Lost In Dreamland

by Jason Paul Rice

The bright moon retreated behind a dark cloud and the heavy winds stopped. She carefully flicked away the huge brown spider, making sure to stay inside the bars. Whitney jumped backed inside the gates to the Cemetery and started brushing all the spiders off her.

  The whipping wind went away with the spiders and Whitney was alone again in haunting silence. She took off her hoodie and turned it inside out to get rid of all the spiders. She ripped off her pants and tiptoed back and forth in the cemetery as she brushed away all the arachnids.

  Her breathing finally started to slow down.

  The phone rang and she jumped when the silence broke.

  She pulled it out of her pocket.

  “Hello.”

  She heard laughter and then the person hung up the phone.

  An extended bark made Whitney jump again. She was certain it had to be a pack of wolves howling at the moon by the echoing sound. Her teeth started to chatter again despite the temperature shifting back to warm.

  An hour of silence went by and Whitney checked the phone. 2:48 a.m.

  Just a few more hours now. Let’s hope they’ve thrown everything at me. This wasn’t too bad. Little bit scary I guess.

  Her tensed body and bones would disagree with those thoughts. Whitney tried to lie to herself to get through the night. This had already been the most terrifying experience of her life. She longed for Trent again and wished he were there with her, even in a situation like this.

  She went to slide the phone back into her pocket and it rang again.

  “Hello.”

  Hysterical laughter was followed by the person hanging up the phone.

  “What a weirdo.”

  Whitney pushed the phone back into her pants pocket and paced near the front gate. She tried to inspect whether the bars were wide enough to get through once the sun finally showed its face.

  For some reason, the lively green ivy gave a feeling of reassurance to Whitney. It looked like the only living thing around except for the snakes and spiders. A light breeze kicked up, causing dancing shadows of the tree branches on the cobbled outer walkway.

  As Whitney went to check her phone again, a white flash went off in the distance.

  “Stay off our land or you will suffer like the rest,” a guttural female voice called out. The statement echoed as Whitney spun around several times trying to locate the person.

  A streak of red flames flew by Whitney’s face. Images flashed within the flames. Faces of women. A line of women being led to an apple tree. A woman’s head was being stuffed into a noose. Another ivory flash erupted to her right and she instinctually turned toward it. The red flames spiraled up into the sky and disappeared.

  The same terrifying voice came from behind her. “We don’t want anyone on our land. Get out.”

  Whitney yelled into the unknown, “Why are you doing this to me? I’m just like you. I’m a woman who’s been oppressed most of my life. I’ve been called a witch probably more times than you. Why are you doing this to me?”

  The voice sounded angrier. “Everyone thinks they identify with the Coven or with Ellen McCarron because someone made fun of them once. We died when we were called witches. Died. We made a vow to each other that we would never rest until the land could also rest. Anyone that invaded our land would be punished. You are anyone.”

  Whitney still couldn’t find anyone but the voice seemed to come from the top of the hill to the east. She didn’t feel like arguing with the invisible ghost. Her body and emotions had been fully drained over this experience as she looked out the front gates into the dark forest.

  “Don’t ignore me,” the voice cried.

  The ivy around the orange bars unraveled suddenly and sprang at Whitney, grabbing and pulling her tight to the metal bars. The mighty arms of ivy constricted like a boa and started to squeeze the life out of Whitney.

  The voice bellowed, “You pushed us to see our power. We don’t even need to be present to protect our land.”

  Breath became more and more elusive and sudden exhaling bursts became the norm. Too much air going out and not enough coming back in caused her face to turn deep red as the angry arms of ivy tightened around her.

  “You think you have a connection to the truly persecuted, but you do not. Leave now and your soul shall be saved.”

  Whitney accepted death until the ivy suddenly loosened and she collapsed to the ground, gasping for air. Her face ran the spectrum from black raspberry to purple before almost returning to normal. She curled up in a ball and started crying.

  Two weeks ago, I had it all. A great husband, family and friends and now I’m all alone in a Cemetery in Dankstone, scared out of my mind and none of those people are here with me. How did it all change?

  A quick reminder came as the phone in her pocket rang.

  “Hello.”

  The giggling kidnapper just hung up again. Whitney shook her head and put the phone in her hoodie pocket. She curled up on the uneven cobblestones, but didn’t close her eyes.

  The phone rang again and Whitney woke up and answered it.

  “Hello.”

  The kidnapper said, “I hope you had fun last night. I think it’s time to give you back what you want. Why don’t you run back to your car and see your reward? He will be sitting in the passenger seat.”

  The man hung up and Whitney jumped up and pushed herself through the bars, knocking off some rust and collecting some on her hoodie. She started jogging up the hill and suddenly realized she didn’t really know the way back to the car.

  She wandered around for about an hour before finally recognizing an area near the car. She ran through a small field and through another patch of woods and the car sat about one hundred yards away. Whitney ran up to the car and stopped. Her heart sank six feet underground. A thick smear of red liquid covered almost the entire driver’s side window.

  5

  “He can’t be dead. He can’t be dead.”

  Whitney hesitantly walked toward the driver’s door. She coughed, trying to get rid of the lump in her throat, but it didn’t work. The moment became surreal as she neared the vehicle. A close-up inspection revealed that the liquid wasn’t blood and looked more like ketchup.

  Whitney fumbled with the keys and finally opened the door.

  Nobody was in the car.

  The phone rang.

  Whitney ripped the phone from her pocket and answered angrily.

  “Let me guess, you’re going to laugh?”

  The kidnapper said, “This one wasn’t as fun considering it only lasted a few moments.”

  Whitney turned around several times trying to find whoever was watching her.

  The man continued. “You can go back to your friends now and you can all crowd around a campfire while you tell them the ghost stories from last night.”

  The man hung up without laughing and Whitney threw the phone down. She instantly regretted that hasty decision as she dug through the brittle leaves and dead pine needles to get the black phone back. Whitney jumped in the car and drove back to the motel.

  She pulled up and parked the car. Bo was sitting against the door of another room.

  She got out and said, “Hey yo.”

  Bo looked up from his phone and got up. As he walked over, he asked, “Are they still at it?”

  “At what?” Whitney didn’t know what he was talking about.

  Bo nodded. “Yep, they’re still at it.”

  Whitney walked up to the door and could hear the pounding sounds coming from the room.

  “Are they banging?” Whitney became jealous.

  Bo nodded again. “Like wild horses.”

  “So what, they just kicked you out of the room?” Whitney knocked heavily on the door. “Open up, rabbits.”

  The thumping stopped and whispers followed.

  Bo said, “They just started going at it pretty much, so I left.”

  Tara opened the door with a devilish smile on her face. “You rang.”

  Whitney pushed her way in, through
the smell of sex hanging heavily in the room. She opened a couple of windows as she talked. “Don’t try to be cute. And for you. You leave me in the woods to come home to bang my friend. I’m out there fighting away angry witch ghosts singlehandedly while you guys are back here having the time of your life.”

  Darominius defended himself. “Now, now, I was sent away by the spirits but I would have loved to have stayed with you all night. I came back here and Tara was emotional so I gave her a hug and one thing led to another as they say.”

  Tara added, “We’re still here. It’s not like we went back home to do this. We’re still right by your side. I would ask about your night but his stories have already scared the living daylights out of me.”

  Whitney paced back and forth as she spoke. “It didn’t get any better, I can tell you that. My nerves are friggin’ shot. I’m starving but I couldn’t eat if I was force fed because of the stomach pangs. My body aches and feels like it’s falling apart and I constantly feel like I’m going to fall asleep.”

  Bo asked, “So do you have a next assignment or something?”

  “No, the a-hole told me to come back here. I’ll be at his beck and call even though he won’t let me hear Trent and keeps saying that he is in a dream land or something like that. I just want this all to come to a happy end.”

  Darominius got up in his burgundy bathrobe and hugged Whitney. Despite the initial skeevy feeling that he had just been having sex with her friend, she finally felt comfort. He squeezed, and the power in his tightening biceps gave her a sense of safety.

  The warm embrace provided comfort, but it also made her think about her dad and Trent. They were the two men who had always been there for her and now she couldn’t turn to either one. Darominius had been a loyal friend so far, but he couldn’t fill the void left by those two men.

  Darominius whispered, “Whitney Powers, you have a heart of fire. I think the time has come for me to take you to another time and place. I wasn’t sure if you were worthy of this early on, but now I am thoroughly convinced that you will succeed.”

  Whitney had no idea what he was talking about but before she could say anything, he continued, “We need to find a piece of land void of people so we can take off. You understand?”

  “I understand and you don’t have to whisper. These guys know all about you and what you are so you have nothing to hide. I’m surprised you didn’t use it as your pick-up line.” Whitney broke the embrace.

  Darominius grinned and cocked his head to the side. “You think…you think it’s a good pick up line? Joking only. No, you humans say only joking, right? I’m going to throw on some comfortable gear. I’ll be outside waiting. And you don’t have to bring any material possessions. Just bring a change of clothes. The reason will become apparent later.”

  The dragon shifter left the room and she turned to Bo.

  “Keep your eye, well I guess your ear, out for the phone. If the guy calls, tell him, tell him. I don’t know tell him I’ll be right back. I’m in the bathroom or something. I don’t know how long Darominius and I will be gone for.”

  Tara grabbed her forearm and said, “Hurry back with that bad boy. Girl, the power he brings is amazing. I’ll tell you all about it when you get back.”

  Whitney slapped her hand away. “I’m really not concerned with those lurid details right now while my husband is being dangled in front of my face like a carrot on a string.”

  Tara let go. “Right. Right. Good luck or break a leg. I’m not really sure what to say.”

  “That’ll work just fine. Hopefully, we’ll be back in no time.” Whitney pulled an outfit from her duffle bag as Darominius emerged from the bathroom.

  Everyone erupted in laughter. Bo and Tara pointed at the dragon shifter’s short khaki shorts. They only hung to the middle of his thighs.

  Darominius shrugged his shoulders. “What? No good?”

  Bo talked through the laughter. “Maybe if you were playing basketball in the seventies. That’s a fine look you got there, sir.”

  Tara walked over and stood on her tiptoes to give him a kiss. “I think you look great. At least I don’t have to worry about any other girls hitting on you.”

  Everyone exploded in laughter again.

  “Alright, Whit, Darominius, be safe,” Bo said.

  Whitney walked outside into the crisp autumn air. The couple walked toward a forest and away from Dankstone.

  “So where are we going?” She ran her fingers through her dirty hair.

  Darominius slowed down to let Whitney catch up. His long legs moved much farther than hers with every step and he frequently had to slow down his pace.

  He said, “When and where are we going. We are going back to a time when dragons still roamed the earth. We are going to what would now be called Central Asia, but my people knew it as Kongarum.”

  The constant worry that had run through her body since she had received the first call from the kidnapper slowly started to filter out. A chance to see other dragons excited her and made her forget about the current, stressful predicament.

  They found a deserted open field and Darominius transformed into a dragon.

  His body started growing in all directions and his clothes exploded. The golden glow became more powerful. A long tail sprouted and wings extended from the middle of his back. Rows of shingled oval pieces of armor assembled over his body in a horizontal pattern from top to bottom.

  His gorgeous human face slipped away and was replaced with lizard-like wrinkled skin. Long, silver whiskers sprouted from the tip of his chin and from both cheeks. The dark eyes with molten-colored pupils gave the golden dragon a menacing look.

  Whitney got on his back and they rose into the air.

  Darominius talked to her for the first time while they were in the air. “I will try to make this as brief as possible due to the overall situation, but this is something you need to experience.”

  “Why me? Why are you taking me?”

  He slowed down with his wings fully extended and they glided through the clouds. “How can I say this? Great warriors can come in many different sizes and shapes. Some big, others small, there is no true mold. However, there is a common theme that all great warriors share. A heart that will never let them even think about quitting, no matter the difficulty of the scenario. The fact that you’ve never even punched someone in the face before doesn’t preclude you from having the heart of a warrior. But we already know you have the heart of a champion. We are going to find out if you have the heart of a dragon.”

  Darominius pointed the top of his head straight down and Whitney started getting an intense queasy feeling as they hurtled toward earth.

  6

  Several dragons, blue, gold and green in color, lounged in a pond while a silver friend blasted flames onto the surface to heat the water. Whitney stood in awe as she beheld a natural playground for dragons in front of her.

  A sweeping river cut through tall, twin peaks of red rock and a verdant valley of tall grass. There were several ponds scattered about. The dragons seemed peaceful and lounged around on what felt like a chilly autumn day.

  Whitney caught Darominius staring longingly at what she presumed to be his family. She tried to figure out if he was in the bunch. Her friend shook his head from side to side and seemed to snap out of it.

  He looked at Whitney and said, “Shall we proceed?”

  Whitney didn’t respond and followed her friend in dragon form as he led her toward an opening at the base of the red rock hill. She kept peeking back at the dragons that reminded her of the dinosaur replicas at the museum.

  “I guess we need to stay within a mile here too or we could be seen?”

  Darominius answered, “We won’t be going anywhere near a mile away so don’t worry about that.”

  Darominius shifted into a human. They entered the dark opening and all light disappeared as they went down an incline. They kept going farther down the tunnel and it got hotter and hotter with each step. Whitney held o
nto Darominius’ back and almost fell when she stepped on a rock.

  She straightened herself out and a fire up ahead caught her eye. They arrived at an open area with a large boulder in the center. A nude woman who resembled an albino stood up from behind the black rock. Two fires on each side of the small oval area showed her to be a tall woman who looked like she had been dusted in baby powder.

  Red eyes danced around aimlessly in their sockets, giving the impression that the woman could faint at any time. Bulging blue veins erupted in her forearms as she held them in an X in front of her face.

  The strong woman talked almost in a hiss. “What is it that you should want?”

  Darominius approached her and said, “I need to know if she is worthy of the honor.” He pointed at Whitney even though she was the only other person in the room.

  The woman shuffled her feet over to Whitney and looked down into her eyes. The black irises and red pupils with nothing but flaky ivory skin around them made Whitney uneasy. The woman wouldn’t break eye contact and Whitney tried not to blink.

  Two pale hands reached out and grabbed Whitney’s ears and pulled her in for a close inspection. The albino’s long, wet nose contacted Whitney’s and she stopped. The woman breathed heavily through her mouth and her vicious halitosis had no problem invading Whitney’s nose.

  She tried to turn away but the firm grip of the taller woman held her head in place. Whitney was about to slap the woman’s hands away when she suddenly broke the grip and backed away. She turned to Darominius and nodded in silence.

  The dragon shifter said, “We continue.”

  Whitney followed him into the tunnel ahead and as they continued downward, the heat increased in proportion.

  They entered another room with a wooden block in the middle. A tiny creature covered in a collage of black, gray and brown fur emerged. Three fires in this room exposed an animal standing on two feet with two arms that hung to its ankles.

  It looked like a dwarf crossed with a raccoon. The creature did not look scary in any way and Whitney thought it would make a good stuffed animal.

  Darominius said, “We’ve come for you to tell us whether her body can handle the burden. If you will.”