Tom Harding embarks on a road trip to the coast of Maine, abandoning his home, job, and unfaithful wife in Arizona. During childhood he endured brief but unusual out-of-body experiences when falling asleep. As an adult the frequency of these episodes has decreased. On the first night away from home he has such an episode and dismisses it. On the second night, another episode takes him farther than ever before. Still determined to reach Maine, Tom meets Vicki Culpepper, a beautiful woman from Iowa. The attraction is mutual and immediate. She accompanies Tom on the trip, and together they work to solve the mystery of his ever-increasing experiences during sleep, which now take him to a place nearly fifty years back in time. A fatal car accident, a woman named Marcy, an old Volkswagen, and Vicki herself hold keys to the answer.
EXCERPT FROM CHAPTER FIVE
His grandparents were both dead now, but Tom still had vivid memories of his visits with them. The generation of his grandparents and even his parents was that of a much gentler time. It was a time when people could sleep under the stars on a big porch without fear of some lunatic coming along and attacking him, or more likely, her. It was a time when people could go to a diner and order whatever they wished without fear of cholesterol levels or how many grams of carbohydrates the food contained. Nobody cared, and people more or less lived just as long because the stress of knowing these things simply wasn't there. The service had a personal touch. It was a time when a person could enjoy an after-dinner smoke and not worry about somebody else sitting thirty feet away proclaiming that his life was in danger. It was a time when accidents caused by waitresses spilling coffee on customers were forgiven and laughed off instead of being grounds for multi-million dollar lawsuits.
EXCERPT FROM CHAPTER EIGHT
As Tom fell deeper into sleep, the roaring in his ears began. He was having another experience for the second consecutive night. Once again, the roaring increased in volume, and he began to float above the bed. He went through the window of his motel room and was floating about fifteen feet above the parking lot as he had done yesterday. Now, however, he kept floating until he was out over Interstate 40.
About Pat Sills
Pat Sills is an avid Volkswagen enthusiast and writes articles and feature stories for a club newsletter. He enjoys traveling and reading. He lives with his wife and daughter in Eau Claire, Wisconsin.
