DREAM
He couldn’t tell where he was. Normally, this would send him into fits of terror, but instead, he felt happy. Safe, even. He was sitting on what appeared to be a field of unbelievably soft red grass, surrounded by warmth and light, security and happiness, looking at nothing in particular at all.
Then, a voice. “Tell me a story.”
He grasped at the voice, trying to get a grip on it, but it faded in the wind. It was soft and feminine,and it filled his heart until he thought it would burst. He opened his mouth, but said nothing. Instead, he heard his voice inside his head, words filling his skull, crawling up his throat, bashing at his teeth, trying to get out.
There was once a great warrior-there was a musician - there was a man who valued pride- there was a king - there was a monster - there was a witch - there was a flood - there was terror - there was death - there was triumph - there was amazement -- there was fish the size of your head - there was a monster - there was paradise - there was illness - there was death…
“They live happily ever after.”
He still couldn’t catch the voice, not quite. “That’s all?”
“Yes,” he said, firmly. “That’s all that matters.”
The ground moved beneath him, and he sprang to his feet, fright shuddering down his spine like spiderlegs. Then he realized that it wasn’t ground at all-peering off the side of what had once looked like a cliff, he saw massive eyes staring back at him as well as a face with an expression of mildly concussed good humour. A giant, power pouring off his every limb.
“The pirates are leaving,” the giant rumbled.
“What? That can’t be right! The pirates are coming, that’s how it works.”
“The pirates are leaving,” the giant repeated patiently, then pointed one gargantuan hand towards the sea. “If I lied, my nose would be as long as yours.”
He didn’t answer. Instead, he slid down the giant’s arm, leaped off his hand and raced to the docks as fast as he could, dread sinking into the bottom of his stomach. They couldn’t be leaving, he thought. He couldn’t place his finger on why it was so impossible, but it was, and it was far scarier than flood or illness or monsters.
Once he arrived at the dock, there was a ship with a ram’s head. It called out to him, but not quite so much as the people on board. And the giant was right. It was leaving. It was leaving him behind.
“Oi!” He shouted. “Wait! Don’t leave yet! I’m still-wait! You still need your brave warrior! You still need your-your-your…
Then suddenly, the entire crew lined up on the deck, backs to him, and rolled down their left sleeves. They punched their left arms high into the air, an x etched on every one, skinny and thick, furry and bony, all eight of them. He looked at his own arm, and saw the same x there, black against his dark skin. On a whim, he punched his fist into the air too, toes tipping off the dock in his anxiety to go with them.
And a hand appeared from off the deck, from that unholy space away, gripping onto his arm as firm as can be, dragging him away from safety to something far more exciting.
This time, the voice belonged to a man, and it was loud and rude and boisterous and smacked of the pride and recklessness he lacked. “How could we leave?” It said. “We could never leave.”
“Not without our Sniper.”
Then, a voice. “Tell me a story.”
He grasped at the voice, trying to get a grip on it, but it faded in the wind. It was soft and feminine,and it filled his heart until he thought it would burst. He opened his mouth, but said nothing. Instead, he heard his voice inside his head, words filling his skull, crawling up his throat, bashing at his teeth, trying to get out.
There was once a great warrior-there was a musician - there was a man who valued pride- there was a king - there was a monster - there was a witch - there was a flood - there was terror - there was death - there was triumph - there was amazement -- there was fish the size of your head - there was a monster - there was paradise - there was illness - there was death…
“They live happily ever after.”
He still couldn’t catch the voice, not quite. “That’s all?”
“Yes,” he said, firmly. “That’s all that matters.”
The ground moved beneath him, and he sprang to his feet, fright shuddering down his spine like spiderlegs. Then he realized that it wasn’t ground at all-peering off the side of what had once looked like a cliff, he saw massive eyes staring back at him as well as a face with an expression of mildly concussed good humour. A giant, power pouring off his every limb.
“The pirates are leaving,” the giant rumbled.
“What? That can’t be right! The pirates are coming, that’s how it works.”
“The pirates are leaving,” the giant repeated patiently, then pointed one gargantuan hand towards the sea. “If I lied, my nose would be as long as yours.”
He didn’t answer. Instead, he slid down the giant’s arm, leaped off his hand and raced to the docks as fast as he could, dread sinking into the bottom of his stomach. They couldn’t be leaving, he thought. He couldn’t place his finger on why it was so impossible, but it was, and it was far scarier than flood or illness or monsters.
Once he arrived at the dock, there was a ship with a ram’s head. It called out to him, but not quite so much as the people on board. And the giant was right. It was leaving. It was leaving him behind.
“Oi!” He shouted. “Wait! Don’t leave yet! I’m still-wait! You still need your brave warrior! You still need your-your-your…
Then suddenly, the entire crew lined up on the deck, backs to him, and rolled down their left sleeves. They punched their left arms high into the air, an x etched on every one, skinny and thick, furry and bony, all eight of them. He looked at his own arm, and saw the same x there, black against his dark skin. On a whim, he punched his fist into the air too, toes tipping off the dock in his anxiety to go with them.
And a hand appeared from off the deck, from that unholy space away, gripping onto his arm as firm as can be, dragging him away from safety to something far more exciting.
This time, the voice belonged to a man, and it was loud and rude and boisterous and smacked of the pride and recklessness he lacked. “How could we leave?” It said. “We could never leave.”
“Not without our Sniper.”