Children of Morpheus

Chapter 10

    I found myself wandering on the cemetery, staring at my parent's tombstone as I remembered dad's funeral before I left this town. I've known that something is wrong within this simple community, but I never knew that the wrongness is this dangerous and extreme. The sun hasn't yet risen from the east as I stared blankly at the ground, even I know that they are not inside their coffins. But it's the only thing that kept me from going insane. My emotions swirled up inside me as I waited for it to tore me down, but nothing came out. 

    Seeing my mom in my dreams is terrifying, especially her looks, her voice, and how she stared at me, haunts me every waking moment of my life. And now, every sleeping moment of my life I will see her too, reminding me those keys. Since I got the Key of Spirits, I have a feeling that it will remind me over and over again to get to the next key.

    The sound of the iron gates clanging and screeching across the road from the corner was loud and clear, as a huge black dog appeared and peered around with its head slipped between bars. I started walking to the sidewalk and hurried myself to get home. But something kept bugging me, the monsters never saw my mom, and she was buried in this town because dad and I were always visiting her every Halloween. So, what really happened to her?

    As the sun made its way to dawn, I turned the knob and swung the door open. The wind blew a cold breeze that made it chilly outside. Twitting birds and buzzing bees came flying as the flowers were blooming and fewer by the night. Dried leaves rolled over from the wind and dances in mid-air, falling from the trees. I stepped inside the house and saw Dean walking down the steps as he was still yawning.  

    “Let's talk in the kitchen.” He instructed as he covered his mouth. 

    I followed him and stood beside the countertop as he heats a kettle on the stove on an island. He pointed at the cups, as I slowly fixed them on a tray with sugar cubes on a small bowl. The kettle whistled as a complete silence took over the kitchen. He poured the hot water on the cup as I brought it to the table. 

    “I found the Key of Spirits, Dean.” I started as he froze from spinning his teaspoon on the cup. “And I found out that mom was never buried here.”

“Candice was never buried here,” he said as he looked down on his cup, his tears shed on his eyes while he moaned. “She was taken days after you were born by a small troop of fairies.” He sobbed and dropped the spoon.

    "W-what?"

    "When Candice was discharged from the hospital with you in Alderwright, we were so happy. Especially your dad, it was all sunny and rainbows back then." He smiled as he kept remembering. But it quickly faded in to a trembling weep. "On the first night on one of the Williams house in Alderwright, heavily armored fairies broke in. Your dad and I did all we can do to keep you and your mother safe. Then we heard Candice scream and you crying. We saw you being carried by a fairy and your mom unconscious in the other one's shoulder. Your dad managed to get you back but I failed to―" he stopped and his tears flooded his eyes.

    "That's why dad never liked to tell stories about my mom's family. About you. He blamed you, because you didn't save her." My heart fell and shattered. "So back in Pearl Hollow, that is the second time you see me? Not from far away or in dreams."

    He nodded and smiled.   

    I fisted my hands as I remembered the fairy that Alexander killed back at the old cemetery. My mind shook as my tears flowed from my eyes. 

    “Can you hand me a tissue.” Dean requested as I kept fisting my hand, a roll turned my mind while I shut eyes, controlling my anger. “What did you do?” Dean's voice took over again, as I looked at him. “Your hands are glowing.” He said as I shook my hands, trembling.  

    “What happened?” I asked him and remembered my nightmare visions. My hands gleamed and my dream about mom appeared in front of us on the table in a glowing and moving light like in the movies. I trembled as Dean watched my dream.

    “The first Children of Morpheus have a special connection to the god, which made them powerful,” he explained as he gazed at me and smile. “You have that connection.”     

    Then the bell rang on the front door as I slowly walked towards it. I peeked on the peephole and saw Alexander waiving both of his hands right at me, I turned the knob and swung it.

    “It's called ghouls.” He said as he walked in, smiling. “The creatures that eats the flesh of the dead are called ghouls.” He explained with a smile in  his face.

“Why are you not shaken up from those things?” I grilled as I sucked all of the new information on my mind.

    “Got chased two times by demons that smelled like rotten eggs and a demon dog, so—” He replied and smile as my eyes widen. "I pretty got used to the all supernatural things."

    Did I also mention that Alexander was a nerd. And almost every girl in Keyshade High thinks he's a hot nerd. What is wrong with this world! And now, there are demons! This world is crazy, I thought. 

    I hurried to the steps as they looked at me. I locked the door and lie down on my bed, to get things clear out of my mind. I shut my eyes and think, a few seconds later, I found myself in a very different world. This is a dream, I said to myself.

    The sky was full of colors as the ground shook and everything starts to float around as is there was no gravity, I even floated with everything that surrounded me! Then a creature from the Greek myths came into my sight. A satyr peered around the tree beside him was a sword stabbed on the stone. I struggle to float around helplessly. Then the earth shivered as everything dropped down and now turned the earth into a slime pit-like ground. I was being swallowed by the dirt beneath me. The place was chaotic. The half-man, half-goat moved towards me and jumped to drowning stones as he pulled me back up. His pipe swings in his neck like a pendulum of a grandfather clock. He smiled and dusted me. He opened his mouth, and just like that, I was pulled back to the shadows of the void.

    “Rafael,” a voice took over the endless darkness. It called me as I paced around me. “Rafael, this is the god of dreams, Morpheus!” The voice screamed with the thundering sound roaring as I hurled into the air and landed on my back.  

    I opened my eyes as my heart is hammering very loudly. I gasped for air as my breathing came heavily. It happened so fast, I said to myself as I jerked my feet and paced down the steps. Alexander was smiling, telling the story to Dean as they gazed at me, panting very hard with a straight face. 

    “What happened to you?” Dean asked as I shut my eyes. “You've been gone for thirty minutes.”

    “I fell asleep and the god Morpheus took me somewhere that is absolutely crazy,” I replied as I sat down and hit my head on the table. "And he talked to me and threw me in the air." 

    “Not even one of us can go to the Dream Realm, Rafael.” Dean said as Alexander looked at me smiling. "Not all Children of Morpheus have access to the Dream Realm―a chaotic realm that is filled with dreams of millions of people."

    "Rafael, you are really gifted to be favored by the old gods." Alexander said smiling at me and at uncle Dean.

    "What are you doing here, again?" I asked in annoyance.

    "I'm telling your uncle what you did on the old cemetery." 

    I look at Dean and hold Alexander in his shoulder. "Did he already told you this? Sleep."

    Alexander's head dropped on the table with a bang. Dean quickly stood from his chair and checked him if he's still alive. He glared at me as I slowly walked to the telephone near the kitchen. But Dean's eyes were like a hawk. His sight followed me that gave me goosebumps in my bones. 

    "He's fine! He's just asleep!" I yelled from behind the kitchen counter.

    This is a lot of revelation for one day, I thought. Finding out what really happened to mom made me feel a little relieve. Because now, I have some of my questions answered.    

    Alexander woke up an hour after I put him to sleep, I think he may have a nightmare because of his constant pleading and screaming when his sleeping. And I already called Chad to ask if I can go to his burnt family manor. He already said yes, but he need to go with me because he also need something from the manor. He is apparently here in Silver Keyshade. So he will  be joining me tomorrow. 

    I don't know if it is safe to use my powers this night since Dean already hid mom's Dream Shear and I don't need it. And maybe Alexander was right. That I was gifted to be favored by the gods. But I feel this "gift" is not a gift at all. Everything has a price, nothing is free now a days. 

    I glanced outside the window and looked at the purplish dark blue sky. The stars twinkled  with the smiling moon while thin clouds slithered away like snakes in the heavens. I opened the window and let the cold night breeze come in and fill the room. The curtains flowed like the ocean, that reminded me of Pearl Hollow. Even though I stayed there for a while, the scenery in that place is amazing.

    I can still remember what uncle Dean told me. The truth about my mom and how she died. And I can't get over the fact that dad kept this secret from me. Remembering them with the secrets that is unraveling itself over time is hard. especially if the secret is painful to admit. But still, I need to know what can I do.

    I shut my eyes and let myself think of an apple in my hand. Focus, Rafael. you need to focus. The lamp still flickered underneath my bed but it's fine. It is safe, unless there is a monster called boogey man.

    "Rafael, concentrate." I sais aloud to myself.

    My hands start to gleam like the bulb in the ceiling but instead of a bright light, it gave an eerie tainted glow. An orb of light start to shift in my palm, as it slowly turned red and mold into an apple.

    I did it!

    Maybe I can turn this apple into a fire, I thought. Then I remembered the the blazing heat of the fire in the accident. My hands glowed brightly as fire burst around me. I quickly stood in shock as my hands kept being like a firefly. I panicked as a water came into my mind. Then a force of flowing water came pouring out from both of my palm like hose or even a fireman. 

    And finally my hands' light slowly faded away so is the fire and the water. But the fire left a burned and wet carpet in my room. I'm dead! Completely lead. I quickly rolled the carpet and threw it in the window and I will deal with it tomorrow.

    I jumped on my bed  and let the cold night embrace me as I let my eyes got heavy and sleep through.