Willow Bloom and the Dream Keepers

by E. V. Farrell

  Willow was mesmerised. This is why she was here. This is why Light Keeper’s even existed. These were dreams that depended on Light Keepers like her – waiting for their time – the right time. Inside every glass tube was some kind of ethereal gas in a range of different colours but with one colour always being dominant. There were some that had more blue in them, while others had more red or green, pink or yellow … And, while they stood watching, the gas in a number of tubes glowed intermittently, giving the effect of blinking lights.

  “The coloured vapours are dream thoughts in their most basic elemental state,” Avari said. “They glow brighter and brighter as the potential of a dream becomes stronger. When they reach a certain potentiality, they are transferred to the next building where the more recent, active dreams are stored in preparation for being released back to Earth. The tubes that no longer glow, lie dormant. They are the lost dreams.”

  Willow felt a wave of sadness. “What happens to the lost dreams?”

  “They are stored here for as long as there is still enough kinetic energy to sustain them. Eventually they dissipate to a neutral state of energy. But nothing is ever really lost. Ultimately, this neutral energy becomes part of the dream cycle again.” Avari turned to Willow. “This is what we do here on Thera. We store and protect dreams but we also assist in the recycling of the energy from dreams. We are, afterall, the Dream Keepers.”

  “This is so beyond anything I could ever have imagined.”

  “It is more accurate to say this exists because it was imagined,” Avari corrected.

  “Yeah. I kind of get that now but nowhere near your level of understanding.” Willow stared at a tube of mostly green ether. “What happens to dreams that are replaced by better ones? Like when people decide to change their dreams and do something else. Do they get stored here too?”

  “The storage system has its own intelligence. A dream of the sort you have just described is cross-referenced with anything else the person on Earth may be dreaming about. The storage system knows when a dream has been replaced completely by another, and filters it out accordingly. The neutral energy is recycled and the original dream-thought is then stored within the library.”

  “Library?”

  Avari regarded Willow for a moment before continuing. “We sometimes refer to it as the Great Library. It is the storage system of every single thought, in all times and in all galaxies. The energy contained within a thought cannot be removed from the universe. It can alter its signature, but it cannot disappear entirely.”

  “So it’s a bit like a giant computer hard drive,” Willow offered. “Where exactly is this Great Library?”

  “It is everywhere,” Avari said simply. “It is the infinite space that defines all molecules, all form. Every experience, every emotion and every thing is stored in infinite space.”

  “Okay … maybe I’ll leave the questions for a while.”

  “Yes,” Avari agreed. “I think you have enough to consider for some time. Come. Let us make our way to the next building now.”

  Back in the woodland they knew it was too soon for Willow’s return. Hugo had already checked the TriVrata five times to make sure it was still functioning, and he had pressed his hand against the portal barrier at least a dozen times to test its integrity. With the Chabels’ erratic behaviour earlier, and with all of the adults watching, Hugo was more than a little anxious. He shoved his hands in the front pockets of his jeans and began to pace again.

  “Come and sit down, Hugo,” his father said. “Being a Helper is as much a waiting game as anything else.”

  Hugo heaved a heavy sigh. “Okay.”

  The adults looked comfortable in the portal, having set up camp with their picnic chairs and flasks of tea and snacks. If they were even the slightest bit nervous, they were doing a good job of hiding it. One of the bonuses of being inside a portal was that you were protected from the elements. No matter what the weather was doing outside, inside was a welcoming twenty-one degrees. It could be a summer evening if you closed your eyes and forgot where you were.

  Willow’s heart rate doubled in speed the moment they entered the building. This was where it all happened. On one side of the room there were at least thirty silver doors; and on the other side were more shelves with glass tubes, their ethers colourful and vibrant, eager for their transformation from dream into reality.

  “Welcome to the Doorways, Willow.” Avari guided her to a door halfway down the length of the room. “You will be using this one today,” she said.

  Gentle ripples moved across the silver door, briefly revealing a complex design embedded beneath its surface. Willow noticed that there wasn’t a door handle or any kind of button to press as an entry point. “How do we get in?” she asked.

  “Like this.” Avari placed her hand on the door, triggering a larger ripple. Within moments the hidden design came to the forefront. The door was covered in symbols and right in the centre were the markings of two thumb prints. “Human … and Dream Keeper,” she said pointing to them.

  They each placed their thumb on the image – and the door vanished. Willow and Avari stepped through and the silver door instantly reappeared behind them.

  Willow gazed upon a vast expanse of deep space. There appeared to be no windows, just the blackness of space stretching out in front of them, a stark contrast to the pale colours of the floor and walls of the room. She supposed that there was some type of invisible screen shielding them from being sucked out into the void. Willow shook her head. “This is incredible.”

  Willow could see a streak of light shoot out into the distance, followed by another shortly after. “Are they the Light Streams?”

  “Yes,” Avari nodded. “As you are aware, all of the Doorways are now being used continuously.”

  At least she knew which direction Earth was now. “So how can there be dark space out there when we just came in from daylight? And it feels like I’m actually in space and not just looking at it from the ground.”

  “We use the same principles as the storage rooms,” Avari told her. “In here, the distance between the surface of Thera and the outer perimeter of our macasphere has been reduced. That is why the space appears to be dark and quite close.”

  Willow’s gaze was drawn to a large blue circle that had magically appeared in the centre of the floor and surrounded by gold symbols that she recognised from the TriGamon.

  “Are you ready to begin, Willow?”

  Her mouth suddenly felt dry, and there was a knot in her stomach. “Can’t back out now,” she replied.

  Avari gestured for Willow to remove her boots before sitting inside the circle. “You will be more comfortable that way.”

  “Thanks.” Willow saw Avari swish her yellow robe to one side and sit on a shiny white cube that popped up from the floor just outside of the circle. With a deep breath to calm herself, Willow stepped inside the circle and lowered herself into a sitting position. She put her hands on top of her knees with palms facing up. “Focus, Willow,” she reminded herself.

  She placed her attention on the sound of her breathing so that her rapidly beating heart gradually slowed. Willow formed the three triangles with her hands just like Ms Florence had shown her. With another long breath she summoned up her commanding voice, and was ready.

  “Ixana Domeni, Gimentus Nomina.”

  The golden symbols shimmered as they rose from the floor, creating tall columns all around her. A star-shaped opening formed in the column directly opposite her, and a ball of white light appeared just feet from where she was sitting. Willow repositioned her fingers to create the next set of multi-layered triangles for the corresponding incantation. “Quial Savanti-Vikrim.” The sphere of light compressed its mass and, in an instant, shot out through the star-shaped opening – destined for Earth. Willow returned her hands to rest on her knees, once again with palms facing up.

  A small white sphere remained within the circle, attached to a never-ending ribbon of light. She had made her fir
st Light Stream! All of a sudden, from every column, brightly coloured vapours entered the circle, drawn towards the sphere. Willow’s jaw dropped as she watched the dreams begin to form wisps of distorted images inside the sphere’s centre before ejecting themselves onto the light stream. It was hard to believe that she was witnessing the birth of these dreams – and that she had played a part in making them possible.

  The next incantation was for Willow’s own protection. “Alentarum Vargos,” she announced, then went on with a cycle of rhythmic breathing taught by Ms Florence. Two normal breaths, followed by one long breath, held to the count of five, before being released to the count of five. This was to be repeated until the trillions of molecules in her body had wound down their activities to indiscernible levels – to the point where the countless exchanges that her body performed in order to function were virtually shut down, leaving her in a state of limbo. Only then could she be safely exposed to the Light Stream for any length of time; otherwise her body would burn up from the intensity of light and the energy from the dreams passing through.

  It was already happening. She could barely feel her body now. Willow closed her eyes, surrendering to the process.

  Willow became aware of herself again sitting inside the circle, and her body suddenly jerked. She opened her eyes by reflex, glimpsing the last remnants of the white sphere dissolving. A burning sensation swept over her and she could feel every cell in her body tingling to bring her body systems back to a functioning state. It was time to fully disconnect from the Light Stream. She regulated her breathing and shifted her posture ever so slightly to awaken her muscles. Willow raised her heavy arms above her head with clasped hands, thumbs and index fingers pointing upwards. “Persea Morhectis,” she commanded. The tall columns that surrounded her immediately retreated into the floor. Willow tried to get up but her legs felt like bags of wet sand. She turned to Avari, who was already by her side.

  She offered her hands and Willow took them and readied herself to stand up.

  “The Healing Chair will help you get your strength back.”

  With Avari supporting her, Willow walked her sluggish body to a green metallic chair and sat down. She presumed the chair emerged from the floor too as she hadn’t noticed it when she first came in.

  Avari stepped back. “I will wait here until the Healing Chair has completed its task.”

  A cylinder of radiant glass raised itself from the floor, completely surrounding her. Within moments balls of soft coloured light were floating all around her; then they proceeded to pass straight through her body. The effect was immediate. Willow relaxed to the point of almost falling asleep, but at the same time she could feel her body re-energising. It was the strangest feeling. After only a few short minutes, the coloured lights started to fade and the cylinder quietly receded back in to the floor.

  Willow stood up from the chair. “Wow! That was amazing. I feel great!”

  “The Healing Chair immerses you with light frequencies to assist rejuvenation,” Avari explained. “Creating Light Streams leaves your body drained of energy. The chair gives back what you gave, and more.”

  “That’s so cool. How long was I connected to the Light Stream for?”

  “Three hours of Thera time, which is equivalent to thirty of your Earth minutes.”

  “Is that respectable?”

  “Yes, it was very respectable for your first Activation.”

  Willow knew that the more experienced Light Keepers could stay in at least twice as long as that. “I felt strange, but nothing that I was worried about.” She shook her head. “I can’t believe I’ve made a Light Stream! Me – Willow Bloom, Earthling – here on planet Thera!” She could just about see the cartoon bubble next to her mouth. This really was almost too hard to believe. Yet here she was.

  Avari smiled. “You did a wonderful service for your planet, Willow.”

  “Thanks,” she beamed. “So were you bored? Seems like a long time to be sitting around.”

  “From an early age we are taught a form of meditation that transmutes time and the effect it has on our bodies,” Avari told her. “Even though three hours have passed, my mind and body feel as if I have only been sitting for a few moments.”

  “Hmm, I like that. Be a handy skill for long road trips back home.”

  “Road trips?”

  Willow grinned. “We don’t have Arches back home to help us travel long distances. So unless it’s a plane or train, it’s a road trip in a car or a bus.”

  “Ah, yes. Now I understand. I have read about your vehicles,” Avari said. “Are you ready to leave now, Willow?”

  “Sure. I feel like I could run a marathon.” She could see Avari was confused again. “It’s a long-distance run.”

  Once outside, they followed the perimeter of the square all the way to the top end. Willow slid her hand across the stone walls with their crystal veins and, strangely, it felt nothing like she’d expected. Instead of being rock-hard, the stone felt almost spongy.

  “Everything that appears to be solid here, actually is not,” Avari said. “All matter, as we discussed earlier, reduces to molecules and then to energetic frequencies, even on your planet. Here on Thera the density is half that of Earth’s. That is why, when you touch the stone, it feels soft, less solid, but it is just as strong.”

  “My dad would love to see this,” Willow commented. “This is the sort stuff he spends his time researching.”

  “When the awareness and knowledge of your people grows, the density of your planet will shift. From there, huge leaps forward are possible.”

  “I guess we have our work cut out for us.” They approached an enormous set of white doors that were opened out to the square.

  “The entrance to the Halls of Mondria,” Avari announced.

  Willow stepped up for a closer look at the door panels. They were covered in images inlaid with gold, of Beings, astrological maps and symbols, bordering each door. Some of the maps had small crystals embedded within them, and there were numbers too, etched between planets and stars. “Is this a kind of history – of your people?”

  “It is the story of our world and how it interacts with Earth,” Avari explained. “As you can see, our histories are entwined. These,” she said pointing to the oversized Beings dressed in long cloaks, “are the Ancients. They left our world long ago, once everything here was established.”

  Willow thought of her mother and her dedication to archaeology. She would love to dig up something like this back on Earth – something that clearly explained the human story. A smile formed on her lips. It would also send the entire archaeological community into chaos. Mum would love that too. For the first time, Willow realised how difficult it must be for her mother, being someone who knew that the current understanding of human history was limited or even incorrect. Her mother had recently explained to her how some of the ancient glyphs and symbols discovered around the world were misinterpreted. Even ancient buildings were either misunderstood or overlooked altogether. The fact that some of them were built with such precision and skill, like the Egyptian pyramids, Puma Punku in Bolivia and Göbekli Tepe in Turkey, was actually evidence of a far more sophisticated society then they are credited for. And it was mostly due to the guiding hand of the Dream Keepers from so long ago. It was a pity that it was forbidden to expose or share any device or technology from the Dream Keepers’ world outside of the Keepers’ community.

  “So where did the Ancients go?” Willow asked.

  “Even we do not know the answer to that,” Avari replied. “Come, Willow. It is customary for new Light Keepers to be shown some of the city before meeting with the High Council.”

  “High Council …” It wasn’t that she’d forgotten about the High Council, but with so much going on since arriving, it just hadn’t crossed her mind.

  Inside, they stood in an oval room at least half the size of a football field; from this space, seven halls fanned out like tentacles. Once again, the space was bigger than Willo
w had expected. Above them, a huge glass dome encircled with coloured crystals cast a rainbow of light on the polished floor. Everything about this building oozed opulence.

  “What happens in here?” Willow asked, watching dozens of official-looking Mondrians move about intently from one hall to another with rolled-up scrolls and small gold cylinders.

  “The High Council of Thera is based here. This room is known as the Dome Room. All administration, research and communications with Earth originate from this building.” Avari turned to face Willow. “It is also where we maintain the integrity of the Light Streams and the Doorways – to protect them from contamination by Maliceius.”

  Hearing his name, Willow’s skin bristled. “Does anyone know how he did it yet?”

  “Our understanding is that the Vraag penetrated a Light Stream somewhere between here and the next galaxy towards Earth,” she answered. “Somehow Maliceius found a way to manipulate the protective fields we have in place.” Avari took Willow’s hands into her own. “It is unfortunate that we are upon these times, but we will create a solution for this crisis.”

  “How can you sound so confident?” Willow queried. “And be so calm about it.”

  “It is our way,” Avari said. She let go of Willow’s hands. “Let me show you some of the Halls.”

  They walked along a hall lined with golden doors. Every now and then a door was open, allowing Willow to peer inside and catch glimpses of Mondrians preoccupied with the business of creating solutions.

  “These are the tactical rooms,” Avari pointed out. “The Consuli here focus on the practical responses to a situation. The next hall is where they focus on the philosophical aspects of a situation, and what the effects could be to the galaxies and to the Earth, be it positive or negative. Any action we take must be very well considered before going ahead. We respect the laws of action and reaction. There is always a response to an action, no matter how big or small. Everything resides within the framework of infinite space – and therefore everything is connected in some way.”