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 was alone…except for Cristovao, who once again stood behind the wheel, and Ulisses and Fabricio, who sat on the transom mending a fishing net. If their leers and chuckles were anything to go by, they were most likely bragging about women and conquests. I chuckled softly at my nonsensical attitude and leaned against the aft gunwale, watching the wash as the Adelinacontinued on through the murky water. Then I turned my gaze to the shore, and while I admired the flowers that grew along the river’s edge—orchids, monkey brush vine, delicate stargrass, and passion fruit flowers—I listened to the howls of the appropriately-named howler monkeys. Every once in a while, the deep-throated cough of a jaguar could be heard in counterpoint.


The noise of the Adelina’s engines added to the din.


I opened my mind and sent it wandering ahead, hoping after the events of the other night to touch something more than the blank wall I had been bruising it against.


Chapter 84