The Dream Maker: Trilogy 3

By Arnaldo Ricciulli

Relieving his early days out of college, Dan recalled his encounter with the old shepherd Damianos while he had been taking another trip down to the past in company of his wife, Malou. Damianos guided him through the maze of his recollections and offered him the possibility of forging an alternative future for himself. Meanwhile, Dans family Malou, Stefano, Daniel and Gaby has been searching for Dan. Traveling back to the time at which Dan was lost, they were told that Dan had chosen to take an alternative path to reach his future. Dismayed but willing to accept her husbands choice, Malou and the three children were preparing themselves to follow Dan into the future, when Daniel disappeared unexpectedly after going for a swim at the marina where the family cruiser was moored.

Dan and Gustavo, together with Chippewa, the Dream Maker are about to find out that Dans son, Daniel, was probably lost in time when we rejoin the family and friends in Dream Maker Book 3

• Language: English
• Publisher: AuthorHouse
• Release date: Jun 20, 2014
• ISBN: 9781496911155

Arnaldo Ricciulli

At the end of World War II, Arnaldo Ricciulli’s parents decided to leave the torments and sequels of war behind and move to Venezuela. Arnaldo was very young when his parents left South America for the warmth and tranquility of Florida where he grew up in Boca Raton. After graduating from high school, he attended college. Obtaining a Bachelor’s Degree in Electrical Engineering, Arnaldo, thirsting for adventure, thought of joining the US Navy where he was readily accepted as an officer. Yet, destiny had other plans for the young man. Instead, Arnaldo went to work for Seagate Technology, SyDos and IBM. But Corporate America wasn’t for him – Arnaldo wanted to be his own boss, and manage his own business. It was then that he opened a restaurateur chain, which, eight years later, counted no less than seven restaurants and 2 gas station. Following the sale of his business, he founded the Millenium Limo in December 2001, in the wake of nine-eleven. Somewhat to his surprise, the business took off and rapidly became the top exotic limo service, not only in the State of Florida, but across the country. The devoted father of three children, Arnaldo remained true to his adventurous spirit until one day a skiing accident locked him down. Beaten in his purpose, but undefeated, he decided to put “his dream” on paper and The Dream Maker was born.

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© 2014 Arnaldo Ricciulli. All rights reserved.

No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted by any means without the written permission of the author.

Published by AuthorHouse 11/06/2014

ISBN: 978-1-4969-1116-2 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-4969-1117-9 (hc)

ISBN: 978-1-4969-1115-5 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2013922194

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Thinkstock are models,

and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

Certain stock imagery © Thinkstock.

Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

Contents

Preamble

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

Chapter Ten

Chapter Eleven

Chapter Twelve

Chapter Thirteen

Chapter Fourteen

Chapter Fifteen

Chapter Sixteen

Chapter Seventeen

Chapter Eighteen

Chapter Nineteen

Chapter Twenty

Chapter Twenty-one

Chapter Twenty-two

Chapter Twenty-three

Chapter Twenty-four

Chapter Twenty-five

Chapter Twenty-six

Chapter Twenty-seven

Chapter Twenty-eight

Chapter Twenty-nine

Chapter Thirty

Chapter Thirty-one

Epilogue

About the Author

This book is gratefully dedicated to my children.

Gabriella Ricciulli, at Thirteen;

Daniel Ricciulli, at twenty;

Stefano Ricciulli, at twenty Two

Preamble

D an Politano had fallen in a forest clearing in Key West, Florida. Upon waking up in the hospital, homeless and unable to recall what happened to him, he joined forces with a man whom he had befriended at the homeless shelter where he stayed for a few days when he was discharged from the hospital. Gustavo and Dan then set out to retrace Dan’s steps before he was found in the clearing. Regaining his memory slowly, Dan realized that he had lost his way into the past at a time in his life when all he wanted to do was to become a navy pilot.

Reliving his early days out of college, Dan recalled his encounter with the old shepherd, Damianos, while he had been taking another trip down to the past in company of his wife, Malou. Damianos guided him through the maze of his recollections and offered him the possibility of forging an alternative future for himself. Meanwhile, Dan’s family – Malou, Stefano, Daniel and Gaby – has been searching for Dan. Traveling back to the time at which Dan was lost, they were told that Dan had chosen to take an alternative path to reach his future. Dismayed but willing to accept her husband’s choice, Malou and the three children were preparing themselves to follow Dan into the future, when Daniel disappeared unexpectedly after going for a swim at the marina where the family cruiser was moored.

Dan and Gustavo, together with Chippewa, the Dream Maker are about to find out that Dan’s son, Daniel, was probably lost in time when we rejoin the family and friends in The Dream Maker – Book 3.

Chapter One

D an was at a loss. He had no words. His mind drew a blank when Damianos’s contrite face seemed to age with every second that passed.

Again, I am sorry, Dan. I had no way of knowing of Daniel’s intentions.

Why weren’t you with my family when my son left the boat? Dan demanded.

The four men were sitting in the lounge room of Solange’s old house. Dan had just completed the reading of his book, which had given him all the tools he needed to embark on a journey that was supposed to lead him through an alternate future. It had been his dream since childhood to fly an aircraft. He wanted to be a pilot above all. Apparently God himself had granted him the opportunity to retrace his steps from the day he landed in the clearing of a park in Key West to his ultimate destination: his home and family in Davie, Florida.

However now, he couldn’t fathom how he would dare take the first step toward accomplishing his goal while knowing his son was presumably lost in time.

I was watching over your family, Dan, until I was alerted that you and Gustavo were ready to start your journey in Chippewa’s company. A few minutes are all it took for Daniel to jump overboard, literally, and go for a swim.

And you didn’t wait for him to come back? Dan was obviously incensed.

We are all waiting for him to come back now, yes. But if Daniel has decided to venture farther offshore than he should have done, he might have returned to the pier at a time when we were someplace else.

I don’t understand, Dan said, shaking his head, even if he returned to the past when he was presumably with you someplace else, how could he find himself alone on the pier at the same moment? It doesn’t make any sense.

Questioning everyone’s movements before Daniel’s escapade, Chippewa put in, is not going to be helpful. Gustavo, Dan and Damianos turned their attention to the Dream Maker. He was sitting upright in the high-back chair. Yes, you see, your son taking a swim is what we need to focus on. He presumably swam out of bounds, as it were, and returned to the pier at the time the cruiser had left the marina without him. Can you recall when that would be? he asked Damianos.

The latter shook his head. "I can only be sure of one thing: Daniel was with his mother and siblings all the time except when he accompanied you, Gustavo, to Iran.

Every time we left the boat, we were together or I knew where your family was, Dan. The time I came to help you remember your past; your family was on a deserted island, traveling through a jumble to get to the clearing near my house.

Yes, I remember you saying something like that. But now it’s not a matter of finding out where my family is located, it’s a matter of finding my son, Dan concluded, obviously dumfounded.

What is the last thing you remember reading in your book, Dan? Chippewa asked.

What has that got to do with anything? Dan demanded, glaring at Chippewa. Nothing of what that book told me is going to help me find my son.

That’s where you’re wrong, Dan, Chippewa countered. Everything you’ve learned or recalled through reading your book will help all of us locate your son.

Dan shook his head vigorously. Don’t you think all of you have done enough? Not only couldn’t I rejoin my family when they were right beside me at the race track, but you prevented me to meet with them when they arrived in Key West. And now you want to take me again on some other trip where you’re going to find my son? Why would I even listen to what you’re saying? You’ve led me astray. You’ve proposed this alternative future to me and yes, I made the choice to pursue my dream, but if accomplishing that dream is at the cost of my son’s life, forget it! I’m not going anywhere with any of you.

Gustavo turned to his friend. He was dismayed. He never wanted for any of this to happen, of course, but he surely didn’t want to see Dan walk away from their friendship either. What do you say, we get out of here and go for a walk, he suggested.

Yeah, might as well, Dan agreed, getting to his feet. He looked at Damianos. You better find an answer, you darn cat. If not, I don’t think even God will forgive you for this one.

As soon as Gustavo and Dan stepped outside the front door of the old mansion, neither man could believe their eyes. The hillside was covered of new snow and surrounded by hedges of fir trees. Three kids were tobogganing down the hill, laughing and enjoying their time outdoors.

What on earth is this? Dan asked, not recognizing where he and Gustavo were. Are these my children, do you think? He turned to his friend.

I suppose so, Gustavo replied, hugging himself against the cold wind. But why are we here, that’s what I’d like to know.

No need to wonder, Damianos said, appearing in front of the two men. This is only an image of the memories you keep in the recesses of your mind, Dan.

What are you doing here? Dan shouted. I told you I don’t want to go anywhere with you.

Damianos snapped his fingers and the image disappeared. They were again standing on the porch of the house. The snow had yielded to a mantel of green grass bathing in the July sunshine. And I will leave Chippewa to show you the path to your future. You will retrace the steps you had once taken, and that until you reach your present in 2013.

What about finding my son? Are you considering yourself off the hook and relieved of your duties? Dan was more than irritated by this time. I told you, you better find an answer as to where Daniel is gone and the date at which I could find him. Otherwise, I’ll take my chances by myself and maybe with Gustavo’s help we can figure this out. Dan switched his gaze to his friend. He was pleading.

They heard the front door open. Why don’t you come back inside, Dan? I think there are two people waiting to talk to you in the living room.

Who are they? Dan asked. I really don’t think we’ve got time for a chit-chat.

Damian pushed the door open to let Solange go ahead of him.

Oh, our guardian angels are here too, Dan said mockingly. Won’t that be fun? Everybody is here instead of finding out where my son is. He chortled derisively. And what have you got to say for yourselves? Have you come to commiserate with me on my loss?

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Enough! Damian shouted commandingly. Your anger, Dan, although well justified, has no place in your mind if you wish to accomplish any task.

Oh, why don’t you get off my back, you’ve not guarded over my son’s life and now you want me to listen to your scolding? Just go and find Daniel, and then we’ll talk.

If that’s the way you feel, Dan, that’s fine with us, Damian retorted, nodding to Solange. We’ll be on our way. And with these words, the two angels vanished.

Now what? Chippewa demanded, crossing his arms over his chest. Still dressed in his cowboy boots, jeans and plaid shirt, the little guy pinched his lips until they disappeared in between his mustache and beard.

Now Gustavo and I are going for a walk and have a talk, if that’s okay with you.

Fine with me. When you two are tired of making plans, I’ll be waiting for you inside, Chippewa replied, uncrossing his arms and flinging the front door open, and marching inside the house.

Now that you’ve sent everybody away, Gustavo said, as both men were on their way toward the forest that bordered the old house, what do you intend to do?

I didn’t send anybody away, Dan snapped back. I just told them how I felt. I don’t want anymore teaching, anymore reading; I just want to find my son.

If that’s all you want, why don’t you want to listen to what these people have to say? They might have some clue as to where your son is.

No, they don’t, Gustavo. They had all of us in one place at one time and they separated us. And I’m not going to forget that, believe me. Dan paused as the two of them reached the edge of the forest. Besides, Damianos was supposed to tell my family what would happen if they went off on their own. But he didn’t. And now he’s got no idea where my son could be.

They walked in silence for a few minutes until the forest seemed to close upon them. The trail, which had been quite visible up to that point, had surrendered to the underbrush that now covered it.

Let’s go back to the house, Gustavo suggested anxiously. Maybe Chippewa can shift gear and find out a way to accomplish your dream…

And what dream would that be? Dan demanded, peering into Gustavo’s gaze.

The one where you’re re-united with your family – with your son.

Dan stared. He had lost all perspective on the problem. His anger against the very people who could help him had overshadowed the reason for his frustration. Okay, okay, you’re right. Maybe the little guy can show us a way out of this mire.

As they turned around to retrace their steps along the trail, they looked down to find it, but it wasn’t there to be found.

Maybe we should have left some bread crumbs behind us, Gustavo said, cracking a smile. It looks like we’re lost.

No, Gustavo, we’re not lost, Dan retorted. It’s one of Damianos’s tricks, I’m sure.

Why would he start playing tricks when he needs to be working on finding your son?

Because he’s a cat, Gustavo. He loves to play. And how ever old he is, that trait of character of his will not abandon him under any circumstances.

So, what do you propose we do now? Gustavo asked, upturning his gaze to the trees’ umbrella. It’s not like we can see the sun from here, is it?

Let’s try to fray a passage through these bushes, Dan suggested, as he started shoving branches and foliage out of his way.

Suddenly, not three feet ahead of them, a clearing appeared from behind the trees.

What did I tell you? Dan said, stopping dead in his tracks. Damianos is at it again. Gustavo stared ahead of him. This is the meadow in front of his house. I bet we’ll find him waiting for us as soon as we step out of the forest.

But why? Gustavo asked again. Isn’t it a big waste of time?

I don’t think so, Damianos replied from a distance.

As Dan had expected, the old shepherd was standing in front of his little house.

Why wouldn’t it be, Damianos, Dan inquired, as the two men walked toward him.

Because, Dan, the first thing one should do when trying to find something or someone is going back to the place where one lost the object of one’s search – in locurence your son.

"But the clearing is not where you lost sight of my son. You should be aboard the cruiser, and not standing here with us."

I can appreciate your confusion, but in effect you’re the one who’s lost a son, not me.

If your comments are designed to appease my anger, Damianos, you’ve not succeeded. But, just to show you that I can listen as well as the next man, do go ahead and tell us what we’re doing here.

This is where it all started, Dan. You landed in a clearing very similar to this one in Key West and at that moment you lost your family, including your son. So, I suggest you go back to the last time you saw your son. And I believe that was during the bike race, wasn’t it?

Okay, I’ll bite, Dan replied, knowing that turning on his heels and ignoring Damianos’s comments would not play in his favor.

Very good. At that point, and when you returned to the apartment in Key West, you knew your son – your whole family actually – had reached their destination and you were about to be re-united with them, didn’t you?

Yes. And if it weren’t for you saying that I wasn’t ready to meet them, I would have been standing with them in my future right now, instead of being searching for Daniel.

No time for recrimination, Dan, Damianos said. What we need to find out now is where Daniel could have gone from that date.

Why from that date? Gustavo asked.

Because, as Dan could tell you, you can’t re-live your future unless you’ve visited your past first.

You’ve lost me, Dan said, a scowl appearing across his brow.

Daniel and his mother and siblings wouldn’t have been able to live that race unless they had visited the past and re-lived a past event. You can’t relive your future since you never lived it in the first place.

Gustavo shook his head. So, I could go back to driving a truck in Iran, but I couldn’t go forward and drive my semi to Atlanta, is that what you’re saying?

Exactly, Gustavo. So, Daniel has lived through that race with you, Dan, and now he is gone down to a time and place in his past, but not anywhere in his future.

Okay, Dan said, But why don’t we focus on the last place he was seen and take it from there?

That’s what I was going to suggest next. The interval of time he could have gone is not that great either. You see, the interval between the time of the bike race and the time he first took a swim on his own is probably where we will find him. He couldn’t have gone anywhere before his birth – unless I was with him – or after the race, since he hasn’t lived through the future beyond that.

Chapter Two

A fter reaching an agreement, whereby Damianos was to return to the cruiser and ask Malou, Dan’s wife, about Daniel’s past, and whereby Dan and Gustavo were going to retrace Dan’s steps from the time he left college, the three men parted ways.

When Dan and Gustavo returned to Solange’s house after Damianos had shown them a clear way through the forest, Chippewa was waiting for them with dinner all laid out on the dining room table.

At first, Dan didn’t want to sit down, but feeling hungry after all, he took a seat beside Gustavo.

Thanks for preparing the meal, Chippewa, Gustavo said, scooping some stew out of the pot in front of them.

Yes, thanks for that, Dan rejoined almost reluctantly. But I don’t think I can eat much under the circumstances. I wonder where Daniel is right now and if he’s got some food to eat tonight.

A good question.

Daniel had been waiting all day for the cruiser to come back, but it hadn’t shown up. He was at a loss to know what he could do, when, at sunset, Mr. Oswaldo Gomez, the man who had fished him out of the water earlier that day, tapped him on the shoulder and squatted down beside him at the edge of the pier.

No sign of your family yet I gather, he said. Daniel shook his head. Well, we can’t leave you out here by yourself. So, why don’t you come back with me? I’m sure we can find something in the fridge that will fill that hungry tummy of yours. Okay?

I don’t want to impose, Mr. Gomez. Besides, my family might come back tonight…

"Don’t worry about that. I’ll leave word with the marina manager to contact me if your cruiser comes back. He’ll phone me if Destiny shows up during the night."

Daniel got to his feet and stretched. His shoulder was still sore. He looked at it and frowned. Do you think I could change that bandage when we get to your place? he asked.

Of course. My wife is a nurse and I’m sure she’s got some bandages somewhere in the house. She’ll get you all fixed up – no worries, Mr. Gomez told Daniel as he, too, stood up and patted the young man on the back.

Mike, Mr. Gomez’s son and the boy that Daniel had prevented from drowning that morning, was waiting for them when his father and Daniel reached the pick-up truck.

Hey, Daniel, Mike said, shifting to the middle of the bench seat so that Daniel could sit beside him. How you doing? Your family hasn’t come back I guess.

No, they haven’t and I’m worried. I really don’t know where they could have gone all day. I wasn’t gone that long with you guys… I really don’t know what’s happened to them.

We’ll soon find out, Mr. Gomez said, as he climbed into the pick-up and sat down at the wheel.

Twenty minutes later, the three of them arrived at the Gomez’s house. Daniel was feeling awkward about the whole situation, but was happy enough that Mr. Gomez had come back to the pier to find him.

Mrs. Gomez was in the kitchen preparing dinner when they came in. She was a portly woman with an obviously happy disposition. Her black hair tied at the nape of her neck, beautiful onyx eyes and a smile that would welcome the devil himself, she trotted out to meet her family.

Hey, you, she said to her son, don’t you dare drag your dirty shoes across the living room. You take those off before you go anywhere, you hear? Then, lifting her eyes to Daniel, she added, And who might you be? Are you a friend of Mike?

Yes, ma’am, Daniel replied, looking down at his bare feet. "The