Frustration swelled up in Jason. Eric and he had been walking around the forest for hours, it seemed, and had gotten nowhere. Twice Eric had stopped in the middle of a sentence, made a hundred and eighty degree turn, started walking again, and continued the conversation. It was the second time that Jason’s frustration and anger had reached boiling point.
“Where are you going?!” He yelled. “Do you even know?”
Eric looked at him—saying, “You poor thing,” with his eyes. “Of course I know where I’m going. Why do you ask?”
“Because we’ve been walking around in circles for the last thirty minutes and twice already you’ve turned completely around and started walking back the way we came. How is this going to help me find my brother?” Jason was also showing a little fear in his voice, which only spurred his anger further.
Some of the humor left Eric’s voice and face. “Aaron will be just fine.”
“Did you see that… that… thing that took him?! He’s not going to be all right! He’s probably terrified! Aaron’s always been afraid of his own shadow. How do you expect him to be fine?!” Jason voice was very heated, and for an instance he thought he saw some of the trees move against the wind.
“I know he’s going to be scared, Jason.” Eric’s voice was an attempt at soothing. “She’s not going to kill him. That’s all I meant.” And as soon as the words left his mouth, Eric’s face fell. He had said the wrong thing.
“Not going to kill him? Well that’s reassuring, isn’t it?!”
“No, I meant he’s not the one she was after.” The hole Eric had dug with his previous statement was getting deeper, and his face was looking more and more worried and frightened.
“What do you mean, ‘he’s not the one she was after’?!” Jason asked. His eyes had narrowed, small, and furious, burrowing their way through Eric’s happy demeanor, desperate for answers. And even though he swore it was his imagination, but as his temper flared the trees around them seemed to shiver.
“I… uh…. I meant that… I didn’t mean to upset you. Look, I don’t know everything. I’m just guessing right now. As soon as we get to where we’re going, you’ll have all the answers you want… I hope.”
Eric’s words seemed to calm Jason a little. “Okay. So what’s your guess?”
“If she took Aaron for the reasons that I’m guessing, then she’ll soon find out that she should’ve taken you instead. In which case, she’ll use your brother as bait. But remember, I’m just guessing. I may be completely wrong about her motives.” Eric paused for a moment, looked at one of the trees in front of him and continued walking.
“What’re you talking about?”
Eric stopped and turned to face Jason, who almost ran into him, with a look of sympathy. “All I know is that I saw the two of you running like mad through the forest.”
“You were watching us?” Jason interrupted.
Eric blushed a little, “Yes, but I hoped that you would make it back to the door and then forget about everything that happened, but instead the both of you decided to stop and found yourselves surrounded by Sleeping Lilies. I couldn’t stay long or the flowers would have affected me too, so I left, coming back in an hour when that particular group of flowers would have moved on. It took me awhile to find you again because of the different positions of the trees, but I did and… well… You remember what happened. And now we are going to Abby’s house so that we can get your brother back.”
“Wait. The flowers moved on. The trees had different positions. What are you talking about?” Jason’s anger had disappeared altogether with Eric’s talk of moving plants.
“Oh yes,” Eric piped up, glad for the change in subject, “all the plants in this world can move freely. In fact, that’s why I’m having such a hard time finding Abby’s house. It’s hard to know where you’re going when the plants move around on you so much.”
All of this was too much for Jason. He stopped walking, sat down on the forest floor, and covered his face with his hands. “This is just a dream. This is just a dream. Come on, Jason. Wake up. Wake up!”
Eric’s eyes widened. He had not expected this reaction. “Jason?” He moved with a slow deliberate pace towards the sitting boy and placed a comforting hand on his shoulder.
Jason bolted up off the ground and yelled, “Wake up!”
“Um, Jason, you are awake. This is real.” Eric’s voice was soft, calm.
“That’s impossible. Everything I’ve seen here is impossible. I can’t be awake. I must have fallen asleep.” Jason was determined not see the world in front of him. Everything, including Eric, was not real, couldn’t be real. He and Aaron and were safe at home, fast asleep in their own beds, or on the couch, somewhere far away from this place.
Unsure of what to do, in such a situation, Eric did the only think he thought appropriate: He pinched Jason on his left arm, hard.
“Ow! What’d you do that for?” Jason said, obviously surprised.
“Couldn’t think of anything else to do. You’re getting a bit hysterical.” Eric’s face was red again, and Jason wondered if he could have imagined someone so easily embarrassed. He thought not. And that, along with the throbbing pain pulsing through his left arm, told him that he was, in fact, awake.
“Okay, so where does this Abby person live, anyway?” Jason asked.
“Not too far. That is, it wouldn’t be too far if the trees were cooperating with me.”
Jason looked around and had a sudden inspiration. Mustering up all the anger he could, he yelled, “Hey! Get out of the way! We’re trying to walk here!”
To both his and Eric’s surprise the trees to their left hopped, shivering out of their way, creating a straight path before them.
“Well, I hadn’t thought of that.” Eric said, impressed.
“I guess you just have to be firm with them.” Jason said. Although he tried to sound as confident as he could, there was something stirring in the back of his mind. How did I know that would work? he thought. It had been a surprise to learn that plants could move like that, so how did he know that trees were a bit more stubborn than most plants?
* * *
“So you have no idea what happened to my brother?” Jason said, after they had walked for thirty minutes in complete silence.
“I have many ideas, but nothing concrete at the moment. That’s why we need help. Abby will be able to find out what happened to your brother. Ah, we’re getting closer.”
In the distance Jason could see a flickering light coming through the trees.
“And who is this friend of yours, again?” Jason asked. He was glad they were coming closer to the edge of the forest.
“Someone you should know pretty well.”
“I don’t know anyone in this place.”
“I think you’ll find you know more about this place than you think you do. Does the name Abigail mean anything to you?”
“Abigail?” Jason thought long and hard about that name. It did sound familiar. “But that’s the name our first cat. She died four years ago when she got hit by a car. What does she have to do with anything?” Jason did not think Eric was referring to his long-dead cat.
“Think harder. When your mom first brought the cat home why did you fight so hard for her name to be Abigail?”
Jason stopped. He couldn’t mean what I think he means? Jason had never told anybody why he liked the name Abigail so much. Eric also stopped and turned around, waiting. Jason looked at him, his hands trembling. “Abigail was the name of the angel in my dreams when I was little. I haven’t dreamt of her since I was nine years old. She was this beautiful woman dressed in white who would talk to me as I slept. If I were having a nightmare she would appear and make everything better. The cat mom brought home was white and when I was playing with her she looked at me and I swore I saw the reflection of Abigail from my dreams. I believed that she was there to protect me. But that was silly kid stuff. Right?”
“And she did, didn’t she? The cat I mean. She protected you?”
Jason nodded. He was stunned, “I always joked that she was like a dog. No one outside of our family could come near me, or she would attack them.”
“Good. You’re starting to get them back.”
They had finally reached the edge of the forest, a small clearing opened up before them. Eric stepped out onto the clearing.
“Get what back?” Jason asked as he too stepped out of the forest.
“Your memories.” Jason couldn’t say anything; his mind was close to overload again.
“Now come on it’s getting late and Aunt Abby would like to see you again. Though I should warn you, she doesn’t look exactly like you remember.”
There was a small cabin in the distance, which stood at the foot of a mountain, the top of which was not visible. Smoke was coming out of the chimney, but instead of fear that he was going to another witch’s cabin, Jason felt a sense of calm and comfort. The smell of chocolate cookies filled the air and Jason soon realized that he was walking faster. Eric was smiling.
As they got closer, the cabin grew in size and clarity. Jason was no longer afraid of what unknown person lay inside, because, for some reason, he was overcome with the feeling that he had been there before.
The cabin was simple in design, not like the jagged edges and instability of the Witch’s cottage. There was a front porch with a rocking chair positioned next to a small wooden bench. The rocking chair rocked back and forth in a slow motion suggesting that its occupant had been sitting in it only moments before. Jason noticed that the arms of the chair looked a little misshapen, bowed like a person larger than the chair was designed for had forced their weight onto the chair. Behind the cabin were a couple of stables, which were empty, and a large well made of gray bricks.
“Everything looks so familiar.” They were about halfway between the forest and the cabin.
“Good. It’ll be easier if you get back your old memories.”
“What will be easier?” Jason asked.
“Just wait. Aunt Abby is better at explaining these things.”
They continued in silence, drawing closer to the cabin. Snatches of distant memories began to slash through Jason’s mind like a slide show moving too fast. He wasn’t able to keep an image long enough to pay close attention to it. Instead he could only retain the feeling of those memories: happiness, comfort, safety, adventure, terror; all coming from a place he had long since forgotten. Early images of a woman in white with long brown hair and a soft expression sitting in a rocking chair were followed by images of being chased through a dark forest (one darker and more terrifying than the forest Jason and Eric had just left), walking in a crowded street, speeding across a grass field on galloping horse, Eric laying on the floor next to a crackling fire, and many others Jason’s mind could not hold onto.
Jason looked up and realized that they were standing on the front porch. Eric motioned for him to knock on the door when a voice came from within the house.
“Well, what’re you waiting for? Come on in. The door’s open.” The voice belonged to an ancient woman—her voice was deep and commanding—one of those women who gave the impression of immortality. There was also a soft tone to her voice as well. Jason felt that this woman could make any stranger feel right at home.
Jason opened the door and was greeted by the smell of food, which recalled a memory when he woke up in his grandmother’s house on Christmas morning, the house filled with the aroma of the day’s feast: baked ham, dressing, cherry and pecan pies. As he walked in, Eric following closely behind him, he saw a living room with two enormous couches and one large fluffy recliner, all positioned around a medium sized fireplace. On either side of the couches were small end tables with many different sized candles. Jason was pleased to see that all of the end tables had all of their legs. The walls were covered with shelves, on which lay hundreds of books and scattered throughout the room on every shelf and all the tables were little animals carved of wood: lions, elephants, eagles, owls, cats, wolves, and many other animals that Jason didn’t recognize. He liked this house.
“I was hoping to have dinner ready before you got here. Oh well, I guess it’ll be ready when it’s ready,” said the ancient voice from the kitchen. Jason imagined the voice belonging to an older woman, but the last image he had of Abigail was a woman in white with long shining hair waving to him on a meadow; this final image came from a dream, the last dream he ever had of her at the age of thirteen. Jason had always felt that it was a sign signaling that he was an adult and didn’t need her protection anymore. Even so, he missed having those dreams.
“Please have a seat. Make yourselves at home. I’ll be with the both of you in a minute.” They both sat down on the couch and waited in silence. Jason had so much on his mind he wasn’t thinking of starting a polite conversation with Eric while they waited. Eric remained silent, which was a surprise to Jason. However, Eric’s feet were performing a bit of an impromptu tap-dance routine on the floor.
Jason was about to speak—just to stop Eric’s tapping feet—when a large woman with the look of being a grandmother many, many times over walked into the room. Needless to say he was a little surprised at seeing this new version of Abigail.
“Don’t look quite the same do I?” She said in a loud, booming voice.
Jason nodded, unable to speak.
“Well, comes with the territory I guess. To tell you the truth, I like this body much better than the one you fashioned for me, Jason. It felt too artificial, too pretty. This body, though it has its faults, has plenty of advantages too. Can you think of any?” Although Abigail’s voice boomed throughout the cabin, it was not loud or overbearing, but the type of voice that just seemed to carry, inviting everyone who heard it in on the fun
Jason answered her question by shaking his head. He was beginning to see the angel he had once dreamed about, but not in her body. The familiarity resided in her warm brown eyes; the same eyes he had come to love as a child. “For example, people don’t look at me like I don’t know what I’m talking about, now they see me and immediately trust me, even if they haven’t seen me before. Interesting how a person’s looks can alter people’s perceptions of them.”
“I guess.” Jason said, finding his tongue. Abigail sat down on the large chair across from Eric and Jason.
“My goodness Jason, you sure have grown.” She paused to get a better look at him. “You have a lot of questions, right?”
“Yes.”
“Like how you and Aaron fell through that tile?” Jason nodded again. “And where exactly you are at this moment? And why you remember me from your past, a past you thought was nothing more than a child’s dream, right?”
“How did you know?” Jason looked at her as if she were reading his mind.
Abigail laughed. It was a hearty infectious laugh. “No my dear boy. I can’t read your mind anymore than you can read mine. At least, not any more. That kind of connection was lost years ago.”
“What are you talking about?” Jason asked.
“What is the first memory you have of me?” Abigail looked straight into Jason’s eyes as if she were searching for the memory herself.
Jason thought for a minute and remembered an incident when he was five years old that involved a very large spider. “It was a spider bite. A big, black spider had crawled out from under our porch and bit my foot. I remember seeing the spider and thinking how cool it looked and then screaming like the world was going to end. It felt like my entire body was burning. My mom and dad took me to the hospital. I had never seen both of them so scared before, which was how I knew something bad must have happened because my mom was crying, telling me that everything was going to be okay. And then I remember falling asleep and dreaming, except this wasn’t like a normal dream. Everything felt so real. I was walking through a bright green meadow, I could even feel the dew cooling the bottom of my feet, and then I saw a small cottage where a woman was sitting on the porch in her rocking chair. It was you, except you were . . . uh. . . uh…” He stuttered.
“Thinner.” Abigail answered for him and then motioned for him to continue.
“I ran into your arms. You hugged me and told me that everything was going to be all right. And then you said, ‘It’s time for you to go home now, Jason’ and I remember not wanting to leave but you insisted that I go back. I woke up in a hospital bed, my parents standing over me. They looked so relieved and happy when I woke up that I completely forgot to tell them about my dream. In fact, I don’t think I ever told them about you.” Jason thought he had a grasp on what was happening. “Am I dreaming?”
“No, I’m afraid not.” Abigail’s eyes lost some of their brightness as she said this.
“Then where am I?”
“What do you think happens when you dream?”
“The brain creates pictures and scenarios from your memory when you’re sleeping. It’s kind of like taking out the trash.”
Abigail gave Jason a surprised look. “Is that what you think?”
Jason was beginning to think that he didn’t give the right answer. “That’s what we’re taught in school. It made sense at the time.”
“Do you remember what it’s like to daydream?” Abigail asked.
Jason nodded, though he was not sure how this question related to the thread of the conversation.
Abigail continued, “When daydreaming your mind wanders and your imagination takes you away from whatever you’re doing at the moment. These take over the mind for a while, that is, until they are interrupted. Where do you think they go when you’re brought back to reality?”
“Where do they go?” Jason shrugged his shoulders, “I guess they just disappear, or are forgotten.” What an absurd question? Jason thought to himself, hoping Abigail really didn’t have the ability to read minds.
“But they don’t. Your dreams and fantasies stick with you, stored away deep within your mind until there is no more room. It is at this point that your brain ‘takes out the trash,’ as you so eloquently put it, in the form of dreams. And when these dreams are released they have to go somewhere don’t they? They don’t just disappear. They have substance, weight. Things with substance don’t disappear.”
“But where do they go?” Jason felt as if he was sitting in a Calculus class and the teacher was speaking a foreign language.
“It’s not where they go, but what they become. Your dreams, your fantasies, are real. While they may not affect the world you live in directly, they do take a life of their own and carve out a place of their own, here. Each new dream adds to the complexity of this world and, depending on the imagination of the individual, can become as real as the world you live in.”
“What are you saying?” Jason was becoming frustrated. “That someone created this world through their dreams?”
“No one created this world. From the first creative impulse, the first imaginative leap, this world has existed.”
“Then why isn’t this world more complex? I mean, everybody dreams don’t they? Wouldn’t this world contain the dreams of every living person on this planet? Two cabins in a forest isn’t all that imaginative, is it?” Jason did not want to believe what Abigail was saying, though the fact that he was sitting on her couch gave her a measure of credibility.
“Do you think this is the only section of this world? But we’ll get to the current lack of imaginative flair later. Suffice it to say, not everyone has a strong imagination. Most fantasies don’t have very much depth, thus they don’t have the strength to make it this far. Some do, but not many.”
“What do you mean ‘make it this far’?” Jason asked.
“Didn’t you feel a sense of familiarity with this place once you stepped through the doorway?”
Jason nodded. “Yes, I felt I had been here before, but there was something different about it, too.”
“You see, when you were younger you were… appointed. Yes, that’s the right word. Everything you see before you is the signature you left on world when you arrived, with the exception of me, of course.”
“Where do you come from?” Jason interrupted.
“Somewhere else.” Abigail smiled and continued, considering the matter closed. “You left a mark on this world even after you stopped believing in it. And a few years later, Aaron happened to stumble upon it while he was sleeping one night and started adding things of his own.”
“Aaron’s been here before?” For some reason unknown to Jason, jealousy welled up in his stomach. “What did he change?”
“He added that doorway.”
“I didn’t?”
“No, you didn’t, but your brother did. He wanted somewhere where he could run away, so he could stop being a burden on you and your parents. He fantasized about it so much that eventually it became a reality, something I don’t think he was expecting.” A sad smile crossed Abigail’s face.
“Aaron wanted to run away?” The jealousy that had sprung within Jason vanished.
Abigail nodded.
“I didn’t mean to be to that mean to him.” Jason said.
“No one ever does.” There was a pause in the conversation as Abigail allowed for all of this to sink in, finding out that you’re in a world of dreams is a little hard to grasp after all. Eric continued to sit there, listening to the entire conversation with a growing interest.
“So this is all my fault.” Jason lowered his head and thought about how terrified his brother must have been to create a door to another world.
“Don’t think that Jason. After all, you are not the only one with a powerful imagination and not all of them think of happy places and things.” Jason looked up at Abigail and saw that her eyes were some how darker than when he first walked through the door.
“So what do I have to do to get him back?” A newfound determination filled Jason; he was ready to take on whoever had done this to him and his family.
Abigail smiled and stood up from her chair and made her way into the kitchen. “First, we eat. No use saving the world on an empty stomach. Go ahead and pull the table closer.”
Jason looked around and saw that there were only a few end tables, nothing that resembled a table that all of them could’ve eaten on. “What table?”
Abigail poked her head out of the kitchen and saw the dilemma. “Oh I knew I’d forgotten something. Hey! You lazy piles of wood! Come on now, people’ve got to eat.” She clapped her hands and the end tables scattered about the living room started to move, positioning themselves in front of Eric and Jason forming a table at just the right height. Jason’s mouth was hanging open. Laughing, Eric reached a hand to Jason’s chin and closed his mouth.
They ate in relative silence except for the occasional muttering about the quality of the food, which was very good. Jason could not remember having a home cooked meal that was good; his mother was not very good in the kitchen, but she tried. No one ever said anything; they just shoveled it down their throats. Jason immediately thought of one his mother’s famous meals; Aaron was only a baby and had just started eating adult food. Aaron took one bite and started crying, throwing the food all over the place. Indeed, Aaron’s dislike of the food was so severe that both Jason and his mother had to duck beneath the table to avoid being hit by flying food. They had pizza that night. Jason couldn’t help but laugh.
“It’s about time you smiled.” Eric said.
“What were you thinking of?” Abigail said as she started gathering the dirty plates. They had just finished.
“My brother, when he was little.” He told them the story. They both laughed. It was nice to hear laughter again, Jason thought. He’d forgotten how it felt, but Jason soon felt ashamed and his eyes drifted to the floor.
“I think it’s about time the two of you set off.” Abigail said from the kitchen.
“Where?” Eric and Jason said in unison.
Abigail rolled her eyes as she stepped back into the living room, “To rescue your brother, of course. The two of you should really keep up with the conversation.” She walked over to one of the end tables and reached for its drawer, but the end table was feeling a little playful, dodging her every attempt to grab hold of it. After a minute of chasing the renegade table, Abigail finally caught it and shook it. “Now that’s enough. Come on, open up.” The drawer opened and she reached in pulling out plain wooden ring hanging on a string of leather. “This is for you Jason.” She moved behind Jason and tied the leather string around his neck so the ring hung just above his heart.
“What’s this?” Jason asked at first, but when he touched the wooden ring to examine it his stomach took a leap like he was falling.
“It’s a little something that’ll help you along the way. Think of it as a kind of guide.” Abigail looked at him, and in her eyes Jason could see that the little wooden ring was something more than a sample guide.
“What does it do?” Jason asked, not really aware of his voice. He was lost in thought, wondering why the ring would seem so familiar.
“Its powers depend on the wearer.” Abigail took the ring, held it gently for a moment and placed it beneath Jason’s shirt. The ring grew warm as it touched his chest.
“So what am I supposed to do?” Jason asked.
“You’re going to walk out that door and head due south until you run into a very tall mountain. At the top of that mountain is where you’re going to find Aaron.”
“And how do I get him away from the Witch?”
“The Witch that you speak of is called Grizelda, but she’s not the one that you have to worry about. She’s only doing as she’s told. There’s another, more powerful witch that lives on top of that mountain, and she’s the one that’s holding your brother.”
“And what’s her name?”
Abigail paused, her eyes wandering far off into the distance. When she came back she shook her head and said, “I know who she used to be, not who she is now. I only know that she’s becoming more and more powerful as time goes on. There’s only one thing holding her back right now.”
“What’s that?” Jason asked.
Abigail’s response was quick, “You.”
Jason blinked in surprise.
“I just hope that you can rescue your bother before it’s too late.” Abigail’s expression darkened as she said this. Jason felt that she was holding something back, but pushed the thought out of his mind. Rescuing Aaron was the only important thing. Abigail continued, “Eric’s going to go with you so you’ll have company as well as an extra set of eyes.” She turned to Eric and looked him straight in the eye, “You’re to protect Jason and make sure that he makes it to the Dark Mountain, okay?” Eric’s nod was almost too excited. Jason took in Eric’s small frame and wondered how much protection his new friend could provide.
Abigail turned from Eric, walked to the wall behind her, pulled down two short swords off the wall, and handed one to Eric and one to Jason. “These’ll help.” There were two thin strands of leather attached to their sheaths. Both Jason and Eric took the swords and tied the two strips of cloth around their waists. Jason thought that he and Eric looked a little awkward; he glanced at Eric and realized that they were thinking the same thing.
“Now Jason, you may have once been a powerful forced in this world, but there’re a lot of things that you didn’t create. Eric knows his way around. Follow his lead. You two better hurry, it’s getting dark.” The last objects she handed them were two backpacks filled with an extra set of clothes, food, equipment to make a shelter and three water bags that hung on the outside. “All right, your ready to go. Is there anything else either of you can think of?”
“No.” Eric said.
“”I don’t think so.” Jason swung the backpack over his shoulder and was surprised to find it extremely light.
“Well, I wish the both of you good luck.”
Eric opened the door and all three of them walked outside onto the front porch. Abigail hugged them and kissed them on the forehead, once again wishing them luck. Eric and Jason were only a few feet from the house when Jason stopped and turned back to Abigail. “I just have one last question.”
“Yes.”
“You said that you once could read my thoughts but not anymore, why is that?”
Abigail smiled, “Because you stopped believing in me and when your brother was born I started to protect him. I guess the best way to explain it is by saying that I was passed on to Aaron once you felt that you were too old to believe in fairy tales any more. Aaron’s belief in this world and me changed quite a few things, as you’ll start to notice. My appearance was only the first thing that changed. I had to become someone who Aaron could trust. His vision of me is slightly different from the one you had of me, but I’m still the same… person.”
Jason nodded his understanding—as much understanding as could be expected from him at that moment—and waved goodbye. He and Eric turned south and started towards the forest. There was a pang of fear in Jason’s heart: fear for Aaron, fear for himself, and fear of what lie ahead.
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