by Steven Fox
He turned to leave, but Darlene stopped him: “What about our things, grandfather?”
The Guardian raised a shadowy finger. “Follow, and I will explain what I can.”
Without another word, they did, though the hairs on Jason’s necks bristled.
***
Outside, the Guardian waited in the mouth of the alley between the paladins’ stronghold and the police station. To everyone else, the Guardian was invisible. As they stepped up to him, Jason could feel a tingling sensation in his skin—the Guardian had rendered them invisible, as well.
“I apologize for being so hasty inside,” he said. “I could only say so much with the paladins listening in. They cannot be trusted with the knowledge I am about to bestow you. Speaking of such matters…” The Guardian directed them to hold out their hands, and in them he materialized their confiscated things.
“Where’s my cell phone?” said Darlene.
“I have it. But, as an early birthday gift, I have installed three extra spells. They will prove vital for the tasks ahead.”
“Why did you wait until now?”
“Because, dear granddaughter, the matter I shall speak of is appropriate for few ears.”
“We’re just invisible,” said Jason. “People can still hear us.”
Something shifted in the shadows of the Guardian’s hood—a smile, perhaps? “Jason, if the numbers in my years do not represent the wisdom I have amassed, more people would know my secrets. Like my heritage.” His eyes darted to Darlene, then resettled on Jason. “You need to know something. Something no others must know. Not even the Dream Catcher or her apprentice.”
“What?” said Darlene. “But what if they can help?”
“They can’t. One does not trust me. The other is on her deathbed.”
“Then why even send me to her in the first place?” said Jason. Without waiting for a response, he blurted, “Len thinks you killed her parents. And I’m starting to agree with her.” His eyes fell to the ground as Darlene’s mouth formed a wide O. Cars hummed on the street behind him. The police station door opened, and footfall echoed down the front steps. Someone told a joke about an eyeless hooker. Laughter rose into the chill of night.
“Young Jason, please look at me.” Jason refused. He’d heard stories about the Guardian’s powerful gaze. It could turn even the most stubborn fool into a compromising individual. Right now, Jason didn’t want that, because he didn’t want to believe the Guardian was good.
“Do you not remember the words we shared?” The Guardian straightened, his dark cloak swishing against the pavement. “Heed my warning, and you will not have your memories erased.”
Jason’s head snapped up, and he stared into the Guardian’s eyes. “I don’t believe you.”
“Whether or not you believe me is a matter of little importance. The matter of great importance, the one I cannot discuss with the Catchers, lies within your dreams, within the memories held by your dreams.”
“Memories?” said Darlene.
“Memories Jason would rather not see, sewn into the dreams held deep within the seal I placed upon him. But with that seal came the price of his emotional stagnancy.” The Guardian’s eyes glowed bright. “But the stagnancy, I can sense, has shifted and changed. Something has chipped the seal on your nightmares and dreams.”
“Yeah, and so what? I don’t understand what any of that magic crap means.”
The Guardian moved behind Jason and placed his hand at the base of Jason’s skull. The following shock made Jason flinch. A cold wave ran up his body. The Guardian pushed his fingers further into Jason’s head. The pressure in the back of Jason’s head flared hot, and in his vision he saw a flash of green flesh and pearly white teeth. Then it vanished, the coldness melting as the Guardian moved away.
“Just as suspected: Something has superimposed itself upon the seal.”
“What?” said Darlene for Jason, who was trying to catch his breath.
“Someone has placed a dream charm upon Jason. A charm that allows dreams to pass freely from under the seal if given the correct instruction.”
This left Darlene speechless. Jason looked up, his eyes wide. “You…mean…?”
“But it troubles me; the Dream Caller may be alive, but she is…Well, I don’t know when she would have been able to place this charm on you. Could it be…?”
Do not worry, old friend.
Jason’s neck froze, his gaze locked with the Guardian’s.
Everything is moving according to plan. With my dying breath, I swear that the nightmare will never find its end.
No one spoke or moved for what seemed like an hour. Then the Guardian clapped a hand on Jason’s shoulder, and squeezed. He turned to Darlene and handed her phone over. “Go to Lenmana and pursue Talshe. After you go through the portal, Darlene, be sure to use the second spell. Good luck to you both. The invisibility charm will wear off in ten minutes. Find a suitable place to appear when it does.”
The Guardian turned and dissolved into the shadows.
Before Jason and Darlene left, Jason heard the Guardian’s voice: “As for Len’s accusation—everyone does something they would rather forget. They jump to conclusions, or they cannot think clearly. We shroud our faces and forget the things our eyes have seen and our hands have done. Even you do not remember the nightmares of your childhood.”
Jason looked at Darlene. “Did you hear that?”
“Hear what?”
“Never mind.”
***
They headed to the industrial district. Not many people paid attention to the decaying buildings, especially at night. After the invisibility charm wore off, they headed toward the bridge and climbed up the stairs. They meandered down the sidewalk, and Jason looked up across the road. Silver Moon’s parking lot was thinning. Not a surprise, even on a Friday. The dinner rush usually ended around seven or eight o’clock.
“Jason?”
Without realizing it, Jason had stopped. Tears were budding in his eyes. He quickly rubbed them away.
“It’s nothing,” he lied.
They turned east on the four-way intersection. About fifteen minutes later they were on South Hollow Avenue. Jason noticed that most if not all the lights were lit, and quite a few people were rising, dressing for work, and getting in their cars. Len’s house appeared on the right. Lights were on inside, and a single flood light illuminated the porch, which looked a bit tidier than normal. Jason mentally smiled at this.
“Looks like a nice house,” said Darlene.
Jason could hear the nervousness in her voice. Obviously, there would be no mention of Darlene’s relation to the Guardian. Jason hadn’t even asked much. He just wondered why he hadn’t known sooner.
“You never asked,” said Darlene.
On their way over, Jason had used Darlene’s phone to call Len. When they knocked on the door, Darlene and Jason didn’t wait long, and when Len popped up at the door, Jason nearly lost it. For the first time since Jason had met her, Len looked halfway presentable: Her normally greasy, tangled mess of gray hair was washed, brushed, and put up in a ponytail; she wore sea foam-green mascara; her cheeks and nose were slightly powdered; her lips were full and luscious with electric blue lipstick. None of it went with the red, low-cut dress. The dress looked a little worn. In it, Len looked like a two-dollar hooker.
“Hi there,” said Len in this cutesy high-pitched voice. Jason so badly desired to smile. He wouldn’t laugh, because he knew what Len was trying to do. By the smile on her face, Darlene realized the same thing.
“You gotta get outta that mess,” said Darlene. “No one’s gonna get a boner from that unless they’re middle-aged pedos.”
Len didn’t look hurt, but mildly confused. “I thought this kind of dress is what people like to see full-figured girls in.”
“Lenny, you need some make-up lessons and a new wardrobe. But the thought was sweet. Like you.” And she winked.
As they headed inside, Jason swore he could s
ee two somethings poking through the bust of Len’s dress. It is cold out, he thought.
***
After Len cleaned up and dressed in a t-shirt and jeans, the three of them sat around the now-clear table. There wasn’t a bag in sight, and for this Jason nodded at Len, offering her a thumbs-up. Darlene looked around the spotless house as Len watched her nervously, measuring her reactions. Jason cleared his throat.
“Okay, so, here’s the thing. You know that subway, the one I found in the alley near my house?” Len nodded. “Talshe disappeared through the portal. And I got to thinking. That train has to lead somewhere, right?”
“It certainly does, but I find it strange. If it’s the train I’m thinking of, then I wonder why there’s a portal to it in your backyard.”
“Well, what if the Dream Caller put it there?” said Darlene.
Len’s face reddened a bit. “Um…Well…Could be, I guess. If that’s the case, then we need to head over there and check it out.”
Jason didn’t want to go, but he thought about Trevor. About the ruined playground. All handiwork of his dreams. And, maybe, if he captured his dreams, he’d be able to find the Dream Caller. The Guardian’s words also rang inside his head: “Heed my warning, and you will not have your memories erased.”
Len reached toward the counter, where a small box rested. She set it on the table and opened it. Inside rested a corded necklace with a pendant made of purple crystal. She handed it to Jason, and he held it up, scrutinizing it.
“It’s amethyst,” said Len. “Amethyst repels bad dreams and curses. Since you can’t use magic, it’ll be useful.”
Jason nodded, though something nagged him. Darlene poked his shoulder.
“Yo, what’s up, Jiggy?”
Jason shook his head. “I feel like I’m forgetting something.”
“If you forget it, then it must not be a huge deal.”
Jason shrugged. “Guess not.”
***
It was about nine P.M. when they headed out, taking the long way around, sneaking north then west until they hit Jason’s street. His father might’ve been home, and Jason didn’t want him to ask any questions Jason couldn’t answer. They walked side-by-side, Darlene between Len and Jason. Their footsteps echoed on the pavement. Most houses were dark, few alight with news-watchers. Others were empty—graveyard shift workers gone for the night. The alley’s mouth loomed ahead, and as they drew closer, Jason’s heart felt lighter and lighter. Then his head. Then lungs. Legs. Feet.
He collapsed on the sidewalk just outside the alleyway, hyperventilating.
In his ear, Tara Engel’s voice said, “Your story ideas are amazing! I wish I could come up with half your ideas…you bastard. Traitor.”
Len and Darlene kneeled next to him. “Hey, get up,” said Len.
He wanted to, but couldn’t. He whispered, “Forth.” The liquid stone kept away, but he still couldn’t stand. He tried, but his legs and arms wouldn’t obey. Tara’s voice rang inside his head: “Traitor! Liar! You said you’d love me no matter what!”
Len and Darlene sat him up against the fence. Len patted his arm. “Hey, pull your shit together. Talshe would love to crunch your bones. I don’t want to see that. Can’t even stand blood in movies.”
Tara’s voice hushed. Deep in the sky, the stars glimmered. Talshe rose from the darkness and her smile eclipsed the moon. She reached for Jason, and he curled up and screamed. The earth shook, and it felt as if everything around him was burning and falling apart. He screamed and cried.
“Mommy! Tara! Shemillah!”
Then he felt hands on his shoulders. “Jason, snap out of it!”
“She’s gone…Mommy, Tara, Shemillah…all gone. Everything’s burning! Everything’s dying! The nightmare…the nightmare’s ending!”
“Yo, J.Kinney! Open your eyes, man!”
He did, and there were Len and Darlene standing above him. Jason lay flat on his back, the ground cool against his neck. He ran the back of his hand across his damp brow. Len glanced up at Darlene, whose eyes were downcast, blank. A tear teetered at the edge of her eyes. Len turned back toward Jason and placed a firm hand on his shoulder.
“You were screaming. For your mom and—”
“My girlfriend,” burst Jason. He snorted back a gob of snot and swallowed. Tears ran down his face.
“Get it out,” said Len. “That’ll make it easier.”
The air seemed to freeze, Len’s words hanging in the air like frozen cavemen. Jason coughed, a strand of drool escaping his mouth. He wiped it away with his sleeve. He sat up, his cheeks still moist. But the flow had stopped. For now, at least.
“I met her years ago. I’d wanted to write stories. But, much like everything else, I didn’t have a lot of talent. I had a great imagination, great ideas, but what good would they do if I couldn’t get them on paper? So I was at the library, and I met her. She wrote so beautifully. I proposed we join and create wonderful stories together. She liked that idea.
“Then we started dating. We started kissing each other on the head, on the cheeks. Eventually the lips. Then tongue. We started taking our shirts off in front of each other. We even took naps together, when Dad wasn’t home.
“Then she committed suicide.” He gripped the back of his head with both hands, then let his arms slide down so that his hands were atop his chest, as though he were holding onto backpack straps. “And it was all my fault.”
Darlene kicked at leaves skittering along the sidewalk, trying to hide her tears. Len hefted a breath through nose, then said, “Get over it.”
Jason looked up at her, bristling. Anger lapped at the back of his subconscious, telling him to release his fury. Bring down the hammer of rage upon this bitch. But he didn’t. Because he knew Len never did, never said anything without a reason.
“You may think she committed suicide because of you, but you just don’t know. Taking her life was a decision she made. A decision anyone can make. All you can do is get up and walk.”
Len stood and extended her hand, a slight smile on her lips. Jason regarded her hand for a moment, then grabbed it. Len helped him up and pulled him into a hug. Jason stiffened. His eyes stung as he wrapped his arms around her. When they pulled away, Jason looked at Len.
“Are you okay, now?” she said.
Jason nodded, and smiled.
He smiled.
Len smiled back. “Welcome back to the world of the living.” They turned toward Darlene, whose eyebrows nearly touched the top of her head. Her smile cut through the dusk like a beacon.
They turned back toward the alley. The air shimmered like heat rising off blacktop—the portal. Talshe, and possibly Leech, waited somewhere on the other side. And the Dream Caller? Jason’s eyes floated to the sky, where he had seen Talshe’s face and her outstretched hand. He remembered: Ten years ago, Talshe had appeared here, just as Sirin had said. But why? And why couldn’t he remember anything else?
The pain in the back of his head—the chip in the seal—it had to be connected.
As they walked toward the portal, the fence and ground seemed to undulate and waver. Halfway through, the alleyway suddenly disappeared. No flash of light, no heavenly music. The alley vanished, and the tunnel now enclosed them. They walked through broken tile and black puddles, as Jason had done before. He led them to the platform where he’d met the conductor. Currently, the rails were empty. Jason and the others glanced about.
“Are you sure she came through here?” said Len.
“Yeah,” said Darlene. “Doesn’t look like a giant could fit in here.”
“She can change size,” he said.
As they pondered this, the train whistle echoed through the tunnel. A light flashed just before the train burst through, its slipstream whipping up Jason’s hair. He stood back, the blur of yellow and red whooshing by. Much like Jason the first time, Len and Darlene gaped at the sight of this giant train and its speed. Eventually, the train slowed, then stopped, a metallic screech reverberating eve
rywhere. A door hissed open, and heavy-soled shoes clunked on metal railing. The conductor, in his ivy cap and jacket, stepped down from the stairs and stroked his goatee. He flashed a grin with stained teeth.
“Boarding? Any boarding to Visonia?”
Jason walked up to the conductor, his friends following right behind him. The conductor only noticed them when they were right in front of him.
“Ah, come back, did you?” The conductor crossed his arms. “Did you bring a ticket?”
Jason pursed his lips. “Ticket? Um…Afraid not. But can’t you just let us on? We have to follow someone and we think they came through here.”
“Oh? Is that so? Well then, how about I just let every wandering band of strangers onto my train? Trust me, if I did that, the damn thing would’ve been blown up a long, long time ago. Now, I’ll ask again: Tickets?”
Jason realized what had been nagging him: the tickets. The conductor had asked for tickets before. How could Jason have forgotten? No time for beating himself up now, though. He had a mission. He was getting on this train no matter what. If only he knew how.
Then a voice filtered into his ears: “Check your pocket.”
Jason did, and flinched as his fingers brushed against paper. The conductor raised an eyebrow at this. “A little jumpy, are we?” He reached into his own pocket and pulled out a watch. “Do you mind scramming? I have a very tight schedule. People aren’t happy when their dreams don’t get where they’re going on time.”
Jason ignored the conductor, pulling out whatever was hiding in his pocket. He looked at them, and his eyes narrowed. Len and Darlene peered over Jason’s shoulders. The conductor whistled. “Don’t see those much,” he said.
In Jason’s hands were two silver tickets. Imprinted on them was a message: GOOD FOR ONE, TWO-DAY, ROUND-TRIP TO VISONIA. NON-REFUNDABLE. Jason flipped the tickets over, and found an imprint of Bootelia on one ticket, Amor on the other. He smiled, and looked up at the conductor.
“Here are my tickets.”
The conductor smirked, then pointed a dry-skinned finger toward Len and Darlene. “Well, you might have two tickets, but unless you don’t plan on going, one of these lovely ladies will have to stay behind.”
