There was a new, unread email sitting in my inbox.

It was from Kaleigh Way.

When I woke the next morning, the first thought in my mind was the mess of emails I'd sent last night. I drew a deep breath. Did I have to be such an idiot? Why did I send those emails? Why didn't I wait and look at them the next day?

I mean, who in the world was Kaleigh Way, and why did I think she'd care about me?

Maybe after she read the first email, she'd delete the rest without reading them.

At the very least, she'd think I was mentally unbalanced. Why in the world did I spill my guts to a total stranger?

Still, there was nothing for it but to face the music. I sat down at my desk and woke up my computer.

There was a new, unread email sitting in my inbox.

It was from Kaleigh Way. My heart rate picked up a bit as I clicked to open the message. This is what it said:

 

Dear Marcie,

I was just about to get ready for bed when your email arrived — the first one, where you asked about the fairy tales. *That* question is easy to answer, and I'll tell you in a minute...

Just as I finished reading your message, your second email arrived. I have to tell you, I was exhausted last night, and really wanted to sleep, but once I started reading your story — I mean, what happened to you — I couldn't stop. The third email came, and the fourth, and so on...

I kept on reading, all the way to the end, and by that time, I was completely awake.

When I got to the end of your last email, my first thought was, Oh, you poor girl! and I had to write an answer tonight.

You asked whether I think you're crazy. Well, I don't have any training in medicine or psychology, but I *have* seen crazy people, and you don't sound like one of them.

By the way, I have heard of you. I saw you on the news, and after reading your emails, I googled you. You certainly lead an adventurous life. Your dreams — or whatever they were — don't seem much different from what usually happens to you.
 

Now let's talk about your questions. About the fairy tales: I don't know any story called Princess Marcelline, but I do know the story that you're talking about. It's actually *two* stories: most of what you told comes from Gracieuse and Percinet by Madame d'Aulnoy. It's a French fairy tale, which is to say, it's very long and very strange. The rest of the story, the part about the ogre and his wife, is from The Blue Belt, in the collection of Asbjá¸rnsen and Moe. You can find them both on the internet.

The funny thing is, I *did* want to use both of those stories, but they were too awkward to make something of. If you read the originals, you'll find interesting bits here and there, but they get tiresome.

In any case, I don't think it's odd that you knew my name or the stories. You could have heard of them somewhere. If all you want is a rational explanation, that's it.

However, I hope that's not what you're looking for.
 

I might be wrong in telling you this, but when it comes to the strange things that happen in life, I don't always care for rational explanations. It's just like sweeping dirt under a carpet. It's a way of pretending that it isn't there.

Ordinary life is much weirder and wonderful than we usually realize, and every so often the curtain lifts just a bit. We see something impossible, something that makes no sense... we see it, but we don't believe our eyes.
 

You reminded me of the Chinese sage who dreamt he was a butterfly. When he woke, he said, "Now I don't know whether I'm a man who dreamt he was a butterfly, or a butterfly who dreams he's a man."

I always thought that was a pretty stupid story, because it's so obvious when you're dreaming and when you're awake — right?

Now I think, maybe that man had an experience like yours...
 

And then we come to what is probably the most important question: Do the Amazons exist? I think they do.

I don't think you can go and find them, however. I think what will happen is that one day you'll meet a girl your age and she'll seem so familiar. You'll think you know her, and she'll have the same feeling. You'll ask yourself, Who does she remind me of? and finally you'll realize that it's Cakey, or Wiggy, or Belle. Of course, the name will probably be different, but the person will be the same.

And maybe that girl had the same dream that you had. Who knows? Stranger things have happened.
 

I think the worst thing you could do right now is to try to figure it out. Don't rush to conclusions. In this case, it might be better not to come to any conclusion at all. Just try to live with what happened to you. Be grateful that you met those girls, and for the experiences you had with them. Remember you might see them again some day. It sounds like the experience enriched your life, so don't throw it away by being overly skeptical.

And sure, it is hard to lose them as friends, even if they aren't "real." I'm much older than you, and I've seen precious people slip out of my life in various ways, and it's hard.
 

I don't know whether any of this helps. I hope so.

I'm glad you felt you could write to me, and please feel free to write again if you like.

You're a courageous girl, and you've dealt with challenges that would have swamped many (maybe even most) people. This is just one more you have to face.

Trust me, your uneasy feelings will fade. In the meantime, try to live with them. Don't try push them away.

All the best,

Kaleigh Way

After I was done reading, I shut the email and went down to breakfast. I made myself some tea and toast.

This morning, I felt a lot better. My stomach was finally back to normal. I was a little weak, but I wasn't lightheaded any more. My illness had passed.

And though I often catch myself wondering how Wiggy is doing, or wishing I could email Belle, I feel a lot better about the whole experience. That's the word I use to describe it: experience. You can call it a dream if you like. I don't care. Now that I told my story, I've gotten it off my chest.

As far as what Kaleigh Way wrote to me... well, it was nice of her to try, but she didn't really help. I think she may be a nice person, but she must be a little off her rocker.

(Don't tell her I said so!)

I'm glad that she listened to me, but I don't think I'll write her again.
 

© 2008 by Kaleigh Way