Chapter 1

A stand of fallen Douglas Fir trees looked like scattered toothpicks from the air. The abrupt descent of the white twin engine Cessna had forced them to the forest floor. A fresh blanket of new fallen snow covered the clearing where the two halves of the broken plane came to rest. The blood red stripe that began at the propeller and the black registration number, C-FREE2 on the tail section, contrasted under the shimmering moonlight of the new fallen snow and the deep shadows of the wild, untamed forest.

“Please! You must help us! Come with us!” said the pleading spirits in voices like tinkling bells.

Ashlynn, compelled by their urgency, flew with them through the night sky to the southeast side of Mt. Adams, skimming over the treetops to the downed plane. Hovering above a clearing, one of the spirits looked at Ashlynn and pointed below.

Ashlynn’s eyes fixed upon the two men’s bodies, crumpled and still, within yards of the aircraft. This was so much more than she was ready for, revealed to her that night in her dream walking spiritual flight.
Fear welled up in Ashlynn. Her face was flush, heart pounding in her chest, and she could feel a growing knot in her throat. All she could think of was getting away.  She just wanted to go home! As she turned to leave, a thought crossed her mind. She paused for a flash of a moment.

“The spirits had not survived the crash,” she thought.

Leaving, she heard them say, “They’re hurt! You have to help them! Please!”

Upon waking, she heard her voice as her final words trailed from her lips. A promise had been made.

Waking into consciousness, Ashlynn rubbed her forehead and recalled, “A plane crash…in the forest…two men on the ground and two spirits talking to me.”

She gazed out the window and watched the snow fall silently on a sleeping world. She traced the design of the quilt pattern with her forefinger and remembered its name.
“Bear claw,” she said.

Ashlynn then threw back the quilt on her bed and sat up for a moment thinking.
“I have been dream walking all of my life, but this…this was incredible! It is the first time that spirits spoke to me. But I get it. They spotted me out night flying in spirit and needed my help. I wonder if any of this is on the news?”

Ashlynn slipped on a deep red velvet robe and fuzzy slippers and then padded down the winding stairs of her chalet to the great room below. The wood stove was still smoldering and warm from the night before. The exposed wood beams and wood floors made her chalet a winter paradise. She settled onto the sofa, pointed the remote to the television, and waited to verify if what she had experienced was in fact real. Right away, the news was on and the news anchor began to speak.

“In the early morning hours around 2 a.m., a small twin engine Cessna crash landed in the Gifford Pinchot Wilderness Area. The bodies of two deceased women were located on the southeast side of Mt. Adams. The plane and the three remaining males passengers have not been located yet. A Search and Rescue team are on their way to the what is believed to be the location of the crash site. If you have any information about the crash, contact the station or Mt. Adams Search and Rescue. The contact information is on our website.”

“It seemed to real to be a dream.”