Willow Bloom and the Dream Keepers

by E. V. Farrell

  “What was it?”

  “A wall of muddy brown water roaring down a gully towards the village. The sight of it turned the pit of my stomach inside out. We were in the village square at the time. I grabbed Prue’s hand and started running towards the highest building. There were people running around everywhere and mothers were screaming, trying to gather up their small children. It was mayhem. Prue and I snatched any stray child, one in each arm, and ran with them too. There was no time to round up anyone else – we could only yell out to them to get up high as we raced up the stairs with other villagers. Fortunately, most of the buildings were built of stone and at least two storeys high. By the time we got to the rooftop – which was flat, so we could all gather there – the torrent of water had reached the outskirts of town. It swept up literally everything in its path – logs, trees, chairs and tables, that only moments earlier had sat neatly outside shop fronts and houses, were soon tossing and turning in the frothy, churning river. It was devastating. But, incredibly, only two lives were lost that day.” Isobel shook her head. “It was a close call, but it wasn’t our time, thankfully. Since then, Mother Nature has been kind to me in my mature years and spared me any more frightening emergencies like that. Though I do need to talk to her about the new lines appearing on my face.”

  “Oh, Mum, you look great for your age,” Audrey said.

  Isobel smiled at her daughter then took another sip from her wine glass. “Don’t listen to me, Willow. It’s actually a privilege, growing old. Every one of my wrinkles has a story to tell. Growing old means you’re still here and in with a chance to have more wonderful experiences that show you what you’re made of.” Isobel looked into her granddaughter’s eyes. “That’s why human dreams are so precious. They have the ability to create more of those life experiences and provide more of those special glimpses – the ones where you can feel the awesomeness of life in every cell of your being – the ‘aah’ moments. But you have to pay attention or you’ll miss them.”

  “You mean like watching an amazing sunset or a full moon rise behind a mountain?”

  “Natures free ‘aah’ moments. And you’ll notice that they are always uplifting.”

  Lying in bed that night, Willow contemplated her grandmother’s words about dreams and glimpses. It added a whole new level to what she already knew and why Light Keeper duties were so important – especially now. And after hearing about the flood, she hoped that she would be just as resourceful as her grandmother if anything bad should ever happen. She looked out her bedroom window. Snowflakes had begun to fall. Willow could remember only two other occasions when snow fell on Christmas Day. Closing her eyes, she imagined a white Christmas and made a wish – and wondered if her wish was right now being stored with the Dream Keepers, in preparation to be launched on to a Light Stream by morning.

  “Woohoo!” Willow squealed from her bedroom window. At least a foot of snow had fallen overnight. Snow clung to the bare trees outside like dusted icing sugar, and the sun, now high in the sky, made everything sparkle magically. “A white Christmas! Thank you, Dream Keepers! And Light Keepers!” Though she was pretty sure that the Dream Keepers didn’t store weather forecasts. Still …

  Willow charged down the stairs in her pyjamas to the kitchen. “Merry Christmas, everyone!” she said, landing a kiss on each of her family’s cheeks. “We have to make a snowman today,” she declared.

  “You sound like you’re five years old all over again,” her mother said.

  “Christmas does that to the best of us,” her father commented. “Long may it last.”

  “You have to grow up some time, Dad,” Willow said.

  He folded his arms across his chest. “And she’s a cheeky five-year-old too!”

  Audrey shook her head at them both.

  A scrumptious breakfast of warm croissants, crumpets and home-made jams was on the table.

  “Yum!” Willow slid into the seat next to her Gran and reached for a croissant.

  “Here’s to a day of calories,” Isobel said, raising her mug of tea. “Tomorrow, we’ll do ten laps of the woods – or maybe two.”

  After breakfast Willow peeled and chopped the last of the potatoes to help prepare for lunch. On the stove a pot of mulled wine simmered gently, releasing its sweet and spicy aromas, and in the oven, trays of small pastries slowly puffed out the hidden layers beneath their pale, golden skins. Only Christmas morning could smell like this, thought Willow. She closed her eyes, taking it all in through her other senses – knowing that the peace and calm would be replaced by a gaggle of family members in under two hours.

  “Is there anything else you need me to do, Mum? Otherwise I’ll go up and get ready.”

  “It’s all under control. Off you go.”

  Willow hugged her cousins Sienna and Leo when they arrived. “I can’t believe you guys are Helpers! Sorry I didn’t catch up with you at ALFA, but there was literally no time,” she said.

  Leo nodded. “We know.”

  “I bet you’ve been on a roller coaster ride since you found out about all of this,” Sienna said.

  “Tell me about it. And I was gobsmacked when Dad told me you both got told at fourteen and had been to the Academy.”

  “Yeah, but neither of us are full-timers there so we were doing crash-course training, too,” Sienna told her.

  “Me, more then her,” Leo said. “She’s a year in front.”

  “So who are you Helpers to?” Willow asked.

  “Cassie was awakened recently. She’s nineteen,” Sienna said. “I’m a year younger so I’m a bit paranoid about it all – not wanting to screw up or anything. And Leo’s being farmed out to a guy an hour away.”

  Leo frowned at his sister. “That’s a nice way of putting it. Thanks for that.”

  “So tell me, Willow, did you have any strange sensations when you arrived?” her Aunt Mary asked from across the dining table. “I hear it’s different for everyone.”

  Willow told them all about the gardens with their mixed-up colours and her initial sensitivity to their brightness. “And there was this bird with four wings that actually spoke to me,” she said. “Apparently it’s really unusual for Earth people to be able to understand Theran animals.”

  Uncle Jack beamed. “Well, we’re all proud that it’s our Willow who is being unusual,” he said. “We like unusual in this family.”

  Nana Hazel giggled. “Yes, we do. And we wouldn’t have it any other way. Willow, you have an entire family looking out for you, and what with Sienna and Leo recently becoming qualified Helpers,” she said, with a glance in their direction, “it would be safe to say that there has never been a Light Keeper with so many Helpers in her midst. Especially since most of us have come out of retirement and have been put back to work.” She raised her glass. “Let’s send that Dark UnderLord scuttling all the way back to his dark and dingy corner. Here’s to Sienna, Leo and Willow. To the dreams of today and beyond.”

  Willow lifted her glass to a cluster of clinking glasses. A family that had once been “normal” had now turned into a family of epic surprises. But she wasn’t complaining! Who wouldn’t want a family with secrets like these?

  “When are you due to go back?” Sienna asked.

  “Well, I should be going tonight, but because it’s Christmas they swapped some of the timetable with the Light Keepers in the Southern hemisphere because of the time differences.”

  As much as Willow loved Christmas, she couldn’t help feeling a little guilty about not being in Mondria, searching for the hidden Book.

  Sitting by the fire with her family after their big lunch, Willow thought about the countless people all over the world who were having, or had already had, a huge lunch with their families and friends. It was easy to feel all warm and fuzzy inside knowing that, no matter what their personal views or beliefs were, people could put their differences aside and come together at a table to share a meal. It was special. Gatherings like this were what the Light Keepers’ community was al
l about: helping dreams, big or small, to become real.

  She watched her family from her comfy chair, enjoying not being the centre of attention for a change. Her cousins were laughing loudly at something someone had said, her aunt and grandmothers were having a meaningful discussion, and her parents and uncles were all performing card tricks. They were all bound together as a family, helping and supporting each other to achieve their dreams. Maybe this was one of those glimpses her Gran was referring to. An “aah moment”, where the moment of observing felt deeper than usual, bigger somehow. An underlying feeling that there was “more” to the moment then the sum of its parts. It was hard to explain, but she felt uplifted by it.

  A bowl of nuts being accidentally knocked off the coffee table broke her contemplation. She looked across the room and caught her father smiling at her.

  “Who’s up for making a snowman?” she demanded, bouncing out of her seat.

  Christmas was over and relative normality had returned – at least for now, on Earth, but who knew what was going on out there in the galaxies with Maliceius prowling around? Every time Willow thought about her next trip, her stomach and chest would get an uneasy feeling. She’d spent the last hour keeping thoughts of Maliceius at the back of her mind by flicking through her Instagram pages at the kitchen table, but when her father interrupted her to ask how she was feeling, the unsettled sensation became a rush of butterflies.

  Willow looked up. “I’m fine. Why?”

  “Just making sure you’re okay,” he said.

  Willow went back to Harriett’s Christmas photos. She wondered how Claire was doing. Harriett was uploading pictures every day but Claire had only sent one quick text from Scotland.

  “Your mother and I have been discussing whether we should hang back a bit tonight,” her father continued. “To give you and Hugo a head start on your own. We’ll join you once you’re ready to activate.”

  “Really? Wow. That’s … unexpected …” She looked at her father curiously.

  Her father rubbed his chin. “No harm in both of us practising a little independence.”

  “Okay. That’s fine with me. I’m sure Hugo will be cool with it too,” she said. She hadn’t seen that one coming; she’d thought it would take a while before her parents even entertained the idea of stepping back.

  “Your mum makes a mean Christmas pudding,” Hugo said, preparing to release the Chabels.

  “You seemed to manage it alright,” Willow replied.

  Hugo tossed the Chabels into the air and they immediately darted off through the woods in pursuit of the strongest portal.

  It wasn’t long before they found a portal. Willow and Hugo texted their parents the location.

  “Hmm – hope so.”

  Willow arrived on Thera and after creating her Light Streams to allow countless dreams to travel to Earth, she and Avari made their way to the Halls of Mondria.

  “So who exactly is this Elder I’m meeting?” Willow asked.

  “Elder Oron holds much knowledge and wisdom,” Avari told her. “Meeting with him will assist in your learning and also the quest.”

  “I could do with all the help I can get. It’s not like there’s a rule book on Prophecies that I can read, though I wish there was.”

  After weaving through a number of Halls, Avari stopped and opened a door. Willow was surprised to see a lush garden inside with birds and butterflies flying around – it was as if they were outside, except for the four walls surrounding them. They entered the outdoor room and to their right a man draped in a golden cloak stood with his back towards them. He turned around.

  Willow was met with the glistening purple eyes of an elderly man.

  He stepped towards them. “Welcome, welcome. Goodwill to you. I am Oron.” He shook their hands.

  Oron then sat in a yellow arm chair in the middle of a patch of green lawn. He motioned for Willow and Avari to sit in the chairs beside him. “I don’t often visit Mondria, but I have been following your progress for quite a while now, Willow, and the time has come for my presence to be a part of your journey.”

  Even though she had only just met him, Willow liked this old man. She felt a reassuring warmth emanating from him.

  “Now, let us get on to the business of this Book, shall we?” Oron took a deep breath. “The Book that you seek,” he said, “was written by the Ancients, for the time when Maliceius would once again step over the boundary to bring in his darkness. They knew that he would strive to contaminate the Universal Laws and structures of thoughts and dreams. They knew that he would bide his time until the conditions were vulnerable. Time was a small price to pay. Over many millennia, Maliceius has mostly kept a limited presence, occasionally injecting a little more darkness to an era.” Oron looked to Willow. “You would recognise these times when there were major wars or when there was a concentrated effort to eradicate people who shone the light brightly: the Healers, the Fellowship of Light Keepers, Seers and the Intuitives of your world, who have often been classed as evil witches or even demons. Maliceius knows how to sow the seeds of separation and fear with masterful brush-strokes – reaping devastating effects. Of course, we have intervened where possible, but only to re-establish the balance – nothing more. That is the law of the Prime Directive.”

  It was strange hearing about Earth’s history like that, thought Willow. There was no way in the world her teacher back at school would be covering history in quite the same way. Being an Elder, Willow hoped that he would be able to answer the question that she had asked herself many times. “Oron, why did the Ancients choose someone as young as me?”

  “Aah! It is precisely your youth that gives you the upper hand,” he told her. “Youth has a vitality and resilience that brings with it an incredible capacity for greatness. Youth’s very nature is to be young in experience, yet worldly with enthusiasm, wonder and inspiration. It is less tainted by the poor habits of mind.”

  Well that was different and unexpected. “This whole time I’ve been thinking how I must be holding everyone back and slowing things down because of my age – because I don’t know as much as everyone else,” she said.

  Oron smiled. “Now you know the opposite is true.”

  Something caught Oron’s eye in one of the trees and he extended his arm. “Come,” he said in a gentle tone. A golden parrot with purple breast, swooped down and landed on his arm. Oron tenderly stroked its head.

  Willow admired the bird and was once again astonished to find that she could understand the bird greeting Oron and then herself and Avari.

  Oron turned to Willow. “You have all the wisdom that is required for this journey. You just need to let it come forward and grow.” He raised his arm a little higher and the bird flapped its wings and flew off. Oron continued: “The Book’s primary function is to curb Maliceius and his darkness. It contains specific details on how to do this. However, it also has another task. And that is to assist humans in realising their innermost truth, their true purpose – the ultimate dream.”

  “So the Book has proper instructions on how to stop Maliceius? I don’t have to come up with a plan?” Willow felt her burden lighten at this news.

  “You have your part to play, but rest assured, the Book contains everything you need.”

  Willow had another question for Oron. “I know that I’ve been chosen for this quest, but if the Dream Keepers don’t have the necessary skills, how am I meant to find this Book that the Ancients hid so well?”

  “You are part of a new wave of consciousness coming forth on your planet. As you develop and trust your inner nature, so too will your skills grow,” he said. “This Quest of yours calls for you to take a leap forward and as you suspend old ways of thinking, your path will reveal itself and lead you to the Book. And that is how Maliceius will be driven in to retreat.”

  He could see that Willow needed further clarification. “Allow me to explain something to you about our world. Within everything that you consider a solid object, there is space. What y
ou think of as form,” he said, tapping the side table next to him, “is actually a collection of an incredible number of the minutest, vibrating energy particles that arrange themselves into something that appears to be solid. There is more space in this table than there is matter.”

  Oron waved his arm and the trees changed their colour from blue to yellow. “We have a greater understanding of this principle, which allows us to play with the frequencies suspended in the space of a physical object, and thus we are able to affect size, shape and colour – the outer skin you call ‘form’.” He paused for a moment. “Did you manage to follow that?”

  Willow nodded, though she only partly comprehended what he was saying. It sounded a bit like her “Tardis principle”, her phrase for explaining Mondria’s large spaces in small areas. Who knew watching episodes of Dr Who would be so educational!

  Oron stood up from his chair. “Our time together has come to an end – at least for now.”

  Willow and Avari stood up to say their goodbyes.

  “Journey well,” Oron concluded.

  Shadows of Darkness

  As they left Elder Oron, High Chancellor Antoy, who Willow had met on her first visit, hurried towards them looking troubled.

  “Goodwill to you,” High Chancellor Antoy said with haste. “Due to an incident, I must ask that you both make your way to the Dome Room where an address from High Council is imminent.”