Yes, I'm fine. You be careful up there, ok? Are you here alone?" she asked, worried about this little boy all by himself. She stood carefully, hanging onto the rail next to the boy.

At that moment, Jamie heard a man's voice calling - "Tyler! Get down from there. Come on, let's skate!"

"Ok, Dad!" He turned back to Jamie and said, "I gotta go. See you on the ice?" Tyler asked as he carefully climbed down the rail back to the rink.

"Sure, see you out there." Jamie smiled. "Thanks for checking on me." She waved as Tyler skated expertly over to his father.

Jamie stepped cautiously over to the gate and glanced down as she lowered her left foot toward the ice. The light dazzled her for a moment and she froze in place - 'is this really happening - is this a dream?'

She took a deep breath and let it out slowly, consciously relaxing the tension in her shoulders. She stepped onto the ice and released her grip of the guardrail. It took a few moments for her to feel comfortable, but soon she was skating slowly around the rink. 'This is so weird. I can't shake the feeling that something isn't right. But I'm having too much fun to waste time worrying. I'll figure it out later - or I won't...' She enjoyed the feeling of the muscles in her thighs warming up and listening to the shushing sound her blades made as she skated faster and faster.

Music wafted over her -'Vivaldi! I know that music - the Four Seasons; Winter. I love this.' Jamie searched until she saw the string quartet playing high up in the stands almost directly above an angel statue.

Now fully relaxed, her eyes wandered the stands as she skated by and she focused on a few of the little kids in the center of the rink. She noticed a billboard - was that there before? Slowing a little, she read, "Wanted - Generous, Loving, Polite, Faithful…"

On her next pass the words had changed - "Good sense of humor, Supports me and my interests."

On the third pass the words were "A Hugger, Sensory person, Must be content in life."

Jamie stopped in front of the sign. Suddenly fireworks exploded on either side and above it. 'Oh my god. That's my list - the qualities I want in a lover/partner!'

The edges of her vision darkened and Jamie felt herself falling, falling, and she could hear the wind howling wildly around her as she fell.

"Hey - you ok? Hello? Come here, let's sit you down for a bit, ok?"

Jamie felt an arm go around her waist and she was being guided and pulled off the ice to the benches on the side. 'I know that voice; why do I know that voice? Why do I feel safe now?' she wondered.

"Um, uh…I I…" she couldn't form a coherent thought.

"You didn't hit your head or anything, did you?" the voice asked.

Jamie turned to look at her rescuer now sharing the bench. "It's you!" She gasped, immediately recognizing the woman from her dreams. She now understood she was having a precognitive dream. But as soon as she acknowledged her dream state, the light started to fade.

"No, not yet!" She implored, desperate for more time. "Quick, can you tell me what day this is? And where we are right now?" She asked frantically, hoping to hold on to the dream a little longer.

The woman leaned forward, cupping Jamie's face in her right palm. Leaning even closer, she whispered, "Today is New Year's Day, and you are skating at Rockefeller Center in New York City." Winking, she added, "I'm officially answering your bulletin board want ad." She dropped her hand from Jamie's face and grasped both Jamie's hands in her own.

Smiling sweetly, her image began to fade in Jamie's sight. But she could still hear the woman's last whispered comments..."I'm waiting for you. I've been waiting a long time - hurry up and get here, ok?"

With a gasp, Jamie sat up in her bed. "Wow!" she said out loud, disturbing her cat that had been sleeping across her legs. "Move, Len! I have to get up and make plans. I have about a week to get to New York City and meet my future!"