the first vision

"Are you sure you are ready for this?" the slender spirit addressed her with worry. "Dreams are difficult to control, you do know that there is a chance you will not escape."

"Don't worry about me, Myrna." Eliana's reply was soft, with a distant air of tenderness. "I need to do this. Now or never, right?"

The woman gave a fond smile. "Oh, El, what ever should we do with you? Alright, follow me then."

The two dream-spirits floated through the cold emptiness with ease, until the older of the pair caught sight of a small, pearl-like orb. Delicately, she gathered the jewel into her grasp held it before Eliana's glowing gaze. "This, my dear, is a dream."

The blond child's eyes widened in awe. "It's beautiful..."

"Yes," Myrna spoke gently. "This dream is pure as snow. Which means, I can go no further. This is for you, love."

"Why, though?" the girl's voice came out more complaining than she had intended. "Why aren't you allowed into these sort of dreams?"

"Haven't we gone over this?" Myrna's voice was laced with amusement. "I was given an ugly task. I'm a nightmare spirit, El. I'd destroy this dream. Your job is...divine, you only are allowed to the true, innocent, repentant."

"That's unfair." her tone was bitter, but she did not refuse as the dream began to cradle itself into her small palms. "...What do I do now?"

"Impatient as always." Myrna grinned. "Well, shut your eyes."

Eliana obliged. Myrna continued her orders, "Can you feel the heartbeat? Of the dream I mean?"

As she felt the orb pulse from within the cage of her fingers, Eliana nodded.

"Good." Myrna then sighed knowingly. "End it."

Bewildered, Eliana's blue gaze fluttered back to life. "What? What do you mean...Myrna?"

"This dream is yours now," the woman repeated. "It doesn't have it's own soul anymore. It needs yours."

"...Alright. Well, how do I--how do I end it?"

"Puncture the gem, breathe into it. You will arrive in the mind of the human."

Daintily, Eliana brushed her finger against the lip of the dream, breathed her spirit into it's core--

--Myrna faded, in her long, willowy place a boy, not a day older than eleven, a boy with eyes brown as treebark and hair like combed gold.

And then a scream erupted from the depths of her throat as realization hit: "Myrna! How--how will I get out? Myrna!.

The walls began to peel away--sparkling like glasswater as a single drop trickled to the ground. As if an answer to her prayer, the object was streaked with gold and pink the shade of sunrise, haphazardly, she gathered it in her hands.

As she held the dream-like jewel, the boy before her began to speak: "Who are you?"

The memory of the message she was told to give made her stomach twist, as she replied. "...Nobody worth knowing." and then, an afterthought. "And you are George."

Frightened, his eyes grew large; they were a green striking as paradise. "You know me?" but the shock soon was swept by child-like curiosity. "You have a long scarf, lady. It's like a piano. What's it for?"

Eliana let a chime-like laugh escape her lips. "Yes, it does, doesn't it? It's special. I get a new note for every day..." that I've been dead.."...I get a note every day."

"Does that mean one day you'll get a whole piano? Right around your neck! Mama says she'll teach me how to play..." at the thought of his mother, he blinked suddenly. "Mama also says not to be around strangers!"

"I'm not a stranger. You're not awake, George." the small girl spoke gently. "I'm here to tell you... a secret. Something you need to know."

"I am too awake!" George's reply was a yelp. "And if I needed to know then Mama could tell me! It's always me and Mama, not you, lady!"

"George, listen to me." her voice began to thin. "Trust me, please? One day...one day it's not going to be you and your mama. One day it'll just be you. That day is coming soon."

"Stop it!" the dams in his eyes began to break. "Mama's sick, that's what the doctor man said, but I'll bet they're lying! Like you, you're a liar! A mean liar like you shouldn't have nice things like this scarf!"

Myrna's words danced in her mind: You cannot leave the dream until you've conveyed the message exactly. Her dead-heart ached; she could not take much more of this: "George--"

"Get away! Get out of here, I don't like you--"

"George, listen--"
"Shut up! Go..." he was sobbing now, the Nile surging down the soft beds of his cheeks.

Eliana held out a hand and realized it was fading: he was waking up. An ugly, sick feeling pooled her insides and she knew that if she didn't speak now she would have failed. The trembling child was rocking back and forth, staring through her as she shrieked:

"She's dying George, your mother is dying--"

And the rose-gold gem in her pocket slipped to the pearly ground, only now it stared back at her with an onyx gaze. And then Myrna's lessons flipped into her thoughts: Once you've completed your "mission", Morning will arrive, the person will awaken. Morning can take any form.

So this is morning. Eliana's mind whispered as she stared into the dawn-creature. The realm began to collapse and fold together like broken jewels, the last thing she saw; George's bloodshot eyes, menacing glare, face stained with a river of tears.

And then the world toppled into an ocean of black.

...

"Eliana, stop screaming--wake up, stop crying--."
She was shaking, her limbs like lead in Myrna's arms. Trying to sweep away the darkness with her lashes, she began to make out Mynra's long form.

"Are you alright... Eliana, you came back shrieking--"

"Came from where?" her voice was dripping with slumber. "What are you talking about, Myrna? Was I asleep?"

She's forgotten. Myrna realized. Of course...dream-spirits who cannot handle the task, they compress each one so they can move forward."Yes...yes you were asleep, love. Another nightmare-spirit tried to frighten you; I stopped them."

"Oh. Thank you then, Myrna." she moved to yawn.

"...It's nothing, Eliana. You can go back to sleep, now."

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Art by typo_