Dreamberries

By Kenneth A. Marston

• Language: English
• Publisher: Authors Press
• Release date: Apr 27, 2020
• ISBN: 9781643142562

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Copyright © 2020 by Kenneth A. Marston

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the author, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law.

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Contents

Chapter One: Love And Devastation

Chapter Two: The Castle

Chapter Three: Dreamberries Revealed

Chapter Four: Elizabeth

Chapter Five: Gathering The Evidence

Chapter Six: Ahead To 1885

Chapter Seven: Ahead To 2012

Chapter Eight: John Evans

Chapter Nine: To The McGuire Farm

Chapter Ten: The FBI To The Rescue

Chapter Eleven: Premonition Comes True

Chapter Twelve: Processing The Evidence

Chapter Thirteen: The Snitch

Chapter Fourteen: Attack On Bogota

Chapter Fifteen: Time Travel

Chapter Sixteen: What Happens To The Physical Body

Chapter Seventeen: What The Feds Found

Chapter Eighteen: Into the Heart of the ‘O’Sullivan Castle

Chapter Nineteen: What The Safe reveals

Chapter Twenty: The Mass Graveyard

Chapter Twenty One: More Time Travel Theory

Chapter Twenty Two: Stolen Weapons At The Castle

Chapter Twenty Three: Jim Disappears Forever

Chapter Twenty Four: Back To The Weapon Situation

Chapter Twenty Five: The Search For Jim

Chapter Twenty Six: The Search For Substantial Evidence

Chapter Twenty Seven: Moses Tells all

Chapter Twenty Eight: Bermuda Triangle

Chapter Twenty Nine: Josiah Disappears

Chapter Thirty: The Federal Court Case Against The O’Sullivans

Chapter Thirty-One: Amusement Park

Chapter Thirty Two: John Evans’ Will Fulfilled

EPILOGUE

Have you ever had a dream so bizarre, so eerie, so mind shattering that you remember it in complete or almost complete detail years later. I have, but nothing like the dream revealed in this saga!

A friend of mine sat down with me one day and asked me if I wanted to hear the wildest dream ever.

Sure! I said.

You will not be so nonchalant when we get into the meat of the matter. This dream involves time travel, intrigue, spying, personality changes, melding of one personality into another regardless of sex, different universes, drugs, fighting and true love, of course!

Please note that some of the viewpoints expressed in this story are not necessarily the opinions shared by the author. This is a dream!

Chapter One

Love And Devastation

James loved summer: barbecues, picnics, swimming in the ocean or at the lake, horseback riding, fields of wild flowers, freshly mowed lawns or hayed fields, lazy cumulus clouds drifting overhead, hazy hot days, cooler nights with a light breeze, stars glistening in the heavens like diamonds, refreshing summer rain showers, anvil shaped thunderheads towering above the landscape, thunder and lightning, fireflies, grasshoppers and crickets, butterflies, dragonflies, bumblebees, bats flying around and zooming in, yard and garage sales, fresh fruits and vegetables, hummingbirds, a plethora of songbirds and wild life, farm animals grazing in the fields and barns along with wind rustling through the pines.

Oh, by the way, my name is James Elliott McGuire III and I am the main character in this saga. If it was not for the fact that I was totally involved in and experienced every second of the time traveling, the personality changes, the gender transformations plus the bizarre, twisted, macabre tormented happenings, I would dismiss this tale as an outright fraud. I will however let you as readers decide for yourselves as to the veracity of this story!

From this point forward, I will refer to myself as James or Jimmy. So, this saga will be related in the third person!

Now James was nineteen years old and just graduated from high school with a 3.85 grade average. Harvard University accepted him as a freshman for the fall semester majoring in journalism and corporate law.

He lived on a forty acre farm with his parents James Elliott McGuire II and Sandra Bennett McGuire. His sister Jill came home for the summer from Yale where she attended graduate school majoring in computer science and technology.

Now, James was not a homosexual. He had nothing against gay or lesbian people.

However, he had always been shy around the female gender. He found it very difficult to carry on a conversation with a female. He would stutter and sweat profusely. Guys he could talk with easily.

Every morning James arose at four-thirty, showered, dressed in coveralls and had breakfast with his parents. After breakfast, he had specific chores to accomplish each day.

After lunch, providing he finished his daily tasks, James did whatever he desired for the remainder of the day.

James’ passion was saddling his mare Jette and riding her. Together James and Jette rode across fields and meadows; through streams, creeks and brooks; along swift flowing rivers; up and down hillsides and mountains; around quaint ponds, swamps, marshes and lakes.

Jette raced about like a supersonic fighter, a black streak, a momentary blur, sleek and streamlined, seemingly faster and more powerful than a whirlwind or oncoming freight train.

James always regarded Jette as more than a horse. What a magnificent specimen she was. She became more as a friend, a confidante, a comforter, someone he told his deepest secrets and fantasies to and never worried about, scolding, scoffing, ridicule, chastisement or revelation.

Both of them relished their time together, sharing one spirit and passion, a single purpose in life. Day after day they cavorted through time, taking in as much of the pastoral scenery as possible. They were joined at the saddle, inseparable, in perfect harmony like bacon and eggs, thunder and lightning, franks and beans, toast and jam, coffee and cream, peanut butter and jelly, shoes and socks, constantly sensing one another’s mood changes and attitude variations.

During their afternoon jaunts, James usually spotted tourists riding mountain bikes, hiking, walking, fishing, canoeing, kayaking, riding their three and four wheelers or dirt bikes, engaging in many sporting events as participants or spectators, attending outdoor events such as fairs, barbecues, church picnics and so forth. Everyone breathed in the clean, clear, refreshing mountain air.

Some folks owned or rented summer cottages or cabins on the numerous lakes and ponds in the area. Others stayed in hotels, motels, inns, bed and breakfast places, campsites and RV parks in and around McFarland County.

James II (Jim) was a retired Army Ranger and Paratrooper and an Eagle Scout. Jim taught Jimmy and Jill how to survive in the wilderness, how to be expert marksmen and how to correctly read signs in nature.

Jimmy had a second degree black belt in Brazilian jujitsu. Also, he was proficient at handling and firing a variety of hunting and military weaponry. On occasion, Jim had taken Jimmy and Jill out in the deep mountain forests and taught them how to exist with a bare minimum of supplies.

Because of this training, every time James went riding, he was well prepared for any problem or emergency. Either in two saddle bags or in a back pack, James carried a compact fully stocked first-aid kit, iodine tablets for water purification, waterproof matches, flint and steel, steel wool, one hundred feet of nylon rope hung off a loop on the saddle, dehydrated food packets, two lightweight tarps rolled tightly, a hatchet, a Swiss Army knife, a sharpener, a cell phone with extra batteries, a couple of railroad flares, a flare gun with cartridges, a compass, some aluminum tent pegs, a small collapsible wood saw, a collapsible latrine shovel, toilet paper, two small plates, some utensils, a lightweight frying pan and a bunch of rags.

Around his waist he wore a Bowie knife in a sheath, two canteens full of water, extra ammunition and a Smith and Wesson .357 magnum pistol in a holster. Outside of the saddle bags in sheaths were a high powered .22 caliber rifle with scope, extra ammunition and an axe.

Summer this year so far was unusually dry. Reservoirs, lakes, ponds, streams, creeks, brooks, swamps, bogs and marshes had noticeably lower water tables than normal.

JULY 29TH, 2012:

This one particular hot, moderately dry July afternoon, July 29th, 2012, James saddled Jette and decided to journey to his favorite swimming hole on the LaValley Stream in the Blueberry Mountain range. The one o’clock temperature was 105 degrees Fahrenheit.

About halfway to their destination, James was hot and thirsty. He figured that Jette must be feeling the effects of the afternoon sun. So, they paused for a cooling off period at Hampstead Pond.

James removed Jette’s saddle bags and saddle and let her roam in an area of shade.

In this location, by the north edge of the pond, the grass grew thick and green. Jette wandered down to that spot for a snack and a drink.

What James had in mind was a good drink of water and a refreshing skinny dip in the cool spring fed waters of Hampstead Pond. James heard tittering, laughing and splashing.

Again, being somewhat shy by nature, James crept up to a thicket of bushes, concealed himself and peeked beyond.

What he viewed made his heart race, his blood pressure rise dramatically and his breathing turn to short, rasping gasps. For in the water were three gorgeous naked young ladies frolicking and playing. They all seemed to be in their late teens or early twenties.

They romped and splashed for about ten more minutes. Then, these eye poppers exited the water, dried off, found their clothing, got dressed and walked by so near to James that he could have reached out and touched them.

James wanted to call out to them but could not. In his mind he reasoned: They would most likely believe that I was a ‘peeping tom’ or a sexual pervert, which I’m not! What a way that would be to try and begin a relationship!

For one of the three women, the tallest one, was magnificent in James’ eyes. She had long brunette hair with auburn highlights; creamy alabaster, flawless skin; emerald green eyes with a bluish sparkle; a Greco-Roman nose; a full pouting mouth which tantalized him and seemed to say:Kiss me now!; a long slender neck; beautifully shaped shoulders and arms plus two perfect round breasts that jounced as she walked. James was absolutely mesmerized.

My parents taught me that it wasn’t polite to stare! But, she is so exquisite, a Venus de Milo with arms, a full bodied Mona Lisa!

Nothing short of a nuclear explosion could pry his eyes away from her voluptuous, sensuous body and face! His life changed radically in a moment!

For a long time, James had fantasized about women, dreamed about them, yearned to hold one in his arms and passionately kiss her, to experience her body against his.

What would such an experience feel like? How would I respond? Would I become aroused? Would I be a dud? Would I ever find a woman who could stomach my faults and idiosyncransies? Would I have the ability to become a good friend, lover, companion, fiance, husband or father? Could I emotionally, physically, mentally and spiritually care for a wife and family? Could I ever find the perfect woman? These were questions that plagued James over and over again.

Oh, my God, muttered James: I’ve found the perfect woman. I know this without a doubt in my heart and soul! I want to cry our to her! Tell her that I will love her forever; hold in my arms tenderly; make her feel safe and secure; tenderly and passionately kiss her lips!

But, I can’t! I don’t know who she is, where she comes from, what her ambitions, hopes and dreams are! Will I ever see her again? Will she ever know the love and undying adoration I carry inside for her? Will she ever even know that I exist? My body and mind are so stimulated; yet, my heart is broken!

A cold, wet nose caressed James’ arm. Hey, girl! Guess I’ve done enough day dreaming for today! We’d better go swimming! I definitely need to cool down. So, off they rode up the trail next to the LaValley Stream.

You see, James could have chose any number of outdoor activities to do. This part of the country is a naturalist’s and outdoors man’s paradise.

Twelve miles to the north lies the Morrisburgh shale deposit. This exposed cliff contains an abundance of fossils: brachiopods, pelecypods, bellemnites, crinoid stems, horncoral and even an occasional trilobite.

To the northeast lies a gem hunter’s paradise: rubies, emeralds, star sapphires, amethyst, peridot, topaz and other precious and semi-precious gemstones.

To the southwest lies an exposed area of vesicular basalt containing zeolite minerals: prehnite, pectolite, natrolite, heulandite, datolite, chabazite, apophylite along with amethyst and fluorescent calcite.

And to the northwest is another rock hounder’s dream location: tourmaline, rose quartz, smoky quartz, citrine, amethyst, rhodochrosite, aquamarine, beryl, topaz, gummite, autumnite, uranitite, kyanite, lepidolite, three different types of mica (muscovite, biotite and lepidolite), cookite, apatite, garnets plus orthoclase and plagioclase feldspar.

Spotted about are various gold, silver, copper, iron and platinum mines.

Many species of butterflies, moths, beetles and other insects are plentiful. Thousands of species of wildflowers and wild shrubs abound.

Wild animals are everywhere: skunks, rabbits, moles, mice, squirrels, chipmunks, minks, otters, beavers, woodchucks, groundhogs, porcupines, deer, moose, elks, bears, foxes, coyotes, coy dogs, wolves, pumas, bobcats, fisher cats, wild boars and even the supposed elusive Big Foot.

Reptiles thrive: frogs, toads, salamanders, newts, snapping turtles, box turtles, painted turtles, black racers, grass snakes, milk snakes, bull snakes, rat snakes, copperheads, eastern diamondback rattlesnakes, timber rattlers and other reptilian and amphibious creatures.

Birds hop, chirp, tweet and feed no matter where a person travels: orioles, thrushes, finches, pigeons, doves, crows, starlings, grackles, robins, cardinals, jays, titmice, sparrows, hummingbirds, chickadees, swallows, wrens, hawks, eagles, ospreys, coots, loons, bobwhites, bob-o-links, tanagers, bluebirds, Canada geese, snow geese, mallards, pheasants, partridges, ring-necked ducks, terns, gulls, sand pipers and many others.

This area is known for its fresh water fishing: brook trout, rainbow trout, speckled trout, lake trout, splakes, salmon, large mouth bass, small mouth bass, black bass, pickerel, pikes, horn pout, white perch, yellow perch, catfish, eels, chubs, crappies, shad, cusk, landlocked strippers, carps, smelts and the rare freshwater bottle-fish.

Tourists flock to this part of the country to mountain and rock climb, hike, camp, fish, white water raft, canoe, kayak, scuba dive, water ski, jet ski, boat, bicycle, berry pick, bird watch, spelunk, bungee jump, parachute, para-sail, hang glide, collect fossils and minerals, observe nature in the raw, attend amusement parks, museums, botanical gardens, a zoo, an aquarium, as well as state and national parks.

Many historical sites from the Revolutionary and Civil Wars provide hours of training and learning about aspects of this country’s history.

Anyway, back to the adventure! James and Jette arrived at the swimming hole on the LaValley Stream. James immediately noticed that instead of a gusher, the stream was only a trickle.

Once more, James unsaddled Jette and let her roam. His swimming hole was a granite outcropping or ledge that had been scoured out and etched over the centuries into a small chasm and waterfall. At the base was a thirty foot deep hole with a diameter of twenty feet.

For around five minutes James lay back on a flat rock and watched clouds meandering above. Each cloud somehow resembled the incredible beauty he had just viewed.

Boy, I must be in love, have it badly, if every cloud reminds me of her! How can I ever clear my mind with constant thoughts of her fogging it?

His entire being ached and pined for that vivacious, alluring woman. There’s no doubt about it. I’m never going to be the person I was before I met her! How do I control the continuous bombardment of thoughts and feelings of her?

No wonder men act goofy when they meet the girl of their dreams. Men are not usually driven by pure emotion! When that happens, they lose control and go a bit crazy attempting to put some kind of logic into their thoughts! How do I survive without her?

James stripped off his clothes and dove into the cold waters. Momentarily, he forgot about his wanton desire, his fiery passion and enjoyed a refreshing swim.

In a while James heard a distant rumble of thunder to the northwest. He gazed in that direction and noticed several ominous thunderheads towering over the landscape. Now with the soil so dry from the arid season, James knew that runoff and flooding could become a dangerous situation. Also, with the woods so dry, a lightning strike igniting a forest fire presented an imminent danger.

He whistled and Jette returned quickly. Good girl! James said as he stroked her muzzle. You don’t like thunder storms, do you, girl? We’d better saddle up and head back to the farm before all hell breaks loose! I have a feeling that this storm is going to be nasty.

Shortly thereafter, they started their downward trek towards the farm. Soon, a loud crash made both of them jump!

Wow! That was close! This storm is moving in very fast. Lightning shot across the sky. In a few seconds another bolt flashed.

Guess we’d better speed up, girl! The flash was only three miles away!

For any of you readers that do not know how to calculate the distance for a lightning bolt, which is obviously an indicator for the proximity of the storm’s center, here is the formula. Light travels at approximately 186,000 miles per second. So lightning is visible at the very instant it occurs. Thunder happens because the lightning moves so rapidly that it causes a temporary vacuum in the atmosphere. Thunder is actually the noise produced when the air rushes in to fill the void.

Sound travels at about 1,050 feet per second. Since a mile is 5,280 feet in length, it takes five seconds for the sound to reach a hearing ear. So, James counted fifteen seconds from the lightning flash to the thunderous boom. Obviously, fifteen divided by five equals three. He, then, stated that the bolt was three miles away.

How fast is 186,000 miles per second? The equator of the earth is 25,000 miles around or in circumference. Suppose that a group of engineers constructed a set of railroad tracks around the entire length of the equator. If a train traveled at the speed of light and it took an individual one second to cross the tracks, how many times would that person be struck by the train?

SEVEN AND ONE-HALF TIMES!

Now back to our saga! Within seconds after the last blast of lightning, the wind grew in intensity and large rain drops pelted James and Jette. Soon, the wind reached gale force.

Sheets of torrential rain descended mercilessly upon the countryside.

James yelled in Jette’s ear: We’d better make a run for it, girl! Let’s head for the Wentworth Ridge Ranger Station and lookout tower. Giddyap!

As they approached a familiar Y in the trail, a monumental flash and instantaneous deafening BOOM resounded. A lightning bolt struck a tall pine tree about three hundred yards away. The tree exploded and the top half dropped across the left half of the Y.

Unfortunately, that was the trail back to the farm. The remainder of the pine burst into flames.

The only other option was to turn to the right and head west into uncharted territory for Jette and James.

Jette whinied, reared up and sped off like a cannon ball. James had all he could do to grasp the reins in one hand and grip her mane with the other hand. Never had he seen Jette become so spooked and gallop so fast!

Within minutes, the storm dissipated as quickly as it began. The wind and rain abated rapidly. Off to the southeast, the ominous black clouds blew onward to wreak havoc somewhere else. Brilliant flashes of lightning danced across the clouds. Distant rolls of thunder waned.

After ten minutes of pure panic and adrenaline, both began to settle down. Jette slowed her pace appreciably and James relaxed. That was scary, wasn’t it, girl?

Surrounding them was a normally wet marshy area. Dried up cat-o-nine-tails and seedy looking marsh grass struggled to survive. Small oaks, pines, birches, aspens, maples and poplars appeared to suffer from the arid conditions. In fact, the ground in the marsh looked fairly solid and dry.

Unexpectedly, an eerie feeling of foreboding overwhelmed James. Though the air at present was hot and humid, he shivered as if caught in an icy blast of wintry wind. At that same moment, Jette reacted unusually too.

Anyone familiar with the habits or instincts of a dog knows that when something out of the ordinary occurs and the animal perceives danger, a dog will bare its fangs; its fur might bristle and it will probably growl and/or bark repeatedly to warn its owner of impending threat or disaster. Jette too had an innate sense of alarm that caused her to react in a certain manner when menaced or cornered.

Jette might tilt her head at an odd angle to hear, smell or see better. Her ears would perk up and quiver. Her eyes would become wide. She might rear up suddenly as James recently discovered. Or she might whinny and paw the ground.

Whatever Jette did when she was agitated, James recognized it instantly as a change in mood and attitude, a deviation from her usually calm behavior. James could sense the danger or impending doom.

Jettetilted her head; her nostrils flared; her breath blew in short blasts. Her body became rigid and tense. You feel it too, don’t you, girl?

A shift in the wind brought a smoky smell upon them. Oh, oh! That smokiness is not a good omen!

James turned around and gazed to the north. An inferno, a