A Gathering of Dreams — James Qualls

                 Mount Taishan, China 1486 BCE  

The first recorded comet, Lao-Tien-Yeh 老天�'� reaches Earth. Estimated today, from one of humanity's earliest written documents, to have been four times as bright as a full moon.

An old monk climbs Mount Tai to greet the new star. A chance encounter along the way, with something from his past, will introduce the monk to the tenets of Universal Truth ... Principles that will later become the foundation of Buddhism. He will not have the chance to tell anyone, for an ancient force has also awakened with the nightless day.

It will be another thousand years before the Buddhist doctrine is rediscovered.


Hanalei Bay, Hawaii Three Days Ago...

While providing care for a newly adopted kitten, an accident occurs that will blur the lines between imagination and reality. Everything that has ever visited Calvin in dreams ... has come to visit. Every Grumpmuffin, Goblin, Adamsville Fairy, and Menehune expect to have their say. It has been a long time since a human has been in a position to have a conversation ... they intend to make the most of it. Harsh questions will be asked. Secrets will be shared. Truths will be revealed.

A single thread that includes a childhood promise made to a grandfather, forever linked to a ragged old cat, weaves through time to connect the two instances. Like the Chinese monk before him, he also will not have the chance to tell anyone, for an ancient force once again stirs.