A Dream Within a Dream – II

When the lights switched back on, she was outside the book shop. She couldn’t remember walking outside, but she was now standing in the narrow-cobbled street with the book clutched tightly to her chest. She took a look down both ends of the street as she tried to figure out what to do next. To the left, it led back to the candied-streets lined by rivers of deep chocolate. The scene resembled a child’s wildest fantasies, and she felt a strong urge to go back in that direction. Another part of her, the logical side, told her to look to the right instead. There, the cobbled streets gave way to a woodland trail that led through a forest with overgrown grass, tall bushes and towering trees. It looked as if no one had walked through it in years. Suspicion rose inside of her as she replayed all the horror movies she’d watched before – you do not walk down a creepy trail on your own. Dream or not.

Just as she was about to walk toward candy land, she spotted a wooden sign post among the tall grass. It looked as if a child had painted on it in large, pink letters: Go This Way. Her name was signed at the bottom, in case it wasn’t clear enough that the sign was meant for her to see. If she didn’t want to walk down this way before, now she certainly didn’t.

Her dreams were usually very vivid. One in particular stood out; a recurring dream she had growing up. It was the middle of the day and the sun was casting its rays directly over a large, gleaming lake. She couldn’t see where it ended, it just seemed to go on and on to meet the horizon. A dense green forest surrounded the lake.

She stood on a wooden dock in the middle of the lake and she took in the scene before her, a huge golden building in the shape of a globe was situated on the lake. It sparkled in the midday sun, and seemed to be made of glass and precious stones. She could hear – no, she could sense piano music being played inside. An exclusive party was underway in the building. People’s laughter, and images of a ballroom filled with people in fancy dress holding champagne glasses appeared before her. She couldn’t actually see these things of course; she was hundreds of metres away from the building. The lake and its surroundings were silent, and she was alone, but somehow, she could sense exactly what was happening inside.

Another time, it was late at night. She was standing behind a big bush, and beside her was a trail leading to the golden globe building. This time she wasn’t alone, there were other people her age all dressed up and talking animatedly among themselves. It felt like camp, a camp for the rich and successful. She stood apart from the crowd, watching them as they streamed to the globe in their dozens. They couldn’t see her, or maybe chose not to. Once again music was coming from the golden globe, she wasn’t sure what kind of music it was but she knew a party was happening there.

As she continued to spy on them, somebody tapped on her shoulder from behind. It was the librarian. He had a friendly smile on his face, and he too was dressed up, donning a tuxedo and his locs were tied in a neat bun on top of his head. To say the least, she was utterly surprised to see him. How did he make it into a dream from her past? Before she could open her mouth to ask him anything he pointed at the book in her arms. She looked down, she didn’t know she was still holding onto it.

“You haven’t opened it yet,” he remarked with slight disappointment, “I thought by now you would have figured it out.” What was he talking about? She felt a bit dizzy trying to make sense of what was happening. He saw the confusion on her face.

“You told me last time that when you returned you’d have figured out how to get it open. Apparently you haven’t.” He spoke slowly, as if to an infant. This offended her slightly, but she was still confused.

“Last time?” She furrowed her brow.

“Yes, before you travelled back to the other world.”

Other world? “You mean, before I woke up?” She looked at the book in her arms. It was starting to feel heavy and all too real. She held it up to her face to get a closer look. She could smell the worn, brown leather and the woody scent of the pages.  

“Have you not figured it out yet? Last time it didn’t take you this long. But then again, you were much younger that time. Your mind was a lot sharper.”

“Okay man, aren’t you meant to be some sort of guide? Like the Cheshire cat or something?” she said, annoyed. “Obviously I don’t know why I’m having this dream so enlighten me, you seem to know what’s happening.”

He smirked and side stepped away from the bush she was hiding behind. He merged into the crowd of party-goers, leaving her alone once again. “This isn’t Alice in Wonderland,” he said before disappearing into the crowd.

A Dream Within a Dream – I

Her eyelids flew open and she gazed in wonder at the world that unravelled before her eyes. Coral pink confetti descended before her from an unseen source in the sky, encasing her in the magical land that she had stumbled upon. An island that seemed to be made up of her wildest dreams.

She stuck out her tongue and shut her eyes tightly like a small child wanting to taste raindrops. She knew what to expect. Bits of confetti wafted down and landed on her tongue and immediately melted into a syrupy sweet concoction that resembled her favourite candy. A huge grin spread across her face and she could feel the excitement welling up in her chest. She opened her eyes again, to the sound of her name being carried on the wind as someone called from somewhere in the distance. Before her, the confetti had stopped falling and she could see cobbled streets lined by green, neatly trimmed lawn. On either side of the street were rivers of rich, smooth, brown. Children stood on the shores, eagerly dipping buckets, hats, cups and anything they could to get a taste of the chocolatey goodness. Apparently her dreams were sponsored by Willy Wonka.

Once again, her name was called and she turned around to try find the source. Behind her the scene was completely different. A bookstore in the shape of a large novel rose high above her head, a few metres in front of her. The familiar smell of old paper, ink and leather wafted out from the front door which stood slightly ajar. She breathed it in deeply and the memories of her boarding school days flooded her mind. The days she spent curled up on her bed, joining Nancy Drew and the Famous Five on their mystery adventures. The smell of heavy rain and drenched grass also mixed in, putting her in an almost dreamlike state. But then again, this was a dream after all.

She followed the intoxicating smell into the open bookstore. The shop’s bell let out a magical tinkling sound as she entered and she felt the world around her shift. All eyes in the bookstore zoomed in on her as she walked up to the librarian who was scribbling on a notepad before him. A tingle went up her spine as she felt the combined gaze of the entire shop fixated on her. The librarian looked up at her as she approached and he immediately dropped his pen. A wide grin lit up his face. He had the wild look of a man who was always ready for an adventure. His long, illustrious locs were tied in a messy bun on top of his head and his dark-brown eyes smiled at her from beneath glasses that looked as if they belonged in another era. His clothes looked intentionally shabby as if he had put in a lot of effort to look dishevelled and wild. A bright pink scarf that was at odds with his entire outfit hung around his neck. She liked him immediately.

As she approached his desk he eagerly held out a book at her, “It’s ready, just as you asked. Everything is there.” Before she could ask what on earth he was talking about he winked, held up his hand and lowered himself behind his desk as if to get something. A few seconds passed and he didn’t reappear. Much to her surprise, as she peered over his desk – he was gone. As if he had never been there.

This dream had the makings of all the things she loved in a good fantasy book, she thought. Books, disappearance acts…strange men with books who disappear. A subtle hint of magic hung in the air and she breathed it in deeply. She couldn’t control the smile forming on her face. Hugging her hands to her chest, she sighed dreamily and hoped she wouldn’t wake up anytime soon.

The book. She remembered the book the man had just handed to her which she still held in her arms. It was a thick, leather-bound book with one huge clasp on the front. The clasp wouldn’t budge no matter how hard she tried to yank on it. The book had seen much better days, it was worn and had a few pages sticking out. A book that had seen many different owners over many different generations. What could it possibly be for? And why did he say she had asked for it even though they had never met?