Free A Dream for Hannah by Jerry S. Eicher Page B

off her shoes, and stretched out on the bed, weary to the bone from another hard day of housework. It felt so absolutely divine to rest, and so at first she didn’t notice the noise on the windowpane.
    The taps were repeated, this time more insistently. She sat upright and swung her feet onto the floor. Her eyes went to the window where a shadowy figure crouched in front of the pane, his hand poised to knock again.
    She felt a scream form deep within her, but no sound came out. The shadow moved and waved a hand. Hannah stood, her fear now mixing with excitement as she stared, undecided, at the window. The figure reached into a pocket and produced a long silver item. It used the other hand to cover the end, then a small flash of light appeared directed at the person’s face. To her astonishment she saw the dimply lit face of Peter. She drew a sharp breath as her heart pounded. Peter had come to her window. In a flash, her decision was made, and she rushed to the window to raise the sash.
    “Hi,” Peter whispered and then moved away from the window to wait. “Come quick. You still want your ride?”
    “You came,” she said.
    “Of course,” he said. “I said I would, didn’t I? It just took a little while.”
    “But I told you not to come,” Hannah said, now rethinking her decision. With Peter actually in front of her and the dark of night outside, she wasn’t so sure of what she should do.
    He ignored her comment but said, “I worked hard on this—now don’t go spoiling it.”
    “How was that?” she asked.
    “That dog of yours has been a great nuisance. I spent the last few evenings becoming friends with him.”
    “You went to all that trouble?” She found herself impressed. This was the Peter she knew, the Peter who cared for her.
    “I wanted to see you,” he whispered in the darkness.
    “You did? Really?” she asked.
    “Yes. Now come…or can I come in?”
    “No,” she said instinctively. That would not do at all. “We can talk here.”
    “It’s pretty uncomfortable on this roof. It would be nicer inside.”
    She felt the emotion deep inside. What should I do? What if my parents walk in?
    “Come on,” he coaxed, “I won’t stay long.”
    Hannah made no movement away from the window, and Peter made no attempt to force his way in.
    “I went to all this work to see you. At least let me inside,” he said.
    Shep took it upon himself at that moment to bark.
    “Oh, no,” Peter said, “the dog.”
    “It’s nothing,” she said. “I can tell by his bark. It sounds friendly.”
    “Are you sure?”
    “Yes.”
    “Will you go for a ride, then, in my car?”
    “Where?” she asked.
    “I’ll take you downtown for a drive. We can just climb down the tree and follow the fencerow down to the road. We won’t see anybody, and I’ll have you back in no time. No one will ever know.”
    There was a pause as Hannah thought about it. The darkness made things look so much different than in the daytime. Why she wouldn’t go baffled her at the moment. While trying to decide, she was very conscious that Peter was there, in the dark, his eyes on her face.
    What harm could it do? For another moment she searched for reasons not to go and found only her parents’ disapproval.
    “I’ll go,” Hannah said.
    Shep barked again, sharper this time. “Maybe you can get the dog to quiet down?” Peter asked.
    “Yes,” she whispered back into the darkness.
    Peter reached for her hand to help her out the window. At his touch Hannah became more confident. Even more, she felt wanted.
    Hannah followed Peter across the roof and noticed his carefulness lest he fall. Even on the tree, he climbed slowly and with great caution. But for Hannah the climb down was easy because of her years of practice.
    At the base of the tree, Shep sat waiting and wagging his tail. He then followed the couple as they made their way to the fence. But Hannah turned and ordered him to stay. He sat obediently but offered a whimper of