Dreamstone

by Ben L. Hughes

  “Yeah,” he acknowledged, after inspecting it.

  “What are you going to do with it?” she asked nervously.

  “If I am right about the stone, then all I have to do is have it near me when I’m sleeping to learn more about its message,” he asserted.

  “Do you think that’s dangerous?” Melissa questioned.

  “I don’t think so, but I can always get rid of it if I don’t like what I find out in the dreams,” Matt said reassuringly.

  “Promise me you will,” Melissa insisted.

  “I promise,” Matt replied.

  “I think I might stay over at my dorm tonight,” Melissa remarked, as she looked suspiciously at the stone.

  “Because of the dreams?” he asked.

  “Yes, I don’t like them. It makes me feel uneasy and vulnerable,” she admitted.

  “I can put the stone in my car whenever you are at my place,” Matt offered.

  “Okay,” Melissa replied, sounding relieved by his suggestion since she didn’t want to spend the night away from him.

  Matt gave her a kiss and then took the stone to his car and hid it in the trunk under the spare tire. Then he took a similar looking rock and placed it in the top part of the trunk thinking it might fool the military if they came looking for it again.

  After he was done, he headed over to his dorm room and saw Melissa putting a few of her things in his bathroom cabinet.

  “Are you moving in?” he asked in a hopeful tone.

  “I wish I could, but we would both get kicked out of the dorms if they caught us living together,” she remarked.

  “Then maybe we should rent a place off campus?” Matt suggested.

  “That would be so wonderful, but we could never afford to rent a house, and you know all of the dorms are full when school is in session,” she reminded him.

  “If we had the money to rent our own place would you do it?” Matt asked hypothetically.

  “Of course,” Melissa said in a wishful tone.

  “Do you remember when my grandma passed away a couple of years ago?” Matt asked in a sad voice.

  “Yes. I remember you were very close to her.”

  “Well she left me a little money,” Matt replied.

  “I thought she left everything to your father?”

  “No. My father and my grandmother never saw eye to eye towards the end, so to make a long story short, I was her beneficiary,” Matt disclosed.

  “Didn’t that upset your dad?” Melissa asked.

  “Not at all, he knew I would use the money to go to college,” Matt replied.

  “I had no idea,” Melissa remarked.

  “I know, you see my junky car, my ratty blue jeans, and you figure I’m barely getting by. The truth is, I just like to be careful with what I have so that someday I can get a nice house with the person I love,” Matt said with a smile.

  “So I’m marrying into money?” Melissa said jokingly.

  “See for yourself,” Matt remarked as he pulled a recent withdrawal slip out of his wallet and then handed it to her.

  “Good grief Matt, I wasn’t serious,” Melissa replied as she refused the paper.

  “We’re getting married, and I don’t want there to be any secrets between us,” Matt insisted as he held the slip up for her to see.

  “I’m not looking,” Melissa replied as she averted her eyes. “My love for you has no bearing on your net worth. In truth, I know money does make certain aspects of life easier, but it in no way changes how I feel about you. Rich or poor, I love you just the way you are.”

  “It’s not very much anyway,” Matt exclaimed as he put the paper back into his wallet. “I still think we should look for a place off-campus if you really are serious about living together.”

  “I would definitely like to, but only if we share the expenses. It’s important to me to contribute my fair share,” Melissa insisted.

  “I understand,” then he reached for her hand and gave it a gentle squeeze. “I want to be with you every waking minute, and when I’m asleep, I want you there with me too.”

  Chapter 12

  The next morning Melissa gave Matt a good-bye kiss and headed off to class. Matt lounged about for a while, and then decided he had better call his parents and tell them the good news about his engagement to Melissa.

  The phone rang a few times and then his dad answered, “Hello?” he said in a gruff voice.

  “Hi dad, is mom there?”

  “Hang on son, I’ll get her.” Matt could hear his father yelling, “Karen… your son is on the phone... here she is,” he dad announced.

  “How are you?” his mom asked in a warm loving tone.

  “I couldn’t be better,” he replied.

  “You sound more upbeat than usual,” his mom questioned.

  “That’s because I have some very exciting news,” he hinted.

  “What is it?” his mom responded with anticipation.

  “Melissa and I are getting married!”

  “Oh my goodness!” she shrieked in in his ear. Then Matt heard her yelling to his father, “Matt’s getting married!”

  “Tell him, it’s about damn time he asked her,” his father replied.

  “Oh my, we’re so happy for you and Melissa. What wonderful news.” she exclaimed, barely able to contain her excitement. “Tell me how it happened,” she asked between breaths.

  Matt proceeded to describe the weekend trip to Lake Shasta, and how he proposed to her by the lake at sunset.

  “Oh, that’s so romantic,” his mom replied after he was done. “Have you decided when and where you are going to have the wedding?”

  “We were thinking of having it in Yosemite Valley next spring or summer,” Matt answered.

  “That would be wonderful; it’s such a beautiful place. What do Melissa’s parents think of your plans?” Matt paused for a moment, caught off-guard by the question.

  “She hasn’t told them yet, but I think she’s planning on telling them tonight?” he said with a hint of uncertainty.

  “Well, your father and I are very proud of you, and if you need any help with the wedding let us know.”

  “Thanks mom. I love you. I’m sorry I have to go, but my class is going to start soon and they don’t like it if you walk in late.”

  “Okay honey, congratulations, we’re very happy for you.”

  After he hung up the phone, he breathed a sigh of relief. Then he looked over at the clock, and grabbed his backpack before heading off to class.

  Throughout the day Matt kept thinking about Melissa, and wondering how her parents were going to react to the news. He felt a bit uneasy not knowing if they would disapprove or not, but he also knew Melissa was not easily swayed once her mind was made up. If anything, she would just suggest delaying the wedding for a while to give her parents more time to warm up to the idea.

  After Matt finished the last class of the day he returned to his dorm to find a note from Melissa saying she would be over later. Knowing he couldn’t test his theory about the stone with her there, he decided to retrieve it from his car and take a quick nap to try it out. If he was right, the stone would influence his dreams and he could learn more about the message hidden within it.

  Soon after Matt closed his eyes, and he was back inside the alien spaceship. His lungs labored at first, but as he continued to take deep breaths they adjusted to the dense air just as they did before. After a few moments a familiar shape appeared from the dimly lit mist and walked over to him.

  “You must take better care of the dreamstone. It was intended for you,” the creature scolded.

  “How does it work?” Matt asked.

  “The stone allows our species to communicate with yours on a level that is not disruptive to your psyche,” the creature explained.

  “Why does it only work when I’m asleep?”

  “Humans are fearful of new things, but when you dream, your brain is capable of exploring that which you deem irrational or unconventional. Fear is
contained, and your imagination is only limited by the scope of your creativity. By communicating with you in this way, we eliminate the cultural shock, stress and fear that would normally result from direct contact with us,” the creature explained.

  “So, I’m not really in a dream right now, am I?” Matt asked.

  “It is a dream in the sense that you are asleep, but unlike a normal dream, our conversation and what you are experiencing are not made up by your mind, it is real,” the creature divulged. Matt gulped, but there was comfort in knowing that the dreams were not a warning that he was losing grip with reality.

  “When my friends and I were in the hotel together, only Melissa and I were contacted in our sleep, why weren’t all of us affected by the stone?” Matt asked.

  “The dreamstone only works on individuals with an open mind,” the creature replied.

  “Is that why you picked me?” Matt questioned.

  “Yes, you have already accepted the idea that there is life beyond your planet. You are not prone to irrational fears like most other humans, and though you do not understand it yet, you know there are other realms to your reality,” the creature asserted.

  “In our last encounter, you said our military was on the verge of being able to using hyper-reality in a dangerous way, but what I can do to help expose or stop that?” Matt asked, knowing that he had no connection to the secret project.

  “We can not risk direct contact with your species because it would result in mass hysteria and a military response. What we are hopeful of, is that you will locate a suitable person on the inside that would be receptive to our help so we can prevent the misuse of the technology,” the creature replied.

  “I have no idea how I’m going to accomplish that task,” Matt exclaimed.

  “Every culture has layers, factions, or special groups of like-minded individuals, you just need to find the one that connects you to the project,” the creature insisted.

  “I’ll try,” Matt replied.

  “That’s all that we ask,” the creature remarked.

  “Do you have a name?” Matt blurted out as the creature turned and started to walk away.

  The creature stopped and looked back at him for a moment, “My name is Helios,” he replied.

  “Can you show me around your ship before you go?” Matt asked. Helios hissed rhythmically several times in what appeared to be a laugh, and then the dream suddenly ended. Matt immediately got up and recorded everything that happened in his notebook while it was still fresh in his mind. After he was finished with that, he took the dreamstone back to his car and locked it in the trunk.

  Chapter 13

  Matt heard a familiar knock at the door and rushed over to open it. Melissa walked in, and gave him a kiss.

  “What smells so good?” she asked looking in the direction of the kitchen.

  “I made lasagna,” Matt replied.

  “You’re going to make someone a wonderful husband,” Melissa said smirking.

  “Is your sister available?” Matt asked trying to keep a straight face.

  “No, but there’s a cute little tart down at the pizza shop that would be perfect for you. You know the one that has all the scabs around her mouth?” Melissa suggested.

  “Ah yes, she is a treat, but I am behind on my vaccinations so I’m not sure it will work out,” Matt remarked.

  “Oh, by the way, my parents are stopping by my dorm tonight, so unfortunately I can’t stay too long after dinner,” Melissa said with a disappointed look.

  “I know. Tonight is the big night. Are you nervous about telling them that you are engaged?” Matt asked.

  “Yes, but I think they’ll be excited about it,” Melissa replied.

  “I hope so,” Matt remarked, looking a bit unsure.

  “Did you tell your folks yet?” Melissa asked.

  “Yes, and they were very excited about my choice of fiancés,”

  “Choice? How many girls did you ask to marry you?” Melissa teased as she waited for his reply.

  “Just you, you’re the only girl I have ever fallen for,” Matt insisted.

  “Good answer,” Melissa exclaimed as Matt handed her a plate of lasagna and sat down at the table with her.

  When they finished Matt started to clean up and Melissa leaned over and gave him a kiss on the cheek. “Thank you for dinner. I’ll sneak back over here once my parents have gone.”

  “Okay,” Matt remarked as he locked the door behind her and then retired to the couch to watch some TV. As he flipped through the channels he couldn’t find anything to hold his interest. It seemed like every program was either violence and destruction, or some villainous plot to conquer the world. After turning the TV off, Matt started thinking about how Helios had described humans as socially primitive despite being technologically advanced. It made Matt wonder if we were judged solely by our warlike actions, then other species might conclude we were too barbaric to join the galactic community. Then he wondered if that was the real reason Helios’s race had come to earth, to contain our species as if it were a disease that could not be allowed to spread to other worlds. It didn’t seem implausible, and Matt hoped that Helios had also seen the brighter side of humanity. The times when humans showed compassion for one another and the other creatures of the earth, times when people pulled together for the greater good when there had been some natural disaster or tragedy. It seemed that human beings shined brightest when things were at their worst... if only those qualities were permanent, what a different place the world would be, he imagined. Matt’s train of thought was abruptly interrupted when his cell phone rang.

  “Hello,” he said, but all he could hear on the other end was crying.

  “Melissa? Is that you?” he asked in a worried tone.

  “Yeah,” her jittery voice replied through the sobbing.

  “What’s the matter?” Matt asked frantically.

  “I told my parents about our engagement, and my dad became very upset. He started yelling at me... claiming I was too young to be married and that I needed to finish college before making other commitments.”

  “Did your mom agree with him?” Matt asked in disbelief.

  “Not exactly, but once my dad started yelling, she didn’t say much,” Melissa replied as she started to cry again.

  “It’s going to be alright, your father will calm down, and when he does your mother will advocate for you. She is the voice of reason and she will convince him that you are not going to drop out of school or ruin your life just because you’re engaged,” Matt insisted.

  “Are you sure?” Melissa questioned in a hopeful tone.

  “Absolutely, you know how protective your father is, he’s just worried you’ll get pregnant and drop out of college.”

  “He had better know I would never do that,” Melissa contended.

  “Well even if that’s not his fear, I’m sure he still thinks of you as his little girl and probably can’t picture you being old enough to get married. Give him some time to accept the news, and I bet your mom will be able to smooth things over for you,” Matt said in a promising voice.

  “She has always supported me in the past, but this seems to have taken them both by surprise,” Melissa remarked.

  “If you’re not ready to get married, I completely understand. Even if you just need some more time to consider it, that’s perfectly fine with me. I don’t want you to feel pressured into it, and I don’t want this to create a rift between you and your parents,” Matt stated.

  “Oh, we’re getting married. I love you and I am certainly old enough to make my own decisions,” Melissa declared. Matt was pleased to hear the determination in her voice, and it revealed just how much she loved him.

  “Do you still want to come over tonight, or do you need some space?” Matt asked.

  “I’m still coming over; just give me a few minutes to get my things ready and I’ll be right there. Thanks again for the moral support... I love you so much,” Melissa replied.

  �
�I love you too,” Matt said in a tender voice before hanging up. He felt bad that things did not go well for her, but at least he could provide a shoulder for her to cry on. Usually it was Melissa comforting him, but this time he could return the favor.

  After a few minutes, Matt heard a soft knocking at his door and he ran and opened it.

  “Are you alright?” he asked as he wrapped his arms around her slender waist.

  “I’m okay... thank you for being so supportive,” she said as he continued to hold her tight.

  “You don’t need to thank me for reciprocating what you’ve done for me so many times in the past,” Matt remarked as he reflected back to Junior High where he was frequently teased for being shy and introverted. Melissa was one of the more popular kids in school, and when she took him under her wing the harassment ended. Her kindness and support back when he had few friends meant more to him than she could have ever imagined.

  Melissa plopped her backpack down on his bed and started unpacking her things. By the sheer volume of stuff that she had brought this time, Matt could tell she was planning to stay for a while.

  “Is that just for one night?” he asked jokingly.

  “Now that we are engaged, I was thinking we should live together,” she replied with a twinkle in her eyes.

  “I thought you were worried that we would get kicked out of our dorms?” Matt questioned.

  “Weren’t we planning on leaving anyway?” Melissa said with a smile.

  “Yeah,” Matt acknowledged as he watched Melissa finish unpacking her things.

  “I’ve did find several places online that might work for us,” Melissa suggested.

  “Wow, you’re not wasting any time on this,” Matt commented.

  “I found one in particular that sounds cute. It’s a one bedroom, one bath home with a large private backyard. Should I call and see if it’s still available tomorrow?” Melissa asked.

  “Sure,” Matt replied with a smile.

  “What are you working on?” Melissa asked when she noticed a notebook sitting on the edge of his bed.

  “It’s a record of all my encounters involving the dreamstone,” Matt replied.