There
are many lands within the Lucid. In the country of Draem, the Sherbet Shore
extends from where the eye can see just short of the edge of forever. You see,
within the Lucid all is possible and forever can happen in the blink of an eye.
The
magical coastline of the Sherbet Shore has sands of a myriad of flavors that
change as the sun sets or the moon rises. This merely means that if you were to
taste the sands of the shore at noon, they would taste like watermelon or lemon
sorbet, and it would be more on the lines of plum or cranberry as dusk nears.
Within
Draem there are many fantastical places. Some are permanent staples like the
Parched Pumpkin Pub while others roam in the vast lands within the Lucid, like
the Kung Fu Circus, the Nickel Market or the recently released floating island
of Felinia.
Draem
is a place of possibilities, friendship and adventure. It is also a place
without time since dreams have no use for it. So being late was completely
relative, especially when going beyond time zones to cross dream zones. That
said, as the morning fog lifts off the Soufflé Station, three people await on
the platform doing their best to remain patient.
“Do
you think it’ll be long, dear?” asked an older man with a beige fedora, brown
pants and a sharp cream shirt with a sleek brown tie.
“Ed,
it’s a dream; have some patience, darling,” answered an elegant woman in a
lovely dress with cream and tangerine lines. Her eyes smiled as much as her
small frame could hold. They also happened to match her dress, one being a
lovely shade of hazel and the other a light grey, just as lovely as its
counterpart.
The
man smiled at the woman, “I know, Mavis. I just want to see where we’re going.
It’s not every day we get to share a dream, after all.”
“No
worries, dad,” said the other woman on the platform. “I’m sure they’ll be here
soon.”
The
sweet old woman smiled, “Oh very soon.”
“Can
you see something?” asked Ed stroking his bushy beard.
“No,
darling. In dreams we’re invited to feel. Pay attention to your right foot.”
“Oh?”
said Ed bewildered at this wife’s familiarity with Draem. He focused on his
right foot as she’d suggested and felt an odd sort of buzzing. He couldn’t feel
it anywhere else in his body. “Do you feel that, Karen?” he asked his daughter.
“That
I do, dad,” she replied, “So they truly are right
on time.”
“But
I thought there was no time in dreams.” asked Ed.
“Exactly,”
said Mavis chuckling at the randomness of dreams and the current meaning of
being right on time.
On
the tracks next to the station, a huge steam cloud bellowed in the distance,
churning its way towards them. Ed’s eyes filled with wonder as he saw what
looked like a gigantic tea pot making its way towards them.
Atop
the steamy tea locomotive, a man stood with a set of reins he kept cracking. He
had a burgundy coat that roared behind him in the wind. “Miss Claudi,” he
called from up top, “I think it’s high time to have ourselves a little stop.”
On
the side of the long teapot, a window lowered and a lacy hand peeked out, flicked
something on the tracks and returned inside.
Even
at a distance, Karen had been able to see a small disk-like pebble bounce twice
on the tracks before landing flat on its side. “Is that a dime?”
Just
as the freight train tea locomotive touched it, it stopped, sending the young
man flying through the air. The remarkable part wasn’t that he was able to hold
onto the reins, it’s that when they became taut, he swung in a glorious arc
through the air and back towards the platform where he let go, flipped twice
and landed in front of the trio.
“And
that’s why it’s good for us to be in
a dream,” said the young man following his dismount with a bow. “Pardon the
delay and greetings to the Ohrens. It is our pleasure to have you here in
Draem.”
At
that moment, the top of the giant teapot blew a burst of steam and a side door
opened onto the platform, down which walked a nice young woman with some of the
loveliest black curls any of the people had ever seen. To add to the intrigue,
she was followed by a large walking fish in a captain’s uniform, a long
julienne fry and a small crab.
“Welcome
to the Sherbet Shore,” said the young woman. “We hope the wait was not too
long.”
Karen
stepped forward and shook the young woman’s hand. “A pleasure to finally meet
you, Miss Claudette. I’ve been meaning to visit for a while, but you know how
things are.”
“That
I do, Miss Ohren. I take it this lovely couple are your parents.”
“Pleasure
to meet you both,” said Ed with the eagerness of a child about to enter an
amusement park. “I see you’ve brought friends.”
“Indeed,”
responded Claudette. “It’s no easy thing to handle a dracomotive. The Falkori Express can only be handled by the
esteemed Captain Phish and his crew.”
On
cue, all three saluted the dreaming visitors. Looking behind them, Ed, Mavis
and Karen were able to see that the teapot was in fact a large steel dragon
shaped a little like a green metal teapot.
“All
right already, folks. Lots to see and dream’s a waiting so if you’ll kindly
follow the Captain, we’ll board and be on our way. I have a feeling the station
requires our immediate departure. Oh, and I’m JD. We’ll be going to a couple of
places so by all means, if you have questions, ask away, though best to do it
inside.”
Captain
Phish picked up on JD’s urgency and quickly ushered the guests aboard. The
small crab and fry took JD’s place atop the large pot and in mere seconds, the
dreamers heard whips cracking and felt as the train pulled out of the station.
Looking
out the window, the tracks took a long left turn that allowed everyone to see
the station they had just left. There was a shudder, a shaking and a quaking
and in mere seconds the entire station basically deflated, for lack of a better
word.
“Soufflés
are a rather delicate thing,” said JD casually.
Everyone
looked at him bewildered, although that’s how things go in Draem. Captain Phish
ushered everyone along the train and opened a sliding door onto a large roomy
compartment. Inside were various couches, a long table with all sorts of
desserts and what seemed like the drink station.
Mavis
walked up to the odd refreshment table and JD joined her. There was a large
boxing glove pouring a thin orange colored liquid. “That’s our special punch,”
said JD. “I know it’s contradictory but careful, it’s got quite the kick.”
Next
to it was a bowl of glowing liquid with a label below it that read SPARKLE
WATER.
Next
to it was a basket with ice and light bulbs that seemed to be filled with a
caramel colored drink. “Is that curiosity cola?” asked Mavis.
JD
smiled surprised. “So you’re familiar? That’s wonderful. But you haven’t tasted
it so may I do the honors?"
The
young man twisted the screw bottom and handed it to Mavis. She took it with a
small giggle and sipped on the pleasantly chilled bulb bottle. “Oh my!” she let
out, quite surprised by the taste and gave another giggle.
“What’s
it like?” asked JD.
“It’s
got enough pop to have a slight bite, which is rather pleasant. It starts off
like the perfect cup of tea, but fizzy and then it smoothens into a nectarine
aftertaste.”
JD
smiled quite satisfied at her approval. “I’m glad it is to your liking, ma’am.
Feel free to get comfy and enjoy the sights.”
Mavis
took her cola and sat next to Ed on a couch as they overlooked the Lavender Lake.
JD picked up a remote and pressed a button that opened the window just enough
to allow the gorgeous aroma in while they took in the sights of the mesmerizing
purple shores.
Meanwhile,
Claudette was with their other guest. “So tell me, Karen, when’s the next show
with the Ravens?”
Karen
blushed like a tomato at the mention of her band. “Well, I dunno. Not like we
have a venue set up.”
“Hogwash
and poppycock,” said Claudette. “I’m sure we can talk to the management of the
Pumpkin to get you a spot.”
“The
Parched Pumpkin?” asked Karen a bit in disbelief.
“O’course,
luvy. It’ll be brilliant. After all, I have a feeling you will be making a
wonderful splash soon.”
While
Karen wondered what Claudette actually meant, Captain Phish’s voice came
through the speaker system. “First stop, the Mandarin Museum.”
“’Ere
we go,” said JD hopping onto his feet with quite the spring in his step.
“You’re going to love this. Please, please, this way. Follow me.”
As
they got off the train, a huge building stood before them the color and shape
of a huge orange. The entrance was the peel pulled down with a large clear door
with light shining out from within.
Ed
was beside himself at the sheer mass of the building and how perfect an orange
it was. He looked to the left of where they had gotten off from the train and
saw a large sign.
The Mandarin Museum
Commissioned by the Earl
of Orange
Building design by
Satsuma
“The
Earl’s a lovely chap,” JD Said. “Sweet as a peach although for his part, Satsuma
is a bit acidic; brilliant, but acidic.”
Ed
could only grin at the sight of such wonders. He took his darling Mavis by the
hand and smiled at his wonderful daughter. A tear actually glimpsed and got
away from his eye, causing Karen to become concerned. “What is it, dad?”
He
smiled and pointed at the sign next to the one with the building’s information.
– Special exhibition by
Karen Ohren –
While
she looked around for answers, it didn’t take her long to find JD’s cheeky
grin. “Every question can lead to something special, K. Did you think I’d pass
on the chance to present the exhibition you’d curate? Let’s go in and have us a
looksie.”
Upon
opening the door, the loveliest aroma of orange blossoms swept over the entire
group. Karen and her parents had to smile as a wide bright hall opened in front
of them. Pulpy mosaics let in plenty of light, warming up the entire area while
small squat oranges served as makeshift seats.
There
were crowds of people flowing into and out of all the exhibitions, which had
large signs over their entrances.
- Liquid Sunshine: a
study of light and water -
- A peel above the rest:
mixed media -
- Candles and coffee -
- Zest of Life –
However
there was a large commotion coming from another one of the galleries. JD and Claudette
stood in front of Karen and her parents next to a gallery titled Brewed by Buist.
“Out
of the gallery!” called out a voice followed by a crash of countless things
falling on the floor. As if obeying the scream, a set of three paintings seemed
to be making a break for it. One was an elegant horse, another was the sweetest
beagle you’ve ever seen and third, there was a rather large and hulking
mountain cow that actually walked right up to JD’s face.
“Hullo,”
it spoke in a gruff highland accent. “Do you know where the exit is?”
One
simple point of JD’s thumb behind him and the painting nodded in thanks.
“Boris!!”
shouted the beagle. “What are you doing?!”
“Exit’s
this way, chums!!” said Boris to his fellow paintings. “Nobody frames us and
gets away with it!”
Off
they went and close behind came a lovely older woman with a cowboy hat and
lasso. “Where’d they go to?” she asked.
JD
did the same exact movement he’d done to show the painting the exit. “Rowdy
bunch. Are they yours?”
“Indeed!”
said the woman. “Left the tele on too often and they saw quite a few cops and
robbers movies. It’s my fault they’re that way. I’ll catch them yet and then
I’ll have a chat of the different meanings of the word frame.” She ran off leaving everyone a bit befuddled, to put it
lightly.
“All
righty, then,” said JD clapping his hands and bringing everyone out of their
slight shock. “How’s about we see the exhibition we came to see?”
Everyone
agreed and at the far end they could see the exhibition.
- Dreams and tweets -
Karen
looked at JD. “What did you do?”
“Me?”
he asked with a smile. “I just asked a simple question. You’re the one that did
all the work.”
When
they walked through the entrance, the exhibition was within a huge dome divided
into four equal parts, clearly divided by colored lighting. Karen was a bit at
a loss for words while both Ed and Mavis beamed at her.
JD
walked up to them. “Mr. and Mrs. Ohren, although your darling Karen will insist
she had no say in this, her words were the fuel for this collection. First we
have the Elysian Poems.”
JD
led them towards the green lighted area where countless wind chimes of
different colors swirled from the ceiling. Some were shards of glass, others
were made of wood, and others had stones. The view took their breath away
because it was so beautifully delicate. “Each shard is a word captured by your
dear daughter. She can tell you which is which, although best would be if you heard them.”
Claudette
then handed Karen a conch shell, Ed received a pinwheel and Mavis got a bottle
of bubbles and a ring. “It’s simple, really. Pick a poem you’d like to listen
to and use your wind to listen to the emotion captured in those words as they
resonate off your life. Karen, if you’ll do us the honor?”
Karen
was completely in awe and taken aback with emotion. It took her a moment or two
before she could properly blow on the conch shell. The moment she breathed her
first breath through the musical artifact, the wind chime began to swirl and
the voices of a thousand angels began to harmonize, filling the entire hall and
most of the museum with beautiful wordless music. In the chest of every one
present, a note rang within their soul and tears of joy flowed from everyone’s
eyes.
Once
the heartfelt sound ceased, Karen wanted to say something but words failed her.
JD put an arm around her. “Save it for the paper, dear friend.”
With
tears in her eyes she nodded and hugged her parents. JD smiled at the sight.
“Here’s an idea, Ed and Mavis, if you’d be so kind, would both of you choose
one poem and let’s see what happens when we listen to both of them at the same
time.
The
couple looked at each other lovingly and chose two poems next to each other.
With one hand, each held their wind generator and in the other they held each other’s
hand. Ed chose a wind chime made entirely of stones while Mavis stood in front
of a beautiful set of leaves that danced with color. They cued each other and
blew softly on the pinwheel and bubbles causing violins, cellos and other
stringed instruments to swell along with gorgeous wind instruments filling
everyone with a beautiful sense of uplifting emotion. The music made them feel
as if they were soaring through the heavens, through cool misty clouds and warm
air currents on their way towards the horizon.
Once
the sound subsided, the people in the hall exploded into cheering and applause.
JD signaled to the three people whose soul had just filled everyone with such
joy so everyone knew whose voices they were hearing. They waved thanks a bit
embarrassedly and JD took that as the cue to pass onto the next gallery.
The
lighting here was a warm orange and there was a plaque at the front of the
Exhibition.
- The Portrait of Truth –
This painting takes on
the character of the viewer and exposes them
to the true aspects of
their innermost heart and soul.
Inside,
there was a beautiful fountain where water fell in a thin sheet, while engravings
on the frame read Amor et Veritas. They
stood in front of the fountain wondering what was so special with this piece
when a huge jet of water shot out and burst in front of all five viewers. The
water formed a huge water capsule that continued to flow as it surrounded them.
Claudette
was the first to appear in the reflection in front of them. She appeared in an
art gallery, painting with a brush with one hand and holding the hand of a
beautiful little boy. Tears of joy slipped from her eyes and JD smiled towards
her. “You do know you’re doing fantastic, don’t you luv?”
The
image vanished quickly replaced by Karen’s. She was actually dressed the same
way she was now. “There’s nothing different with me,” she said out loud.
“Look
at your hand in the reflection, dearie,” said JD. When she did, she saw a
trophy of sorts. “You will do great things, dear friend. Just believe.”
As
her image was replaced by his, they all saw how JD’s skin turned to paper
covered in words. Now it was Claudette’s turn to smile over at him. “I guess
your stories really are an important part of you, mate.”
The
image once again shifted and Ed and Mavis appeared dressed as they were at the
moment. As in completely identical. “What about us?” they asked.
JD
smiled although Karen was the one who picked up on the small detail in the
image. “Dad, mum, look where each of you is standing in the reflection.”
When
they looked back, it was apparent that in the reflection, Ed stood in front of
Mavis and the lovely woman stood in front of her husband. No other words were
needed and the water parted ways returning to the fountain and leaving
everything dry as a bone.
JD
prompted them to go over to the next gallery. As they crossed to the purple
area, the lighting was darker and a sheen of mist floated in the area. They
could all see each other but not much else. There was no fixed area, no picture
or display, nothing.
“What
are we supposed to be seeing?” asked Mavis.
JD
walked next to her and answered. “This is the exhibition of the Infinite Tale.
It is said that it is a book without ending and the story evolves with the
touch of each reader.”
“So
where’s the book?” asked Ed.
They
all scanned the dark area and could only make out sheets draped from the
ceiling and the gentle rustling of pages in the wind. Karen then spotted the
story and looked it straight in the eye… literally.
A bright purple eye opened in the middle of the darkness and a small shadow
looked to be retreating into the darkness. “Hello,” she said soothingly,
holding out her hand and they could all see the eye looking at her curiously
until it let out a chirp.
As
they were asking themselves how a story could chirp, a purple ball of light
shot out from the shadows and landed right on Karen’s left forearm. The
creature looked like a living piece of origami and instead of feathers, small
pieces of paper laced its wing. “Oh… hi,” said Karen, melting at the sight of
the adorable story bird. “Who are you?”
The
paper bird looked at her and gave a small smile while it tweeted in response.
“Infi.”
“You’re
adorable,” she said and reached out to pet it. She felt such warmth from its
head and it lovingly smiled and stretched in approval under her touch.
“Is
he getting larger?” asked Ed.
He
was right. The bird had grown in size as had the paper feathers. “He grows on
love and inspiration,” said JD.
Not
a second passed by when the bird took flight and started to shine brightly,
lighting the entire area with a beautiful violet glow. It soared towards the
ceiling, flapping its paper wings and singing a glorious birdsong. All five
dreamers looked on at the graceful bird and when Infi swooped down, they reach
reached up to touch him. As their fingers grazed the magical creature, he grew
to four times his size and began to look more like a purple phoenix. As it
soared high above, the ceiling did not stop him and instead he kept flying off
into the deep purple. To each of them, it felt as if the bird had taken
something without leaving an empty space.
This
time Claudette nodded for them to go to the next gallery. They walked out of
the purple light into the aqua lighted area continuing to feel blessed with
every piece they came into contact with.
In
this area, a thin sheet of water covered the floor and the gallery actually
opened out into a shoreline. If you looked at the walls you couldn’t tell where
the wall ended and the open space began. It was a soothing bay and there shone
daylight although unlike a typical day, light seemed to move much faster.
In
the middle of the bay, there was a huge raft made of flowers and vines and a
figure stood next to the raft. It was a large body, completely made of bark,
twigs and vines.
“Is…
is that a photogeni?” asked Karen.
“That
is correct, luv,” said JD. “Remember Banyan?”
Her
eyes opened wide with a look of awe mixed with joy. “Indeed I do. Such a
courageous warrior.”
JD
began walking towards the figure. “That he was. Well he’s here to say goodbye.
This is the Song of the Sea. It’s a symphony of love and longing, transporting
each listener to the lost aspects of their own soul, giving them the inner
peace and harmony they have been searching for.
“What
does that mean?” asked Mavis.
JD
turned to the lovely woman and offered a warm smile. “Although it means
something different for everyone, it’s a place that allows you to let go of
things that are weighing you down.”
They
turned to Banyan and even if he was an imposing figure, a warm kindness flowed
from the scarred bark of his skin. JD walked up to the photogeni and held out
his hand.
“Hello,
father writer,” Banyan said in his deep voice, embracing JD’s hand warmly. “So
good of you to be here.”
JD’s
eyes grew misty. “I wouldn’t miss it for all of Draem or Raelity, my friend. I
brought some friends to help send you off.
“Very
kind of you. Did you take a jar?” asked the photogeni.
“No
we have not, but we will. Count on that.”
“Good.
My thanks to all of you for your presence.”
Everyone
nodded at the friendly wooded giant, slightly at a loss for words due to the
presence he commanded. JD led them to the right and saw how people lined the
entire bay, saying hello to each other and holding a jar in their hands. Looking
to the bay, out of the water came three figures made entirely of water. Two had
a feminine physique while the third aquatic silhouetted was larger and more
masculine, well if water could be masculine.
From
left to right, they spoke to the dreamers.
“I
am Brook,” said the first female water being.
“I
am Crystal,” said the second.
“And
I am River,” said the masculine water creature.
When
next they spoke, they did so in perfect synchronicity.
“We
are all of the same water,
We
are all of the same stream,
Temporarily
trapped in matter
Before
swimming in the same dream.
“Sing
your burden to the jar
Feel
as you become lighter
Light
your wish far from a star,
And
let your freedom spark a fire.”
Each
dreamer received a jar and the figures returned to the water. The crowd on the
bay was massive and the sun began to set in the gallery. As they stood in the
dark, little flickers started sparking all around them and Ed noticed the light
come from the jars.
Claudette
explained, “You have to say one of the things you’ve carried all your life and
let it go inside the jar and hold it with your hand. When the time comes, just
let it go.”
As
a soft breeze blew off the bay, each dreamer breathed their secret into the jar
and one by one they saw little flames flicker in the jar.
“It’s
so small,” said Ed.
“A
little goes a long way,” said JD with a wink.
They
saw as Banyan pushed his raft to the center of the bay and no one needed to be
told what to do. They just let go of their jars and the flickers of flame flew
to the photogeni. The kindling caught fire and a magnificent drumming could be
heard. Bayan beat on his wide chest and sang a wordless song while dancing on
the platform.
“Why’s
he dancing?” asked Mavis, with tears in her eyes. “He’s dying…”
Ed
walked to his wife and wrapped his arms around her. “He’s celebrating life, my
love.”
JD
smiled at the couple as tears also fled from his eyes. “Life is always meant to
be celebrated and at the end, it’s just another step in the dance of the
universe. Our time here may be finite, but our energy is neverending.”
The
photogeni kept dancing and beating to the rhythm of his own song, one that came
from the deepest part of his being. It was beautiful, joyful and infectious and
before they knew what they were doing, everyone on the bay was dancing and
cheering. With every new person that danced and sang, the fire grew brighter
and brighter and brighter still until a sphere of translucent light surrounded
the photogeni. You could still see him dancing when the platform began to lift
off. The cheering grew louder and louder and Banyan beat on his chest with
uncontrolled joy.
He
then began to chant very low and started raising his voice, reminiscent of that
wonderful Beatles song that invited you to shake it on up. Twice he rose before
beginning again and in the third ascension he kept raising octaves. When
everyone was at the limit of their voices, the sphere shot up through the sky,
soaring off and taking his music to some other galaxy.
Although
a feeling of longing remained, people smiled as the crowd dissipated from the
bay until only the dreamers remained.
“Is
he really gone?” asked Karen.
JD
looked at her and replied with his own question. “Is anyone ever really gone?
Come on, we have one more stop.”
Walking
towards the Falkori Express, a profound feeling of joy buzzed between the dreamers
and Captain Phish welcomed them back. Hello, Miss Claudette. Did your friends
enjoy the visit? “
Claudette
looked back at Karen and her parents and the smiles on their faces. “You could
say that, Captain. Thank you for asking. All well here?”
“Indeed,
Madam. Chips and Pinch are ready to go when you are.”
“Good
man. When everyone is seated, we can go.”
“As
you wish, Madam.”
After
settling into their seats and cracking open a couple of Curiosity Colas, the
Falkori blew a huge burst of steam and set off, leaving behind the Mandarin
Museum. The trip was smooth and everyone had a low hum of happiness bouncing
among them. In between conversations, they had to stop and smile every so
often.
They
exchanged stories, Ed of his paintings, Karen of her concerts, Mavis of Old
Yorkshire, Claudette of her wonderful son and JD of all the adventures one can
have on a Caribbean Island. Their time was pleasant and Captain Phish was even
able to enjoy some downtime for a change.
“So
where are we going now?” Ed finally asked after about an hour’s trek.
JD
sprang up from plush couch he was sitting on. “Good of you to ask, my friend.
If I’m not mistaken, you should have an answer in a moment.” The young man
listened carefully and smiled wide when the train sounded off its horn.
“Captain Phish, if you’d be so kind.”
The
fish captain saluted JD and walked out of the compartment. A huge racket came
from what appeared to be the engine room. Along with the clangs, bangs and
whirrs, what sounded like giggling also mixed with the other sounds until a
loud hissing rang out.
“What’s
that?” asked Mavis alarmed.
“Not
to worry, madam,” said Claudette.
The
hissing grew into a crackling and the metal inside of the Falkori Express began
to become translucent and pink. All the visitors looked a bit confused and
looked to Claudette for answers. “If you’re tickled pink, it gets pretty easy
to see through you.”
As
if it were the most natural thing in the world, metal melted into pink glass
and all the dreamers were treated to the sight as they entered a tunnel at the
base of a huge mountain. It was a magnificent view and everyone craned their
necks at it. It wasn’t too typical for a mountain since it actually looked like
a huge bush carved out of stone.
“Bush
Mountain is impressive, isn’t it?” said JD.
The
tunnel started off extremely dark until a sharp turn opened way to a
kaleidoscope of amber, orange, yellow and pink.
“These
are the Honey Well Caverns deep within Bush Mountain, where you can enjoy every
imaginable variant of honey in and beyond existence.”
Ed,
Mavis and Karen could only hold their mouths open at the myriad of colors that
danced in front of them. They were so amazed that they didn’t even notice the
Falkori slow down until it came to a full stop.
“Hullo,”
said JD, “What’s going on?”
Phish
was quick to respond and enter into the compartment. “We have a situation, Miss
Claudette. Seems there was a cave in and we cannot leave the Honey Well
Cavern.”
“Not
to worry, Mister Phish,” Claudette said. “Everyone, if you’d be so kind as to
follow me.”
They
all walked following the young woman and her dark curls while JD and the
Captain brought up the rear. When they stepped out, the smell of honey was
beyond luscious and their mouths actually watered. It was strong although it
didn’t reach the point of being pungent. They walked to where the cave in had
occurred and JD knelt next to the rubble. He tasted the crumbled pieces of
honey rock and grunted knowingly. “Honey Badgers… big ones. They had a party
here.”
“Ok,
so what now?” asked Karen.
JD
gave his good old Cheshire before responding. “Oh that’s simple enough. Claudi,
did you bring the sugar moths?”
“Of
course. Did you bring the seeds?”
“I
never leave Raelis without them.”
Claudette
looked at him sideways, “Really?”
“Nah,
just a lucky guess.”
“Good
a reason as any.”
They
both turned to the cave in. JD pulled open his maroon coat and took a bag out
labeled, SESAME SEEDS with a big logo on top reading Open. He took a handful of
seeds and lobbed them at the entrance. Claudette for her part took out two
crystal clear eggs that had little moths flying inside. She cracked them open
and the moths flew all through the cavern. You could hear them sipping honey
from each and every crack.
The
entrance grumbled and groaned and opened only slightly. JD gave a deep harrumph
confused as to the lack of result. Meanwhile, the moths had had their fill and
the Ohrens could see them fast at work knitting a lovely carpet that looked
like golden candy floss. It went from the size of a handkerchief to a huge area
rug in little over four minutes. When it was big enough to hold all of them
comfortably, Claudette snapped her fingers loudly and the moths flew back to
her and nestled into the crystal eggs, which sealed after the young woman gave
each a kiss. Looking over to her fellow oneironaut, she couldn’t help but
wonder if all was in order. “Problems?”
“I
dunno...” he said… and without being able to contain it, he gave a wide yawn, a
surprising thing to happen within a dream. The thing is that as we all know,
once we see or hear a person yawn, it’s pretty hard to keep yourself from
yawning. First it was Claudette, then Mavis, then Ed, Then Captain Fish then
Karen and after she yawned it was as if the entire cavern wanted to yawn as
well, so it did. The entrance groaned open and Claudette saw their chance. “On
the Carpet, Ohrens, it’s time to go!”
Before
they knew what was going on, they stood on the carpet as it lifted off straight
out of the cavern. Flying in this fashion was something new for all of them and
Ed couldn’t help but give a whoop and holler.
The
golden carpet soared high into the Draem sky. They punched through grapefruit
flavored clouds and marveled at the different colors of the water and the
different beaches far down below. It was such an exhilarating explosion of
color that had they been fully awake, you didn’t know if their senses could handle
the intensity.
JD
pointed to a tall plateau where four mountains seemed to converge. “Behold, my
friends. I give you, Onana.”
The
flying carpet soared over the ridge and they landed on the softest grass anyone
had ever experienced. It was a wide open field with four peaks on every corner.
There were ponds with sparkling water, trees with soft leaves swaying in the
breeze and in the center a large pole with a hanging orb that dripped sundrops
into a small brook that split into four directions.
To
one of the four ends was a large Japanese home with a wide porch, a sand garden
and a series of small bonsai trees that actually were walking towards them
opening the way to a lovely woman, with fair skin, straight brown hair and two
large eyes the loveliest shade of brown anyone had ever seen.
“Greetings,
fellow dreamers. I hope your trip was pleasant.”
“Hello,
Mamomita,”said JD smiling at the woman.
“Wait
a minute, isn’t this Jane?” asked Karen.
JD
smiled to his wife and gave her a kiss before the young woman walked to Karen
and gave her a warm hug. “I’ve heard so much about you.”
“And
I of you! What is this Mamomita business?”
“Oh
just one of the dozens of names we have for each other.”
“Lovely,”
said Karen as she was led by Jane and her flowing kiwi colored kimono.
JD
walked Mavis and Ed to an area with a small table where there was another
photogeni brewing several types of tea. Ed sat down at the table and saw quite
the peculiar sight running around. “Are those… canvases?”
“Wild
blank canvases at that, Ed,” JD said. “Go get ‘em. After all a painter needs to
catch his muses... and sometimes a canvas or two.”
Ed
gave out a hearty laugh and set off on a run in the direction of the canvases.
Mavis walked up and gave JD one of the warmest hugs ever and he returned it
with much care. “No thanks needed, my friends. It’s been a wonderful ride and
now it’s your turn to have some fun.”
Karen
smiled as she saw her mom smiling at the prospect of trying out so many teas
and JD pulled out what looked like a cigarette holder and gave it to his
friend.
“What
are these?” asked Karen opening the case to see a row of lean sausages that
smelled wonderful.
“Those
are the best smoked sausages beyond Raelity and I thought your dad would enjoy
sharing a couple with his daughter.”
Karen
smiled at JD. All was happy and mellow and wonderful and she realized that even
though not all dreams come true, they don’t have to for you to enjoy them. As
the world of Draem became a blur, three sets of eyes opened at the same time
and the prospect of a new day filled their chests with one collective question.
“Where
to next?”
