"The Strangest Dream" (part 1)

Iowa was primarily a farming State in the early seventies.

It got its name from the Ioway tribe meaning "One who puts to sleep," but then later, it was believed that the meaning was "The beautiful land."

Evelyn was born Evelyn Marie. Her parents Autumn and Clyde doted on their little girl, and she was so easy to love. When she was born, though, it was a difficult birth, and her parents received the crushing news that their little girl wouldn't grow up like other children, Evelyn was a very sickly child. She had a rare bleeding disorder, so she had to be kept out of harm's way for the rest of her life. This meant she couldn't go to school or do simple things like ride a bike.

Autumn felt lucky to have such a good and loving man. She lost her family in a house fire when she was fifteen, so Clyde's parents, Dunken and Marie, who were prominent members of the community, heard about this in the church. They were kind enough to take her in, and that's how Autumn met Clyde.

Oh, they butted heads at first. Autumn came from an upper-wealth family, and Clyde was just a simple farm boy with big ideas. But through the years, they became quite fond of each other, so much so that when he turned eighteen and enlisted in the military, she felt lost, but with every letter he sent home, she fell more madly in love with him.

His parents would often find her waiting by the mailbox at the end of their dusty road, and she couldn't bear the thought of life without him, and eventually, after he arrived home, his father walked her down the aisle at their wedding, and they moved into one of the small cabins on the farm.

Eventually, they bought a property of their own and Clyde built a two-story house with his own two hands. And with the help from his father, it was finished before Evelyn was born. It wasn't anything fancy, but Autumn loved it just the same. It had two bedrooms and an attic, and a small room under the stairs.

The locals called it the "moon house" because the attic window was cut like a half crescent moon. Evelyn's bedroom was in the front, looking out towards the separate garage placed at an angle so she could see her daddy when he came home from work.

The hall and all the rooms looked out over the living room, separated by an open wooden railing and staircase. Clyde built it like that so they would be able to see upstairs and keep an eye on Evelyn should anything happen. The kitchen was in the front with a corded phone on the wall and a dining table where Evelyn and her mother often did her lessons.

The house was set far back from the road, and there were no neighbors or a town for miles.

"Mama?"

Yes, my darling? Her mother answered while sitting in the rocking chair next to Evelyn's bed. "I had the strangest dream." Autumn then stood up and walked towards the door. "Well, why don't you get dressed and you can tell me all about it while you eat your breakfast, I made your favorite."