The Dream Catcher's Daughter

by Steven Fox

  “Yeah. Normies born to magi parents get their memories erased.”

  “Parentless mage kids suffer the same fate. Unless, of course, you have a mistress or master, like the Dream Catcher.”

  “And you think the Guardian might be trying to do her in?”

  “It would make so much sense. Without the Dream Caller, the only other magi around who’s as powerful as the Guardian is my mistress.”

  “But why kill her?”

  “Without a Dream Catcher, more and more people would fall victim to their darkest, evilest desires. Trust me, you wouldn’t want to be around when that happened.”

  “That doesn’t sound bad.”

  Len crossed her arms. “Ever heard of Charles Manson? John Wayne Gacey?”

  “Okay. Still doesn’t explain why the Guardian would want that. The Dream Caller makes more sense. My dreams are in real life. I can see them. You can see them.”

  “I can see them because I’ve been trained to. You can see them because they’re your dreams. No one else can see them.”

  Jason thought about how Amor and Bootelia had grabbed that kid. Then again, they hadn’t grabbed him; they’d pulled him out of his body. Darlene hadn’t seen Talshe in the industrial district, either. His brain hurt.

  “Maybe you have a point.”

  Len placed a hand on Jason’s shoulder. “It’s okay. We won’t let him get away with it. I know enough to be able to return your dreams to you. After that, Mistress will be able to unseal your dreams and…”

  “No,” said Jason. “I don’t want that.”

  Len’s mouth fell open. “You…don’t want your dreams unsealed? Why not? You should want your dreams, I mean…”

  “No. I don’t want them back. They aren’t dreams anymore. They would only be nightmares.”

  He turned and headed for the staircase. Len caught him with a hand on his shoulder. “Hey, wait a moment,” she said. “I know all about that. But I can help. Well, my mistress can help…”

  “That’s what the Guardian said. But it doesn’t even look like she could rise from bed.”

  “Don’t talk that way about my mistress.”

  “Don’t try to convince me to do stupid things.”

  He tried to turn again, but Len spun him around and clamped her hands upon his shoulders. “Listen. I’m doing this more for you than myself. You’ve nearly died how many times now? All because of those dreams? Don’t you feel a little betrayed by the Guardian?”

  “Betrayal’s nothing new.”

  “I get that. Okay? But you gotta look at the big picture. Do you realize how many people are going to suffer? Think about it. Do you want that many people suffering, all because you thought it was stupid to try and help?”

  Before Jason could reply, something moaned. A pinprick of light appeared dead-center of the basement. This light floated steadily upward until it stood as tall as Jason and Len. Then it dived into the floor and flooded the basement. A giant circle was drawn in glowing white chalk upon the floor. The light seeped into each line of the circle—lines that weaved together like cobwebs in the circle’s middle, in the shape of a dream catcher. With every inch of the circle illuminated, it rose from the ground, spinning slowly. Then it exploded, the circle’s borders touching each of the four pillars. Jason and Len were plunged waist deep in the circle’s light. Only seven feet away, two blinking green dots appeared. Len wheeled toward them.

  “This isn’t good,” she said.

  “What? What is it?”

  She motioned toward the circle. “Doesn’t this look familiar? At all? It should.”

  He glanced around a bit. It wasn’t until he spotted a mark on the circle, this particular stretch of line inscribed with the words, ‘Silver Moon Grocery.’

  “A map of Sheriffsburg?” said Jason.

  “It’s how Mistress detected the runaway dreams.” Len nodded toward the two dots. “Those are the twins, I think. If we catch them, you can return them to your body. Then they won’t be running around trying to shank you.”

  Jason didn’t like the idea of facing Bootelia and Amor again. Last time he ran into them, he ended up in that strange way station. An experience he could go without repeating.

  He looked back at the glowing dots. He noticed where the dots were located. He glanced back to Silver Moon’s marker, then followed the streets. He trailed them like a vampire trailing its victim’s veins. When he reached the twins’ dots again, his stomach dropped. Suddenly, the twins’ dots darted away. Running.

  He whipped around and tore up the stairs. Len called after him, but he didn’t stop. She followed, easily able to keep speed with him. Outside, Jason ran north along South Hollow, then west along Orchid Street, his street. A few more blocks, he thought. He could already see the elementary school in his mind. Just a couple more blocks.

  Jason and Len were only a block away when they heard the ambulance siren.

  ***

  Len waited outside the hospital. She didn’t need to follow Jason inside to know it would be bad. She didn’t own a watch, so couldn’t keep track of time. She sat on a bench near the entrance, her flute in her lap. She stared down at it, tempted to play. This part of the neighborhood wasn’t like her own: People in downtown Sheriffsburg didn’t care much for live music on their street corners. Besides, Len didn’t know any dirges.

  When the sliding doors whished open, Len looked over. Jason walked out clutching something in his right hand. He didn’t look upset, but Len knew by now this was a trick. Thanks to the Guardian, she thought, he can’t show any of his feelings. That’s one of the prices of having your dreams sealed. She stood. A slight breeze rolled through, ruffling her skirt, her gray hair billowing about her. Jason leaned against the wall, crushing the thing in his right hand to his chest. Len thought it looked like a plastic doll. Boys called them action figures, but Len called them dolls, no matter how many guns they toted or how macho they looked.

  “Steal that from a dying kid?” she said, pointing to the doll.

  “No,” he said. “I let this kid have it cuz he was getting a lot of grief. Figured it was the least I could do.” He spaced out for a moment, then glanced down at the metal-gray toy. There was a purple, triangle-shaped insignia on the doll’s chest. Len recognized this symbol from a kid’s dreams.

  “Well, why did you take it? The kid’ll want it back, won’t he?”

  The wind died down, and a wall of cloud passed in front of the sun, blocking out the light. More people were coming out of the hospital, throwing glances at Jason. One kid snickered upon seeing the action figure in Jason’s hand. Len noted this particular kid and decided she’d skip his dreams that night.

  Jason lifted his head. “He’s as good as dead,” he said. “That’s how deep a coma it is. His parents are split on what to do. They don’t know whether they want to keep him alive or transfer him to a hospital that will just pull the plug.”

  He gripped the Transformer tight, and his face twitched, then he scrunched his nose, his brow knitting together. That was the most emotion she’d seen out of his face since they’d met.

  “I’m sorry,” said Len.

  He lowered his head. “I thought my dreams couldn’t hurt anyone. Darlene couldn’t see Talshe. I figured my dreams couldn’t touch anyone.”

  “They aren’t supposed to. But…but who knows? Maybe the Guardian did something.”

  Jason stood. “It doesn’t matter.” He looked at Len, his face softening. “I’ll go after Amor and Bootelia and retrieve the key. But don’t think I’m doing it for you. It won’t even be for me.” He glanced down at the toy again, then set it on the ground.

  Without another word, Jason stalked off. Len followed slowly.

  TEN

  As they walked, Len explained something to Jason: “I can’t destroy dreams. Mistress fell ill before she could teach me. I tried to learn by myself, but that didn’t go so well.”

  “Then what are we supposed to do about the twins?”

  “The
y’re your dreams. I may not be able to destroy them, but I can rejoin them with you. The dreams will go back under the seal.”

  “I have to let them inside me?”

  “You might have to fight them. I don’t imagine they’ll go easy.”

  The rubber floor of the playground sank slightly under their weight. It was empty, and the slide looked like a lonely war monument set aside from the jungle gym and the giant plastic castle. Jason remembered playing here when he was younger. Nothing but smiles and laughter and kiddy-adrenaline. Then he wondered: If his dreams came back to him, would he be happier? Would his face work properly? Would he be able to smile, to laugh? Be Jason from before?

  Who was I before?

  Len pulled out her flute and played four notes. A small map appeared before them, hovering mid-air. The two dots, Bootelia and Amor, blinked to life on the map.

  “They’re nearby,” said Len. “They didn’t get far.”

  “No, look. They’re coming back.”

  Len squinted. “Huh, guess so. Man, I need glasses.”

  They moved to the south side of the playground and hid behind a climbing wall. While they waited, Len looked up to Jason. “Okay, so, we’ll have to be careful. Who knows how hard they’ll try to hurt us?”

  “Who’s trying to hurt you?”

  Jason and Len whipped around, finding Darlene there, smiling at them. Her Silver Moon shirt was untucked and unbuttoned, revealing the tank top beneath. Len’s eyes drifted to Darlene’s exposed collar bone. She looked back to Jason, her face aflame.

  “Oh, no one. Not you, I mean. Definitely not you.”

  Darlene chuckled, glancing from Len to Jason. “What’cha doin’? Makin’ out seems to be out of the question.”

  Before he could answer, someone started crying; Bootelia and Amor had sat down on a bench across the playground. Amor’s arm was around his twin. Bootelia was hunched over, hands pressed against her eyes.

  “Wonder what her problem is,” whispered Darlene.

  Jason and Len looked up at Darlene, wide-eyed. Then they looked at each other. He pointed at the twins. “You can see them?”

  “Yeah? Like, can’t you?”

  “Of course I can,” said Jason. “But that’s not the point. Darlene, I need you to pull out your cell phone and prepare your best defense spell.”

  “Well, I’ve only got Shield Dome Lv. 7…”

  “That’s fine. It’s only a precaution.”

  Darlene punched in the number for the spell, her eyes set on the twins. “They look harmless.”

  After Darlene queued the spell, Jason stood, as did Len. With another deep breath, Jason stepped out from behind the wall. Len and Darlene walked beside him, arm-to-arm. They didn’t stop until they stood right in front of the twins. Amor noticed them first, looking up from his crying sister.

  “Oh, if it isn’t you,” he said. “Come to run us over with that train again? Well, go ahead.”

  Jason ignored Amor and looked directly at Bootelia. Suddenly, he was filled with rage. Before he could think, before he could assess what was wrong with him, his mouth flapped open: “How did it feel? Tearing that boy from his body?” Jason clenched his fists. “Does it feel good knowing you may have killed him? He’ll never wake up, thanks to you. He’ll never wake up.”

  Len touched Jason on the arm, but he jerked away. Nothing would hold him back from this. Not even Bootelia’s mucus-y sobs. She didn’t deserve to cry. She’d chosen to hurt the boy. “It’s all your fault,” said Jason, pointing a finger at Bootelia. “All your damn fault.”

  Amor pulled his arm away from his sister and stood. He barely topped Jason, but the difference in height was noticeable. “What do you know?” he said. “You saying she wanted to hurt that kid? You’re fucked up. We never wanted to hurt him. We only wanted to…”

  “Wanted to what?”

  Amor shook his head. “I’m not going to explain myself to you.”

  Jason grabbed Amor’s shirt collar, and Darlene tried to pry Jason away, but he shook her off. Amor didn’t struggle. He only stared into Jason’s face, a look of childish defiance in his eyes. Defiance, and absolute disgust.

  “Why won’t you explain yourself?” said Jason.

  “Because I don’t have to. I don’t have to explain myself to someone who threw us away. You got rid of us, just so we wouldn’t bother you. All we wanted was to help you. Now look what we get. We could’ve helped you cope.”

  Jason shook him. “Chasing me hardly seems like helping me. You’re no better than the nightmares. No better than that shadowy creature with red eyes. I bet it told you to go after Trevor. You sick freaks.”

  “What nightmares?”

  Bootelia had raised her head, her eyes raw, makeup streaking down her cheeks. She wrinkled her nose at Jason. He let Amor go and turned toward her.

  “The nightmares. Talshe, Leech, and…Shades. That’s its name. Shades, the creature with red eyes.”

  Slowly, she shook her head. “There are no nightmares. Only dreams. Even so, this…Shades…I don’t know. It’s different.”

  “Different?”

  Len interjected, “You call Leech and Talshe dreams as though they’re good.”

  “They are good. They only want to help Jason.”

  “Yeah, right,” said Jason. “They want to help me like a terrorist wants to help government. Shades isn’t any different. The nightmare is. Just. Like. You.”

  Darlene grabbed Jason’s shoulder. “Hey, man, she sounds sincere.”

  Jason turned on his best friend with a snarl: “Fuck off, dike!”

  Darlene’s eyes narrowed, and her hand dropped slowly. She pursed her lips. Chuckled. Backed away, hands up in surrender. “Hey, I read you. Man, I read you like a bad drama.”

  Something in Jason’s stomach clunked and rolled away. “Darlene, wait…”

  “Hold on, I’m almost finished. I liked you. Thought you were cool. Thought maybe, if you got married, I could be your best man or whatever.” She sighed. “Guess you just don’t give a shit. You can’t get past yourself. That’s what I’ve noticed these past two years. You can’t think of anyone but yourself.”

  But Jason was thinking of other people. He didn’t want Bootelia and Amor to hurt anyone. “You’ve always been my best man,” he said.

  “Yeah, well, not anymore.”

  She flipped him the bird and then stormed off.

  His arms felt like they each weighed ten tons. The liquid stone quickly overflowed into his legs and up into his waist. He fell forward, thudding against the rubber floor. Len and the twins stooped, calling out his name, shaking him. Snap out of it, they shouted. But Jason’s ears were filled with stone. His breaths came shorter and shorter. His heart pounded faster and faster.

  This is the end, he thought.

  “Forth!” shouted Bootelia and Amor. “Say it! Say forth, Jason!”

  Just hearing the word brought enough function back to his lips: He muttered the phrase. In seconds the stone recoiled and drew back. His body ached from the fall, his chest felt like it might explode, and he tasted rubber in his mouth. Len sat him up. The twins hugged him.

  “We thought you were good as dead,” said Amor.

  So had Jason. But he didn’t say this. He looked up at the three of them, and shook his head. “You helped me…but why? I’m selfish.”

  “We’ve wanted to…It’s just…I don’t know.”

  “It’s like,” said Bootelia, “until we jumped that kid, we could only think about getting you.”

  “We went after that kid because…well, he smelled like you. After that…we felt terrible for what we’d done. Jason, we’d do anything make it up to you.”

  Len cleared her throat. “I know a way.”

  The twins tilted their heads. Jason didn’t want to ask. He didn’t want them inside him.

  Still, he said, “Will you come back? Will you two rejoin me?”

  The two looked at each other, then back to Jason. “We’d love to,” said Boot
elia. “But won’t we go back under the seal? It’s cold there, Jason. A prison. Can you take off the seal?”

  “The nightmares would come back.” He shook out his arms, and he opened his mouth to continue explaining, but Amor held up a hand.

  “We get it. We do. But promise us this: When you have all your dreams back, once you have all your nightmares sorted and settled, please come see us. Let us out every once in a while.”

  Bootelia then reached into her pocket and fished out the large golden key. “Almost forgot this. It’s important, isn’t it?” Jason nodded, and Bootelia handed it to him. Then the twins hugged him.

  Len stood and played her flute. Warmth filled Jason and the twins. The two dreams glowed—first just their outlines, then their whole bodies. Jason stood, and as he did, the twins dispersed into dust, coating him in golden particles. As the dust settled into his skin, he glowed like the sun. Just as Len was about to finish the song, Jason closed his eyes. A maw with green flesh gaped before him.

  He ripped his eyes open, screaming as he flung himself forward, running into something, knocking it over. The music cut off, because Jason had slammed into Len. She dropped her flute.

  “What’re you doing?!” she shouted.

  “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to. I…I saw…”

  Len’s flute exploded, flooding them in a blinding light. Jason wrenched his eyes shut. When he opened them again, he wished he hadn’t.

  Talshe grinned at him, her face engulfing most of the sky. “Well, well, we meet again, Jason McEntree.” Talshe reached down, trying to scoop him up, but he rolled away, just dodging her fingers. Len helped him up and pulled him toward the slide.

  Talshe’s hand wrapped around the slide and tore it from the ground, chunks of metal and rubber showering the earth. The giantess opened her mouth and stuffed the slide inside. She chewed and crunched on steel. Plastic snapped. Glass shattered. Finally, she swallowed and a noticeable bulge trailed down her neck. She patted her stomach, and Len stiffened beside Jason. He felt as though his legs might give out from beneath him.

  Just a few feet behind them, claws click-clacked on cement. There, growling, stood Leech.