Dreams Made Real

TITLE: Dreams Made Real

WRITER/AUTHOR: BaltoSeppala

CATEGORY: Parallel Worlds

RATING: G

SUMMARY: Laura and her family make their first visit to Nome, Alaska - a dream come true for Laura! Setting out to explore the town, she actually comes across an old wooden fishing boat up on dry land, in someone's yard, which looks suspiciously similar to the boat from the Balto cartoons! Eager to have a look, and not seeing anyone around, she climbs up and looks around, and ends up succumbing to jet lag while inside the boat's wheel house, and falls asleep. When she awakens, she finds herself in the midst of another universe...back in 1925!

NOTES: This story is a "trade", of sorts, with velvetloz (Lozzie), who did that great piece of artwork you can see in my Nome Meets Snob Hill, Pt. 2 story (in this board)! It's taken some time to finish, working and reworking the storyline, but I hope you all like it! Here, Loz is a character in the story, as her real self! And she has given me permission to post the story online. (NOTE: With Boris, I made the best attempt I could to approximate his Russian accent in print, without getting too overbearing. Hopefully that won't provide a problem with comprehension.) It's also been hinted, by Lozzie herself, that she seems to "sleep a lot" in this story. lol It only appears that way. Firstly, remember that she is suffering from "jet lag" going halfway across the planet, from Britain to Nome. Secondly, there are portions of time which pass which are alluded to in the story, but which are not described. That should clear that up. Enjoy!

CHARACTERS (in order of appearance): Alaska Airlines stewardess, Laura (Loz), Laura's parents, cab driver, Balto, Steele, Boris, Jenna, Rosy, Rosy's parents (and, as background: Dixie, Sylvie, Doc, Mel, Dipsy, Kirby, Muk and Luk).

Chapter 1
The small jet touched down on the runway smoothly, and without incident.

“Attention, ladies and gentlemen. On behalf of Alaska Airlines, we’d like to welcome you to the town of Nome. Local time is 2:35 P.M. The temperature is forty-five degrees Fahrenheit under partly sunny skies. Please remain seated, with your seatbelt securely fastened, until the plane comes to a complete stop at the terminal. Thank you for flying Alaska Airlines. We look forward to serving you in your future travels!”

As the jet taxied to the terminal, Laura’s excitement grew. “At last,” she thought, “Nome!” She looked out the window by her seat, and observed the tundra beyond the tarmac of the Nome Airport. The airport itself was quite small…just a single terminal…nothing like Heathrow or Gatwick. But then, she was not in London anymore! Still, this remote region made even Anchorage look like a major city by comparison. Even with just the short stop-over there, she could tell that much.

After deplaning onto the tarmac and the short walk over to the terminal, there was the usual wait at baggage claim, and then the matter of securing a taxi. Laura’s father looked into that while she and her mother waited nearby. And soon, they were bound for Nome, a short drive south of the airport. The driver, an Eskimo and life-long local citizen, turned out to be quite sociable, and gave Laura and her parents several recommendations for places to visit, things to see, and good restaurants. Laura, however, was fixated on the scenery, and the stories she had heard from one of her online friends, who called himself BaltoSeppala, about Nome’s history, and about Togo and the real Balto. She also remembered him talking about how, if the Balto cartoon were more true to life, Balto’s boat would be laying out on the tundra, near the beach, about a mile south of the town. That, she determined, would be one place she’d want to stop…just to get the feel for it!

(Of course, she also recalled seeing a discussion, on Sepp’s true story forum, about an actual abandoned fishing boat laying out on the tundra somewhere in Nome…which vaguely resembled Balto’s boat. “How cool would it be to stop by that place and take some pictures?” she asked herself. This, she began to realize, was going to be one busy trip!)

The ride into Nome was quite interesting. Between the Inuit camp north of town, to the very rural lay of the town itself, it was an entirely new experience for Laura. Of course, it didn’t look much like the historic pictures of Nome that she had seen. But then, Nome had changed a great deal since the early 1900s. Both man and nature had their hand in that. However, much of it was still quaint and welcoming. Gaining her parents’ permission (and with assurances that she’d be back in time for them to go out to supper), she set out to have a look around, and take photographs. She spent much time exploring and, in spite of the cold, was in no great rush.

Chapter 2
It was getting well on towards late afternoon, and already the sun was beginning to get low in the sky. But there was still time, Laura thought, to hit the south end of town. Out there were some homes and, on the beachfront, some docks with fishing boats moored by them. Maybe…

Laura searched the various docks, and then the fishing yard itself. Nothing. “I’m wasting my time,” she thought to herself. “Just because it’s in the movie doesn’t mean it’s really out here, or even that it ever was.” Dejected, she turned around and started heading back into town. It would be supper time soon, and her parents would probably be concerned. And after all, after such a busy day, she was getting tired.

That’s when she spotted it. Sitting on the tundra, off to the side of an old house and near a beat-up old pickup truck, was an old fishing boat, leaning just a bit to one side. It wasn’t close to the water, and didn’t look exactly like the boat in the Balto movie. Still, its weather-worn, wooden hull was gray with age, scattered here and there with flecks of old, peeling paint.

Laura walked up to the house, and knocked a few times on the front door. She waited, but there was no response. She knocked again, and waited. “Hmm,” she thought, “no one home. I hope they don’t mind if I have a look at the boat.” Glancing around the area to see if there was anyone in the area, she walked over to the old boat, and at first observed it from a short distance away. It was obviously quite old and had not been used in a long time. She circled around the boat. There was no damage to the hull.

Circling back around to the starboard side, she noticed an old metal pipe ladder leading up to the deck. “Not exactly the plank from Balto’s boat. But it’ll do.” Cautiously, first checking the ladder to see that it could support her weight, she scaled it up to the deck. The wood of the boat creaked a bit, and the ladder was a little rusty, but it was not a difficult climb. The deck was strewn with fishing paraphernalia which had clearly not been used in a long time. Laura walked over to the outer bulkhead of a long cabin stretched out behind the wheelhouse, and looked into one of the portholes lining it. It was dark inside, but she could make out the remains of furniture…a table and some chairs, and more old fishing equipment.

Laura then decided to move forward along the deck up to the wheelhouse, and poked her head inside the doorway. There, inside the small room, was the boat’s wheel and some old, rusting brass navigation instruments and primitive controls. Otherwise, the room was clear and rather unremarkable. She walked up to the wheel, and took hold of the handles, looking out of the windows in front of her and imagining what it must have been like to operate the boat.

For a few minutes Laura simply stared out at the setting sun, and had a great view of the Bering Sea from the windows of the wheel house of the boat. She then took another look around the wheelhouse, and sat down, leaning up against the back wall, lost in thought. She was imagining Balto in his boat, stretched out beneath an old tattered blanket on the floor in front of her, and then Boris barging in to wake him with one of his silly concerns. Thought of that made her smile. But as her thoughts wandered, she slowly nodded off to sleep.

Chapter 3
The race had just finished, and amidst the cheers of the onlookers, Balto and Jenna exchanged happy glances. Balto had beaten the experienced sled dogs, and he was extraordinarily happy with himself! And, standing in place beside his master and musher, Steele grimaced and huffed in frustrated annoyance, and then began walking towards the finish line as Balto observed him with an expectant smile.

“Okay”, Steele barked as he strode past Balto, his nose turned up. “Nikki, Kaltag, Star, move it. We’re strapping up.”

Balto’s smile faded quickly. “Hey, now, just a second here, Steele. I was the fastest dog.”

Steele looked back at him disdainfully. “You were the fastest…what?” He began to slowly circle Balto. “Do you honestly think any musher would ever put you on his team? You’re even more mixed up than I thought.”

Balto gazed angrily at Steele, perplexed at his unfathomable hatred for him. He hardly noticed Jenna step into the midst of the exchange.

“Steele, it doesn’t matter who’s on the team, so long as the medicine gets through. Stop being such a glory hound!”

Jenna’s reprimand caught Steele momentarily off-guard. However, in his usual cunning manner, he sought to diffuse her displeasure with him, and take the pressure off. “You’re…a hundred percent right, Jenna. I…I wasn’t thinking about those children. The important thing here is to get the medicine through. And that’s just what I’m gonna do.”

Secure in his own mind that he tricked Jenna, he then turned back to Balto and, with a nasty whisper, added “And when I come back, I’m gonna fold you five ways, and leave you for a cat toy.”

In the midst of the slowly-dispersing crowd lining the sidewalk, Boris watched the scene unfold with growing unease and pity for Balto. Then the team’s musher stepped out into the street, followed by one of the town’s officials. “Good dog, Steele!”

Turning on his own twisted charm, Steele enthusiastically greeted his master with pants and yips, hoping to curry more favor and attention. The musher stepped up and patted him on the head with a “Good boy!” Then the musher turned his attention towards Balto, which didn’t go unnoticed by Steele. “Now, let’s take a look at our winner here. Let’s take a look at our winner.”

As the musher extended his hand to give Balto a pat on the head and have a closer look at him, Steele stepped down hard on one of Balto’s forepaws with his own, which caused Balto to recoil back with a sharp yelping growl.

The musher pulled back quickly. “Ah, we can’t trust this one – he’s part wolf.” And, while Balto’s heart began to sink at the musher’s comments, Steele cracked a cruel grin. “See those teeth?” the musher asked the town official. “He might turn on me.” The two men shot suspicious glances at Balto, and began to turn and walk away. The musher raised his arm, signaling to his team. “Nikki, Kaltag, Star! Let’s go!”

Steele stood menacingly before Balto, casting a smug glance at him. With a few snickers, he turned slowly and followed the musher, while Balto stared dejectedly after them. Jenna started walking up to Balto, seeking to comfort him. “Balto, I’m sorry…”

Balto, however, had had enough of the whole thing. Turning to go, his tail swung low and his head bowed in frustration, he cast a sidelong glance at Jenna. Ruefully, he replied “better not talk to me, Jenna…I might turn on you.” And he began to walk away.

Jenna tried to stop him…she wanted to help. “Balto, wait. Balto!” But it was of no use. Balto began running off towards the edge of town. And from the sidewalk, Boris started off after him.

Chapter 4
Laura was in a light sleep, leaning up against a wall of the boat wheel house. She was shivering a bit now, and began to awaken. Looking around, she found that it was getting dark outside...and it was noticeably colder. However…something was strange. Very strange! Impossibly, she found herself immersed in what appeared to be a cartoon world! And what’s worse, even the interior of the wheel house seemed somehow…different in form. Could she still be asleep…dreaming?

As she pondered this, she caught the sound of voices approaching from outside, just a short distance from the boat. She became nervous…there was nowhere to go, and no way to explain her presence on this boat. Maybe it was the owner and a friend. They were men’s voices, one with a strong accent. Was it Russian? She couldn’t be certain yet. She was still trying to figure out what she was seeing around her, and how all of it could be like a cartoon. She held up her hand, and discovered that she, too, looked like a cartoon…a human cartoon. “This is just too weird!” she thought to herself. “What the hell is going on??” Laura didn’t have too much time to ponder it. The voices were getting closer, and now she heard footsteps on the deck…but strangely, they didn’t sound human. Not having any time to think it through, she pretended to still be asleep.

As the voices got closer to the wheel house, Laura noticed something else. The voices…they seemed…familiar. “Nooo...” she thought. “Impossible…it can’t be.” She listened in to the conversation as it got closer…the younger of the two voices, the one without the accent, sounded sad and frustrated.

“I’m sick of it all, Boris. It’s just no use. No one’s ever gonna give me a fair chance in this town. I can’t get a break no matter how hard I try! It’s time to move on.”

“All this ower one silly race? Listen, Balto, no one ewer rocketed to fame by winning one race.”

“It’s not just the race, and you know it. Naw…that race just proved conclusively what it is I have to do. Tomorrow morning, I’m leaving for good. Maybe I can get a fresh start somewhere…like White Mountain.”

Laura was really starting to feel her heart in her throat. “It IS…them!” And now, they were just outside the wheel house…and came through the doorway.

“White Mountain?? Listen, boychik, White Mountain is no place t…” Boris stopped cold, staring at Laura, who appeared to be asleep. “And just exactly who is this?”

Balto observed Laura with some surprise and confusion. “I don’t know. I’ve never seen her before.” He approached carefully and sniffed at her feet and legs.

Laura kept as still as possible…it wasn’t easy. She realized now that this was really Balto and Boris. And she wanted to open her eyes, reach out and hug Balto, and start talking with them! But instead, she figured on playing it safe, and being subtle.

Boris crossed his wings in front of him and squinted at Laura suspiciously. “Well, whoewer she is, she doesn’t belong here! Wake her up…she belongs indoors anyway, not out here in the cold!”

Balto raised an eyebrow and grimaced back at Boris. “I don’t want to do that, Boris. Not while she’s asleep. Let her go for now. When she wakes up, maybe she’ll just go on her own.”

“Hmph!” Boris scoffed.

Chapter 5
Boris watched with growing concern as Balto paced slowly back and forth through the wheel house, worried about his worsening mood. “So what are you going to do?”

Laura listened intently as Balto grumbled to himself under his breath while he paced. And then he stopped. Turning to Boris, he replied “You heard me, Boris. I’m through with this town. It’s time to move on. I can’t take this kind of treatment anymore. It’s just too hard to bear.”

It took her a few moments to connect with what Balto had been saying, but clearly she had arrived here before the departure of Steele’s team for the anti-toxin. And now Balto was thinking of leaving town for good, without helping! She just couldn’t let him do that! But what had changed? In the story, Balto did set out to find the team after he learned that it had become lost. She didn’t recall anything from the story which indicated that he had been so intimidated by how others treated him that he’d decided to give up and just leave. Was it her arrival that had changed things? Or was this just something the Balto movie never showed?

After a beat, Boris nodded in agreement with Balto. “I see. Well, you don’t need these people anyway. And you certainly don’t need to put up with that Cossack Steele anymore.”

It was time. Opening her eyes, Laura addressed Balto and Boris. “You can’t do that, Balto. These people still need you!”

Both Balto and Boris spun around and observed Laura with utter disbelief. Boris’ beak dropped open. After staring for a moment, Balto closed his eyes and shook his head. “Nah. It’s a coincidence. She didn’t actually respond to you, right Boris?”

Boris was still staring, slack-beaked, at Laura. Balto turned to him. “Bor-is!”

Boris shook his head to clear it, and put his wings out in protest. “No! Of course not! Is impossible! Must be the cold.”

Laura sat up. “But it isn’t. And I did speak to you both.”

Balto and Boris exchanged shocked expressions, and then Balto turned to address Laura. “Umm, so who are you? And how is it you can understand us? No human’s ever been able to talk with us or understand what we say. I still can’t even believe this is really happening!”

Laura stood up and walked over to one of the windows at the front of the wheel house, and looked out in the direction of Nome. It was dark, and there were many lights shining in the windows of the buildings. But it was too distant to see any real activity. Snow covered the ground; the sky was clear, blanketed with stars. Without looking at either of them, she continued. “I don’t know. I don’t even know how I came to be here. This is as strange to me as it is to you. As to my name, I’m called Laura.”

Balto tilted his head in confusion. “Didn’t you walk out here from town?”

“No. Well, in a way, yes. And no. It’s kinda hard to explain. But I’m not from Nome…” Laura stopped in mid sentence. She was unsure about how much she really ought to tell them, and how much that really mattered anyway. “…Still, being here with you both, well, it’s a dream come true!”

At that, Balto and Boris again exchanged a glance…of puzzlement in this case. Balto turned back to Laura. “Why would that be?”

Laura shifted, turning around to face Boris and Balto, and leaning back against the window. She crossed her arms in front of her. Cracking a wry smile, she said “let’s just say that I’ve got a special insight into how things just might turn out.” She stepped over and sat down in front of Balto, and observed him closely, thinking how often she’d imagined how awesome it would be to be where she was right now. “Balto, those sick people in town, they need you. Their chances just aren’t very good if all they’ve got is Steele.”

Under his breath, Boris mumbled “boy, if that isn’t the understatement of the year…” Laura and Balto both heard him, and observed him with some amusement. He glanced back at both of them. “What?”

After letting out a small laugh, Laura continued. “Balto, if you don’t find a way to do this, no one will…and a lot of people are going to die. Don’t let them down.” Laura wanted to give him a pat on the head…maybe a scratch behind the ears. But somehow, it didn’t seem the same as doing so with a dog in her own world. This was, to her, a famous dog…and a dog with whom she was holding a conversation. In a funny sort of way, it felt to her as being no different than if she’d reached over and done such a thing to her best friend…something which people, even best friends, just don’t do.

Balto sighed heavily, and began wandering aimlessly around the wheel house. For a long moment, no one said anything.

Laura couldn’t stand the tension. “Balto…?”

He stopped and, without looking at either of them, started walking of the doorway of the wheel house. “I need some time to think this over.” Boris started to follow him out, and Balto stopped in the doorway. “Alone…” he said. As Boris hesitated, Balto stepped out onto the deck, and went around to the prow. A light snow had started to fall. Off in the distance, back in Nome, Balto could see that a red lamp had been lit at the telegraph office, and he thought he could just about see Steele’s team rushing off on the start of its run. It wasn’t easy for him to watch. Sadly, he dipped his head as he tried to consider his next move. And, from the windows of the wheel house, Laura and Boris watched quietly. After a few minutes, Balto turned back and headed off down the plank which connected the deck of the boat with the ground, and set off for town as Laura and Boris watched him go.

“So now what?” Boris asked Laura sternly.

Laura rubbed her eyes and yawned. “Boris, I really need to get some sleep. I’ve been up too long already.” The jet lag was getting the better of her for certain. She sat back down and wrapped her arms around herself, shivering. Boris, taking notice of this, grabbed Balto’s threadbare blanket, and laid it over her. Laura caressed the blanket, observing it with wonder. Despite its ragged condition, it felt smooth and warm. And it was Balto’s. Wrapping herself up in it, she started to curl up. Glancing up one more time at Boris, she said “he needs you, Boris. Go after him.”

Boris chuckled. “Don’t worry kiddo. I would never leave him alone for wery long. You get some sleep.” With that, he headed out of the wheel house and down the plank.

Despite the cold, Laura soon fell asleep.

Chapter 6
The next day, Laura was up early. There was no sign of Balto or Boris in the wheel house, and though the sun had not yet risen, there was some gray light in the morning sky, as well as some remaining bright stars. Nome itself, except for the red lantern, was dark. She had also noticed that someone, perhaps Boris, had laid out some beef jerky for her…perhaps as a breakfast of sorts. She smiled at the effort made, and pocketed the jerky for later.

Getting herself up and trying to rub the remaining sleep out of her eyes, she yawned and stretched, and then figured on descending the plank and heading into town to have a look around, and see if she could perhaps find Balto again. She figured he’d be wandering about town, wrestling with his thoughts about whether or not to go. That he’d overhear the conversation of the dogs in the boiler room. That he’d look in on the carpenter and see the coffins being made. That he’d stop by the hospital and peer into the bay window, and see little Rosy there in bed. And that, in spite of Boris trying to convince him of the dangers of going out to look for Steele’s team, he’d draw his attention to Rosy sick in bed, and then Boris would have a change of heart, and he, Balto, Muk and Luk would set out in search of Steele’s team. Just like in the movie. But all that would be after the sun set again. And even though that was several hours away, Laura also knew that, at this time of the year, it didn’t stay light in Alaska for very long. And her walk into Nome, from Balto’s boat, wasn’t going to be a short one, judging by the distance. Folding up Balto’s blanket and laying it aside, she exited the wheel house and slowly, carefully stepped down the plank (almost losing her footing on the new-fallen snow), and began her walk into town.

By daylight, Laura had reached the outskirts of Nome. There was a minimal amount of human activity, and no one seemed to take much notice of her…even though her clothing was probably a bit out of date (including the pants she wore, instead of a dress or long skirt).

As the hours wore on, she spent a good deal of time looking around, and caught a glimpse of dogs she recognized from all the Balto movies…Dixie, Sylvie, Doc, Mel, Dipsy, Kirby, even Jenna (she did not see Dusty or Ralph. However, she figured that they must still be puppies at this time). She did not approach any of the dogs however, figuring it was best not to attract too much attention or cause too much of a stir, even among them. The less who knew she could speak to the dogs, the better.

She visited several places, and did manage some minor social interaction with some people, who did treat her with some reservation (which she chalked up to the anticipated reaction to her clothing, her accent, and the fact that she was not known in Nome as a citizen). She even managed a look inside one of the bay windows of the hospital, and saw little Rosy in bed, with her family at her side, and Jenna curled up on the bed at her feet. It was a very touching scene. But as the day wore on, and the sun began to sink earlier in the day than she was accustomed to, Laura began once again to feel the effects of the jet lag, and prepared to make the jaunt back out to Balto’s boat. She hadn’t really gotten a proper amount of sleep the last two days, and now was as good a time as any to catch up, since everyone was elsewhere.

By the time she got back out to the boat, the sun had already dipped below the horizon. Laura anticipated that, by now, Boris was trying to convince Balto not to set out after the team, and Balto would be leading him (and Muk and Luk) to the hospital, where he’d show Boris just how sick little Rosy is. The best Laura could do now was wait for them to get back...like everyone else. After curiously poking around the boat, she sat back down, covered herself in Balto’s blanket, and nodded back off to sleep.

Chapter 7
Several hours later, Laura was awakened to the sounds of footfalls on the plank connecting to the boat. Not human. Dog perhaps. She cracked one eye slightly open, and watched the doorway. It was quite dark out, but there was an undulating greenish glow cast on the walls and the floor and, as she peered out of the windows of the wheel house, she noticed that this came from the Northern Lights, now weaving across the sky. She turned back, however, and shut her eyes as she heard the footsteps get closer. Peeking through one eye, she saw a dog enter the doorway. It was Balto. Smiling, she opened her eyes, but didn’t get up. “You okay?”

Balto stepped up to her. “Did I wake you? I’m sorry, Laura.” He laid down next to her, laying his head on her lap.

Laura stroked his fur, starting from his head down across his back. “It’s no problem, Balto. I think I’m starting to catch up with myself in the sleep department.” She chuckled as she heard Balto do the same.

Balto looked up at her, without lifting his head. “Thanks for helping me out. I couldn’t have done it without you. Aaaaand Boris…and Muk, Luk and Jenna.” He chuckled again.

Laura scratched behind Balto’s ears, which he seemed to really enjoy. “Awww…listen, Balto. You always had it in you. All I did was give you a nudge out of the door. But one way or another, you would have found it in your heart to do the right thing. I am just so happy I could be of some help to you. You’re very special to me, Balto.” She stroked his fur again, thinking to herself how amazing it was that she was actually experiencing this…talking to Balto, petting him, and that she might actually have played a small part in helping out. It made her feel very good. “Hey…where’s Boris?”

Balto looked up momentarily and laughed softly. “Oh he’ll be along. Maybe tomorrow. He was so exhausted after directing Muk and Luk to bring Jenna back into town, after she hurt her leg, that I think he just passed out at Rosy’s house.” He laid his head back down on Laura’s lap.

“Then I guess we’ll see him tomorrow!” Laura yawned again, and felt her eyelids getting heavy. “Goodnight, Balto.”

“Goodnight, Laura. Sleep well.”

The next morning, Laura awoke and found herself back in her own world, in the boat she had stolen into. Ironically, it seemed as if almost no time had passed! The sun was still setting, and it was noticeably warmer than it had been where she believed herself to have been for the last two days. “That’s just too weird…” she said to herself.

Getting up and brushing herself off, she noticed, out of the corner of her eye, a small tuft of brown-gray fur fall from her coat and alight on the floor of the wheel house. She bent down to pick it up. Smiling, she ran the soft fur across her cheek, and thought back on what now seemed to have been all too real. And now, here was a tuft of dog fur – and she hadn’t come into contact with any dogs in Nome. Well, not THIS Nome. With a shrug, Laura pocketed the little tuft of fur, and exited the boat, and began making her way back into town and to the place where her family was staying.

That little tuft of brown-gray fur remained with her thereafter and, whenever she wished to recall that inexplicable experience, she’d pull it out and reminisce.

The End.