Dreams | Teen Ink

Dreams

January 10, 2018
By ShadowBone SILVER, Calera, Alabama
ShadowBone SILVER, Calera, Alabama
6 articles 0 photos 0 comments

Night 1: Rainbow
We are flying, yet...we are walking across the shifting sky. It was like a sky of no moonlight, but the stars were bright, quite like small tiny lamps dotting the sky. These stars all around us shine in the different colors of the color wheel, different hues and shades of every color. It was a magnificent view we shared, as we finally slowed to a stop and stared at each small colorful star. The space in between each star was black, yet not black, different shades of grey oozing like a comforting lava lamp. It was almost sickening to watch. Even through all the hues there was no pitch white, which was fine to us because it reminded you of the pain, agony, and turmoil that you face when awake.
We continue to stare on as the black starts to devour the Stars of Color. You vanish along with the stars and leave me behind on our first night together in the Plains of Sleep.
Night 2: Transformation
You appear again, yet we are in a different world, and I, a different body. The ground is shrouded in odd grass, which every single blade has it’s own different color, according to the length of each strand. The trees walk slowly instead of being held by the Earth’s nurturing, but secure, grasp. Their trunks are very light colors, yet not white. The flowers are earthbound though. Their stems are red and petals are bright purple, having absorbed the constant moonlight. The sky seems to be the same, yet now it was comforting to watch.
I am now a large feline like creature. I had the long ears of a rabbit, the slippery tail of a koi fish, the strong paws of a canine, and the gentle face of a mouse. My colors are orange with smoky stripes of black and small dots of white, speckled across my skin and fur. I pick you up daintily with my jaws and set you on my back. Then I run and we explore this new large world.
‘Where are we going?’ You ask, seemingly wordless.
“We...we will find a place to live here and settle down, leave the horrid world of the awake bright uncreative white light. We, Little Dreamer, will live in peace and prosperity. Forget the stupid anguish the Waking World gives you. Look forward to our dreams.” I reply, filled with reassuring determination to keep you here.
We speak to the wise ancient Trees of Tales and they tell tales of wondrous adventures, that they have heard from by each other and wandering travellers, of Kings, Queens, Princesses, Dragons, and many amazing woes. We build a house made of the dirt around us. Our house was a round hut of packed dirt with circular windows held by crossing sticks. The turf was a grey brown color of rich soil, which the flowers immigrated to live on top of our beautiful homemade House of Hope. It was perfect to both of us and we smile upon our house with the greatest pride and glee.
I look back at you and you were turning transparent. I pull you close in a hug trying to keep you in the Plains of Sleep, but you vanished all the same and left me with our wondrous house.
Night 3: Mourn
You appear suddenly, twasn’t even night yet, and run up to me, wrapping your small skinny arms around my furry and comfortable neck. Wet tears fall down your face as you sob constantly. Worriedly I ask you, “What is wrong, Little Dreamer?”
You continue to sob and cry, but I still understand your words, ‘They hurt sissy and...and I tried to wake her up, but she wouldn’t wake no matter how hard I shook her and how loud I screamed. Th-they took her away, and now she’s...she’s gone…’
I nuzzle you with affection, drying your face and stopping your small soft whimpers and whines. “If she’s gone, Little Dreamer, then she’s far from the terror you face in the bright white light of the Waking World. She is safe now and one day you’ll be safe too. Now...Let’s go play with our new friends, the birds.”
You kindly accept to ease your aching heart and we run outside to be greeted by small sweet nightingales. You dance to their songs of the Plains of Sleep, Luna, and Waking World’s terrible night life. I chuckle humorously, sitting back as I watch you dance jointly with a carefree spirit and joy all around. You eventually invite me to dance along and I agree to help you feel better. We dance, like ancient humans and sing like wild heathens throughout the amazing joyous night.
After a while, you start turning transparent, and I try to stop the vanishing again, but to no avail you disappear. The nightingales fly and leave when you vanish, having no more audience,  and I am alone once again.
Night 4: Nightmare
You appear the next time, yet the world was ruined. Fire overcame the grass and spread to the wise old Trees of Tales, only wounding their bark and burning all their amazing ancient leaves. The small sweet nightingales, who had sang so sweet, were now being torn apart and eaten by viscious vultures, only to reappear and live their pain over and over again. You search for me frantically, avoiding the fire and the vultures, and you finally find me, but...you didn’t believe this monster in front of you was me.
I was a creature of destruction, fear, and death itself. My limbs were that of a spider’s, long and pointed. My face was the skull of a dragon with horns of a ram. My tail was sharp and pointed at the end like a syringe, from doctors and labs. My hide was covered in scales, hard and cold. My body was that of a snake, long and lithe.
You start running, scrambling to find the house that we had made, to find your security. I chase you, wanting to only bring you up to me and hold you close and comfort you, yet I couldn’t. I was being controlled by a greater force I couldn’t break from. A force of great power, a force greater than I. It could only be him...
You suddenly halt and stare at our house. It was destroyed. The dirt was crumbled into a pile, the stick windows were completely gone, the flowers and grass scorched. It looked like a mound of charred plants. A husk of what it used to be. You drop to your knees, and, with a blood curdling roar, I rush up towards you with a malicious intent, yet not filled with malice.
You look up, fearfully, far too late and my tail rushes toward you with blinding speed...but you become ethereal and disappear from the Plains of Sleep. My tail strikes the charred ground and the immense power vanishes suddenly, causing me to fall and curl up. I sulk completely alone, all the friends I made now distrusted me.
Night 5: Depression
You, surprisingly, come back to my side of the Plains of Sleep and I rush up happy to see you, back to being a creature of comfort and kindness, yet...you walk past trudging through the grey world of death, despair, and lost hopes, your head looking down as you shuffle to the broken down mound that was once our amazing House of Hope. On a patch of scorched earth, where the flora was long gone, you drop down to the Earth, sitting and tucking in your knees. Tears don’t fall down your face but I sense your discomfort. Walking up to you, I settle down beside you and begin, “‘Twas not my fault, Little Dreamer…”
You seem to hesitate before opening up to me, ‘You weren’t there. I was almost killed and...you weren’t there to help me. You weren’t there to save me. You weren’t there to change it…’
“I...I couldn’t be there. I was taken away by a mysterious force. I couldn’t fight the force. I couldn’t help my absence...I am sorry” I lie, knowing that if I told you the truth you would forever hate me until the end of time itself.
You pause once more before making your final decision, ‘You were my friend. You are always supposed to be there for me. Especially in the toughest times. You left me to die to the ugly beast. Now...it’s time for me to go...Bye...I never got your name, but bye…’
You vanish on your own will, and the transparency didn’t even take over, and my heart snaps in multitudes of pieces. I was a monster. I am a monster. You left me by your own choice. You left me because our utopia flipped upside down, and fell into dust. You left me because I was your only friend...and I failed at being your only friend.
Night 6: Alone
You didn’t come back. A different Dream came in your place, but they weren’t you. The human was older with shifting eyes. The stars shone in multitude of colors and the turf was black as the shifting night, just like our first night. It was deja vu all over again. I asked the human about what happened to you and it said, ‘There was blood...Blood everywhere...The ground was all stained red…’
I drift in a respectful silence and stare at the stars. Our play nights were forever over I realize and I never said good bye…
But an idea popped into my mind and I start to smile, thinking about the basics and then the details. The Dreamer looks at me and asks, ‘What are you thinking of?’
“A plan to save a friend… our friend…” I murmur, contemplating the obstacles. It watches me and I suddenly picked the small human up and started running. The human is very  surprised as I leapt over the largest mountains with a single bound, sped through the plains at the speed of sound, avoided danger, and, through it all, kept him on my back, yet he vanished after a while with no word. I passed by strange creatures that you and I had never seen ever before. A creature with the face of a tapir, pelt and body of a tiger, and the tail of a bobcat, yet as cuddly as it looked, it ate the dreams of Dreamers leaving them dreamless in the morn. A creature that looked equine yet had a fish like tail, to guide kids into the world of the water. A creature that looked like a lion, yet had the torso and up as an eagle, the symbol of venerable power. So many different monsters and creatures… Why did I have to be the one of Guardians, the caretaker and the nightmare maker?
I then stop and look up frozen as my fears had been true. The Mountain of Spirits laid ahead of me and I could see you quite clearly, drifting around lazily and boredly. Your chest had a large hole in it of the brightest blue against your transparent skin, where others had holes in their heads or bright light like fire over their bodies. It was saddening to watch as you all drifted around. There was only one Guardian who would know how to get me there...
I bound to the Desert of Desolation, to make a deal with Sandman, the enforcer of dreams and nightmares.
Night 7: Together
I walk up to the Castle of Sleep, a determined yet frightful look set on my face. The castle was mainly just one large tower with a large banner showing the King of Dreams himself in a blue backdrop. It’s walls were brick but a dark yellow with moss stuck in between the cracks, yet the moss’s green was almost unbearable to look at. The green door was large with the eyesore moss twisting all around, the real color difficult to see. Although, it is rumored to be the most vivid red ever.
I inhale the desert air long before padding into the castle to meet the greater power. Inside there was a rainbow rug, which did look horrifying in the dreary blue interior. The wall and floor was a night sky blue with colorful small, almost gem like dots. Blue flowers in blue vases decorated the shelves, as well as scrolls and books with blue covers and papers. The rug was royal blue with a metal fringe leading to the Throne of Imagination. The throne had a giant moon wheel which depicted each phase of the moon from no moon to new moon, and sitting in that throne, staring at me with the most bored expression was Sandman.
He was glaringly obvious to see being very orange with a very bright shade. He was a pretty tall fellow, legs and arms almost as long as his torso to his head. His skin was as yellow as the sun that drifted in the sky of the Dreamers of Nothing. His sand like hair stuck out everywhere like he had just rolled out of bed. A staff sat by him with a large blue moon at it’s head.
“Speak now, Guardian of the Troubled.” The Sandman’s voice boomed around the room, yet it stayed within the castle walls.
“How do I get in the Mountain of Spirits?” My voice seems to echo as well throughout, as a hush of mournful silence filled the room. The silence seemed to collapse on me until the Sandman spoke, “Why do you desire to leave the Plains of Sleep, where you can run and swim and fly, to go to the Mountain of Spirits, where you only drift?”
I hesitate for what seemed like eternity in a minute before replying, “I want to join my other Dreamer. The one where you forced me to become evil and destroy everything in that area. The Little Dreamer who was too young to come to me...and too young to leave…”
Silence fills the room again and Sandman makes his decision; “Fine. I will transport you there, but realize you will never be allowed to come back ever to the World of Sleep.”
A pain stabs through me as I knew my joy of helping others would end, but I brush it off, remembering it was for you. I look up at the Orange King and say with eyes full of determination, “T-take me there please.”
He looks down at me and with a quick swish of his wand the world turns black.
I appear in the Mountain of Spirits and run up to you, hugging you tightly, missing you greatly. Your face was covered in confusion and I start to tell you everything deep down in my heart. I was the monster of the nightmare. I didn’t ever mean to scare you. I always cared and loved for you. I am your Guardian.
You seem to snap and wrap your arms around me, confessing what had happened that ended you up here. You had only merely walking when a pain flared in your chest and the world became black. The Dreamers of Nothing had found you and put you in the ground with the rest of the Little Dreamers, who ended too soon.
We floated off as friends, sharing and talking of stories from the World of Sleep and the Waking World. After time of this togetherness, we become one, and now… I never have to say goodbye to you...


The author's comments:

This was my reflection on how dreams worked in the mind of troubled children.


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