“I woke up with car keys in my hand.” Charlotte let her statement hang and watched her best friend’s eyes narrow. Ivy’s jaw quirked sideways as she bit her bottom lip. Charlotte waited patiently and anticipated what her first question might be.  Sitting by the windows in their favorite diner, she had plenty of time to let Ivy think.  She took a bite of scrambled eggs and gazed outside.  Across the street, an older man in a Chicago Cubs jacket held the door to Cozy Cups open for his companion.  Shamrock and leprechaun decals still decorated the storefront even though St. Patrick’s Day had passed.  Every Saturday, Charlotte and Ivy met on the nearby corner and chose either the tiny coffee shop or the diner depending on how hungry they were.  On this brisk morning in late March, Ivy had demanded pancakes.

“Your car keys?”  Of all the possible questions, that one was unexpected.

Charlotte shot Ivy an incredulous look.  “Whose else would they be?  It’s not like I have a roommate.  They were my spares, the ring I keep in the top drawer of my bedstand.”

“Well at least you didn’t sleepwalk to get them.  It’s still disturbing though.  I assume you were having the dream again?”

“Yes. It’s the fifth time in two months.”

Ivy smiled like she had already known the answer.  Her blue eyes darted briefly to the large tote bag beside her on the bench seat.  Before Charlotte could ask about its contents, Ivy pressed ahead.

“Was there anything new in the dream?  Take me through it again, just as you saw it last night.”

Charlotte paused and closed her eyes.  Last night’s version of the dream revealed a few new surprises.  Rather than jump ahead, she resolved to start from the beginning and get every detail right.

“I’m walking in a dark house.  Although I can’t think of a house I’ve been in that’s like it, I never have to flip a light switch on to find my way.  Even in the dark, it feels familiar somehow.  I start in the living room near a curved wall in the corner.  I can feel the hardwood floor beneath my feet.  The only sound is my own breathing.  I cross the room to a staircase and go up.  The stairs are narrow and double back at a landing halfway up to reach the second floor.  From there I see the only light in the house coming from a back room.  When I investigate, there’s a large three-wick candle burning in a tarnished brass holder.  It smells fresh in the room, kind of like camping in the woods when I was a kid.  The candle is sitting on a small desk centered in the middle pane of a bay window.  I walk to the desk.”  She opened her eyes and looked across the table.

Ivy nodded.  “That’s all the same so far.  What else is on the desk?”

Charlotte inhaled deeply to quell her excitement.  She would get to the new details and the item on the desk that had been absent before.  Hashing through the recurring elements first seemed best.  She tucked her ash brown hair back behind both ears and held her left palm just above the table.

“The journal is here on the left side of the desk.  I’m afraid to pick it up.”  She pursed her lips in thought.  “Maybe ‘afraid’ is the wrong word.  I’ve told you before how important the journal feels.  I’m usually mesmerized by it but I never open it or even touch it.”  She paused as her mind struggled with how to express the feeling in the dream.  “The journal is almost sacred.  Something to be respected.”  Charlotte nodded to herself before adding, “But ironically that’s not where my attention goes this time.”  Ivy raised an eyebrow and motioned for her to continue.

“As always, there’s a framed picture of an elderly woman next to the candle.  Last night I picked it up for a closer look.  She’s at the same desk and window in the picture that I’m standing in front of in the room.”  Charlotte took a deep breath.  “She’s wearing a simple floral shirtdress.”  She shrugged.  “It might be yellow but it’s hard to tell if that’s just the candlelight.”

“You’ve never mentioned what she’s wearing before.”

“Because this time was different.  Instead of sitting in the chair looking out the bay window, she’s standing up and looking right at me.  I can see her face clearly.  I’d recognize her if I saw her.  She’s holding a finger to her mouth like she’s shushing me, telling me to be quiet.  Her other hand is reaching towards me with keys dangling in her grasp.”

Ivy took a beat to process the change.  Her eyes narrowed again as she drew her conclusion.  “A bit on-the-nose as messages from your subconscious go, don’t you think?”

Charlotte cocked her head and met Ivy’s eyes.  “And that message is… what exactly?”

“Isn’t it obvious?  Get up!  Take action.  She’s giving you keys and you woke up with keys in hand for crying out loud.  The only question is where to go.”

Ivy reached for her tote and pulled out a small gift bag.  She passed it over the table and shook it gently, urging Charlotte to take it.  “I promise it’s nothing to be afraid of but it’s certainly important.  I searched for one as close as I could get to your description.”

When Charlotte opened the bag, her brown eyes widened.  Inside was a journal with a two-toned, pink and tan cover just like the one she had told Ivy about a month ago.  She gaped at her friend and gasped, “How could you possibly have found this?”

“The internet has everything if you look hard enough.  There are lots of stationery shops in the world.”

Charlotte took the journal out gingerly, like she was handling fine porcelain.  She flipped it over in her hands and then back again.  The faux leather cover was soft and supple with craftsmanship so detailed it wouldn’t surprise her if it was handmade.  Fine stitching adorned the edges and lay at the seam where the pink and tan patches met.  A tan elastic strap attached to the back formed a loop that secured the top cover when the journal was closed.  A thin pink ribbon affixed at the spine peeked out from the bottom of the cream pages as a placeholder.  She held it up to Ivy and insisted, “But it’s perfect.  It’s exactly the same.”

Ivy shook her head.  “You only think so because it’s close enough.  Or maybe it’s the journal from your dream because you want it to be.  In any case you’re going to need it.”

Charlotte leaned back and tried to gather her thoughts.  The woman offering her keys had been a big difference in her dream last night.  Another change fit Ivy’s line of thinking as well.  Ivy had drawn her conclusion about going somewhere without knowing about the extra item on the desk.  Charlotte thought she might be right but struggled with the details.  Could she really do this?  How long would she need to be gone?  Maybe she could convince her boss to let her work remotely if the trip extended for too long.  Her practical side rebelled against the wild idea forming in her mind.  She would literally be chasing her dream.

She locked eyes across the table.  “There was a map on the desk last night.”

Ivy bounced halfway out of her seat and clapped her hands together over her breakfast.  Her right hand rebounded and knocked over a nearly empty glass of orange juice.  Righting it quickly, she lunged for the napkin dispenser at the edge of the table and grabbed a wad big enough to mop up the spill.  Charlotte reached out to help but Ivy batted her hands away.  “Don’t get distracted now!  Tell me about the map!”

Charlotte shrugged helplessly.  “It was a single sheet of paper, creased down the center.  It wasn’t a street map exactly.  It reminds me a little of the black-and-white maps we get at campgrounds, with paths and symbols on it.  There was a word on the left side but I couldn’t read it by just the light coming from the candle.”

Ivy stared at her friend, gritting her teeth.  “You’ve got to be kidding me.”  She tossed the napkins aside and placed both hands slowly and deliberately on the table.  Her eyes never left Charlotte’s as she regained her composure.  When she finally spoke, her voice was quiet but resolute.  “I’m going to ask one question.  It’s multiple choice.  Answer quickly.  Got it?”

Charlotte shook her head but then relented.  “Okay, shoot.”

“North, south, east or west?”

“Uh…”

“Don’t think.  Pick one.”

“North?”

Ivy beamed in triumph.  “Then north it is!  That makes perfect sense.  You made references to camping twice just now when describing your dream, both in the scent of fresh air and the style of the map.  Wisconsin is where your mind would be drawn.”

Charlotte balked.  “But I don’t know where to go.  Or if I should even go at all.  How would I possibly find the house?  I’ve never even seen it from the outside.”

“First, don’t be ridiculous.  This isn’t about the house.  Second, stop being practical.  Don’t get me wrong, that’s served me well as your best friend over the years but sometimes it’s a flaw.  Sometimes you just have to take a chance and jump.”  Ivy spread her hands wide and leaned forward in challenge.  “I invite you to consider the alternative.  What happens if you don’t go?  Think about that.  You woke up with car keys in your hand.  If you don’t take this trip as Awake Charlotte, you might end up sleep-driving it instead.  I’m not even joking.  That’s a thing.  It could happen.”

Charlotte took several slow, deep breaths through her nose as if she needed extra oxygen to come to a decision.  She glanced to her shoulders, back and forth, like she was listening to a chorus of advisors perched on either side and whispering in her ears.  Finally, she shrugged and looked to Ivy for a push.

“But, if it’s not about the house, why am I going?”

“Isn’t it obvious?  I’ve listened to you vent about your marketing career feeling stalled for a while now and you haven’t put an ounce of energy or focus towards changing it.  I think your subconscious is telling you to get away and figure it out.”

Charlotte’s eyes wandered back to the window as she considered Ivy’s advice.  She banked unused vacation time almost every year and could press her boss to let her take two weeks off.  Martin would grumble about the time away but he would relent if she worked ahead and met some upcoming deadlines early.  However, the idea of taking a roadtrip without a preset destination seemed daunting.  She started wondering about the expenses of an unplanned vacation and Ivy read her mind.

“You must have saved up a good stash of money living like you do, so that’s not an issue.”  Ivy’s mouth twisted and she met Charlotte’s eyes.  “Just go.  Wherever your whims take you, just go and work on ‘you.’  I’d come along but I’m swamped at work.  Besides, this is your personal journey.  I think it’s something you should do alone.”

Although Charlotte sat up straighter and set her jaw, she couldn’t quite bring herself to accept the task.  Ivy gave another verbal shove.  “You’ll regret it if you don’t go.  You know I’m right.  Take two weeks, load your jeep and hit the road towards Wisconsin.  Write about your adventure in this journal.  Figure out where the road of life is taking you as you go.”

Ivy crossed her arms and stared at her friend, waiting.  There was a final trump card to play.  Charlotte never backed out after giving her word.  “Promise me you’ll go and make it soon.  Remember, without taking action you’re Sleepwalking Charlotte.”

At last, Charlotte gave a firm nod.  There isn’t really another option, she thought.  Nothing about her dream scared her except the consequences of ignoring it.