Dreamwalker

When magic was strong and there were still two Immortali walking the earth, there lived a family of dreamwalkers. As the name implied, those with the Talent could walk in someone's dream. Not every child in the family possessed the Talent, but those who did often used their ability to help people. They would fight off nightmares, resolve haunting fears, and awaken those whom had been cursed into the Endless Sleep. Occasionally a child would come who would instead use his powers for personal gain. He would torment his enemies and discover high-priced secrets. There came a time when only one possessed the Talent of dreamwalking, and this boy did not use his gift for others, nor even for his own gain. He took pleasure in the pain of others and would inflict misery on anyone he met. He fed peoples' fears and created nightmares that pushed people into madness. As he grew older, his powers grew stronger. In time, he was able to trap people in their dreams. His curse became so terrible that those afflicted with it begged for the Endless Sleep, if death itself would not claim them. The people of this land were desperate. When it seemed there would be no end to the dreamwalker's havoc, the dreamwalker made a mistake. He terrorized a young girl to the point of death. The young girl happened to be the daughter of a powerful enchantress. The enchantress locked the dreamwalker in the dreamworld and forced him to live out the rest of Earth's time saving people from nightmares. For centuries he grudgingly carried out his task. His life was so lonely and bleak that he missed the company of people not in terror. He had not had any friends in his early life, but now he wished for nothing more than someone with whom he could converse and confide. So miserable was his lot, that he no longer enjoyed the misery of others. He would spend weeks at a time destroying nightmares and, once in a long while, would feel a twinge of relief when he could ease the suffering of another. When a break would occur, he would rest in his own dream. At the beginning of such an occurance, the man returned to his dream to find that someone had latched onto him and followed him. He peered down and was surprised to see a frail girl clutching his heavy cloak. He had just defended the same girl from a deranged man-beast minutes before. Now she stared up at him with wide, gray eyes. The man had never been very good with children, but he did his best. He made his dream more fitting for a child--adding rolling, grassy hills, patches of flowers, trickling creeks, and easy-to-climb trees--and thought of ways to return her to her own dream. The girl played enthusiastically, and before the man had even attempted to solve the problem, the girl faded away. He had not time to worry, for he was soon dragged to another nightmare. From then on, the girl did not go to her own dream, but returned to the man's dream. She entertained herself by chasing the fluffy rabbits and splashing in the creek. When the man finished his work, he found the girl waiting for him. He was more than a little surprised to see her. He tried to return her to her dream, but she refused. The man remembered that he had often visited this girl; her nightmares were frequent, more so than anyone else's nightmares. He did not know what frightened the girl to such an extent, but he allowed her to stay. She became his companion whenever he was home, and the two spent many years together. The girl grew older, blossoming into a young woman, but the man did not change. On one of the young woman's visits, she arrived earlier and remained longer than usual. The man, having grown find of his companion, worried over her and asked what was wrong.

"Dear friend," she started (as she often did), "recently I was attacked by one of the unnatural creatures I am forced to take care of. These creatures have a warped magic in them, and I fear it has taken a toll on my frail body."

The man fretted, yet there was little he could do. The woman eventually awoke, but she was back shortly after. Her visits became erratic. She would appear and stay for hours on end, only to dissolve and suddenly reappear. The man was thankful that all was peaceful and he was troubled with few nightmares as if late. The pair were enjoying a homely meal of bread and cheese when the woman started to weep.

"What is wrong?" asked the man.

"My dearest of friends, something has happened. It seems I have died," mourned the woman. "Oh, what is to become of me?"

The man stared at his friend and shared her wonder. If she was dead, why was she still in his dream? He feared that she would disappear forever. Whenever he was called away for work, he would return hurriedly, always dreading that she might not be there when he returned; but though many more years passed, she never did. One day, he came home to find her staring off into the distance with a determined expression. She turned when he walked towards her.

"How long have you been stuck here?" she asked.

"I cannot say for sure," he replied. "Over two hundred years and fifty, I think."

"Is it possible to give your Talent to another?"

"Maybe. When I was in the real world, I never thought to look into the possibility."

"Would you try?"

"Why would I do that?"

"You have been here for long enough. I am trapped here by my death, but nothing but your power holds you here."

"Even if I could, and it let me free, I would not abandon you to such a fate."

The man held to his statement with as much conviction as he could muster, but the woman would not let the matter drop. Year after year, she begged him to concede, and eventually she and all of his years spent vanquishing nightmares wore him down. He agreed to try. Although he doubted he would succeed, a part of him feared it would work; another part of him fear that it would fail. He took the hands of his beloved companion. They both closed their eyes. Digging into his powers, he searched and searched until he identified the core of his Talent. He grabbed hold of the core, and pushed it out of his being and into the essence that was his friend. Horses beat the ground with their metal shoes. Carriages rolled over the dirt and the occasional pedestrian's foot. Voices jumbled together to create one, giant cacophony of noise. The man opened his eyes to the real world.