The Man of His Dreams, Literally

Justin remembers how he got stuck in Slumber Space and it all begins with the strange man from his dreams, Gold

It was a Sunday in the little town of West Generic Springs, and Justin Harper, not yet in coma, was bored out of his mind. “I hate sundays” He was on a break from work. “Why did I have to come in today? Stupid pregnant Brenda didn't even have her stupid baby with it's stupid baby face... I hate pregnant Brenda.” So smug he thought, as he sat at a table outside the restaurant he worked at, whose name is rather generic as well. He finished his food and sat in his chair thinking about how miserable he was, and how he wished he was somewhere else. Then he started daydreaming about it, he wanted to be at the beach, near the ocean, it's waves crashing over each other, the sun, not too hot, hanging out overhead somewhere in the sky. He could hear the sea gulls fighting over some food they found. And then he saw him, the man from his dreams. About 6”4' broad shoulders, black hair, with a neatly trimmed, yet thick, beard, with a strange goatee colored gold. He wore sunglasses, an orange Hawaii shirt, with red shorts and some sandals, and wore what appeared to be a large wrist watch with a blue glowing face. No matter when he saw this guy in his dreams, sleeping or awake, or where he saw him he was always wearing that large watch. Who was he? Did Justin meet him somewhere and just couldn't remember? “Hey! Get out of the road!” the Man yelled at Justin. “What? Did you just-” before Justin could finish his thought the Man had run up to him and pushed him out of the street as an eighteen wheeler drove past. Justin was up in a flash looking around “What the hell just happened?” how did he end up in the street? Did the guy from his day dream just save his life? Is that even possible? “I think I need to take the rest of the day off... yup, pretty sure this is a sign.”

Back home Justin took off his work clothes and threw on some shorts and a shirt. “What is going on with you today? Hey you know what would be great? Getting yourself killed while day dreaming.” He had a habit of talking to himself. “But I don't even remember moving, I was on the beach...” He started to see it all again, the sand, the sunset, the beach goers, all waving at him, calling out to him, he accepted a drink from a very attractive surfer, then threw a ball for someone's dog, soaking up the atmosphere, the relaxation, the breeze.

“Stop! Don't move!” It was a familiar voice. Justin turned around, and there he was, the Bearded Guy.

“I said to stop moving, that includes turning around! It's dangerous. And really? Red and Orange? At the beach? Come on, if your going to dream about me at least be honest about what you want to see me in.”

“I uh... sorry what?” Justin tripped over his words. His dream was... uh talking to him? Berating would be a better word. Right, berating him, over the choice of clothes?

“What about this?” The Bearded Man tapped on his blue lit watch and was now in a pair of blue and black board shorts and sunglasses, “I'm keeping the sunglasses though, they look good on me, ya?” “uh- yeah, yeah of course” Justin fumbled, staring at the attractive shirtless bear of a man now standing in front of him, no longer berating him. “I knew you'd like me like this, natural. Been a while since I've been able to look like this.” The man winked. “I uh... wait, what is going on here?”

“Well, you're dreaming, that's obvious right?”

“Yes, I was at home, trying to remember what happened today. I was at the beach, just like right now, and then you were there, or, here. And you pushed me, and I really fell-”

“Because I really pushed you.”

“But, you're a dream, this is a dream, I am in a dream and I am controlling it, see?” Justin snapped his fingers and put the Man back into the clothes from before, but then changed his mind and took his shirt off with another snap.

“Knew you'd like it” The Man gloated.

“oh shut up.” Justin did enjoy it, but he was too focused on how much sense everything did not make. “How could you push me in the real world? You don't exist in the real world.”

“No I don't but, being in your dream gave me the power to.”

“How?”

“i don't really have time to go into it, just know that your dreams are very powerful, and that is why you are in so much danger right now, so listen to me and stop moving!” Justin hadn't even noticed it, he was moving again. He was walking backwards, he stopped himself, then his legs started moving again, and he stopped himself.

“Concentrate, stop moving, think only of stopping and nothing else, forget the beach, forget sunset, and the waves, and my current state of undress.” Justin looked up, “I said forget about it! Concentrate!”

He did, he forgot bout the beach, the sun, the waves, the hot shirtless man in front of him, he just focused on his legs. Stop moving, why are you moving? He stopped moving, and no sooner had he stopped he looked up and saw that he was on the roof of his apartment building. “Holy s**t!” he yelled out, freezing in his shorts and shirt. “How the hell did I get up here?” Well you didn't fly dumbass.”Shut up.” He was now arguing with himself. Oh joy.

He rushed back inside, ran down five stories and back into his apartment. What was that? He had way too many questions, and not a single answer. Well he did have one answer “Everything has to do with my dreams, so I just won't dream, I won't sleep, I won't day dream, I will only exist in the here and now...” He then realized there wasn't really much in the here and now and that's why he took to day dreaming in the first place. He heard something in the kitchen and remembered his sister Judith's stupid cat that he was watching while she visited her boyfriend in france, Or whatever... stupid European traveler... I could travel in Europe if I wanted to... Suddenly he found himself thinking about it. “Stop! Nope!” he had to remind himself. Something was going on in his dreams. Or, you're just crazy that is a complete possibility. In fact, that's the only thing that makes sense... Being crazy makes sense... god I really am having a day... You're dreams are just dreams, nothing more, maybe you're still day dreaming, maybe you fell asleep and they are waiting for you at work to finish your lunch shift. I'm sure stupid Brenda is complaining because her contractions are two minutes apart. Well just have the damn baby already, also BRENDA how have your contractions been two minutes apart for eight weeks and you haven't given birth? I call bullshit. Oh s**t. He was clearly at work, but in a dream, he knew it was a dream because sitting there at one of the tables was the guy from the beach, dressed in a black suit, and blue tie.

“Stop, whatever you are doing stop!” He got up and walked over to Justin.

“I don't know what I'm doing!” he replied. “I was in my apartment, and then I started thinking how bat s**t crazy this all was, and then I thought about work- and just who the hell are you by the way?”

“I'm Gold, Slumber Space Detective Level Maroon. Here's my badge” The man flashes him a maroon colored index card with nothing written on it.

“What?” Justin had a million questions, but the lights flickered, there was a low boom, and the room shook slightly. “What was that?” Justin asked.

“Justin, what was the last thing you were thinking about?”

“How do you know my name?”

“Just answer me!” The room shook again, this time harder and there was a louder boom, a few of the lights just fell directly off the ceiling.

“I was in my apartment thinking of work and-” One of the walls crumbled as the large figure of Pregnant Brenda slammed through, roaring and smashing anything in her way. She was five times her normal size, her stomach was huge and full of what Justin assumed to be babies trying to force their way out, she was some kind of monster now.

“What the hell is that Justin!?” Gold shouted.

“Stupid Pregnant Brenda?” Gold grabbed his hand, “Run!” They ran out on to the street and Pregnant Brenda followed them, she seemed to squeeze a baby out of her large belly button, shooting it like a canon ball at Justin and Gold. It exploded on impact taking everything it touched out, leaving empty black space, as if that part of the dream had been erased.

“What is going on!?” Justin demanded.

“It's a Nightmare, it's using you to give it strength and power. It created that monster from your thoughts about Stupid Pregnant Brenda. Now just stand back, this is my job. After I arrest it I'll explain everything.” Gold put his hand over his watch face, and the blue light seemed to form a stick in his hand, a blue stick of energy, with light trailing out from the tip

“Arrest?” Justin blurted out, but it was too late, Gold had run off after the Nightmare Pregnant Brenda, leaving Justin to stand there and wonder what the hell was going on.