The Magic Pillow: The Passage of Light

By K.J. Kratz

On Christmas Eve morning, Jenna receives a mysterious package from her great aunt who died several months prior. Jenna quickly discovers that what appears to be just a decorative pillow turns out to be a portal to another world. As Jenna visits the other world, she discovers her hidden talents and forms an unbreakable bond with a diverse team. Jenna and the team use futuristic technology as they take an incredible journey to save their world from evil aliens.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Inspiring Voices
• Release date: Nov 11, 2014
• ISBN: 9781462410637

K.J. Kratz

K. J. grew up in a small town nestled in the plains, surrounded by farmland and enduring extreme weather conditions. She learned how to use her imagination to occupy her time during school breaks by writing music and poetry. This experience became the catalyst for her passion to write The Magic Pillow.

Book preview

CHAPTER 1

D ark-gray clouds filled the skies as I navigated the reckless, half-asleep traffic on a mid-December morning. Normally, we had warm, dry winters because of what some suggested were the early signs of global warming, but that year, the clouds had filled the skies by early fall and yielded very few days of sunlight. The air turned cold in early September and insistently embraced us through winter.

The weather had been well suited for the type of year we’d had. It seemed that everyone decided to die that year, and I bought sympathy cards in bulk. Even my great aunt Sarah had decided to call it quits at age ninety-eight after outliving her children and three husbands. Sarah had been such a strong woman who had loved life and enjoyed every minute. She’d been wealthy because of her sharp mind and the brilliant investment decisions she’d made. Sarah owned land, real estate, and oil wells, all of which she managed throughout her life.

Because Sarah was alone, I had visited her frequently, especially in her last days. She was my mentor; she had taught me all about her investments and how she had made those decisions. We used to discuss the importance of building self-esteem and confidence. Sarah had told me many stories about her life and how she had used adversity to create opportunity. I hoped I would be as spry as she was when I turned ninety-eight.

I didn’t feel that energetic that day. My commute to work was only twenty minutes, but it felt like an eternity. Even though Aunt Sarah had been my mentor, I didn’t seem to have any of her traits. I believed I had been a lot like her years ago; I had had confidence and was creative and free. I guess when you grow up, you tend to lose old traits and take on new ones. I always felt I’d do something great, but the truth was I was just average. After all, if I had been special or great, wouldn’t I have been promoted by that point?

I work for Trust Insurance Company, which had hired a new vice president of distribution that year. He had major credentials and came from another large insurance company on the northeast coast. His name was Max, and he was very tall with dark hair and nearly black eyes. He dresses in the finest suits and always wore large gold cuff links shaped like squares. His initial was engraved on the square with a small diamond tucked under the middle point of the M. When he talked and gestured, his cuff links flashed in the light, and every once in a while, I caught a brilliant sparkle from the diamonds.

Taking off work again tomorrow? Max asked with a stern smile. You’ve been taking off work quite a bit lately. I hope I don’t see your sales teams suffer because of it. I noticed the teams were averaging only twenty meetings per week. That’s a far cry from the thirty that’s expected of them. His smile grew on his psychotic, smirky face.

But we’re currently at a hundred and twenty percent of our goal, and our client satisfaction is very high, I said in a shaking tone.

I’d better not see the team’s performance start to sag or we’ll have to look at making some changes around here.

It’s almost Christmas, Max, and our team has worked hard all year. We need time off to spend with our families. Most of them didn’t take vacations this year because of the economy, I said.

Jenna, the holidays are no excuse, Max firmly stated.

I folded my arms so he couldn’t see me shaking. I walked to the south side of the building. I remembered the day when I could walk around the office spreading my smile and positive energy. I always believed that as long as I kept a positive attitude, I’d have endless opportunities and doors that would swing open for me.

I walked down the dark hallway to the bathroom on the south side of the building to grab a minute. The south side of our building was nearly empty because several years ago, the company had planned for a large expansion that ended up on hold due to the poor economy. This had left the space absent of warm bodies and energy; all it contained were empty, gray cubes.

I walked into the restroom that lit up when the energy-saving sensors noticed me. I stood in front of a large mirror. The bathroom was totally gray except for the white toilets. Just like the rest of the building, it was a giant nothing. There were no pictures on the walls in this uninhabited part of the building. I stared at myself and saw sandy-brown hair and green eyes with a hint of darkness creeping in under them. I noticed the tiny wrinkles starting to form around my eyes; they reminded me that I was getting older and that several years of my life had just evaporated into thin air. What about the children I’ve always wanted? I asked myself. My brain was flooded with thousands of questions. I felt trapped and wasn’t sure how to change the life I had built. Everything just seemed so wrong.

As I sorted through those thoughts and emotions, a question kept repeating itself: Am I really living? I tried to figure out why I had ended up in this situation, and more important, how I was going to get out of it. At that moment, I realized I hadn’t been acknowledging my surroundings and had become complacently trapped. I had allowed that feeling to become a normal part of my everyday routine. I stared at myself a few minutes longer before I headed back to my desk to finish up some things before the end of the day.

I knew I couldn’t take off work the next day because of Max’s comments, but I had some errands to run before Christmas, including wrapping gifts, picking up last-minute stocking stuffers, and baking cookies to take to my parents’ home. My husband, Kyle, had already decided to work since he’d taken off work throughout the year to attend triathlon competitions; he’d left our gym in the hands of our other employees. We were preparing to celebrate marathon holidays with our families; it would require our driving five hundred miles in four days, and I realized I’d be staying up until midnight trying to get everything finished.

I silently made my way back to my desk, trying not to be noticed by Max, but as soon as I sat down, he showed up at my office door.

Jenna, there’s something I need to discuss with you, he said as his eyes and smile grew quite devilish.

What do we need to discuss? I asked.

Well, we’re going to make some big changes next year.

What do you mean by big changes?

We’re looking at performance, and we believe that due to performance issues, we’ll be doing some consolidation with the management.

What do you mean by consolidation? I asked as my stomach fell.

Well, if we don’t see increased performance from our managers, and this includes you, we feel like we’ll start consolidating to other teams.

Well, my team is up a hundred and twenty percent over the goal, so I’d assume I was okay.

You think a hundred and twenty is good? You have a lot to learn, Jenna, he said in a crude voice. I know others in the industry doing two hundred.

As he left my office, I realized he wanted me to leave the company. I was afraid he probably had someone else in mind for my position, and more than likely, it was one of his friends from his previous employer. I realized he’d be picking apart everything I did and scrutinizing every piece of work to find something, anything, wrong with it.

Kyle got home around nine that evening. I was exhausted from running all my errands. I watched him walk through the door, brushing his hand through his dark-brown hair. I admired his handsome physique and his smooth stride. He was muscular, and you could tell he was a professional weight trainer. We’d been married for five years but had decided to postpone having children because we were so busy with our careers.

You hear the big news? Kyle was excited. There’s a huge snowstorm headed our way, and we could end up getting two feet of snow! He had a childlike tone in his voice. It’s supposed to start snowing on Christmas Eve and last three days.

Great. That’s just what I needed to hear. What are we going to do? I asked as my voice and blood pressure rose.

I don’t know, Kyle said.

I was exhausted. The last thing I wanted to think about was a snowstorm. I hated snow and had always dreamed of moving to a warm place where I’d never have to deal with it again.

I guess I should prepare for us to just stay here and hope it doesn’t snow as much as the meteorologists have predicted, I said as I walked to the kitchen to grab Kyle’s dinner sitting in the oven. It was a bit dry by then. I handed Kyle his dinner, but he pushed it aside.

I’ve already eaten. I just grabbed something on the way home.

Oh, okay. I guess you can take this for lunch then.

Sure. I’m going to bed because I need to be up by four to get to the gym.

Why so early? I thought Shawn was handling the early mornings.

Shawn can’t make it tomorrow, so I have to be there.

Does that mean you’re going to be home early tomorrow?

Jenna, I’m going to bed. I’m tired, and I need to get some rest.

Okay, fine.

I walked back to the kitchen feeling as though I were going to explode. I started wondering about what my life had become.

The next day, I drove to work hoping I wouldn’t have to listen to Max’s crude comments. I hurried to my desk but walked all the way around the other side of our department so I wouldn’t have to walk past his office. I knew that if he saw me, he’d try to hold me up with some ridiculous project. As soon as I sat down, I started putting the finishing touches on the next year’s business plan. I was busy typing some revisions on the plan for a new region the company wanted to target when I heard, Women can type so much faster than men. It was Max. Oh God, he wants me to type another memo for him.

Jenna, I need you to stop what you’re doing and type this memo for me. I need to get this out right away, he said with that devilish smirk.

What about your assistant, Julie? Why can’t she type this?

Well, you know it’s technical, and I don’t think Julie can understand the message I’m trying to convey. I don’t need to remind you we’re planning on making some big changes around here, he said with his piercing glare.

I’ll get it done, I said as I envisioned my fist slamming into his perfect, plastic face and watching the Botox ooze out of his perfectly curved cheeks.

Oh, and Jenna, can you stop by my office real quick? There’s something I’d like to show you.

Sure, I said hesitantly, wondering what ridiculous thing he would create in order to make more work.

As I walked into his office, I noticed an e-mail I had sent had been printed out and was sitting on his desk with red ink all over it.

Jenna, do you see this?

Yes, I can see it.

You never write the name of someone who’s responsible for an action in an e-mail. Do you understand?

Yes, I said, but I couldn’t believe he had all the names of the committee members for a project that had fallen apart circled in red.

I didn’t mean to offend anyone in the e-mail. I was just simply stating that the project was no longer moving forward.

It doesn’t matter. From now on, remember what I said.

Sure, I said as I quietly walked out of his office in shock over what he had just told me. I kept repeating in my mind what he had said, wondering if it was real. I wondered how deep this secret spanned in the company. If a project failed, the employees running it would be protected. That’s how they got promoted and kept their jobs. They simply needed to shove everything that failed under the rug to protect their bosses and get promoted.

I hurried and typed up Max’s memo. Once I finished my work, I walked all the way around Max’s office, hoping once again he wouldn’t see me on my way out of the building. On my way home, I planned to stop by the grocery store to stock up on food in case we ended up snowed in.

As I walked into the store, hastily navigating my way through the scores of people who were obviously doing the same thing I was doing, I noticed an older woman ringing a bell to collect donations. The woman looked at me with glowing, bright eyes. I noticed her blue velvet hat as she leaned toward me. She whispered, Sweet dreams as I walked by. I smiled and felt somewhat puzzled by what she had said, but I thanked her.

I spent an hour picking up groceries and other provisions in case we didn’t get to travel for Christmas. On my way out, I looked for the woman; I wanted to give a donation to her, but she wasn’t there. Instead, I saw a teenage girl ringing the bell. As I walked by, I stopped to ask the girl if the other woman had gone home. The girl looked at me with a puzzled face. I’ve been here all day, and my replacement won’t be here for another hour.

I felt puzzled by her answer but handed her a donation and walked to my car. My attention turned to the damp, cold air that was freezing my face. I loaded the groceries and headed home, wondering if the storm was already approaching. But I couldn’t help think about the woman with the glowing eyes and the blue velvet hat. She reminded me of Aunt Sarah.

As I pulled in to the driveway, I took a quick look at our neighborhood before I noticed that once again Kyle’s car wasn’t there. Our home looked just like all the other homes in the development. The only difference was that we had opted for black shutters to go with the tan color, and of course, in the summer, our roses brightened up the side of the house with hues of red and yellow. The reason we had chosen this home was because of the spacious lot and the direct connection to the nature path from our backyard. I kept thinking about Kyle and the fact that ever since we had opened the gym, he’d been working late almost every evening. Sometimes, he stayed late training for upcoming triathlon competitions. Lately, I had noticed he seemed distant. I felt the need to try to reconnect with him, but with his work schedule, it seemed impossible.

As I worked my way into the kitchen with the groceries, I noticed a shiny object on the floor. I carefully put the groceries on the countertop to keep my dog Ben from getting into them. I picked up the object, a diamond earring stud that was missing the back. I stood there, completely puzzled as to how the earring had ended up in the kitchen. Our kitchen had black granite countertops with stainless steel appliances. I enjoyed cooking; I had decided we should have a large kitchen with restaurant-grade appliances. The earring blended right in with the sparkly granite.

I