410. Qualia, 6

(Rose)

I notice many birds or bird-like creatures flying between these islands above me.

It’s fantastic to see. Forests, with calderas growing different kinds of flora, and above them, keeping a permanent shade below, a plateau, a giant bowl. Plants grow along its surface and I can spot birds rummaging around.

Of course birds would love such places. Not that they have many predators to fear left on land.

Aside me perhaps.

As I approach the colourful city, walking around one of the biggest calderas, I path next a few others, similar in shapes. Giant scoops of earth suddenly rose and stood there above.

There’s another one in the middle of the city not far, and another one I guess even further, above the sunken part of the city.

There’s a new island there with different looking buildings.

All these bowls of land, though different in size, have the same overall shape of a bowl or stretched cone.

Some birds fly away yelling as they notice me.

The fields I once cultivated have sunken between the new hole and the flying island above me.

It’s very different in scale from what the mediterranean trees and my bacteria could make levitate.

It’s thousands of tons of land holding perfectly still about thirty metres or more above ground.

And I feel no hostility in the area. This must be Nightmare’s doing though?

I finally notice agitation in the sky. The birds are watching me and are yelling. There’s a ruckus above my head.

I clear my throat, and caw as best I can a simple idea I know.

There’s a loud reaction in the sky.

A minute later, crows come toward me. They are bigger than Ana ever was. They are the size of a human, with wings even larger. Ana was a small one, but these ones are even bigger than her family.

Three of these monsters landed in front of me, clearly to stop me.

R - Hi. I’m a friend of the lord of nightmares. Is she here?

They look at each other and caw in a more menacing tone. Yeah unfortunately, I never really were able to talk to animals.

As they look more and more aggressive, and my cawing doesn’t help, I end up on my guards, really ready to pull my sword and strike.

A beast lands between us. Something I never saw before. A quetzalcoatl.

A long but not very large beast with a body in many segments, like a chain of tummies, separated with pairs of wings that fold upside down, unlike birds. These wings elbows serves as feet as well.

What I see is a long body like an Asian dragon, with dozens of wings used as legs all along of it. I look for the head, and eventually find it, somewhere between lizard and bird. It’s leaning a little more toward reptile, given the slit tongue it checks me with.

This odd animal doesn’t talk either. I thought it came to solve the situation as a mediator, but it didn’t really. It was just curious about me and barged in without a concern.

I scratch its neck gently as it’s checking me without hostility. It seems happy.

I ask my question again, and don’t get a reply.

They all leave soon after. So... Now what?

I enter the city, now that the local birds leave me alone.

I’ll look for the centre of this area of flying islands, the middle point of the cobweb that is this domain.

All I see are various kinds of birds, new flowers, and a few more quetzalcoatles in the sky.

I end up spending the night there, in a house I once knew to have kept some good beddings.

~

I should have expected it. As I slept, she appeared. She finally noticed my presence and began reacting.

I woke up shortly after.

I headed to the roof in the middle of the night and lit a fire there.

A few minutes later, its light turned suddenly dimmer.

She’s without shape, but she’s here with me now.

R - Hello Nightmare. You seem well.

N - ...

R - Won’t you greet me? I’ve missed you.

N - Why are you here?

It’s a subtlety hard to hear. It’s not in the words themselves, but in the tone she uses. It could have been anxious, happy, annoyed or even threatening. But I think I know which it is.

R - I wanted to chat with you my friend. So I came to see you again.

N - ... Me?

R - Yes, you. I would love to discuss a lot of things with you.

She condensates herself in the usual shape of a slim woman or young girl.

I see the smile of comedy drawn on her face as she extends her dark hand to me.

N - You know the price then.

Of course I do. I offer it gladly.

~

We discuss a little, but I’m dozing off.

She says we’ll continue at dawn instead.

I accept and go back to sleep.

I have nightmares and sleep horribly.

I’m feeling terrified. All my fears grow beyond reason and control during the night.

She’s probably behind it, having a laugh. Extracting my memories and emotions to read them, or just annoy me. I endure as I can. I relive Bleue’s death, painfully.

I relive mine as well. My perineum is tensed as the bad thoughts hover around me.

I’m forced to uncover all of what I’ve felt wile I dream.

~

I wake up feeling exhausted.

Birds and bird-looking creatures are literally all around me as I open my eyes. I gasp. Some of them flee.

Others just keep looking at me with curiosity.

I notice I woke up on a different place from the one I went to sleep in.

I wasn’t that drunk yesterday, so she must have moved me. Why?

I leave the bed and walk on the grass, as the swarm of birds open itself before my feet as I go.

I pass by a few trees and reach the edge.

I’m above the city, on one of the islands.

It’s gorgeous.

As I turn back, I notice a few small, well, normal sized ravens, fighting over my sword. I caw as best I can and go to pick it up myself. One of them still holds onto it with its talons, another with the beak.

They flap their wings desperately. The third one lands on my left shoulder to begin pulling my hair.

Bad birds. I shoo them one after another. They just stick around, insulting me very loudly thereafter.

I act as if I’m going to eat them.

They finally flee, still insulting me badly in their language.

The other birds have remained, playing around me as I wait with little care.

Nightmare eventually rises from the ground.

R - Hello Nightmare. I love what you’ve done with the area. It’s splendid.

N - ...

R - Come, let’s sit there and chat, shall we? Would you happen to have some tea?

~