Dreams and Stories

Midori floated in complete darkness, surrounding her on all sides, swaddling her like a comforting blanket.

She wondered vaguely if this was what death felt like. If it was, she wouldn’t mind it.

Her hands shifted toward her stomach, cradling it gently.

She couldn’t give in just yet.

It was then she realized that the darkness she drifted through through was in fact water. Somewhere deep, somewhere light could never survive for long. A place where monsters dwell.

Yet still she felt oddly serene, for she knew somehow there was nothing there that would dare hurt her.

She drifted in that darkness for what seemed like an eternity, but eventually she saw in the distance a faint light, a veritable lighthouse in this darkness. A soft bluish-white light that slowly grew brighter until she realized that the light source was coming from some kind of enormous creature.

No, to call it enormous felt dismissive, it felt like the kind of being the word ‘titan’ had been created to describe. It had the underside of a humpback whale but with a humanoid head and torso in place of a whale’s; and it was upon looking at the beast that she realized the light was coming from it. Emanating from an incredible number of cuts and scars across its entire body; attached to his body near those wounds were smaller creatures that looked almost like some kind of remora-like mermaid.

Coral and barnacles lined the creatures arms, body and along its head like some kind of crown. It’s eyes were milky and had long stopped offering sight. Yet as it turned its massive head toward her she felt as if it were looking through that inky blackness directly at her.

“Mi…do…ri”

The voice was explosive and all encompassing, like it was coming from everywhere all at once. And it was nearly crushing to hear. Midori screamed for it to be quieter but no noise escaped her mouth.

Suddenly she felt the currents shift and the enormous hands of the creature—which she could see now were covered in countless barnacles and coral that almost seemed to form some kind of patchwork protection—began to close in on both sides of her. And then they began to pull her close.

Her brain screamed against it, yet her body did not feel that fear. It was the most at ease she had ever felt in her entire life, at least physically.

The enormous beast pulled her close, she felt the rough skin of its body and the thumping of a heartbeat beneath the chest. A gentle pulsing against her hand, the warm flow of life.

When next the creature spoke the voice was much quieter, softly almost like it were speaking directly into her ear.

“Find…free…dom…find… friend…find…me”

Then she felt the hands shift away from her, and it seemed like the enormous creature was either moving away or being pulled that way by the current. The light began to slowly fade but in that last moment its enormous hand reach from the darkness and touched a single finger to her chest, right underneath her collarbone.

It began as a gentle tingle, and then she felt her skin beginning to burn— the type of burn from touching something colder than ice—and just before it became too much to bear, she woke.

-----

With a shriek of surprise and pain Midori sat upright, gripping at her chest and gasping for air until her body reminded her that it was just a dream. Closing her eyes she laid back down with a chuckle.

“I’ve been watching too much anime before bed.”

“What’s anime?”

The voice was familiar, and hearing it caused her heart to sink slightly. Sitting up she looked into the doorway to see the smiling, jovial face of Rune; though he looked like he’d gotten into some kind of scuffle, and the fingers on one of his hands were wrapped in some kind of bandage.

“It’s…it’s kind of hard to explain.” Shaking the foggy remnants of sleep from her brain. “What happened? The last thing I remember was some kind of fish person jumping from my…shadow?”

Rune explained to her what had happened, how a nixie had stolen her shadow and how he’d gone to retrieve it to save her. It was strange to be told a thing and have a weird semblance of déjà vu to it, it almost felt like she were there for it all yet could not quite remember it.

“Well I don’t know where I begin to thank you Rune, you didn’t have to help me but you did anyway.” She smiled at him and couldn’t help but notice the cute way he blushed, “thank you.”

“I just did what any Khan would do.” He glanced away while rubbing the back of his neck before clearing his throat. “But it’s good you are awake, we’ve been cooking the bristleheart boar and are preparing a celebration for your arrival.”

She narrowed her eyes suspiciously, “just for my arrival? If I ask Gilya it’s not going to be a wedding thing?”

He laughed and shook his head, “no. It is written that we are to be wed, but I will earn your affection and do not expect it merely because the fates deemed it so.”

“Oh…well….that’s good then.”

Following him out of the earth-home she had been resting in she found that though the village had not changed much the atmosphere certainly had. There seemed to be far more cheer in the air than when she’d first arrived. And the oddly placed posts from before had been completely removed.

“Ah, yeah the posts. We don’t need them anymore since the nixies of the lake aren’t under mind control anymore.”

Midori could not help but chuckle slightly at the statement. It was like something from a video game, she was surprised there wasn’t a victory chime playing in the background.

“I’m sorry about that by the way.” Rune’s voice was soft, far softer than she’d ever heard before. “I should have told you about the precautions to take to avoid getting your shadow taken.”

She placed a hand gently on his shoulder and smiled at him.

“Don’t beat yourself up. I’m okay now, and hey you solved one of the problems the village was having.”

This seemed to improve his mood as he nodded slowly.

“You’re right, I did…I did…” He barked a sardonic laugh and shook his head. “I guess that’s what the old woman was talking about.”

Midori cocked her head to the side quizzically and Rune shook his head slightly.

“Don’t worry about it, at least not right now. We’ve got a celebration to get ready for!”

Standing up she let the blanket she’d been holding up fall away and she was confused by the way he was staring at her chest, and as she followed his gaze she noticed there was some kind of marking along her chest. Just underneath her collarbone.

“What the hell is this!?”

“I’m afraid, my wife, it’s proof you’ve been cursed.”

-----

Being told she was cursed did little to put a damper on the feast.

Living as she had before being transported here it was hard not to feel that she had been under some kind of curse, for her this was just confirmation of that.

She ate, drank, and decided that for tonight she would not worry about things she could not control like curses, otherworldly travel, and the gossamer thread keeping her sanity in tact.

For now she sat comfortably at one of many large tables that had been positioned around a roaring bonfire near the lake. Two of the tables had been used to hold the countless amount of food prepared, from roasted boar, to baked and roasted yams, various breads, a kind of porridge made of corn, and some type of mixed green seaweed salad.

Leaning over to one of the older man at the table she said in a voice that was likely slightly too loud, “do you guys always eat this good?” It was growing exceedingly hard to control her volume the more she had of the honeyed beverage she had been enjoying.

“ʻOluʻoluʻoe maikaʻiʻole.” He responded to her with a smile and nod.

“Yeeeeah that’s what I’m talking about!”

She downed the rest of her glass and slammed it down hard on the table; after many long nights of drinking with co-workers she had developed a stronger than average constitution.

“I would slow your consumption of those, dearest.” From behind her came the voice of Gilya who bore a pitcher of those and—despite her statement—filled Midori’s cup once more. “They are quite strong.”

“Oh…they’re alcoholic?” She took a few moments to process that. “Okay, I definitely should not then. I simply could not.” She passed the glass to the older man she had been speaking to.

“This guy’s got my back, he knows a lady needs to keep that mystery. Eh? Right?” She patted him on the back and then stood up. And strangely as she did so the world seemed to start spinning. How rude of it.

Gilya’s arm snaked around her waist to support her, with a surprising amount of strength for a woman of her age, she wondered if that was where Rune got it. The older woman began leading her toward one of the earth-homes, talking about needing to lay down and drink some water, and suddenly Midori felt there was no better time to ask.

“Are you Rune’s mom?”

“No, but I raised him.” Gilya spoke curtly but there was a strange warmth to her words. It reminded her slightly of the cafe owner from back home, but weirdly a kinder version who wasn’t about to make her prove that she belonged.

“Was he as much of a brat when he was young?”

The older woman let out a loud bark of laughter.

“Worse, and then when he got his blessing he became even worse!”

“He reminds me of my friend Evan, before he became some red-pilled idiot.”

“I do not understand this term but it does not sound complimentary.”

Falling into a bed it was then Midori realized she had just been led to a room, she glanced around in surprise and while initially made a motion to sit up and fight it her body failed to agree and so she collapsed into the soft fur mattress she had been placed upon.

“Tell me a story Gilya.” Midori asked, pulling the blankets closer around her before looking up at the older woman still standing near the bed.

“A story?”

“Yeah…tell me a story you told Rune growing up. Like a bedtime story.”

The older woman pondered the question with an almost whimsical smile before nodding.

“A bedtime story, yes? I can do this,” taking a slow breath her voice—which until then had sounded slightly strained and raspy—adopted a tone of grandeur. It was immediately clear to Midori why she was held in such reverence.

“Long ago when the world was young, the Ur Tree gave birth to four powerful spirits; Sarrud, Hwael, Quoth, and Clover. These spirits were her children, and she tasked them with guarding her home while she slept. For many years her children served dutifully until Quoth grew bored and said to his siblings; ‘I’m going to sail the skies, and see what lies beyond this island.’”

“No don’t go,” Midori spoke gently, the alcohol already starting to addle her mind. But she couldn’t drink alcohol, that’s why she’d had the bubble juice.

“But he did, and later returned with tales of wonder, adventure and excitement. The tales had so excited the others that Sarrud declared loudly; ‘I will now wander the world, enjoying the fine foods and pleasures denied to me here.’ The youngest of them, the one called Clover, warned his brother of venturing out like Quoth. It had turned out well once, what chance would there be it did so again?”

Midori felt a hand brush against her forehead. She thought of the time in college when she had fallen quite ill and her mother had showed up to take care of her; it was one of the few times her mother had ever been kind or comforting to her, even for a little bit.

The memory made her eyes wet, and she quickly blinked away the forming tears.

“But Sarrud did not listen and ventured out with the dawn. When he returned many months later it was clear his time outside had not been as wonderful as Quoth’s. The brother that had been so rambunctious, eager to prove, was now quieter and carried a hurt in their many eyes that was hard for his siblings to see. His time out had been one of isolation, demonized for who he was and could not help being Sarrud tried to hide but any time he did would only lead to greater outbursts and even greater catastrophe.”

“Did the other siblings go? Did Clover?”

“You’re rushing to the end, dearest.” Gilya said with a smile. “Just listen.

“Sarrud’s time out had done more damage than even he knew, for it made mortal kind aware of their presence, and in essence the presence of their mother. When demands began being made of the siblings for reparations, for punishment, it was the eldest sibling, brother Hwael, who stepped forth and offered himself in Sarrud’s stead. He would pay the punishment for his brothers crimes, and serve the people of that land until their debt was paid.”

“Tha’so unfair.”

“Maybe so, but Hwael was not about to let them take his brother, and so a deal was struck. For one hundred years he would serve the lands, making amends for the damage done when they strayed from their rightful place.”

Midori blew a raspberry.

“Rightful place…that’s crap. Should be allowed to do what they want.”

Gilya did not respond, merely smiled.

“When the time was up the siblings gathered, ready to welcome their big brother home and be a family again…only brother Hwael never returned, not after one hundred years, not after one hundred more. And so the family took action to bring him home, but they were at odds with how to do it. Quoth, who had become bitter after his brother’s disappearance, felt they could only trust others like them and took to the skies to search alone. Sarrud, who had learned firsthand the ingenuity of mortal kind, felt that some among the lands could be trusted and should seek them out to aid in their search. In the end, neither could agree and so set out alone.”

“But none of them had asked the youngest sibling Clover what she wished to do. For Clover, who had been the most dutiful of all siblings and never left, had spread her roots deep in the world and learned much more about the lands her brothers wandered through. For it had changed in their years away, it had become more dangerous, more unwelcoming. And so Clover set about creating small places of safety for her family, small havens in the world where spirits could exist without worry; she created places like the Glass Basin where we now live. And when she had done this greatest of work she, like her mother before her, slept.”

Reaching out Gilya brushed a strand of hair from Midori’s sleeping face, and gave her a warm and loving smile.

“Sleep well child. Tomorrow we shall discuss what comes next.”