“Hurry; Run!” the small girl cried. “Only you can save her!” The child ran through the murky darkness leading the blond youth forward.  

He didn’t know who the child was, but somehow he knew her name was Miranda and he needed to help her.  He pressed forward, following her pale form as it disappeared in the darkness.  

“Wait! Please, wait!”  

“Hurry; you must hurry!” Miranda called back.  “You’re her only hope!”  

His deep blue eyes tried to penetrate the hazy darkness. He caught sight of the girl’s blond curls and raced to catch up to the child.  The misty air grew colder and the visibility continued to diminish.  

He stopped to catch his breath.  Where was she?  He saw only the graying darkness around him.  

“Hurry!”  

He turned toward the voice and ran, but something was wrong.  Almost instantly he was immersed in icy pressure.   

‘Water,’ his numbed brain cried, ‘I’ve fallen in water.’  It was totally black in the cold brim and his lungs screamed for oxygen. Where was the surface?  It looked black in every direction.  

‘Float,’ he thought.  He forced himself to relax and felt his body moving, but not fast enough.  

“Hurry!”  

He was dimly aware of the child’s voice.  The blackness grew even darker as his oxygen starved body began to fail him…  

Seventeen-year-old Joe Hardy sat up in his bed, panting heavily.  His heaving shoulders and chest glistened with sweat as his lungs sucked in air.  

“You okay?” Frank asked, peering into his brother’s bedroom from the bathroom door.  Frank had heard his year younger brother crying out in his sleep and had immediately gone through the bathroom that separated their bedrooms.  

Seeing Joe pale and sweaty, Frank moved to the younger boy’s side.  He sat on the edge of Joe’s bed and gently rubbed his brother’s back.  

“Bad dream?” Frank asked as the blond boy’s breathing returned to normal.  

“Same one,” Joe replied softly.  Frank frowned.  He knew the dream Joe was referring to because his brother had told him about it several nights ago.  

“It ended the same, too?” Frank asked, already knowing the answer.  Joe nodded. For the past five nights, it was always the same.  Joe saw himself following the small blond girl through the darkness, and then he always ended up in the water.  

“I don’t understand it!” Joe cried in frustration.  “Why do I keep having this nightmare?  What does it mean?”  

“I wish I could tell you, Joe,” Frank said in a comforting tone.  “You haven’t had a decent nights sleep in almost a week now.”  

Joe felt completely drained as he looked into his brother’s warm brown eyes.  The concern he saw there made him cringe inwardly. ‘I’m not the only one who isn’t sleeping,’ the teenager thought.  

“Want me to stay?” Frank quietly asked.  

As much as Joe wanted to say ‘no’; as much as he wanted to let his brother go back to the comfort of his own bed, Joe couldn’t.  

“Please?” he asked, feeling selfish and guilty.  

Frank smiled and silently climbed under the covers.  He continued to rub his younger brother’s back until Joe’s breathing settled into an even pattern.  Only then did the older, dark-haired youth allow himself to drift off to sleep.  

* * *

“Can you and Joe come and help decorate the barn tomorrow for the Halloween party on Friday?” Chet Morton asked at the lunch table at school the next day.  

Frank glanced at the chubby boy with reddish-blond hair, and then cast a quick glance at his blond brother still waiting in the cafeteria line.  

“At this point, I’m not even sure Joe’s gonna be able to go to the party,” Frank said in a low voice.   

“What?” cried a willowy girl with ash blond hair.  

“Has he said anything to you about his weird dream, Vanessa?” Frank asked.  

“No,” Vanessa Bender replied.  She’d been dating Joe since she moved to Bayport.  “What’s his dream got to do with the party on Friday?”  

Frank was about to explain when Joe sat down at the table.  He looked around and frowned.  

“What’s wrong?” Joe questioned, seeing his friends all staring at him.  

“Ah, this is my fault,” Frank offered, his cheeks red.  “I’m sorry, Joe.  I mentioned that you’ve been having bad dreams lately.”  

Joe sighed.  He wasn’t thrilled that Frank had said anything, but in another way, he felt relieved.  Joe quickly told his friends the details of the dream.  

“Wow,” expressed Frank’s girlfriend, Callie Shaw.  “Maybe its symbolic or something.  We’ve been talking about dreams in my Sociology class.  Mr. Phillips says our dreams often have a bearing on the events in our lives.”  

“Actually,” Vanessa picked up, “My mom has a book on interpreting dreams.  Maybe we could look up some things and see what your dream is trying to tell you.  

“Let’s meet at my house after school,” Vanessa suggested.  The others agreed, though Joe had serious doubts that his nightmare was any kind of ‘message from beyond.’  

* * *

Joe, Frank, Callie and Chet were the only ones who could make it to Vanessa’s house after school.  Several of their other friends asked for a phone call later to see what the group had discovered.  

Andrea Bender listened attentively as her daughter explained Joe’s situation.  She noted the dark circles under the eyes of her daughter’s boyfriend and immediately felt sympathy for him.  

“Joe, you’re more than welcome to borrow my book,” Andrea smiled, “and I hope you’ll find some answers.”  

“Thanks, Mrs. Bender,” Joe answered as he accepted a large, hard bound book from the woman.  

The teenagers retreated to Vanessa’s bedroom and scoured the book for answers to Joe’s dream.  

Several hours later, Joe shook his head in disgust.  They had gotten nowhere.  Their theories kept getting more bizarre as they tried to figure out the symbolism.  

“I appreciate all your help,” Joe said, glancing from face to face, “but this is leading to nothing.”  

Frank noticed how tired his younger brother looked and decided it was time to take Joe home.  Vanessa kissed Joe goodbye while Chet and Callie followed Frank out to the Hardy’s van.  

* * *

“Hurry, Joe! Hurry,” Miranda called out, “You are her only hope!”  

“I can’t take this any more!” Joe cried, falling against Frank in the all-too-familiar routine. “I think I’m going crazy!”  

Frank comforted his brother as best he could, frustrated with his own helplessness.  When would it all end?  

* * *

Halloween night found the Hardy brothers in the Morton’s barn along with their friends.  Joe tried his best to put on a good front, smiling and joking with his friends.  

“Joe doesn’t look good at all,” commented Biff Hooper, Joe’s best friend other than Frank.  He was watching Joe and Vanessa on the dance floor.  

“He’s still having that dream?” Dark-haired Tony Prito asked Frank.  

“Yeah,” Frank said softly.  “He thinks he’s losing his mind.  I don’t know what to do for him.  Mom and Dad are thinking about sending him to a therapist.”  

Moments later, Joe and Vanessa joined the group.  “’ Ness and I are going to take a little drive,” Joe told the group with a shy smile.  Frank smiled back.  He was hoping Vanessa would help Joe feel better.  

* * *

Joe drove the van to a deserted area off Shore Road .  It was a nice place to watch the moon rise over Barmet Bay .  He parked, facing the van out over the water.  

“It’s pretty here,” Vanessa said, snuggling closer to her boyfriend.  

“Not as pretty as you,” Joe responding, wondering if that line sounded as corny to Vanessa as it did to him.  

She turned and kissed him.  Joe smiled and reached for Vanessa, but stopped suddenly as lights from another vehicle illuminated the inside of the van.  Moments later, a deafening crashing sound was heard, followed by a loud splash.  

“What in the world…?” Joe questioned, peering through the windshield.  The sight before his eyes brought chills to his spine.  

Joe grabbed the cell phone and handed it to Vanessa.  “Call 9-1-1 !” he cried, “Tell them a car just plunged into the Bay off Shore Road !  

“I’m going into the water,” Joe stated, stripping off his jacket and shoes.  “Someone might be hurt!”  He was gone before Vanessa could protest or try to stop him.  

Joe raced down the steep embankment, looking up to the road where the car had crashed through the old wooden railing.  Placing himself in line with the broken rail, Joe made his way to the bottom.  

“This is like pea soup,” he muttered, wading through the shallow water near the rocky shore.  A heavy Marine mist enshrouded the entire area as he groped blindly toward the bay.  

Suddenly, Joe lost his footing and before he could regain his balance, he plunged into the cold water of Barmet Bay .  

* * *

Vanessa called the emergency number, telling the police dispatcher exactly where she and Joe were parked.  She then dialed the number for the Morton’s farm.  

The lithe blond girl quickly explained to Mrs. Morton what was going on, asking the older woman to tell Frank and call Mr. and Mrs. Hardy.  

Then Vanessa waited for what seemed like an eternity.  She stood outside the van, near the broken railing, calling out Joe’s name.  

* * *

The water around him was like ice as Joe struggled to figure out which way was up.  His lungs were crying out in pain for lack of air.  

The water seemed to grow darker and Joe knew he was going to pass out.  ‘I’m sorry,’ he thought, not even sure who he was apologizing to.  Joe Hardy lost consciousness in the dark waters of the bay.  

Miranda knew the blond boy was her only hope, but he would die if he didn’t get oxygen. She closed her eyes and prayed.  

Joe gasped and opened his eyes.  He sputtered and coughed, trying to figure out where he was.  He was in water, surrounded by a thick fog…why?  

“Hurry, Joe!” Miranda cried, “You’ve got to save her!”  

Joe saw something floating a few feet away.  ‘A box of some kind?’ he pondered.  Then it became clear to him.  The car!  He was looking at the roof of the car that had gone into the bay.  

Forgetting his tiredness, Joe swam with powerful strokes toward the sunken vehicle.  

“Hurry! Hurry!”  

Joe heard an urgent whisper in the back of his mind as he reached out to touch the car.  Sucking in a lung full of air, the teenager dove into the black water.  

“Hurry Joe!  Save her!”  

Joe could barely make out the form of someone sitting in the driver’s seat.  He tugged on the door, but it wouldn’t budge.  Frustrated, he went up for air.  

“Please, hurry!”  

Diving again, Joe tried the passenger door.  It pulled open in slow motion.  Joe felt his way inside the vehicle and unfastened the seatbelt of the driver.  

Gripping the unconscious form under the arms, the Hardy boy swam quickly to the surface of the water.  

* * *

Frank, Chet and Biff made their way down the rocky slope as soon as they arrived.  Callie stood near the rail with a nearly hysterical Vanessa.  

Sirens split the night air as several emergency vehicles pulled up near the two girls.  

Chief of Police Ezra Collig quickly assessed the situation and radioed the Harbor Patrol boat he had dispatched to the scene.  He then sent officers to the shore, where Frank and his friends were desperately searching for Joe.  

Joe was exhausted as he pulled the cold, still body onto the roof of the car.  He felt her neck and was relieved to feel a weak, but steady pulse.  With no thought for himself, he began CPR on the unconscious woman.  

Joe glanced up as a bright search light cut through the darkness.  

“Over here!  We’re over here!” he cried out.  Within seconds, the patrol boat was along side them and paramedics were helping the victim.  

Collig got word from the patrol boat that both the woman in the car and Joe Hardy were safely aboard the boat.  He radioed his officers on the shore to bring everyone up to the road.  

* * *

Frank, his parents and his friends waited anxiously in the emergency room lounge of Bayport Memorial Hospital .  

“Joe!” Fenton Hardy cried, as he saw his younger son immerge from the hall with a young intern.   

Joe welcomed the encompassing embrace of his father, mother and brother.  The doctor said that Joe needed rest, but was otherwise fine.  

“What about the woman from the car?” Laura Hardy, Joe’s petite, blond mother asked the doctor.  

“It looks as if your son’s fast action saved her life,” the doctor smiled.  “She’s going to be fine.  In fact, her husband wants to meet Joe.  I’ll send him out.”  

As Joe was greeted by his girlfriend and other friends, a young man about 25 years old walked up to the group.  He looked into the youngest Hardy’s deep blue eyes.  

“Joe?” he queried. Joe nodded and accepted the man’s outstretched hand.  

“I’m Hank Channels,” the man smiled.  “I don’t know how to thank you.  Melanie is a good driver, but she had a sharp contraction and lost control.”  

“She’s pregnant?” Joe asked in astonishment.  

“Was,” Hank grinned.  “The doctors just delivered our healthy baby ten minutes ago.”  

“Oh, wow!” Joe responded with a broad smile, “Who would have guessed that I was trying to rescue two people tonight!”  

“Melanie would thank you herself, but she’s totally wiped out,” Hank continued.  “As for our baby, we’d like her to bear her hero’s name.”  

Joe blushed profusely, “I’m no hero.  I just…act, sometimes.  It was reflex, not heroism.”  

“No matter how you look at it,” Hank countered, “you saved my wife’s life and my daughter’s life.”  

“What’s the baby’s name?” Vanessa asked, piqued with curiosity.  

“We’re calling her Miranda Jo Channels,” the proud new father beamed. He shook hands with the Hardys before returning to his wife’s side.  

Those standing in the room stood in stunned silence.  Miranda.  Joe glanced at his brother Frank, and smiled.  They knew that tonight, Joe wouldn’t be plagued with any bad dreams.  

Miranda had gotten her message through.  Joe glanced at the clock on the wall.  It was one minute until midnight and Halloween would be over.   

Mr. Hardy led the silent group to the parking lot where everyone said their good nights.  

Joe paused as he glanced back toward the hospital.  His eyes were drawn to the soft glow of a row of windows on the second floor.  Laura made her way to her son and followed his gaze.  

“That’s the nursery,” she said.  

“I know,” Joe replied with a smile.  

“Thank you, Joe.  You saved my Mommy so you saved me!”  

THE END

The Hardy Boys belong to Simon and Schuster and the Stratemeyer Foundation. The Hardy Boys Fan Fiction authors of the Hardy Detective Agency have just borrowed them for an adventure or two. The authors promise to put the boys back when they are done with them. The authors do claim copyright to the original characters in this story. Please do not borrow original characters without express permission of the authors.