Dream Until It’s Your Reality
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The sun was shining, it must be summer. I looked up from my book and realized we were in the middle of a field; or at least some sort of grassy plain. The light coming through the trees overhead felt cool on my face, but my skin still tingled with warmth.
There had been no rain since last night, so there was no breeze to make the air feel sticky. In fact, even though our little group of travelers—myself and Daphne and Raul (who didn’t look quite so pale anymore)—had made camp here under these very same trees this morning, now all that remained was an old pile of firewood.
Even as I watched, another traveler appeared out of thin air near the edge of the woods, wearing his usual white cloak and carrying his staff. He glanced around for a moment before he saw us—he seemed surprised too! “You’re here!” he exclaimed when he finally found us.
He smiled brightly; he reminded me of the other dreamers—the ones who weren’t like him. But why did they seem so strange? They always looked like they wanted to help you out somehow, whether it was with food or shelter or advice, but it just made me nervous whenever I spoke to them… especially that one time he tried to give me magic powers.
“What happened?” I asked after a minute when the man’s smile had died down into a serious frown. He sighed heavily and then turned to address me. His voice sounded different—more like a woman than a man—and the tone suggested something important. “I’m afraid your friend has failed.”
That took me by surprise. Raul wasn’t my friend, he was just someone I traveled with because I liked talking to him. And I couldn’t see what failure would have had to do with Raul unless he’d left me behind somewhere… “Who are you anyway?”
I demanded. It was obvious we were being addressed by an authority figure, but this new dreamer didn’t sound like one. “And where exactly is ‘there’?” As soon as I said that, however, I knew: The place where dreams come from. “Are you another dreamer?”
He shook his head; he didn’t look happy about anything. “No, I am not a dreamer,” he declared with emphasis. “It’s just that you’ve lost Raul—so I thought I should explain. I think it would be best if you woke up.”
My mind was reeling; so much was happening and yet so quickly too. This dreamer hadn’t been the first of my dreams to offer some explanation or warning, nor could I remember the name of this strange man.
I had always assumed such warnings were simply to warn me away from whatever had caused this particular dream in the first place. Now I knew better; there was only one thing that made any sense to me.
This man was telling me that we wouldn’t wake up until Raul had reached home. Which meant he had already done so.
I stood up suddenly, startling Daphne and the others. “We need to follow him,” I said urgently, and started walking towards the woods. My companions followed me reluctantly; none of them knew Raul as well as I did. “He’ll go back to the real world eventually, won’t he? You can show me how right?”
The man hesitated for a moment, then nodded. “But you’ll have to trust me,” he warned quietly.
So I did. And after a while, the forest gave way to an unfamiliar countryside of rolling hills and wide fields dotted with small towns and villages. We passed through each town without stopping; people stared at me strangely, but they never questioned our presence or offered assistance.
After a few days of this, we came upon a great city: The Great City, its ancient name was written across the top of the nearest hill. There were hundreds of buildings, all tall and grand and beautiful, and everywhere the sky blazed above us in brilliant blue.
A stream ran straight through the heart of the city, past many houses and gardens and markets. All of them looked familiar, but not so different from our own home.
Raul and I walked side by side toward one of the most impressive-looking of buildings. I wondered why I was dreaming at all if everything around me was so real and vivid… “You know, it really doesn’t matter which of these buildings is ours,” Raul remarked. “If you can’t tell from the front door—”
“—then we’ll ask someone,” I cut him off. “But what’s wrong?” He frowned slightly, looking worried. “Have you noticed anything odd about the Great City? Did I say something stupid again? Or maybe that’s why you’ve brought me along because you think I’ll find all sorts of things ridiculous?”
Raul snorted loudly, shaking his head. “Not at all. I just… think you might find something more interesting here than you will on our travels—like that old legend about the Dreamers.”
I paused. “Dreamers? Is that what that man meant when he told me to wake up?”
“Yes,” Raul admitted. “There is a story about the First Dreamer, who brought all our dreams together. When he disappeared one night, the other dreamers decided to try and find him—but instead, they ended up falling asleep in turn.” He shrugged.
“They tried a lot of things to bring themselves back awake. Some used spells and potions, and one even burned himself with fire.” I shivered as I imagined a real man burning alive. “But nothing worked. The First Dreamer had disappeared forever. They called it the Second Sleep then, and everyone believed no one would ever wake up.”
He stopped abruptly and spun on his heel to face me; his expression was dark. “Except me.”
I stared at him blankly. “You’re telling me we can’t sleep until you get home,” I demanded furiously. “That’s what you meant by ‘we’? Do you mean it isn’t just Raul and I? There are other dreamers wandering around out there in the darkness?”
Raul looked down at the ground unhappily. “Yes,” he sighed softly. “All of us. All of us have been waiting to return home. And all of us, one day, must go back.”
***
I stood still for a long time staring into the flames, trying to imagine that this was a nightmare. But every detail rang true, and every word of the Dreamer’s warning was clear and precise. No wonder he had appeared in my dream!
If I could make it back home before Raul did, then maybe I could convince him to leave this strange city. But the idea of being trapped in a dream forever, unable to wake up… it made my skin crawl.
Daphne came back to stand beside me. She put her hand on mine briefly, then went back to the fire. For a moment she looked up at Raul, who nodded slowly to her; then she turned away to sit cross-legged on the grass next to me.
After a while, I asked, “Do you remember your first dream?” Daphne shook her head, frowning faintly. “Not very clearly… just a big house with a huge fireplace and lots of people milling about…”
She didn’t seem surprised to hear that she had already fallen asleep, though that hardly comforted me. I thought suddenly of Raul and his promise that he would come back and tell me how to get home. Would he do it if he knew he couldn’t escape?
Or would he stay here forever, and never come back either…? I tried to picture myself living as a prisoner of this place for the rest of my life, and the thought was too horrible to contemplate.
A sudden chill ran down my spine. What if this was another one of Raul’s tricks, like the last dream? Maybe if I tried to wake up now, it would be over and Raul would laugh at me for believing him.
But the dream held on. I found myself sitting at the edge of a vast room, alone except for a woman wearing a robe much nicer than any clothing I’d seen yet in the Great City. “This is a very special dream,” said the woman. “We’ve waited a very long time for you, Thomas. Are you ready?”
I nodded. “Ready,” I murmured.
“Good. Then close your eyes… and listen.”
“Listen?” My voice echoed strangely through the cavernous hall, but the woman only smiled and beckoned to me. “Come, Thomas,” she urged gently. “Close your eyes and follow my voice. Listen hard to the sound of my footsteps.”
I did as she instructed, closing my eyes and leaning forward to concentrate all my attention. Suddenly, I felt myself swaying. I fought desperately not to fall as my body swayed wildly beneath me as if I were being carried across a great distance. It seemed an eternity before I finally opened my eyes again.
The walls and floor around me were covered in a soft cream color, and a low light glowed from somewhere behind a nearby door. On each side of the room stood two men and a woman. They wore strange robes that were black and grey and purple, and their hair was braided and knotted tight above their heads.
The men were taller than I was, and both had the same pale green skin and deep-set eyes as Raul; I was almost certain they were Dreamers. But the woman was different, her skin brown rather than white, her face round and pleasant-looking instead of severe.
She was speaking to me now; her voice was warm and melodious, and I felt myself sinking easily into its rhythm. I closed my eyes again as she spoke.
“I’m sorry we’ve kept you waiting so long,” she said, smiling brightly. “And you’re sure to have many questions, once you awaken. We hope that someday when you awake you will choose to come here again and visit us.”
Her gaze rested on the men who sat on either side of me, her smile fading slightly. “In fact, one of these three young men is already among us, though he does not yet know it.”
My breath caught in my throat as she spoke the words, and my heart began to race. I glanced quickly at each man—both of them nodded silently to me; Raul looked puzzled.
“You see,” she went on, “your brother has been chosen to become a Dreamer; it is our way. Your mother and father knew what was coming when you were born, Thomas, though perhaps they did not understand fully. You have always been a special child, and we look forward to seeing what you may achieve in this strange land of dreams.”
She turned back to me. “Now come along; you’ll want to wash off all the dust that clings to you now that you are home again.” As she led me by the hand back toward the doorway, I saw that one of the young men was holding Raul’s wrist with gentle fingers, examining it curiously. He was watching me as he spoke to his companions, but Raul didn’t seem to notice.
I found myself wondering how the others had managed to find me again. Did they somehow know where I was even without the dream? But then, I thought suddenly, they must know all about me, surely. How could they not have guessed that I was dreaming about them here? Had they known from the beginning?
Once we emerged into the courtyard, I found myself walking slowly beside Daphne and staring around me as I tried to take everything in. There were people everywhere: some were moving slowly along the paths between the rows of trees, carrying large baskets filled with fruit or vegetables; other folk moved along the streets below on errands and visits.
Most of them seemed to be heading somewhere; no one lingered out here, apart from those who came to sit for a while on a bench beneath one of the larger trees. And there was music too, faint and haunting in the evening air.
At first, I took it for the wind rustling through leaves, but after a few moments, I realized that it was voiced singing softly together. One voice rose up and fell away, and another joined in, and soon enough I had forgotten completely that I was dreaming; I heard nothing else until my mother appeared at my side and whispered, “Come, Thomas. Your father wants you.”
“Your father wants you,” repeated my mother over and over. I nodded absently and followed her across the courtyard. The sounds faded behind me, leaving only a lingering echo in my ears. I found myself walking more slowly as we approached the House.
I was surprised to realize that I hadn’t expected Father to be so close by, or to want to talk to me. In fact, I couldn’t think of anything I wanted to say to him either; my head was still spinning.
The front steps of the House were made of red marble and wide enough to accommodate several people abreast; I walked slowly down the stairs beside Mother and Father. The stone had a cool smoothness under my bare feet, and I watched with interest as they began to glow in the setting sunlight.
My own shadow stretched long before me, stretching out over the path that led straight into the woods beyond. I wondered if anyone would ever build something like this again if any of the Houses could ever be raised again after all these years. I knew that Mother and Dad would never try to rebuild one of their own. If it happened to fall, they’d just pick themselves up and start over.
Father stopped walking when we reached the base of the stairs, and he turned to look at me. His hair had darkened to brown in my absence; he wore the same simple white robe as usual. “Well, Thomas?” he asked. “Are you ready now?”
I stared at him blankly for a moment. “For what?”
He smiled faintly; it was the smile he used to greet visitors when I was younger, back when they were always friends or strangers who might turn out to be allies. “For whatever comes next.” He hesitated as if choosing his words carefully.
“There will be much change ahead, Thomas. Many things that you’ve grown accustomed to here may well vanish entirely. The House will grow very old—so old that you won’t remember your childhood here, nor even how your mother and I met. You may not recognize this place in five years’ time.”
That caught me by surprise. I felt my shoulders stiffen; I was suddenly aware that my fists were clenching tightly against my sides. “Is this some sort of test?” I demanded angrily. “Are you trying to teach me patience?”
My father’s face went rigid as if surprised by my tone. “No one is testing you, Thomas; no one has any need for tests. This isn’t about patience—it’s about change. We all have to go through it sooner or later, and I thought you were prepared enough for such a thing. I was wrong, apparently.
So I’ve brought you back because perhaps I can help you understand a little better. Come along then.” He started climbing the stairs again, but before I could follow him I paused, looking down into the shadows where the trees stood waiting silently on the other side. I could almost see them there, dark shapes outlined by the fading light.
“You said, ‘We’ll have to do a lot of work.’ What did you mean by that?”
My father hesitated, and then looked away from me. After a moment he replied quietly: “This place is going to need some care soon. There are trees here that don’t bear fruit anymore, and there are paths that lead nowhere. Some of the buildings are starting to crumble. We have to get on with that while we’re still able if we want to make sure this place lasts.”
“What does that have to do with me?”
“It means that we may ask you to help us keep the House secure while we go out to tend the rest of the world.”
I frowned; I hadn’t realized that I had so much responsibility ahead of me already. The thought of the House falling apart made my stomach ache. I had spent all of my life here, since before I could walk. But Father wasn’t finished yet. “And I suppose you’ve been talking to your sister as well? About the future, I suppose?”
He hesitated for a long time before answering, and when he finally spoke his voice sounded strangely distant: “I haven’t said a word to her, Thomas. I’m not saying another thing until you’re old enough to take the responsibility yourself. Your sister and I are two different people; we should be separate voices in this.”
I glanced at the House, and then around me at the forest beyond. I had known the forest for most of my life, and it seemed like only a short time ago I had been playing hide-and-seek within its dark depths. Now it was too quiet; the leaves lay still on the ground, and the grass had grown up around the base of the trees like green fur against the bare branches.
If I could stay young forever…
A sudden chill ran up my spine; I shivered involuntarily and rubbed my hands together, though there was no sign of warmth anywhere. The wind blew across the clearing, and I felt a strange sense of vertigo; I was standing on firm earth, but something far below my feet was shifting, changing direction as I watched.
“Why am I suddenly seeing things differently?” I asked. “Have you changed anything? Made me smarter? Did you give me new eyes? Or have I just imagined everything? Am I losing my mind?”
He didn’t answer me right away. The sky darkened suddenly, and the breeze grew stronger. A few of the leaves stirred, dancing in their slow fall toward the forest floor. Then Father stepped forward and put his arm around my shoulder.
“You’ll be fine, Thomas,” he told me. “Don’t worry about it so much. Just come back when you need to. And try not to wander off too far.”
The End