David Knight has been plagued by dreams his entire life, only to have all memory of them vanish when he awakens. Now the dreams are coming with more frequency, and they seem to be drawing him to the Amazon. A scientist with a PhD in ichthyology and a dedication to learning all he can about lungfish, whose existence dates back to the Devonian era, David is determined to see what the Amazon holds. His hopes seem about to be answered when Dr. Carlos Avila contacts him. It seems the Brazilian archeologist discovered the remains of a previously undiscovered species on a tributary of the Amazon, and he’d like nothing better than for David to join the expedition to see if more of the creature can be found. Of course David leaps at the opportunity and flies to Pesadelo Bay to join the mismatched team. Once there, he discovers not only does Dr. Avila have his own agenda, but a former conquest as well as a friend who’d saved his life years before are part of the team and are engaged to be married. Meanwhile, the need to sail up the Amazon to find what ... or who ... is calling him there has become more and more pressing, and David must decide which is the most important -- learning what Dr. Avila really is searching for, or finding the answer to his dreams?

Lagoon of Dreams

I grinned at Dr. Avila. “We go have a coffee, yes.” 4


We went to a coffeehouse off campus, and I secured a table and kept watch over our briefcases while Dr. Avila procured two coffees. He came to our table, offering me the coffee that was light with four sugars. I wondered how he knew my preference.


He placed his hat on the chair between us, and I admired the white felt fedora with its pinch-front teardrop-shaped crown and the multi-colored feather in its band. I had no desire to wear hats just yet, but Father had one similar, although in a dark brown and without the feather.


Dr. Avila raised his cup to his lips. His dark eyes gleamed as he sampled the brew, but then he grimaced. “Ah, my young friend, someday you must come to Rio as my guest, and you will experiencereal café.”


Chapter 10