Dreamcatcher

by Christian Rosnell

  Lyght looked over at Mikael to his left, “Well, why ask me? My buddy here hasn’t told you the limitations of his power? Scared of losing the mystique?” Mikael just shook his head and kept an indifferent demeanor, imitating Lyght’s usual response to Mikael’s usual prodding and making fun. “No”, Mikael said, “it’s about keeping secrets from my enemies. I deeply fear those who could defeat me. I prefer to be conservative in such matters”. Unfortunately, his wide smile gave away just how much he actually believed what he was saying. False modesty was not a weapon in Mikael’s arsenal nearly so much as Lyght’s, and it showed. Geoffrey, however, knew Mikael well enough to see through his antics.

  “Very funny, Mikael”, Geoffrey said, rolling his eyes in between bites of scallops. “It somehow doesn’t surprise me that the downsides of Dreamcasting seem insignificant for you to mention. Just how the downsides of anything seem insignificant for you to mention. I wish I had that kind of outlook when I was in my prime.” He paused, chewing slowly, “Hang on a second. I’ve just had an idea. What if Dreamcasting ability is acquired through your outlook? What if it’s possible for anyone to dream while awake instead of asleep, if only you believe it to be possible?”

  “No.”, Lyght shook his head. “I’m not sure how Dreamcasting abilities are acquired, but it’s definitely not that. I can’t confirm this, because I never tried Dreamcasting until I was eight, but I think it might be genetic. My father had it. Seems highly unlikely we would both have such a rare ability, doesn’t it?

  And anyway”, Lyght moved his right index finger above the table, tracing a small grove in it without ever touching the wood, “Dreamcasting is really the manipulation of energy and matter within limits, rather than a dream, per se. It’s not like you literally dream while awake instead of asleep. The connection, I guess, is that manipulating the matter and energy of the world – while not needing to sleep like a normal person – is, in a way, like having the creative control and power that someone has in their dreams. Or, at least, that’s how I understand it. I won’t claim to be an expert in the subject.”

  Raising his eyebrow slightly, Geoffrey took him at his word, “Not an expert? You sure sound like one.” Lyght just shook his head modestly and turned to try some interesting-looking pineapple and coconut dessert. He knew he shouldn’t be eating dessert already, but he couldn’t help himself. The feast was so diverse and extravagant that he was just attempting to try little bits of everything to make sure he didn’t miss out. All around him, talk swirled as people traded stories and laughs, facilitated by the random seating arrangement (outside of the birthday pair and their families, of course). Every year, you would meet new people at the New Year’s Feast if nothing else. Or, as Kona was a small village where everyone knew everyone, get to know your neighbors better.

  When everybody was well into desserts, Lyght leaned back, pleasantly full, and rested his hands behind his head, looking up. It was dark out now, but not Dark yet. That never happened until midnight. He knew that everyone would already be asleep by then. They had, perhaps, two hours until then. Glancing around curiously, Lyght started scanning the tables for Milton, not seeing him. It was a large gathering, and Lyght figured he could simply be missing him. Somehow, however, he didn’t feel like that was the case. Frowning, Lyght turned as he felt a tug on his sleeve. Sky.

  “Hmmm?”, he asked his little sister.

  She pointed, and Lyght followed her indication, seeing Micah on his feet with arms spread out – about to make an announcement. Lyght thought he knew what it was.

  As the villagers noticed their leader on his feet, they quieted down and waited with anticipation. “Ladies and gentlemen, first and foremost, let’s give the wonderful Morton and his team and heartfelt round of applause for that excellent feast we just partook in!” Cheers went up, and the village gave a standing ovation. This had been the best New Year’s Feast in anyone’s memory. Blushing slightly, Morton stood and bowed, indicating for his associates to do the same, before returning to his seat. As soon as the villagers quieted down, Micah continued.

  “And now, for the moment many of you – two of you in particular – have all been waiting for. On behalf of myself, Junior Leader Eryck, Chief-Administrator Robyn, and all of you, I would like to welcome forward the two young candidates to come on up for the initiation ceremony. Give a big round of applause for Kona’s very own: Lyght and Mikael!”

  An even louder standing ovation accompanied this announcement, as Lyght and Mikael got up and headed down opposite sides of the middle table towards Micah standing in the front. Mikael was high-fiving people all the way down; Lyght just looked straight ahead, trying not to smile too openly. He wasn’t sure if he was doing a great job of that.

  Reaching the front just behind Mikael, Lyght held back a second as Mikael shook hands with the village leader, then stepped up and did the same, looking him in the eyes. “Ready?”, the older man asked quietly. “Ready as I’ll ever be”, Lyght responded, trying to look excited and not nervous. Micah nodded firmly back to him, squeezing his shoulder a little bit.

  As quiet gradually fell over the crowd. Micah raised his arms and began the official ceremony. “Gathered here today we have not one, but two prospective young men whom we have seen grow up before our very eyes. Each is very unique is many aspects, for while neither was born here in the village, they have grown over the past ten years to become just as an important part of it as any man here.

  Micah turned to Mikael, standing to his left with his arms clasped behind his back, “I remember meeting Mikael for the first time; he was exiting the back window of a building during my morning stroll. We got to talking and, taking an interest to this new face, I allowed him to accompany me on my walk down the beach, asking who he was and where he came from. Not the most tactful questions at the time, I now know, but he was not hesitant in the least to tell me. He has never hesitated to open up to anyone, even to the complete stranger as I was at the time. I bring this story up with some trepidation, as I had no idea I was assisting him in skipping detention at the time.”

  The crowd laughed, and Micah made a show of walking up to Lara, the longtime teacher in the front row, and apologizing for his mistake. Strict as she was in class, however, she laughed it off with the rest. Turning back to the podium in front, Micah began again, “And let us not forget the strong-and-silent young man on the right here. As his strength has grown, his silence has steadily eroded, to a degree. Why, I think I heard him actually say something last week; although when I turned around, I couldn’t figure out for sure whether it was him or my imagination. I’m not that young anymore, people!” Laughs rang out again. Micah was not a comedian by any stretch of the imagination, but his warm demeanor made him pleasant to listen to nonetheless.

  “I remember being introduced to Lyght for the first time, a decade ago, when I ran into Mikael for the second time, hiking up in the mountains to the west. Of course, you have to purchase a boat trip to get over there fast enough, so I’m still not sure how these two were up there as eight-year-olds.” He turned to look at Mikael, frowning as more laughter rang out, “Regardless, I couldn’t help but noticing that when I met this new kid and asked his name, he made an explicit point of spelling it out before saying it. ‘L-Y-G-H-T’, he said, ‘that’s Lyght’. Perhaps he anticipated my follow-up question, but that didn’t prevent me from asking it. ‘What, like the stuff from the sun that helps you see?’ He made a very forceful point that no, he was talking about the name, not the noun. Although I think he may be the only person in history with that name, I do like it. I really do.”

  “And I’m sure we could all stand up here ‘til we get gray hair talking about these two”, Micah paused, evidently noticing the irony in his phrase. “Oh look, it’s happened already!” More laughs. “Well, anyway, without further ado we will now commence the initiation process. Eryck, the cornerstone, if you please.”

  The Junior Village-Leader-in-Training Eryck went to go fetch the traditional initiation obj
ect – the cornerstone of the sea wall that had been the first structure built in what would become Kona. According to legend, this first rock was carved out and laid down by Kona himself, the founder and first leader of the village named in his honor. Bringing the worn stone up and placing it on the small table, Eryck putting an encouraging hand on Lyght and Mikael’s shoulders for a second, and then withdrew. By tradition, the village leader Micah and the candidates Mikael and Lyght put their right hands, one on top of the other, on the cold stone.

  “As village leader of Kona, I – Micah – hereby affirm the hard work and dedication of Lyght and Mikael to the village, and confirm their application to the brotherhood of men in this village.” He then added on another untraditional bit – “we are extremely proud of their success and have even more faith in their continued growth and success in the future, that we may share in their happiness as we go through the years as a community.”

  “Now, Lyght and Mikael, speak aloud the Creed and affirm your Spirit as men of Kona”.

  Taking a deep breath, the two friends spoke together:

  “A man of the Southern Spirit –

  Does his best.

  By himself

  His family and friends

  And his village

  Warm as the wind blows

  Calm as the sea

  This man truly knows

  The Summertime Dream.

  Finishing the phrase, the tradition was completed as Micah and the two new men of Kona launched their rights hands off the stone and into the air. The crowd jumped to their feet, cheering for their two sons in all but blood. Although Lyght knew rationally that most initiations were very celebratory (albeit not quite at this level), he still couldn’t stop himself from reveling in the glory of the moment as he pumped his fist and did as Mikael would have, running down the first row high-fiving the people he had grown up with and come to know. Mikael followed his lead down the front row, seemingly surprised that Lyght was enjoying the attention so much.

  As selfish as it was, Lyght still felt on top of the world with the whole village cheering his name. Joining the crowd with a grin, he accepted a glass of champagne and began to walk around toasting various villagers to the New Year, exchanging fist bumps and high-fives with his friends and elders. For a moment, just a moment, he thought he saw a glimpse of his future as he welcomed in a new year with his family and friends.

  How very wrong he was.

  Chapter Ten

  As Micah was beginning his announcement to call her brother and Mikael up to the front, Sky glanced around at the villagers, taking in their excitement. She leaned back, trying to channel that same excitement, but it just wouldn’t come. What was wrong with her? She should be excited for Lyght right now, she acknowledged. This ceremony and the celebrations afterward were always one of the most memorable parts of a village member’s life in the seaside town – transitioning from a boy to a man, a girl to a woman, was one event that kids looked forward to with equal parts apprehension and anticipation for at least a year leading up to the event. She should be supporting her brother right now openly. While a part of her did support him, she regretfully acknowledged the fact that a selfish voice inside her kept whispering “but he’s ditching you right afterward”.

  I just wish I knew what he was doing, Sky thought with annoyance. As honorable and upright as her brother had always been (she could surely not claim the same), she had never known him to be so rash about his decision-making. Didn’t he know what he was getting himself into? Didn’t he understand that the greatest primordial force in the land couldn’t get suddenly erased because two boys wanted it to be? Boys or men, it didn’t matter. You just didn’t fight a law of nature. In fact, as far as Sky could tell, she couldn’t tell why her brother wanted to fight anything. To put his abilities to greater use, perhaps? From what she could tell, her brother thoroughly enjoyed his life in the village, as most did. According to Lyght and Mikael (who had traveled, albeit separately, in their youth), Kona was very special in this respect. Why throw that away for something like this? The only answer – vague as it was – that she could see was that Lyght’s past was driving him to get revenge for what he had lost. That seemed very out of character for him though. If nothing else, her brother didn’t live for spite.

  Shaking her head, Sky looked up to the dimming light in the west. The sun had since set, and twilight was solidly upon them. She stared hard at the horizon, but couldn’t see a speck of what she knew was coming very soon – The Dark. One never could see it unless they were awake when they weren’t supposed to be. As a result Sky knew The Dark would set in as soon as the rest of the world fell into their mandatory, deep trancelike state that they felt so obligated to retreat to every other night at midnight.

  Sky had never felt that same urge. Why she was different, she couldn’t tell. To her knowledge, only Dreamcasters could stay awake while the Dark reigned. As she clearly wasn’t a Dreamcaster, it baffled her than she should retain this ability as well. She didn’t complain however, much of her planning and scheming was easier to develop during Dark hours when no one was around to watch. That – and she just liked the freedom, albeit lonely freedom, that these nights brought.

  Turning away, Sky leaned back and waited as Micah rolled through his speech, reminiscing about Lyght and Mikael. Searching for nothing in particular, she scanned the rooftops surrounding the village square. She admired the way the dusky twilight hit the stone buildings of the inner city (although most of the surrounding city had thatched roofs). As her eyes passed over a sandstone building due west, she just caught a figure move just slightly along the rooftop. Coming out from nowhere to stand with his back to the chimney and watch the proceedings, the figure was silhouetted by the dying light. She could still see who it was. Milton.

  The intrigue was too strong. Why would he be watching from up there, instead of down in the market square with the rest of the villagers? In fact, she couldn’t remember seeing him at the feast either. Waiting until everyone was distracted by one of Micah’s jokes, Sky slid off of her chair stealthily, rolling backwards and making a beeline for the alley below the building, and the awning that hung there. The same place she’d met Max before. Luckily, her position near the head of the table at the back, closest to Milton’s location, made it possible for her to sneak away without being seen – immediately, that was. Surely some people would see her slip into the alleyway, but who cares? Her stealth was good enough to get the job done. It nearly always was.

  Reaching the alleyway in a flash, Sky moved swiftly back to the alcove where she had met Max. Putting a wall between her and the crowd, she jumped up and grabbed the awning, pulling herself up on top of it, then did the same again to emerge onto the rooftop. Hopefully no one would notice her up here. And really, if they did, she could just say she needed to talk to Milton. She did actually. Still, this was probably not a very good time to be sneaking away.

  Milton saw her jump up. He turned and smiled – well, as much as he could, anyway. “Look what we have here. Escaped already, have you?”

  Sky snorted and walked up next to him, watching the proceedings down in the square. “Yeah, right. I just wanted to talk to you about something, and unfortunately it can’t really wait. I need your help on a plan of mine. Concerning my brother of course. You see, he–”

  Milton raised his hand, stopping her. “I know. He told me him and his friend Mikael were leaving the village right after the ceremony. I don’t know why he’s doing it, but he did say that he told you about it.”

  “Well?”, Sky prompted, looking at him pleadingly. “What can we do? We can’t let him run out on us now. We need him here.”

  Milton shook his head, “As much as I hate to say it, that’s not exactly true. We don’t need him here. You want him here, and very understandably so; he is your brother. However, I think he sincerely feels that he has a mission to undertake that only he can accomplish. I don’t know what it is exactly, but I believe he’s telling the truth.�
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  “Look, you’ll understand better when you get a bit older, Sky, but in life, we all just have that one thing that we need to chase after. Some call it destiny. I don’t know about that, but what I do know is that it’s necessary. And running from it won’t make it go away. We all have to face up to that one thing that calls to us, even if often it doesn’t make much logical sense to those around us, or even ourselves.”

  He put a hand on Sky’s shoulder, “I’m sorry, but I can’t help you. If you’re willing to take my advice, I think you should let your brother go, for now. He will be back, I promise you.”

  Sky just shook her head. That was the problem. She didn’t know if he was coming back. How could you do something like he was planning and then… come back? Sky was certain that he wouldn’t stop trying until he was successful. Especially with that bull-headed friend of his. The two of them together didn’t back down easily. She just had this feeling that they would either chase this mission fruitlessly in vain, or die in the attempt. And that was one thing she wouldn’t tolerate.

  As Sky searched for something to say, the traditional initiation below climaxed as Lyght and Mikael whipped their right arms off the cornerstones, the crowd going wild. Lyght went running around celebrating. Celebrating, when he was about to run out on them all. How could he consider this? Didn’t he know what he was up against? Didn’t he understood what impossible meant? Didn’t he…