Willow Bloom and the Dream Keepers

by E. V. Farrell

  “I guess you don’t want to leave anything to chance.”

  “We do not believe in chance – at least, not in the way you understand it. We work with the Universal Laws to find solutions to any given situation.”

  They turned down another hall and it became clear to Willow that each hall connected with a number of other halls, and they, in turn, connected to even more. They walked from one hall to the next and before long, she was disoriented. “Glad you know where you’re going,” she remarked.

  “I have spent enough time in these halls to understand them,” Avari assured her. “High Council is not far from here now. They will be expecting us soon.”

  They came upon an emerald green door. “What’s in there?” Willow asked.

  “Our History Room.” Avari took hold of a shiny golden handle and opened the door just enough for Willow to peek inside.

  It was an imposing room. Willow could see a number of Consuli engrossed in their books and scrolls, while others talked quietly, nodding or shaking their heads at one another.

  “This is a research centre,” Avari whispered. “Most of our history is recorded within the books contained in this room.” She quietly closed the door.

  Further down the hall the smells of sweet and savoury dishes wafted into Willow’s nostrils. Her stomach growled appreciatively. “That smells yum. I didn’t realise how hungry I was.”

  “If you wish, we can go to the food hall,” Avari said. “We have enough time before High Council expects us.”

  The food hall was impressive. All around the enormous atrium, blue trees stretched high and wide, casting dappled shade onto the tables beneath. Directly opposite, glass doors opened out to a blue and green lawn, and the sound of soft, cascading water could be heard coming from the stone sculpture outside. Dozens of people were standing in front of food cabinets and just as many were seated around tables eating their meals. Willow spotted the Light Keepers easily enough, just by their lack of a robe. She scanned the room to see if she recognised any of them, but none stood out.

  Avari joined the queue of people next to one of the food cabinets and Willow followed. Taking a tray she stood in front of the food display, unsure what to choose. Everything was mismatched: apples were orange, bananas were red, and pears were deep purple. Even what looked like mashed potato was red here, and the carrots were as green as grass. She supposed that they would all taste similar to what she was used to. Willow reached into the fruit section and picked up a red banana.

  Avari started laughing. “Willow, unless you enjoy having your mouth turn into a furnace, what you just chose is one of our spiciest vegetables. A parracot.”

  “Oops. Glad you warned me,” Willow said, replacing the thing rapidly.

  “I apologise. I just wanted to see what you would choose.”

  “I would’ve done the same,” Willow grinned. “But I’m not sure if I would have warned you.”

  Avari giggled, then selected a variety of fruit and vegetables and placed them on Willow’s tray. “If you ignore what type of food you think they resemble and pay more attention to their colour, you should be safe,” she explained. “Red and purple are very spicy, oranges and yellows, milder, and blues and greens are cool.”

  In the next food cabinet, Willow picked up a bowl of stew. She eyed it suspiciously before placing it on her tray. Green carrots, blue peas and some type of green potato, she hoped, floated near the surface of a pale green liquid. Avari hadn’t stopped her, so it looked promising. Next was the sweets cabinet. Willow studied the cakes and slices carefully. “So how am I supposed to work out what’s safe here?” she asked.

  Avari smiled. “I find the sweets the most challenging also. Not because of the flavours, but because everything in here tastes good. You can ignore the colour rule here.”

  “Great,” Willow said, reaching for what was, hopefully, a slice of blue cheesecake with bright pink and purple berries, and at a guess, jet-black chocolate curls, delicately sitting on the top. She could hear her mother now: “Don’t ever eat or drink anything blue – it’s not natural.” Willow smiled. Here on Thera, blue food, she supposed, was as natural as anything else.

  “Well chosen,” Avari commented. “That is one of my favourites.” She placed a slice of bright orange and green cake on to her own tray, then picked up a jug and poured a thick, green liquid all over it.

  Sitting under one of the trees in the atrium, Willow closed her eyes. “Here goes,” she said. “First inter-galactic food.” She placed a spoonful of stew into her mouth. It only took a moment for the flavours to register. “Oh, wow. This is good. It tastes a bit like a stew on Earth, but actually it’s more like – like a pizza.”

  The cheesecake wasn’t a disappointment either. “I’m so glad I chose this,” Willow said, scooping up another mouthful. “Tastes like mango and passionfruit. And the black curls, they taste like our coconut. Yum.”

  Avari reached over to Willow’s tray and picked up a perfectly round green orange. “Try one of these. I think you will like it. And you do not need to peel the skin.”

  Willow rolled the fruit in her hands. “Okay, I’m trusting you, Avari,” she said, narrowing her eyes. She bit into the fruit and slowly chewed. The corners of her mouth turned upwards. The green skin was soft and tasted like honey, and inside, the pale pink flesh was as crisp as an apple. Then, after a few moments, the taste of sweet pineapple lingered in her mouth. “Now this is what I call a piece of fruit! I want to take this home. It’s so good. What is it?”

  “It is a mordello. And I am sorry, but you can only eat them here. The sharing of seeds is prohibited. When you have finished we can make our way to the High Council.”

  Three halls later, after Willow compares the journey there to a maze, they approached two massive red doors. The doors slowly began to open.

  High Chancellor Antoy was standing inside to greet them. “Welcome. And congratulations on your first Light Stream, Willow.”

  “Thank you, Chancellor,” she replied. Her eyes strayed to the far side of the room where a row of officials was seated upon a raised platform behind a long crescent table.

  “Please, follow me,” he instructed.

  Crossing the floor of the circular chamber, Willow could hear her footsteps echo around the room; she wished she hadn’t worn her boots. The chamber was lined with rows of empty seats. She looked up to several glowing crystal eggs floating high above them. Observing them a little longer, she realised that the crystal eggs were drifting across the room too.

  Facing her were the High Council of Thera. All of them, bar one, wore white and gold robes. In the centre, a woman was wearing an ink-blue robe and she motioned for them to step closer.

  High Chancellor Antoy proceeded to introduce Willow to each of the High Chancellors. “This is High Chancellor Vogdin, High Chancellor Taree, High Chancellor Timboon, High Chancellor Galbrad …” Each one nodded graciously as his or her name was announced “And this is Viscent Chancellor Aroha, head of the High Council of Thera,” he said, bowing respectfully to the woman wearing the blue robe.

  Viscent Chancellor Aroha smiled warmly. “Goodwill to you. I speak on behalf of all of the High Chancellors when I say that we are delighted to meet you, Willow.” Then acknowledging Avari, she added, “I am sure Avari is proving to be a wonderful guide.”

  Willow had rehearsed a greeting and thank you speech so many times that she was expecting it all to just roll out of her mouth. But it didn’t. It actually took quite a few silent and awkward moments for her mouth to move. “It’s an honour to meet you all, too,” she said in a rush. “Avari’s been great. And … I’m really grateful for the opportunity to be a Light Keeper – especially at my age,” she managed to add. She would have kicked herself then and there, except that it would have made her look even more stupid. What was she thinking! Reminding them of just how young she was. That was the opposite of what she wanted to do.

  “We all understand the uniqueness of your situation, Willow, and w
e are confident that you will represent humanity admirably,” Viscent Chancellor Aroha told her.

  “Thank you. I’ll do my best.”

  “How did you find your first Activation?” the Viscent enquired.

  Willow’s eyes lit up – this was something she could comment on and not screw up! “It was great! It all went really smoothly. And being here is really incredible.”

  “I am pleased to hear that.” Viscent Chancellor looked upon Willow intently. “Your entry comes at a time of significant unrest, Willow; however, we would perhaps not be enjoying this meeting if that unrest had not occurred. Such are the laws and nature of the Universe. It is important for you to know that there were many in this current cycle who were not Awakened by the Ancients. You are here because you are deemed ready.” Viscent Chancellor Aroha paused to let her words settle in Willow’s mind.

  Willow stood silent for a long moment, trying to take in what she had just heard. This woman, who held the highest position among the Dream Keepers, was explaining that she hadn’t been chosen because of a crisis. Somewhere in the back of her mind, Willow realised that she had thought the Ancients were scraping the bottom of the barrel. She felt a rush of relief knowing that wasn’t true.

  “A Light Keeper’s work is vital, and now more so than ever,” Viscent Chancellor continued. “We are all here to protect the dreams, so my advice to you, Willow, outside of your duties, is to dream well and be courageous enough to bring those dreams into reality.”

  “Thank you. I will,” she said earnestly.

  “Willow,” Viscent Chancellor added, “no dream is too big. Remember that.”

  Willow gazed into the depths of Viscent Chancellor Aroha’s purple eyes. “I’ll remember,” she said.

  The Viscent Chancellor then turned to the High Chancellor sitting next to her and they exchanged a brief, thoughtful look. She leaned in and clasped her hands together in front of her. “Willow, there is another reason that you have been asked to come here today. Your Awakening was not unusual just because of your youth. Your Awakening,” she hesitated, “was foreseen and is part of an ancient Prophecy.”

  What? Did she just say Prophecy? Willow stood there, numb with disbelief. Surely she had misheard her.

  “Willow?” Viscent Chancellor said. “Are you alright?”

  “Err, sorry, I …”

  “I understand this must come as a great surprise to you,” she said.

  Willow stared at the Viscent Chancellor. “Are you sure you have the right person?”

  “We are certain.”

  Avari placed her hand on Willow’s arm. “Willow, when you arrived earlier, you displayed abilities unknown to other Light Keepers.”

  “You mean when I spoke to the bird.”

  “Yes.”

  “The Prophecy could only be revealed to you once you arrived on Thera,” Viscent Chancellor Aroha explained. “We follow a Prime Directive that has been passed on through the eons – that is, we do not interfere with the time line of events or a Being’s natural development. Willow, you are the key to bringing the Prophecy into reality.”

  Willow shook her head. Her chest was tight and her head was pounding with confusion. “I don’t understand. Why me? And what actually is this Prophecy?”

  Viscent Chancellor Aroha now placed her clasped hands beneath her chin, along with a ponderous expression. “We do not know why the Ancients chose you, specifically. We just know that you are here now. I am sorry that my reply does not offer any further clarity. However, regarding the Prophecy, Willow, I can tell you that there was a Book hidden by the Ancients thousands of tarons ago. Approximately fifteen thousand of your Earth years. It says that one day, when the time comes, it will be uncovered by the ‘Young One’. And that the Book will guide and assist the ‘Young One’, to show the way through what they refer to as, ‘The time of broken dreams‘.”

  Willow felt stunned. Travelling to another planet and being a Light Keeper was big enough – but now she was part of a Prophecy? No. Not just part of it – she was apparently the key to it. And the fact that this Book had been hidden only made her feel that fulfilling this Prophecy was not going to be easy. A question began to surface in her mind and there were plenty more gathering behind it. “What exactly is ‘the time of broken dreams’?”

  “As you are aware,” Viscent Chancellor Aroha continued, “the Light Streams have been under attack. We know that Maliceius will attempt to do further damage, but when and where he will do this, we are uncertain. Should he inflict consistent damage over a period of time, the dreams from Earth will face significant instability and your world will experience a diminished capacity to create, plunging you all in to the ‘time of broken dreams’. Maliceius would then have free rein to suck the essence of darkness from every broken dream, making him more and more powerful.”

  “Sounds … bad,” Willow said. “Does the Prophecy give any clues on how to find this Book?”

  “We know it is somewhere here in Mondria,” Avari disclosed. “And that the ‘Young One’ – you, Willow – can find it.”

  “No pressure then,” she said under her breath.

  “We are doing everything we can to pre-empt Maliceius’s next moves so that we may slow him down,” Viscent Chancellor told her.

  Not for the first time, Willow’s heart was racing at the thought of going up against the King of Darkness, and she tried to calm it down by focusing on her breathing. She released a long, drawn-out breath. “When do I start the search?”

  “Finding the Book is a priority,” Viscent Chancellor Aroha told her. “We do not know what events will need to unfold in order to locate this Book, or how long it could take, so I must ask you, Willow, that while Light Keepers are encouraged to acclimatise for longer than the thirty-six-hour minimum before returning to us on Thera, I request that you only take the minimum period in order to return as quickly as possible – at least until the Book is found. I would not ask this of you unless it was absolutely necessary. The Book’s contents will obviously play a significant role in the times ahead.”

  Willow knew about the layover between visits and that it had something to do with the integrity of human DNA needing time to link back in to Earth’s gravity field. She also knew that her parents would flip out when she told them about the Prophecy and what she was about to do. “I understand,” she said soberly.

  “We fully appreciate your position, Willow. Know that you will have all of the assistance that you need for this undertaking. We will arrange full access for you, Willow, above and below the city. Avari will take you to have your hand scanned into our data network before you leave here.”

  Willow nodded but was barely aware of her head even moving. She prayed that the Ancients really knew what they were doing all those eons ago when they foretold these times and placed her smack bang in the middle of it.

  Viscent Chancellor Aroha stood up from her chair and made her way to where Willow and Avari were standing.

  Willow was caught in Viscent Chancellor Aroha’s gaze as she approached.

  The Viscent Chancellor placed her hand upon Willow’s shoulder. “There is a wisdom and strength within you well beyond your years, Willow. Take that knowledge with you in the times ahead. Though you may not feel it yet, the Ancients are with you.”

  “Thank you.” Willow couldn’t feel any Ancients with her right now, but she was certain of one thing, and that was the strange feeling she had deep inside her, that no matter what happened, no matter what she needed to figure out, she could somehow do this. “I hope the Book doesn’t take long to find.”

  “It will be discovered as soon as it can be,” the Viscent Chancellor replied. “Everything happens in its given moment.” She then took Willow’s hand into her own. “Given the circumstances surrounding your journey to date, trust that events will unfold in the only order that they can. May you journey well, Willow.”

  Avari escorted Willow from the Council Chambers and arranged for Willow’s hand to be scanned into the d
ata files. When the process was completed, they returned to the labyrinth of Halls. Walking along, Willow noticed an area further down a hall to her right had a subtle glow coming from it.

  “What’s over there?” she asked.

  “The Crystal Chamber.”

  “What’s that?”

  “The Crystal Chamber is where the energy of Thera gathers and resides,” Avari said. “It generates all of our security fields but, more importantly, it keeps the buildings that contain your Earth dreams cloaked with a range of complex energetic fields, helping to preserve them until they are ready to leave. All of the crystals that you see around the city are used for a specific purpose.

  “Can we go and see?”

  “We do not enter the Crystal Chamber without first performing a ritual to clear the mind of undisciplined thoughts. It prevents energetic contamination of the crystals. Perhaps on another occasion.”

  “I’d love that,” she said.

  “It is time for your return to Earth,” Avari said. “Let us make our way to the Arch.”

  They were standing by the Arch that would take Willow home. “Thanks for everything, Avari. You’ve been …” and then she smirked, “out of this world.” It was the first time Willow had heard Avari laugh. Now she knew that Therans could laugh too.

  “We will assist you in searching for the Book upon your next arrival to Mondria,” Avari told her.

  Willow wrapped her arms around Avari. She wasn’t sure what the Protocol was regarding hugs, but this was her best way of conveying her appreciation. “Thanks again. Guess I’ll see you soon.”

  Avari returned her embrace. “Journey well, Willow.”

  The Arch shimmered, ready for transportation. Willow stepped through and her body began to shake again, but this time she knew exactly what to expect. It wasn’t long before she was at the Doorway with Peonie.

  “I did it, Peonie!”