Book of Dreams

by Traci Harding

  We bid you welcome, young Kyle.

  Taken aback at being addressed directly, Kyle paused a second and then decided, ‘Hey, nice touch.’

  It has been brought to our attention that you seem to be completely lost. If you wish to come to know what it is that constantly eludes you in life … I am your transport to seek within.

  ‘Matt, you ham, this has to be you.’ Kyle recalled their deep talk about the psyche the previous evening, and Matt had heard plenty of the same from Kyle on the numerous occasions they’d got totalled together. Perhaps Matt had pre-empted Kyle’s need to read a book on psychological development?

  Kyle reached for a warm, half empty bottle of Pepsi and took a swig before taking the book in hand to read on.

  However, the journey in your case will not be an easy one and I think it only fair to warn you that there is no turning back. Once you have begun such a quest, to turn back, or QUIT, would forfeit any chance you will ever have of making something of yourself. Do you accept these terms?

  Suddenly, the tone of the narrative was not really akin to Matt’s style any more, Kyle considered, and with this observation the words, ‘Do you accept these terms?’, turned the colour of deepest violet and held Kyle’s attention.

  He was considering the question seriously, when a ripple travelled through the leather cover in his hands. ‘What the —’

  The movement prompted Kyle to cast the book on to the table. ‘What’s going on?’ He wiped his hands down his shirt, deciding he must be imagining things.

  Kyle did not take the book back in hand, instead he cautiously leant forward to read on.

  You speak English, don’t you? What is there not to understand? the text replied. Either you don’t feel you’re up to the task, or you’ve decided it’s time to make something of yourself. In which case, turn to the next page and start to read. Now, if your consciousness can cope with that, which is it? WE’RE WAITING!

  The book rose from the table as the rippling motion moved through the cover once more.

  Kyle swallowed hard, stunned beyond rational thought. Nothing of such an extraordinary nature had happened to him in many a year and he was digging the intrigue. Yet, this extrasensory sight he’d always had was a curse: it set him apart from other people and often put him directly at odds with others. Was this instance going to prove any different?

  ‘Hell, I don’t think I can get in any more trouble than I have of late,’ he reasoned with himself as he carefully took the book up and placed it in his lap. The words, WE’RE WAITING, undulated with great intensity as he followed the urge to reach out and turn the page.

  There was a chilling movement in the cover once more and flipping the book over Kyle witnessed the creatures embossed in the leather turning to fur, feathers, scales and skin. Kyle sprang from the lounge and the book was tossed, cover up, onto the coffee table. The small beasts emerged and began to scamper, fly, crawl and slither about the room. But then Kyle noticed a much greater anomaly.

  His own body was seated on the lounge engrossed in reading the book and appeared completely unaware of the commotion unfolding around him.

  ‘I can’t be dead,’ Kyle reasoned from a standing position beside himself whilst he curiously eyed his seated body. ‘Dead men don’t read.’ He looked down to discover that the body he was doing the observing from was slightly more transparent and colourless than his ignorant body-double on the lounge. ‘This can’t be good.’

  The little creatures were making an awful racket as they explored the room, now interpenetrated by a vibrant ultra-green glow. On the coffee table sat the faintly illumed, plain leather copy of the book that the creatures had escaped from.

  ‘You’ll probably wish you were dead before Book gets through with you.’ The little creature that had guarded the parcel the night before took up a position on the coffee table. It had a gruff voice and the other wee creatures all stopped still at its words. ‘We are here to guide you in!’

  ‘In?’ Kyle found his voice.

  With a nervous chuckle from all the creatures, the spokescritter pointed its spear towards the bathroom door. Slowly the door opened to disclose a dense red mist beyond.

  Kyle’s body was heard to laugh; he glanced at the bathroom door, and spying nothing out of the usual turned his attention back to the book he was reading.

  The little creatures scampered for the door, urging Kyle after them.

  ‘This is mad.’ Kyle looked at the creature in charge, which had jumped from the table and was making for the door.

  The wee beast halted, looking back at Kyle before directing him to the copy of the book on the table. ‘Bring him,’ it instructed.

  ‘Him?’ As he retrieved it Kyle wondered why the book had a gender. He would have asked the creature but it had disappeared into the red void that lay beyond Kyle’s bathroom door. As keen for the adventure as he was, there was a forbidding vibe about the red haze that was now fast filling his lounge room and obscuring the ultra-green glow that interpenetrated all the physical world matter around him. ‘I know.’ Kyle smiled as the obvious solution came to mind. He opened the book to find his place. ‘So, what’s in the bathroom?’ he mumbled as he scanned through the text.

  Your unconscious soul.

  Kyle’s eyes parted wide with wonder as, in his mind, a male voice answered.

  Everything that you ever wanted, or didn’t want, to know about yourself!

  ‘No need for a bookmark then.’ Kyle closed the book, finding the telepathic communication strange but convenient. The threatening void beyond the bathroom doorway seemed to be gaining in intensity and a stormy atmosphere whipped around Kyle and drew him in. ‘I’m dreaming, right?’

  In a way. But just give the word and you can be back on the lounge with an empty book. Past this point, you must find what you seek. There is no other way back.

  ‘Back from where?’ Kyle appealed, struggling against the force. ‘From inside myself, where I should be right now? This is insane!’

  Make the commitment, or step back.

  Put that way, Kyle swallowed his fear and inched forward to enter the red haze.

  When the door slammed closed behind him, the floor ceased to be and Kyle found himself plummeting into a red abyss.

  ‘Ahhhh!’ Kyle yelled until he grew tired of it — the fall seemed to go on for an eternity. He could hear the chuckles and chattering of the little creatures which had led him into this peril, but they were nowhere to be seen. Not that Kyle was brave enough to open his eyes for very long — the tumbling fall was making him sick, and dislodged by the high spin the book slipped from his grasp.

  ‘No!’ Kyle was still yelling when he realised the falling sensation had ceased and he was standing safely on the ground. To hide how cowardly he felt, he dusted himself off and took a look around. He was in the middle of what could only be described as a dead zone.

  Parched cracks in the red earth met to form large mounds on the surface. All the plants and trees within eyeshot were dead, charred or rotting. A nearby waterhole was filled with a colourful mix of red and green and black slimy algae, which bubbled now and then within the parched earth banks. The sky above was a mixture of red and grey smog, and an atmosphere of doom hung over the place, with a dark haze making visibility difficult.

  Spying the book on the ground nearby, Kyle walked over and reclaimed it. ‘Well, Book, I have to tell you …’ He brushed and blew away the excess red dust that had settled all over the cover, ‘ … this is not what I expected my unconscious soul to look like.’

  This is just a small part, coughed the book. The highest sphere of your lower etheric world. That is … the place in every human being where the lowest experiences gather.

  That’s when Kyle noted the horrible odour and held his nose in an attempt to escape it. ‘Sure smells bad.’

  Human waste products — viruses, impurities and vices — merge to create the demonic entities that inhabit this place, feeding off their own excretions and the fear, guilt a
nd hate built up over human history. It never used to be this bad, but it has become much worse lately.

  The eerie groans and screeches of the inhabitants began to filter through to Kyle, and he lowered his voice to avoid attracting any unwanted attention. ‘So why are we here?’

  ‘Because you seem to like it here.’

  Kyle was stunned by the comeback, as it was not the inner voice of the book that answered him, but a gruff, high-pitched voice that was external in origin.

  ‘Take a look around you, young Kyle … every negative thought, action and word that you draw from this wretched place returns here tenfold!’

  Kyle was wondering about the unseen entity addressing him. Was it God? Was it the devil? Kyle didn’t mind which as he didn’t believe in either of them. And if it turned out that he was wrong about their existence, Kyle had a few bones to pick with both of them.

  ‘Your bad habits and addictions feed the inhabitants here and your negative ego thrives on the stimuli of this place and its creatures.’

  ‘So, scaring the shit out of me is going to somehow rectify this situation, is it?’ Kyle clenched the book closer to his chest, but it seemed his guide had gone quiet.

  Then a little green creature, with eyes that sparkled every colour of the rainbow, appeared. He was floating in midair, only inches from Kyle’s face. ‘You were never meant to be part of the problem!’

  Kyle jumped back from the creature, which was reptilian in appearance. It had small, clawed hands and feet, and spikes that ran the length of its spine and continued down its long tail.

  ‘You were to be the solution,’ the strange floating creature concluded.

  What Crystaleyes is trying to say is that what manifests here, just one stage behind your own world, will surely manifest there as well and has begun to already.

  Kyle’s attention did not shift from the floating green creature, which had slowly drifted backwards, and they were now eyeballing each other with interest.

  ‘He’s not at all what I expected.’ Crystaleyes sounded rather disappointed. ‘His subtle bodies are awash with the black haze of his addictions and fear. He has yet to even master his densest body, let alone the others.’

  ‘What others?’ Kyle wondered out loud. ‘Just how many bodies do you think I have?’

  This single manifestation of you has a physical body, which is the one you left behind, Book explained, an etheric body, which is the vehicle you are functioning in at present, an astral or emotional body, a mental body, a causal being, a spiritual being, a monadic being and a universal consciousness.

  Kyle’s mouth was left gaping. He had no idea what Book was on about. ‘Intense.’

  ‘And you have yet to master even the lowest of these,’ Crystaleyes pointed out, shaking his head in concern. ‘There’s little of his parents in him.’

  ‘My parents!’ Kyle was taken aback by the mention of them.

  More than you think, my good friend. Book ignored Kyle. Although it took desperate measures to get his attention, I’m quite confident we can make something of him.

  Crystaleyes grunted, unconvinced. ‘That would take a lot of work indeed, and more willpower than this one has.’

  Kyle was beginning to lose patience with being ignored. ‘Look, this is my subconscious experience, so don’t speak like I’m not here.’

  Upon Kyle venting his anger, the ground underfoot erupted, tipping over the few trees that had been left standing. The waterhole nearby bubbled as it was fed by the ill will, and the red mist thickened. After a moment the tremor passed away.

  Now that Kyle had a clear fix on his situation, he decided against pursuing his protest. He looked at Crystaleyes apologetically as the creature floated closer to him, grinning.

  ‘How right you are, Kyle. This,’ Crystaleyes held his arms wide, ‘is your subconscious experience … and if you do not pay attention to what we are telling you, you will never transcend this hopeless consequence.’

  Kyle was not keen on this arrangement and was about to voice his disapproval when a tremor built at his very thought.

  Kyle, I must tell you that you are only denying yourself if you do not listen, Book advised kindly. Air, Earth, Water and Fire are the four elements that make up your nature; all nature for that matter. Crystaleyes, for you, is all in your character that can be attributed to the element of Earth.

  Kyle’s mind boggled at the news.

  His Earth elemental, however, wore a smug, albeit grave, expression. ‘You understand now that it has been you ignoring me … since the day you were born, in fact! Hard work, patience, good health, practicality — none of my good traits have you shown.’ Crystaleyes was now far more agitated than Kyle, but the ill will did not stir the surrounding area and Kyle thought this unfair. ‘In spite of this, Book seems to have faith in you, so I will try to assist you one last time, and you can make of my guidance what you will.’

  As the sound of the local inhabitants seemed to be approaching him, Kyle decided he really didn’t have too much choice in the matter and so nodded to give Crystaleyes the go ahead.

  ‘My advice to you is this … although you are hopelessly lost and have seemingly little potential,’ Crystaleyes floated down to the ground and picked up a charred piece of rock, holding it out for Kyle to view, ‘if you can let go of your hate and fear, there is nothing in the universe that is not at your disposal here in the subconscious world.’ The creature rubbed the rock with intense speed between his tiny claw-like hands, whereupon he produced a crystal ball. ‘Here, willpower governs all. Anything is possible provided you are clear about what you want.’ The Earth elemental tossed the crystal ball to Kyle and with a grin it disappeared.

  ‘Thanks, but what if I don’t know what I want?’ Kyle looked about him, hoping the nasty little creature hadn’t gone.

  ‘This is your dream time,’ Crystaleyes’ voice called from beyond the mist. ‘Use your imagination!’

  CHAPTER FOUR

  RAISING CONSCIOUSNESS

  The crystal ball held Kyle’s attention until the eerie chuckles and screeches of the local inhabitants snatched his focus; he was immediately very aware of being alone. His eyes darted about in search of company, but the red mist had grown too thick. ‘So now what?’ he said quietly to Book.

  ‘Wanna smoke?’ It was a puny, grey excuse for a devilish creature that strode forward out of the red haze. It stood just under a metre tall and was puffing madly on a huge joint. ‘It’s real good stuff.’ It coughed to confirm its claim. ‘Or perhaps a cone is more the order of the moment?’ It pulled a large bong from midair. ‘It’s packed nice and tight, just the way you like it.’

  ‘Book?’ Kyle queried, but again his guide was out to lunch.

  ‘Aw,’ the creature waved off Kyle’s concern, ‘Book won’t want any, the bloody goody-goody,’ it advised, holding the joint out to Kyle in offering. ‘But you … well,’ it emphasised, motioning to their surroundings, ‘I know how you like a good smoke and, hey … you don’t have anything better to do now, do you?’

  ‘Um?’ Kyle frowned, for he could hear someone crying in the distance. ‘Is someone in trouble?’

  ‘How about a bourbon?’ This demon was a deep shade of brown and had a great tyre of flab around its middle that wobbled as it staggered about. It popped onto Kyle’s shoulder to offer a full bottle to him. ‘It’s well aged, the kind of drink you only dream about.’

  Kyle shook the creature off and it landed on the ground beside the grey devil. ‘Careful, you nearly spilt the booze!’ It stumbled up to standing. ‘What’s the matter? Don’t you want to party?’ The demon attempted to do a little dance and fell over, which amused the grey demon no end.

  ‘Party! Did I hear someone say party?’ A third demon, red in colour and very overweight, entered the scene towing a cart piled high with junk food. It was munching on a burger and literally oozed grease through its pores. ‘What’s your pleasure, treasure? Pizza, burger? How about some fries?’

  The crying was gett
ing louder; it sounded like someone, or something, was in real torment. ‘Who is that?’

  ‘What the fuck do you care?’ A green devil appeared on Kyle’s shoulder. ‘You got conned into this ridiculous quest with no idea what you were up against. So, fuck ’em!’ This devil had wings and took to the air to flutter in front of Kyle’s face before Kyle had the chance to shake it off. ‘Nobody gives a toss about you, my friend, except us. You know it, I know it, they know it.’ It motioned to its associates.

  Kyle was starting to feel flustered, and the dope and pizza smelt really good.

  ‘In times of trouble who was there for you? Not those fucking guides of yours, that’s for sure! All they ever managed to do is land you in the shithouse … remember?’ The green cursing devil grabbed the bottle off its boozing mate.

  ‘Hey,’ the inebriated devil objected.

  ‘Save some for the kid.’ The winged demon held out the bottle to Kyle and served him a wink of encouragement. ‘There’s only one place you’ve ever felt good about yourself and that was right here with us. Go on, you know you want it.’

  Kyle reached out to accept the bottle, but in his hand was the crystal ball that Crystaleyes had given him.

  ‘He has yet to even master his physical body, let alone the others,’ Crystaleyes had said.

  Kyle quickly withdrew his hand. ‘Oh, I get it.’

  ‘What is there to get?’ The flying demon took to the air to be in Kyle’s face again. ‘Everything you’ve ever desired is right here.’

  ‘I don’t think so.’ Kyle’s resolve hardened and so did the attitude of his demons. ‘I’m pretty sure that it will never be my dream to be sick, fat, bitter and twisted!’

  ‘Look, you bloody ingrate …’ The flying devil lost his patience and the other three began to close in on Kyle. ‘You can’t just dump us. We are the very fabric of your existence. Where would you be without us? On medication or in a mental asylum, that’s where!’