Read an Excerpt In the following excerpt, Geneva and Victoria have finished dinner and are clearing away the dishes: An unusual clay pot sitting on top of the china hutch has caught Victoria's attention, and she questions Geneva about its history. Aside from finding it in the attic of her family home in Maine, Geneva provides her friend with very little information. Victoria, however, remains intrigued and asks if she can bring it to the table. As the two women enjoy their cups of evening coffee, Victoria begins to pay closer attention the pot's unique design. It was shaped more like a bowl, having high rounded sides that gently bulged outward from its middle, then curved inward toward the top, the opening spanning about ten inches in diameter. The overall coloring was pale ochre with the exception of a wide cream band encompassing its center. In the area above and below the band, a chain of classic Celtic knot work interspersed with tiny hand painted shamrocks embossed the light glazing. Its most striking feature, however, was the circle of delicately hand-sculpted animal figurines within the band. These had been impressed directly onto the sides in such a way that they appeared to be emerging from the inside. Victoria turned the bowl in the candlelight, her curiosity over the animals apparent. She counted thirty-three in all, and most were easy to identify. A few looked similar to one another, but looking closer, Victoria could see the difference between the crow-like bird and the smaller sparrow. Others appeared mythical, as one resembled a dragon while another possessed a snakelike body with wings. She repositioned it directly between herself and Geneva, her hands caressing its smooth glazing as she slowly turned it to admire its miniature animals. "I've seen this somewhere before," Victoria repeated. "Damn, I wish I could remember where!" Suddenly, Victoria's hands froze upon the bowl. The cool ceramic seemed to warm and she could feel a slight inner vibration. "Oh, wow! This is incredible!" she whispered, her eyes fixed on the vessel. "What's incredible? What are you talking about?" The vibrations became stronger. Victoria's hands and arms quivered, as Geneva became aware of what was happening. "Vic? What are you doing? If you're trying to scare me, it's not funny!" "Shhh! I'm locking in to something," Victoria whispered. "I think I see that woman…" Geneva's heartbeat quickened as the hair on the nape of her neck began to rise. Unable to move, she watched in amazement as the bowl began to physically vibrate. A hum, faint and low, resonated from within and slowly began to increase in volume. The overhead lights flickered on and off while those in the living room and kitchen went completely dark. Geneva looked to Victoria, terrified not only by what was transpiring, but also by the thought that her friend might be in danger. Then she witnessed random strands of Victoria's blond hair begin to stand straight away from her head, as if a current of electricity flowed through her body. Strangely, her friend showed no outward signs of fear. Instead, Victoria seemed peaceful in her trance-like state, her eyes clear and bright while they remained fixated on the bowl. "For God's sake—stop it!" Geneva barked emphatically. "Geneva, calm down. This is what you were seeking." Contrary to Geneva's almost hysterical state, Victoria remained placid and controlled. "What are you, nuts? If it means entering the Twilight Zone, I'd rather not! I want you to stop whatever it is that you're doing, right now! How can you sit there as if nothing were happening?" "Geneva, nothing is happening." "You call lights flashing and the fact that your hair is standing on end, nothing?" "That's what your fear is telling you to see. Put your hands on mine." "I most certainly will not! I'm getting the hell out of here." "Geneva! Don't you dare move! I can't explain in detail at the moment, but you're going to have to trust me. A connection has been made with your past. It involves this bowl…and you. Right now, we are on the outer edges of an astral link. If you leave now, we run the risk of remaining in this dark area and you will put us in danger." "Astral, what? I thought you said there was nothing to fear? I—" "PUT YOUR HANDS OVER MINE!" Victoria's powerful command prompted a reflex response, and Geneva quickly clapped her hands over her friend's. "Good. Tell me what you see now." Geneva quickly glanced around the room. "More of the same." "Okay. The connection is too weak. You need to make direct contact with the bowl. I want you to slip your left hand under mine. Keep your right exactly where it is." Geneva did as she was told and immediately felt the warmth of the clay and the strange vibrations. With Victoria's hands now touching hers, Geneva entered a state of semi-reassurance. Her fear began to subside and she kept her focus directly on the bowl. She could clearly see the animal figurines and, for a brief second, thought they appeared to animate. "Now what do you see?" Victoria asked, her voice sounding distant. "I think I saw some of those animals move." "Good. Concentrate only on the animals." Geneva's mind raced as she battled between the lines of reality and fantasy. She couldn't tell if she were actually experiencing the event or merely in the middle of a bizarre dream. Following Victoria's instructions, she forced herself to look only at the clay creatures that ringed the bowl. From her side, she could see some of them, and Geneva shifted her eyes back and forth until she found herself being drawn to one that resembled a crow. Suddenly, the kinetic activities within the room subsided as everything around her began to fade. A light fog enveloped the room until the only objects that remained discernible to Geneva was a portion of the tabletop, the bowl, and Victoria. Squelching her rising fear, she again focused on the bird. A distant tinkling sound, like that of a wind chime, could be heard and Geneva immediately recalled the vision of the previous night. It had begun in the same fashion, and she reasoned that the sound served as a signal that something was about to transpire. Then, the crow figurine began to move. The animation intensified as she watched it stretch its wings, flap them vigorously three times and, in her mind, heard the bird speak. "I am Bran, bearer of change, prophecy, and healing. Your journey begins with me." "Talk to him, Geneva." It was Victoria. "You can hear that?" Geneva asked, startled. "Yes. Talk to him." Steeling her mind, Geneva addressed the bird. "What journey?" "I am the keeper and the gateway to the past. All that you are, and all you will be, lies within the past." At that moment, the tiny clay bird left its position on the bowl, hopped onto the table, and centered itself between Geneva's outstretched arms. "Within the past, all truths remain. It is in the past where your journey begins." With that, the bird began to increase in size until it stood about two feet in height. Facing Geneva, it cocked its head to one side, the smooth bluish-black feathers gleaming in the faint light. Hopping over her right arm, Geneva watched as it continued to the edge of the table. There, it again flapped its wings three times, rose into the air, and flew directly into the window. The glass rippled like waves on water and its transparent surface turned cloudy. Geneva shook her head in bewilderment hoping to clear the hallucination she believed she was experiencing. Her eyes quickly shot back to Victoria who still appeared unaffected by the events. While trying to process what she had witnessed, Geneva suddenly began to undergo the sensation of weightlessness. In a sudden rush, she began to spiral upward as whirlpools of mist gathered around her. "Geneva, you're losing control. Remain seated in the chair. You're not ready to project yourself into an astral plane." Geneva became conscious that she was looking down from somewhere above. She could clearly see herself and Victoria seated at the table below. How could that be? Was she dead? "How do I get down?" she heard herself ask. "Grab the cord and pull yourself down." Cord? What cord? she thought, looking around the room. Unnoticed before, Geneva glimpsed a thin silver rope that stretched between the image below and her present self. Taking the line in hand, she gave an abrupt tug. The air around her moved quickly and she had the sensation of being sucked down into a vacuum. "Go slowly! If you come down too fast, you'll become disoriented." Geneva tried again, this time pulling herself slowly. The transition became smoother until she again found herself seated at the table. "Just look at the window," Victoria instructed. "How do you know what I'm—we're—supposed to do?" Geneva gasped. She tried hard to focus on the window but somehow felt disconnected. It was as if time itself was beginning to slow. Tiny beads of sweat broke out on her forehead and her mouth grew dry. Her seeming out-of-body experience left her stomach churning much the same as when she rode a wild roller coaster. The cloudy reflection of the glass began to swirl and once again Geneva felt as though she were traveling. Like viewing a movie, she watched as images of thunderous clouds streamed past giving the perspective of falling downward. Her vertigo increased along with the queasiness, and she began to taste bile in the back of her throat. Then, without warning, Geneva felt herself pulled into and through the glass.