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Linda had that dream only once. After that, things returned to the way they had been before the dreams. Linda and Richard were relieved that life seemed back to normal- or, as normal as it could be without Laura.
The feeling of relief didn�t last long. About a week after Linda had the dream of Laura writing on the beach, she received a mysterious postcard. Linda had gone outside to get the mail just as the mail carrier was leaving. She took the mail out of the mailbox and noticed the postcard on top of the pile. On the front was a picture of a sunset over a grouping of palm trees on a beach with the words �Sunny Honolulu� in bold red letters across the top. On the back it read:
�Hello! I miss everyone so much. How are things back home?
Hawaii is beautiful. I don�t know when I�ll be coming home, but when I
do I�ll be sure to bring home something for everyone. Don�t worry about
me; I�m fine.
Hugs and kisses,
Laura�
Linda stared at the postcard, trying to make sense of it. She had noticed, however, that the postcard lacked a return address. She called to the mail carrier, who was now across the street, �Excuse me! Do you have any idea where this came from?�
The mail carrier walked up to Linda and took the postcard from her. He examined it for a few seconds, and then shook his head.
�No, I�m sorry,� he said, �I�ve never seen this before in my life. I sure didn�t deliver it, that I know.� He showed Linda the back of the postcard. �See? It�s not even postmarked.�
He was right. It was impossible, then, that it had been mailed. Someone must have put it there, but why? Linda retrieved the postcard from the mail carrier, thanked him, and returned to the house.
She stared at the postcard, completely perplexed. �Hugs and kisses, Laura,� it read. Linda wasn�t sure if her daughter would write that. There was the matter of the handwriting, too. Was it her daughter�s? Linda shook her head. Snap out of it, she told herself. There�s no way Laura sent this or put it in the mailbox. It�s just a joke. Still, it bothered her.
When Richard came home from work that evening, Linda immediately brought the postcard to his attention.
�Oh, look what I found in the mailbox today,� she said casually, handing the postcard to Richard.
�What�s this?� he asked, taking the postcard and glancing at both sides.
�It�s a postcard,� Linda replied.
�No kidding. From who?�
�Just look at it.�
Richard took a look at the picture on the front of the postcard, and then turned it over to read the back. Confusion like a mask on his face, he scanned the neat writing. When he reached the end, the color drained from his face.
�Where did you get this?� he struggled to say.
�The mailbox, like I said,� was Linda�s matter-of-fact reply. �What do you make of it?�
�I�don�t know,� he said, �You don�t think it�s from��
�That�s impossible. See? It�s not even postmarked. It�s just a joke that�s all.�
Richard shook his head and said, �You�re right, it�s a joke. Someone�s sick idea of a joke.�
They didn�t speak about the postcard for the rest of the night. Richard wanted to throw it away, but Linda wouldn�t let him. For some reason, she kept it on the counter with the rest of the mail.
Linda didn�t realize how much the postcard bothered her. Just like the dreams, it started to take up all of her thoughts. Somehow, in the back of her mind, she knew it was linked to her daughter. The more she thought about it, the more it seemed to make sense. She had had that dream of Laura writing something on the beach, hadn�t she? By now, she had convinced herself that that dream was of Laura writing the postcard now lying on the kitchen counter. To her, it all fit. Laura was alive and trying to send her a message. The next step, Linda told herself, is to go to Hawaii and find Laura.
�Richard, do you think we should go to Hawaii and look for Laura?� Linda said one morning.
�Are you serious?� Richard said, slightly amused. �You didn�t take that postcard seriously, did you?�
�What if Laura�s trying to send us a message?� Linda said in defense, �We can�t just ignore it.�
Trying to reason with his wife on terms she might agree with, Richard said, �But you don�t know where to look. You�re just going to search the entire state of Hawaii? We don�t have that kind of money.�
�The postcard was from Honolulu,� Linda said, �We�ll go there and ask around.�
�Honolulu�s a big city.�
�Richard, this is our daughter we�re talking about. Do you even care about her anymore?�
Richard winced as though he�d been kicked in the side. �Of course I care,� he said, realizing how harsh he�d been. �I just think we�d be chasing a false hope.�
Linda sighed. �I guess you�re right.� She reluctantly decided to drop the matter, for now, at least.
