Did That Truly Happen?

Recently one of the ‘change of life’ experiences I’ve had is that my brother and sister and I reached a point where we needed to sell my mother’s house and property after she passed away. Though we had all grown up there — it was purchased in 1971 and we never moved as a family — the property was too far away from us, too difficult and expensive to maintain, and too depressingly much of a burden.

So this might sound like a sad story, but the part I’m going to talk about today isn’t that sad. It’s just strange.

an old milk parlor turned into a house where i grew up
This was the milk parlor, where the cows came in to be milked and then existed through what is now the so-called ‘master bedroom’ hahaha.

Old dreams…or were they?

As we rehashed our dreams or memories and prepped the place for the new buyer, we realized pretty quickly this wasn’t going to be an ordinary sale because it wasn’t an ordinary property. It was a converted dairy farm built in the 40s and 50s with only two owners in its lifespan. It was in a rural area with some decent acreage and a lot of peculiarities that went beyond simple family history.

Such as, in the woods around the property were located many trails. Not just animal trails but former wagon and logging trails that were distinct. One of those trails emerged right in our front yard. Now, while we as a family enjoyed using those trails to walk to friends’ houses and just wander in the woods, the trails were also travelable by vehicle. Car, even.

A view of a rolling field and trees that inhabits the authors dreams or memories
This is actually not where the trails were. This is our back field that our neighbors mowed several times a year in order to get hay for their working farm. Not like we needed it! We did have horses and a burro for a long time, but they didn’t eat everything.

As my sister and I were discussing what stories to relay to the new owner one night, I told her that some of my most vivid dreams of the property, dreams I’ve been having as long as I can remember, was of cars just rolling up into our yard out of the woods. Sightseers, randos in trucks, you name it.

My sister practically screamed because it turned out SHE HAD THOSE DREAMS TOO! And you know what? I’m five years older than her and what I know is…they were not dreams.

They were memories.

People used to just drive through our yard sometimes because they wanted to see where that road went. Well, the answer is, our yard, and get out of it.

I have solved a mystery that has haunted my sister all her life. Did that really happen? Yes, yes it did. I doubt the dreams OR memories are going away anytime soon, though.

(((Note: I do not think that our shared dreams brought these incidents to LIFE, though, like the premise of my Dreamwalkers book! LOL)))

Jody W & Meankitty

The cover for blue guard by jody wallace on a fancy blended blue background

Jody Wallace’s 30+ titles in sf/f and contemporary romance feature diverse protagonists, action, adventure, and plenty of cats. Visit her at www.jodywallace.com and the cats at www.meankitty.com