Notopia

by Michael Vallimont

  Strata smiled sweetly, opening the door wider. “Come in, we have been waiting for you.”

  Leo stepped inside to find the others already assembled in the room. Strata closed the door behind him. Cirrus ran up to him and gave him a big hug. Nimbus and Cumulo sat on a couch grinning at him.

  “Okay, I can see you are happy that the museum will protect you,” Leo said, “but we have to get there first.”

  “Leo, this is the end of the line for us,” Cumulo said.

  “What do you mean?” Leo said.

  “We saw your painting Leo. We are your dream, and we are here for you to use to help make the world happier,” Nimbus said.

  “It’s such a nice vision you have, Leo,” Strata said.

  “Quite nice indeed,” Cirrus added.

  “That’s not why I am here,” Leo countered.

  “Isn’t it Leo?” Cumulo said. “Isn’t your dream to show people that a very great deal of the misery in their lives comes from their very own lips? All they need to do is learn to recognize that when it happens, they are not thinking appropriately?”

  “Yes, but right now I only want to get you to safety.”

  “All you need to do is accept us Leo, and we will all be safe my man,” Nimbus said.

  Leo’s mind was being overwhelmed with emotion. They were his dream. He knew it, he felt it inside, and if he accepted them, he might never see Gwen again.

  “I can’t. I have to tell Gwen first,” Leo said.

  “Leo, you don’t have that option. If you reject us, we will be gone, and you will be returned to the real world until Notopia is ready to grant you another dream,” Nimbus said.

  Strata looked him in the eye. “Leo, you have been coming to Notopia for a very long time, more than most. Yet, your dream is not that complex, it is simply happiness for everyone. Then, Gwen appears, and in the middle of the night you meet her in what you thought was a complete happenstance moment, and you loved her right away. Leo, have you ever known Notopia to operate haphazardly? That dream led you to be outside Gwen’s house so you two would meet. Was it just a coincidence that the next day, the four of us and this house appeared just at the right time for her to see and visit us? And then it was Gwen who introduced you to us. No, Leo, love made all this happen. Love is more powerful than the collective that made and tries to control this place. They did not want us here as they do not want your dream to succeed. However, somehow Gwen is tapped into so much happiness-based love that they could not stop her. She is here for more than just a dream, and you know it because you have seen all her paintings. Her love delivered you to us and us to you. Tell me that if the roles were reversed, and Gwen stood here with her dream to claim, you would want her to forsake her dreams for a chance to be with you?”

  “No. Gwen’s dreams are too much a part of her, and her dreams are far too special. I can see that now.”

  “As are yours. Your love is genuine Leo, or this would not be a struggle. Her love is genuine as well, and she would expect you to go.”

  The house began to shake, and beams of light streaked through the room from the floor below.

  “Leo, we can’t stop fate. You must choose now,” Cumulo said.

  Charles and Shelly could see Leo standing in the doorway, waving at them as the house sunk slowly into the ground below. In a few short seconds, the house and Leo were no more.

  ***

  Gwen sat on her bed, gathered up the balance of Roger’s papers and made her way to the hallway. Stopping for a moment, she noticed many pictures frames, which had long been empty, now had photos in them. The newest was a snapshot of Leo standing on the porch of the blue house with clouds painted on it. The four homeowners stood around Leo, and all sported that “I’m truly happy” smile. The writing along the bottom read. “Gwen, you will always be my definition of love Leo.” She knew he was gone, and she knew it was for the best. The loss felt more acceptable knowing he found his dream, and with a tear on her cheek, she felt a new star appear in her sky.

  Chapter 19

  Shelly arrived at the museum with five dreams piled into her car. She had dropped Charles off at the fire station to spread the word and leave notices for other arrivals. They hustled up the steps, passing the statue and the stench of Urkabis. Shelly could not help but wonder if there was somehow a way to dislodge the monstrosity from its perch and send it tumbling down the steps.

  Inside, things were different. The number of missing paintings was even more evident now, and the ones that remained were rearranging themselves. There was Rick, standing by the registry book.

  “Rick, I am glad I found you so quickly,” she started. “I don’t think it will take us long to get all the remaining dreams here. Have you figured out all the arrangements from your end?”

  “Yes, we have areas designated for women, men, and dreams,” He answered, but never looked at her. “I have never seen anything like this.” He said, staring at the floating paintings.

  “Rick, I must say, I am a bit perplexed.”

  “About?”

  “So many paintings are gone. I thought all dream paintings were housed here. Not just the current ones.”

  “Realized dreams, Shelly. Sometimes seekers find their dreams, and in the course of living them out, the dedication becomes lost. The dreams wither into whims or fancies and eventually fade into obscurity. They end up as frustrated memories of, ‘if only I had taken the time’ or ‘I should have done that when I had the chance.’ Fact is Shelly, most dreams never reach fruition. Oh, the concepts may bring success for the dreamer, but the actual ultimate end of the dream is often sidetracked along the way.”

  “I never thought beyond the two meeting, Rick. I guess I presumed that was the happy ending we all wanted,”

  “Being human is being short-sighted Shelly. Once you and your dream meet, it takes complete dedication and commitment to bring it to life in the real world. Even if one has the moxie and the fortitude to make it happen, one still must contend with the actions of fate. Beyond the physical interference that fate brings, there are other realms, like Notopia, that exist in the gap between the conscious and subconscious mind. Some call it a sixth sense, and others call it remnants of early human existence as pure animals. Some call it the Id and some have even speculated that people with autism are merely incorporating parts of this realm into their conscious world and that this is the expansion that humans will need to survive in the future.”

  “Rick weren’t many of those dreams already complete?”

  “They were indeed, Shelly. Somehow that thing is not only destroying dreams, but Notopia itself seems to be dissolving.”

  “Just how long have you been here?”

  “I am sixty-seven years old Shelly. I first started showing up here when I was nine. As a kid, I loved fishing and liked to think that I could whisper to my fishing pole and the fishing line would carry my thoughts and words to the fish under the water. The fish and I would become friends, and every so often one would take the hook because it wanted to visit or play a game of tug-of-war with me, like a dog and his owner often do.”

  “That explains your painting Rick, and in all this time, how has your dream never arrived? I don’t understand that at all.”

  “It will happen, Shelly. One day, a guy will walk up to me and say, ‘Hey kid, you want to go fishing?’ Then, I will be that nine-year-old boy again, sitting with my sandwich and talking to the fish.”

  “RICK!” Gwen yelled. “Is there an office or conference room where I can put all this?” She walked at a brisk pace, her arms loaded with folders and papers. “This is all of Roger’s work on the beacon and Urkabis. Maybe we can learn something valuable.”

  “Sure is Gwen, come this way.”

  “Come with me, Shelly. We need brain power,” Gwen said.

  “Gwen. I need to tell you something. It is about Leo.”

  “No need, Shelly. I felt him leave with his dreams, and I know he was thrille
d. It is up to us now.” It was when they reached the conference room that Gwen thought to ask, “When did all the paintings move? And why is that side of the museum blank?”

  Rick answered, “They started moving a few hours ago. I didn’t notice that the entire side was empty, but you are correct.”

  “It’s not empty,” Shelly said. “I can see a frame beginning to form. It looks like it’s going to be quite large.”

  “We are running out of time,” Gwen said as she rushed into the room and began to spread the papers.

  Charles and the other firemen had succeeded in rounding up the dreams, except for a few that had slipped into the woods to hide. Charles followed a trail of broken branches and crept along slowly so as not to startle a dream should he come across one. He came to a small clearing which featured a cottage style house with a fancifully decorated mailbox that marked the start of a pathway to the front door.

  “Dharma? Are you here? Dharma?” At least that was the name on the mailbox, and he called out again for her. He knocked firmly on the front door, “Dharma I can take you to the museum; you will be safe there.” There was no response.

  Charles decided he could climb up one more hill in an effort to find her, and then he would have to get help. At the crest of the hill, the foul stench from Urkabis filled his nostrils, and Charles knew Urkabis must be close by. He stood at the edge of woods and peered in without leaving the clearing. There was something there, he could see it lying amongst the ferns. He snuck forward, being as quiet and stealthy as possible.

  It was Urkabis lying in the grass amid the foliage, and he looked to be asleep. He laid very still, with much of the grass and bushes around him wilted. He did not appear to be breathing, but the mass inside him continued to churn. Charles could barely breathe himself due to the odor, and he had the impression that Urkabis was changing somehow. Every few seconds, his arms and legs would twitch ever so slightly. He would roll his head and hike his shoulders. He looked closer at Urkabis’s face and could see the eyelids moving in the familiar rapid eye movement fashion. Could this thing be dreaming?

  A branch snapped off to his right, prompting Charles to look over and determine the cause. There he could see a young woman huddled halfway under the base of a large rock tucked in some thick brush. He looked directly at her, put his finger to his lips, and then motioned for her to come to him. She shook her head no. He put his hands together in a prayer fashion, rested his head on them, and motioned for her again.

  She began to move slowly from under the rock, and with that, Charles backed up as well. Urkabis never moved, and they slipped away undetected. Halfway down the hill, they started to run, going past the cottage, all the way back to the street and into Charles’ car.

  “How long has that thing been there?” Charles asked. “And are you okay?”

  He could see now that she was not a teen, but a young lady in her twenties. She was small, barely five feet tall with smoky black hair and green eyes.

  “I am fine, thank you. It has been like that for a few hours now. I heard it coming, and all I could do was hide. It seemed to be injured and just collapsed there in the grass.”

  “Did you notice anything else? Anything at all?”

  “I was scared! I didn’t dare cry out, so I just hid.”

  “It’s okay, Dharma. I will get you to the museum, and you will be safe now.”

  “How do you know my name?”

  “I was in your home, and I saw it there on your mailbox. We are finding all the dreams that are left and moving them to the museum. It has a way of protecting dreams from Urkabis. That’s why the thing is laying out there hurt right now.”

  “Thank you again …”

  “Charles. I’m Charles.”

  “Charles. I did notice one thing. It seemed to be holding its stomach quite a bit. Like kids do when they have a tummy ache.”

  “Okay, good to know. If you remember anything else don’t hesitate to share.”

  As Charles pulled up to the museum, another rainbow burst down onto the steps.

  “Hurry and get inside. That rainbow will attract Urkabis,” he said. He turned back to the rainbow and was prepared to help the first dream that came out. Some other firemen emerged from the museum to assist.

  The first to emerge from the rainbow was a young barefoot boy wearing short pants and a T-shirt. Some people hustled him inside the museum as there was no sign of Urkabis. Next was a woman, very fashionably dressed, and close behind her a rather muscular fellow who was without clothes. She moved along easily, but the naked fellow had trouble walking and appeared to have been in a fight of some sort. The firemen helped them both inside, and the rainbow faded away.

  One fireman asked. “I wonder why that thing didn’t show up?”

  “I saw it sleeping in the forest a few miles from here. Perhaps it is still sleeping. If we had some way to kill it, this now would be a good time,” Charles said.

  “I think that lady named Gwen is working on that right now inside the conference room.”

  “Take me there!” Charles said.

  “Right this way.”

  Charles burst into the room. “Gwen, tell me you have something that will destroy Urkabis! He is out there sleeping right this minute, gaining back its strength.”

  Gwen sat back in the chair. “Are all the dreams inside the museum now?”

  “As best we know, including the three new ones,” Charles said.

  They all sat quietly, waiting for Gwen to have an answer.

  After a brief silence, Gwen said. “I am afraid that all we have left is hope. There is nothing here to destroy that thing with, and the beacon can’t do it.”

  “Why is that?” asked Charles.

  “Because what churns in that thing’s belly is the remnants of the dreams he has taken. Pieces of them are still alive, and the beacon can’t destroy dreams.”

  “Roger discovered that in the scrolls,” Shelly said. “Therefore, Urkabis knows it, he knew this would happen all along. Now, he doesn’t even have to hunt the dreams down, they are all here. All he has to do is get past that barrier out there, and the game is over.”

  “But how is he going to do that?” Charles asked. “He was extremely weak, and I could see he was changing. He was twitching, and his eyes were rolling.”

  “Oh my god! No!” Gwen said. “He was dreaming!”

  Shelly said, “You don’t think he can dream?”

  “Of course, he can. He is not Roger’s dream anymore. Urkabis only used Roger’s crazy dream to gain entry to Notopia. Now that he is here, he doesn’t need Roger, and even Roger’s death had no effect on him. This thing is not human, or even a dream, but; he is a disease of some sort that attacks the subconscious mind, and now that he has established himself here in Notopia, he can create his own dreams, his own aspirations. How many dreams came in that last rainbow?”

  “There were three,” Charles said, “but there was also a young woman I brought in from the woods that I found hiding from him.”

  “Get them in here,” Gwen ordered, and two of the firemen left the room to find them.

  The boy and the older lady were quickly located and brought to the conference room.

  “We can’t find the man yet. He was naked when he arrived. We found some clothes for him and left him in the restroom to dress, but he isn’t there now. He was quite shaken up and could barely talk,” Charles reported.

  Gwen and Shelly set up in an office right next to the conference room and had the boy brought in first for questioning.

  “So, what brings you here young man?” Shelly started.

  “I’m Bradley, and I like to spend my time in the woods. You know, running, jumping, climbing trees, and fishing. The stuff boys do before they have to be men and shave and whistle at girls and everything.”

  “You don’t whistle at girls now?” Shelly humored the adorable lad.

  “Oh no. You are supposed to wait until they are
curvy for some reason,” he said, lifting one foot up onto the chair where he picked a bit at his toes. “I ain’t never had that explained to me yet. Can I go out in the woods to play?”

  “Sweetie, we wish we could tell you, yes, but not right now. There is a bad thing out there, and we need to take care of it first.”

  “OK. Can I explore inside here? I saw some neat stairs to climb. I won’t break anything. I am careful like that.”

  “Sure, you go check out the stairs and all the fancy paintings,” Gwen answered.

  He jumped up from the chair and gave Shelly and Gwen each a hug. “Thanks, bunches, see you later!”

  Shelly let him go and motioned for the lady to come in. Charles stuck his head in the door. “We found the other guy. Rick said to get you because he is in the attic.”

  Gwen jumped up. “You handle this Shelly,” she said. Then, she moved quickly out of the room and jogged toward the access door to the attic. “Come with me, Charles.”

  Rick met her there. “I’m sorry, Gwen. I left it open, so you and Leo could have easy access. It never occurred to me that anyone else would go up there.”

  “What is he doing up there?” she asked.

  “Nothing at all. He is sitting on the floor beside the clay pots. He looks scared if you ask me.”

  Gwen turned to Charles, but before she could speak, her attention was drawn to the gigantic painting now filling in the frame on the far wall. The colors were dark and dreary with no details yet evident. “That painting is starting to bother me,” Gwen said. “But right now, we need to talk this guy out of the attic. I don’t know how easy it is to destroy or disrupt the beacon.”

  “Ok, Gwen. Let’s see what we can do, and by the way, Gwen your painting moved from the Pentagon array to the small inner sphere a while ago,” Charles said.

  “I can’t worry about that now Charles.” As they neared the top of the stairs, Gwen started to talk to the man. “Hello, are you okay? We need to talk a little. Are you hurt or hungry?”

  A stuttered response came back. “I. I… I attack.”