The Dreams Keeper

by Paola Elena Ferri

  But you are here, and that makes me happy!

  I cannot take you inside the fortress, since access is not allowed to all Wanderers, but only to a few of them, if there were a chosen one. In the fortress there are the soldiers of the Border, those who have learned to fight against the adversities of life and who have passed all the tests they have come across here in the Land of Dreams. They lead their existence supporting those who believe in an ideal and fight to obtain it. They defend the values in every human being’s heart, defending them against the attack of external enemies.

  There will always be something or someone ready to instill doubts in the mind and heart of a Wanderer in search of his way, but the Soldiers, from here on, will prevent any obstacle from hindering the way. The Wanderer still retains his free will and can decide not to have him at his side. He can choose to act alone. But, if he should not be able to take control of himself against the storm of emotions and situations, his pride, alone, will not be enough. A dark web will take shape around the Wanderer, made of extracts of shadows, since he has refused to accept one important thing: his own limit.

  Yes, this is the Land of Dreams, but not all dreams can be fulfilled. The unattainable dreams are the ones, which do not belong to the Reality, those which represent only a way out, doomed to end up in a dead-end street.

  The truest dreams, instead, are those, which gratify an actual need. Eating, for instance. To many, this may seem an unattainable dream. When a person is hungry, he eats. But this is not so in all the world of Reality: there are populations, which suffer hunger and have no way to fulfill this important dream.

  What I mean is: defoliate all the desire you have accumulated over many years. They are dead weights, which prevent you from flying off. Leave them here, at the foot of the Fortress, to allow them to be used for another scope. Make a list of your desires, write down one hundred of them. Not even one less. Write down whatever desire you want to fulfill, even the most absurd one. You will discover, first of all, that after the anxiety of writing the desires you yearn most, you will not know what else to add. At this point the simplest desires will take over, those you consider to be marginal, of little importance. But, again, you will not reach one hundred.

  When you will reach it, start to cancel all the ones you don’t need, at the PRESENT moment. Keep the ones, which have priority over all the rest. In all, delete fifty of them. Then, take another look at your list, and, amongst those fifty, delete other twenty-five, which are not vital. Finally, of those twenty-five, choose ten, which you must try to fulfill within a month. As you fulfill them, delete them from the list. The month after, take another look at the desires you had discarded previously and read them carefully: are they still as important as they were a month ago? Look again and again: are they, any which have been fulfilled on their own in the meantime? Fine, cancel all of them and add some more, until you reach one hundred, and then do as I told you. Get down to ten and spend another month, striving to fulfill them.

  What is the purpose of all of this? Get to an important point, the one where you will not be able to find any other desire to fulfill, if not one or two, at the most. Those will be your truest desires.

  Now, however, all this might seem rhetoric and tiring to you. You have listened to so many voices that you need not hear any others. Let the time and the journey settle everything you have metabolized and then you will find the time and the desire to put into practice what I have suggested. It is not a requirement, but it is advice that I hope you will follow.

  Do you see? I talk like you, because I am one of you. I live in the Reality, and I am the Guardian of Desires here, in the Land of Dreams. I have learned to distinguish between what I desire and what I can do without, and enjoy the privilege to daydream, without ever losing contact with my life, which is also yours.

  After me, another Guardian will arrive, and I will be assigned to other things, if that will be truly what I need. I have no impossible ambitions and live the PRESENT moment, in the Reality and in the Land of Dreams. I feel satisfied.

  Now… let me come closer to you. I have observed you for a long time while you fought against the Voices of the Mists. I observed you even while I talked to you. You doubted everything the Voices spoke about, and you doubted what I said as well. More so, you have doubted what you felt deep within yourself; feelings, sensations, ideas, doubts, intuitions….everything!

  You are critical, and reflect. You are not cerebral: you merely filter whatever goes on around you. This is a good quality. It allows you not to get manipulated by anything nor anyone, but, at the same time, to listen carefully to capture what you need.

  Hence, you shall be one of the Soldiers of the Border. After reaching the Eternal Present, you will come back here, and all of us will welcome you with the joy of having another brave soul among us. My thanks to you, Dream keeper, for bringing me these Wanderers. You have allowed me to choose another warrior from one of them. Look after him, until the end of your journey.

  All you other Wanderers, who have not been chosen to be a Soldier, do not feel pushed aside, or less important: remember that you have to find your Eternal Present, and that is your goal. All the rest is given as more, and everyone has his own capabilities. Even you will find your own way. Have confidence in what I say, and in yourselves.

  Now, though, let me offer you some rest.

  If you walk along the fortress, in whatever direction you go, you will come across a small house; a house similar to the one narrated in fairytales. Not that this should surprise you, in anyway.

  Knock and ask to be let in. You will be welcome and may take a rest. Don’t worry; you will not have to stand any tests: you are already so proven, so now, just let someone take care of you.

  Bon voyage, Wanderers.

  Take care of yourself too, my Dream keeper. You still have a little way to go. But you have to continue to the end.

  You also, must not surrender now.

  THE MAN

  Little Shining, Little Torch of my heart…. You look worn out, squashed by the weight of your role and by all the gifts you treasure for the Wanderers….Many of these gifts will be left on your shoulders, because those who were to take them have fled and can no longer have them. Not now.

  I follow you without a sound, casting my shadow on you.

  I watch you from afar, and I am with you, with this guise that blends into the earth, into the water, the wind, the fire……Only my breath is with you, because I am not allowed to come closer, take you into my arms, tell you to rest, that all will go well, that you are about to reach the end of your journey.

  I am not allowed to.

  When you will finally be able to see me, you may not meet my eyes. I will be wearing a mask covering the top half of my face, painted or not….I will be wearing it. I will be wearing the clothes reserved to the Guardian of the Land of Dreams. You will recognize me, yet at the same time, you will not know me.

  I direct my glance on you, while, together with the Wanderers you enter the House of the Elves, a couple of lovely creatures, welcoming, who will allow you to rest on petals of perfumed flowers, marvelous petals, donated right from the flowers themselves, that turn into beds for all of you. The Elves will offer you a refreshing drink and something to eat. They will let you rest until you resume your energy.

  You however, my Little Shining, you, Dream keeper, will have no break until the end of your journey. And this journey is making your soul heavy, because of the continuous defections, and you feel a sense of failure, masked by a smile, which is not even supported by your heart.

  Your eyes are shouting desperately and I can hear your voice.

  How I would like to tell you that all will go well….How I would like to whisper to you to close your eyes, to take a rest, until your energy is restored… How I would like to remind you of who you are and what you have inside of you, to give back to you every little bit of the soul you are losing, when a Wanderer surrenders himself.

  How I would l
ike to embrace you, now. Be the blanket that wraps you warmly, to protect you from the fresh breath of the North Wind.

  How can one recognize you, in the Reality? I am not allowed to know. You might just be a projection of my mind, the idealization of someone who I wish could stay by my side, since my fire burns in his… Doubts and fears take hold of my heart when I imagine that you might not exist. Then however, I observe your journey and feel your sensations on my skin, and they are so alive, as to sweep away any cloud from my certainties.

  You are approaching rapidly and I feel your presence closer and closer to me.

  The day will arrive when the Wanderers will be in front of me and I will have to explain to them how to reach the Eternal Present. I, who am made of flesh and blood, like every human being in the real world! I, who have traveled the way of all the other Wanderers, and that, for reasons unknown to me, I conquered more quickly. I, who will cover my role, in a much shorter journey than the one you are undertaking, now… I, who am only a man, a mere mortal but, here, I find myself standing one step higher…

  Many might think that I shall accrue privileges, easy situations, desires fulfilled, the resolution of the problems that can - possibly – afflict me. But this is not so. I have reached the inner balance, which permits me to distinguish what is real from what is not, and for this, I too was once a Soldier of the Border.

  My life in the real world proceeds like everyone else’s, but with more determination and will, in wanting to pursue my goals. I am considered a man who knows what he wants and knows how to get it, without, however, overriding or crushing people of a weaker nature.

  Though, here, in the Land of Dreams, I was taken aback about love. It is a feeling that I am unable to manage, and that is why I am not allowed to come closer to you, Little Shining. If I were to approach you, I would violate every law regulating the Balance of this Land. I would embrace you tightly, kiss you and make love to you, even amongst the Mists, in front of the Thousand Eyes, or suspended, on the Border of the Worlds… For you, I would even defy what I cannot and must not defy. Nevertheless, I do not feel spineless, for my feelings. I don’t feel less of a man, I don’t feel fragile, nor am prey to an evil spell… be not afraid of what I feel.

  However… I am the Guardian of the Land of Dreams and, as such, I must behave. Thus, now, I am sending you the Messenger, to bring you the map, which indicates the way to the Eternal Present. It is a short cut, which will shorten your journey, as well as of the Wanderers who are travelling with you. You will recognize my indications, because a White Unicorn will appear in front of your eyes. Only… to yours. The Messenger will whisper to the ear of your heart what you have to do: follow the Unicorn, because that is the Way. He will lead you almost all of the way, and then the fate of the Wanderers will be in your hands.

  Other human beings will lose their way. They still do not have the energy, nor, the necessary will to undertake this journey. Perhaps they never will. Others, just a step away from the finish line will be tormented by many second thoughts: it is not always easy to accept fulfillment, as it implies an assumption of responsibility. Others however will reach the end of their journey, and the Balance between the two worlds will bring new fruits, to the Land of Dreams, and renewed hope, to the real world.

  All the birds will reveal themselves to you, so you can admire their beauty, so that willpower will find a new spark, to let you know that everything is possible, if you really want it. May the Wings of the Rainbow, as these birds are called, sing a song that will gladden you and fill your hearts with music that will never die. Admire their magnificence: today they are revealing themselves to you because the Guardian of the Land of Dreams has thus established. Sing with them. Rejoice with them. They are the result of the most beautiful hopes, the noblest ideals, so sweet and so high, to almost touch the sky.

  Let the Little Elves join those who have welcomed you, and dance joyfully for you. Let there be cheerfulness, and for a moment, steer away any worries caused by the journey. Let the fairies fly in a circle in the sky, and let them sprinkle over all of you a faint cloud of stardust.

  Let your bed be made of perfumed flowers, and let the sweet sleep of the winners, restore your bodies and your souls.

  Afterwards… take up your journey again.

  Dream keeper, let what you have received be enough, because you will not get any further support. You will have to rely only on yourself and what you have learned, to give courage to the Wanderers following you. Take the Army of the Seekers to the feet of the Eternal Present. Smile, even when your will falters. Be thou the beacon in the night of human desires. Do what must be done.

  Accomplish your assignment.

  The Guardian of the Land of Dreams is asking you that.

  The man inside of him is waiting for you…

  A WOMAN

  I know you can hear me, Guardian of the Land of Dreams. Even if I keep silent as I walk alongside the Wanderers, I am talking to you with my mind and my heart.

  I am following the Unicorn you sent me, which only I can see. I have not spoken for a long time. We have walked for hours through thick woods, which seem to never end. Every now and then the Unicorn stops to wait while we rest, then goes on leading us.

  It seems like I’m walking around in circles, because the scenery is always the same. Nothing besides woods, pine groves, grass…There’s nothing else. The sun does not burn, but we are beginning to feel the fatigue. The Elves have given us something to drink and eat, knowing of our journey towards the Eternal Present, but I don’t know if it will be enough.

  Alas, other two Wanderers have left us. Attracted by the Wings of the Rainbow, the magnificent birds of this Land, they decided to seek them. They will get lost and will not be able to find the way, if they do not desist. These birds arrive only thanks to your command, and not in response to our requests. We cannot have power over them. We can only ensure that they continue to exist, but we cannot imprison them, as you cannot imprison dreams.

  The dances of the Elves and the flight of the Fairies are so tempting, that many cannot resist. They know how to create such an atmosphere to make you wish to never get back on the road difficult. I've seen three other Wanderers waver dangerously, to then, rediscover their determination and now they are here with me. They may regret not having followed the impulse of a more comfortable situation, but they stopped, and now continue to follow me, without asking questions.

  It’s the others, instead, who begin to ask themselves when this journey will come to an end. Even the one chosen to continue his mission on the Land of Dreams is almost beyond endurance.

  We are human beings; we are made of nothing, and have feelings, sensations, fragility!

  I can hear you, Guardian of the Land of Dreams. I feel your presence looming over me, like a hawk spreads its wings on its prey. What else do you think I should do, besides what I am already doing? Never before did the Wanderers lose the will to fight and stop following their own dreams.

  I am only a woman, made of flesh and blood. And I too, can feel tired. But I must continue to smile, to remain silent, without showing my anxiety, because doing so would unleash terror and the Wanderers would get lost in the land without borders. They seek answers from me, but I don’t have any. Since I became the Dream keeper, the journey has never been so difficult. Each time, it is even more. And you increase the tests, without mercy, like when I discovered you, defying the laws that regulate the Balance of this land. You confined me to utter darkness, to silence… you deprived me of every will… you made me doubt even my existence as a human being.

  Why do you still continue to plague me? What else can I do, to prove my loyalty to you?

  I wish I could flee, but I cannot. Without the Unicorn you sent me, I would be lost. I suppose that I should thank you for this gift of yours… but, after such a long journey, indeed, all I feel is fatigue and a vague sense of loss of contact with every point of reference.

  Is it easier to flee from reality or from a dream?
At this point, I do not know anymore. I keep walking, and the fatigue weighs down my soul.

  Where are you?

  You too are a human being. How can you be so ruthless? Having served as a Soldier of the Border has made you so harsh, even to those who would only need a word, to take up the courage to go on? Does the Balance of the Worlds refrain you from trying any kind of emotion? It’s so easy for you, to be firm and relentless. How is this possible, in this Land? How is it possible that such a heartless human being has been put in charge of his custody?

  Perhaps, these questions are dictated by fatigue and the fact that the human being makes these trips increasingly tedious and tiring ... Perhaps it's the pervasive despair that makes the strings of my soul vibrate... Perhaps I don’t know what I am saying. But that's how I feel.

  And you do not answer. Allow your Messengers, to talk for you.

  Remember that you are not God, and you cannot behave like him. Dreams come from men, and men come from the Sky. Only one God exists, and this God had only one Son.

  You're just a human being who is forgetting what it means to be one. And I want to shout it across all the borders – if there are any – in this Land, to return vanity to its owner, which is not part of any world, if not that of the Darkness!

  … But I restrain myself, and think that, perhaps, there must be a reason… a reason that is still unknown to me, but I don’t want to know it, now, as it may not be the right time. I know well that impatience is my weakest point, and you're putting it to a hard test. As if real life were not enough, to do so: now you are doing it too!