The Heart of Dreams

A Story by Adore Writing

Ever wonder where dreams come from?

There’s a land far away; where mermaids frolic by the bay, and magic lies within the sand, and fairies hide under the land.

Pessimists will say there is no such thing as the perfect world. They will say that make believe is, well, make believe. They will tell you never to believe in something that isn’t true. However, I knew better. I listened to what my heart was telling me, not my brain. Sure, people can’t see the same things I see, people don’t believe in what I do. I feel like I have my own little religion, no one has to believe it, but they definitely can if they wish. No one in my grade understands, but I don’t blame them, because they can’t see. However, there are some who listen, and if you listen, you can imagine, you can believe.

Where evil lies outside of town; under the groan, behind the growl. Where darkness is left behind, and inside lies what is mine.

That is why I share my stories with the shining eyes I see everyday. Every night, my sister gets tucked in with a kiss and a story. These stories are about The Heart of Dreams, a world which she is now a member of.

And this is where I like to go, when I am sad, when my mind’s slow. And throughout time, you will see. Maybe this world means as much to you as it does to me.

“Will you tell me another story,” she pleads, her hopeful eyes staring at me in awe.

“You have heard all of them! What part do you want to hear over again?”

“Just start from the beginning! That’s where all stories should.”

“Okay. Far away, there is a land; a land home to many magical creatures. Mermaids, fairies, unicorns, leprechauns, gnomes, you name it. They all roam about, whether they live in the ocean, the forest, or the desert. They spend time together, building up the candy wall to keep all the evil out. However, most importantly, they make dreams. Dreams that wake children up with delight, that keep them on their toes, always wanting more. Dreams that build a child’s confidence.”

Beyond the clouds, under the hills, utop the rainbow, next to the mills, between the bricks, aside the sea, is where I like to be.

“The dreams they would create were endless. One took place in a world where, every time someone said something, the child had to laugh. It got to the point where children would wake up, laughing so hard that tears were in their eyes. In another, the child was either the princess or the prince, depending on if they were a boy or a girl. The prince would rescue the princess from the ‘fire breathing’ dragon. However, this dragon was special; it breathed cotton candy!”

“A cotton candy breathing dragon,” my sister cried. “How silly!”

And this is where I like to go, when I am sad, when my mind’s slow. And throughout time, you will see. Maybe this world means as much to you as it does to me.

“Yes, it is very funny. But the characters aren’t the main part of this story. I am describing the perfect world right now, but that is about to change.”

“You mean, the perfect world isn’t the perfect world?”

“Yep. Now pay attention. Sometimes the creatures would make a dream about their world, in order to show the few very special children where dreams are made. The children thought it was just a dream, and there was no such place. Others knew that it was true.”

“You,” my sister mumbles.

“Exactly.”

The gumdrop path, the shining sea, the magic sand, the fairy's wings, the castle’s hue, the skies blue, they bring me back; to what is true.

“One day, while the gingerbread men were building up the candy wall, they saw, just over the peak, that there were some strange ‘people’ wandering towards the wall. Actually, it looked like they were running towards the wall, with mallets, and knives. The gingerbread men ran away, chanting, ‘RUN, RUN, AS FAST AS YOU CAN! YOU CAN’T CATCH US. OH, WELL, MAYBE YOU CAN!’ The poor gingerbread men were too slow, and they were captured by the creatures.”

“How terrible!”

“Indeed. You might be wondering what these creatures are.”

“Yes, I am.”

“These things were all the magical creatures that are evil. Werewolves, yetis, vampires, the lochness monster, mummies, witches. They were the ones who attacked the wall. And the next day, they found crumbs of the gingerbread men lying in front of a gigantic hole in the wall, only one button off of their overalls remaining.”

“What happened next?”

“Well, the King and Queen didn’t like that one bit. They saw that wall demolished and ordered four more gingerbread men to repair the wall.”

“Were they also eaten?”

“Will you let me talk? Yes, and every gingerbread man afterwards was also eaten. People were frantic trying to figure out where they were disappearing to. However, no one could.”

And this is where I like to go, when I am sad, when my mind’s slow. And throughout time, you will see. Maybe this world means as much to you as it does to me.

“The kingdom began to realize their world was missing other pieces. Gumdrops from the top of the tallest tower were slowly falling, crushing all of the world’s tinier creatures. The sand started blowing away, and the water started to drain. Worst of all, the fairies started to loose their ability of making dreams. Children all over the world began to have bad dreams, and, sooner or later, the mermaids predicted that children all over the world would only ever be able to have bad dreams. This meant that, once the castle fell apart, the evil would take over and cause the good dreams to become nightmares; forever.”

There’s a land far away, where my mind can wander astray.

“One day, the evil came with a ladder and began to climb over the wall. The monsters hoisted each other up and began to creep all around the world, taking everything and everyone they could and trying to scamper back up and over before they were found. And they managed to never leave a clue, except for the piercing chill of which still crossed the air. They stole the smallest things, a touch of magic sand, a tad of shining sea water, the smallest mints, and the tiniest flowers. Sure, maybe those are small things. But when they discovered that the King and Queen hadn’t noticed the small changes, they started to make bigger ones. They stole fairies and locked them in jars, they took scales off of mermaid tails, and, eventually, they grabbed the Princess’s prized possession off of her dresser; a locket with a rose bush carved into it.”

“They did that?!”

“Yes. Now, keep listening. The Princess woke up the next morning and went over to grab her necklace, only to discover that it wasn’t there. She was about to call the castle servants when she noticed something. A single claw mark lay, scratched onto the table. She recognized these marks. They were the same ones which were on the gingerbread wall, the one separating bad from good. Being the clever girl she was, she quickly connected the dots and ran to her parents.

‘Mother, father,” She cried at them. “I have important news!’

‘Whatever is the matter, darling?’

‘Mother, I have discovered something very important.” And with that, she told them everything she knew. About her locket, the claw marks, and her plan to stop the disappearances of small objects. She knew how to get revenge, and how to save the children.

‘Why, honey, that is the perfect plan. But do you think it will be convincing?’

‘How could they refuse? They love shiny things!’

‘Well, I suppose.’ The family shook hands and called a town meeting in the theatre near the castle. That night, the Princess would reveal her plan and discoveries. She was going to make sure the evil stayed away, no matter what it took. And nothing was going to stop her.”

“So, what was her plan?”

“Well, she wanted to keep the evil away, right?”

“Right.”

“So she would lure them in with something shiny, and then scare them. This woud keep them away, and she could get her locket back.”

“How would she scare them?”

I run into the other room and fit a Halloween mask onto my face. Then, I jump out and scare my little sister.

“She would put on a scary mask and shout, BOO! Then, the evil would get so scared they would disappear forever.”

My sister doubles over, belly laughing, until she finally manages to catch her breath and speak once more.

“Wow. But what if it didn’t work?”

There’s a land far away, and I will share it with you today.

“Let’s wait and see what happens. Anyway, the Princess told the entire town her plan and listened to what they had to say about it. Everyone loved it. Well, almost everyone.

‘Your majesty, freedom of speech?’

‘Of course.’

‘It’s just that, we can’t be scary!’

‘That’s right. Then what will we do?’ Suddenly, the world started to crumble around them. In the distance, they saw the evil, running towards their land. ‘What will we do?’

To be continued…...