I took your hand in mine once again, and entwined my fingers with yours. Resting my other hand on top of those, I cleared my throat to speak.
My thoughts were heavy and deep, and racing wildly. I needed to be able to speak clearly and withhold nothing. But my lips refused to form the very words I needed to say.
I looked upwards towards the Stars, hoping and praying that I could find the inspiration to begin, wishing the words would be spelled out for me, but knowing I was on my own with this. As I have been for a very long time. But you surprised me by speaking first.
"Am I dreaming?"And this caused me to smile once again. For yes, you are dreaming, and yet, you are not. I squeezed your hand gently in reassurance, for you have just enabled me to begin. And much like I stroked the faerykin's body, so very carefully, I began caressing your arm. And for the same reason. Because I care so very much.
"Yes, You are dreaming, and still, this dream shall remain with you. For you are in the Realm of Dreams, and here, everything is clear and pure. Pure of Mind, Heart, and Soul. And of Body. And it is because of this very reason, that you are here. Too long have I searched for you, and because of this, I wish to share all with you.
The Night of Passing, the Night I Dreamed yet again, this Dream was about you.
Do you remember the Field we first met in? The one filled with the dreams of all the children?
I Dreamed of that Field, and in that Dream, all of the coccoons had begun to fade. All that is, except one. But I could not see clearly enough to know where exactly that coccoon was located. Just that it was the only one that was not fading. And my heart became so sad to see all of those beautiful dreams fading into the Darkness, watching as all of the Hope and Joy disappeared in front of my eyes.
And I could do nothing about it, except witness the Beginning of the End for my people, and yours. And yet, even though the children's dreams were fading, I could not help but feel a growing sense of returning Hope, for my eyes were drawn repeatedly to the one remaining, vibrantly hued, coccoon.
And as the others faded away to nothing, this one Dream grew brighter and brighter, as if in defiance of the Darkness. And when I Awakened from My Dream, I was consumed by a growing urgency that I must find that one dream, and enter it to know whom I was Dreaming about and why. But when I went to tend the Slumbering Fields, where we met...
All was as it should be. There was not even a hint of the Darkness present, and if anything the striations of colors were glowing and spinning even brighter than before. I have spent many of your years, searching and entering those dreams in order to find the one Hope remaining to Us. But it was a very long time before the Darkness began to make itself felt, and I could sense the dreams affected by it.
Entering the dreams of children is not something I do lightly, and I take great care not to disturb them. But even as careful as I am, some are still left with a sense of something Greater than the Dream, and I am sure you know of these People. For most of them grew up to be very great leaders in your world. Or they Accomplished great things that made much Impact upon your Peoples Life Patterns. Many of them Changed your world, and forged ahead of what should have been. And while that has been a good thing for the most part, sometimes it has caused an Immaturity in your Race.
Most Other Peoples know your kind as troublesome. Always warring among themselves. And as such, we have for the most part, avoided you. It is almost like having too much Knowledge, and not being able to realize what you have, for all of the Knowledge that is standing in your way. In Time, the Natural Maturing would have occurred on its' own, along with the Changes and Knowledge, if I had been able to leave nothing behind and allowed the Dreams to go untouched, and develop on their own. But the Dream I Dreamed demanded of me to find you...so I could do nothing else.
It was not long before I discovered that the Darkness was following me through those dreams. Perverting and contaminating all of those beautiful minds, and causing so many of those woes, and hardships that you have some how avoided within yourself, and I began to feel heartsick, at what was happening. And as time went on, and I witnessed my Dream Coming to Pass, I wept many tears alone.
Many times I feared that I was the Cause of the Darkness, but then I would remind myself that the Darkness was there before I Dreamed the Dream. It was the only thing that kept me going, that hope that I would find you.
And I noticed that fewer and fewer children dreamed. Yes, I know that the Slumbering Fields are filled with many, many coccoons, but there were so many more before the Darkness. And I grieve deeply with each one that disappears, but I Remember them, so that they will never be Forgotten. It is all that I can do for them.... They will never return, much like those Faeries that the Gaurdians could not help, I have lost them , and I could not help them no matter what I tried. And with each child's dreams that are lost and forgotten, so too, do my People dwindle away with them.
It was not so long ago, that I made my Journeys through the Field, that I noticed a new Coccoon. I had not seen this one ever before, and yet I was drawn to it irresistibly. This one was different, and yet so familiar to me. Never before had I felt such certainty, that I must enter this dream...Always there was question and doubt, things that were foreign to me, but had become second nature.
And without hesitation I slipped into the Dream Sphere, only to find the most wonderful of dreams, coming from the most Beautiful of Babes. and I Knew. This was the one I had been searching for....all this Time. The one I Dreamed of. But this was a tiny baby, a newborn child ...and I just could not bring you back with me, for that would have caused so much sorrow for all involved. Instinctively, I knew that I had to step back and watch over this one, very carefully. Never had I encountered a newborn that dreamed so vividly.
So I leaned down and gently placed a kiss upon the babes forehead. I whispered a prayer that I would be able to live up to and fulfill what I was supposed to fulfill. And with that feathering of a kiss, I marked the babes dreams so that I could always find him.
I never returned to the Meadow after that. I stayed and watched over the babe and his dreams....often entering and watching him grow. Keeping always alert, and playing with him in his dreams, hoping I was doing the right thing. But I was ever vigilantly protecting against the Darkness. And many times, I clashed mightily with it, in order to keep the Darkness at bay.
And as I watched him grow from infancy to childhood, to his youth..My love for him grew also.And then one day, He was gone. I had been engaged in yet another battle with the Darkness, and I fear that this time the Darkness slipped past my Defenses.
Both for the young Human and my own. I remember coming to, suddenly, and the Dream Sphere was no longer there. And I was Broken inside. I had Failed. I had no Hope left. And I returned to the Meadow in utter defeat. Though it took me a very long time to do so.
The Faerykin, may the One bless their tiny souls, comforted me, and kept me from Passing from this Realm, and even to this day I do not understand how they managed this. I had no desire to stay, no desire to laugh, or play, or sing.
And eventually I stopped Dreaming. I managed to keep the Darkness inside of myself and away from the Faerykin. But it grew with each passing moment. And I knew I couldn't stay with them, and so I left, and sealed the doorway between the Realms. But I could not bring myself to forsake the Dreams of the children. And so I stayed here....in the Field, and waited to finally Pass.
I think that maybe, because I stayed here in the Field, where all the children were dreaming, that a healing began of sorts. I may have Failed, but I still had a duty to protect those little dreams as best I could. So Protect them I did...and as Time passed I was able to push back the Darkness within me. But it is still there, and I feel it stirring now.
And I awoke one morning, from a Dream. Something I had never thought to happen again....and once again, the Dream was unusual. And I was not sure I could believe in it. But I kept having the Dream...over and over again. Until one day I awoke....and saw that my dream was coming to pass. For there you were, standing there in the Field of Slumbering, as if you knew this place...and yet sure that you had never been here before."
I paused a moment to pull myself back out of the Remembering, and without even realizing what I was doing, for this was my nature, I guided your head to rest in my lap. Both giving and receiving comfort. I began to toy with the silky soft strands of your hair, running my fingers through so very gently, and whispered to you.....
"You are the Dreamer I have been looking for, but now you must return, for a time, to your Waking world. Rest now, and Remember Me......."
I knew I was taking a very big chance that you would not return. But you now know the Way here, and if you returned, I would know that your decision had been made, even if you, yourself did not realize this just yet. And that would free me to allow the Faerykin to show you the rest of what you needed to know.
And as your eyes drifted closed, and you began to fade between the worlds, back to your own.....I whispered once again..."Remember Me......" and a tear landed gently on your lips.. as if I had kissed you one last time.
