Dreamland

I awaken to the sounds of pan flutes and it fills me with dread. I'm still dreaming and as I open my eyes to take in the fizzy purple sky, I let out a heavy sigh. It dawns on me that I am in Dreamland. A unique type of lucid dream, with a fantasy, video game-like backdrop. like it was designed by an eight-year-old girl,  filled with cartoonish characters and epic quests. Something that is best to be ignored according to my therapist who, I suspect,  thinks I'm lying.  When I  first appeared here in dreamland, as I call it, the place seemed charming and fun. Now it's annoying.

As I lie in this ridiculous field and take in the garishly purple, bubbly sky I resign to the idea that  I'm not done here. The show, apparently, must go on. I had thought that last time was enough,  my therapist had even said it sounded like closure but no, here I am lying in a meadow surrounded by dancing fawn and frolicking deer with a distinct unmistakable path, that I should clearly take. As far as I can remember I have done about seven of these quests leading up to the final battle with an evil witch queen who I had been hunting. I won the day simply by drawing the blade of heroes that I had previously found, causing her to disappear in a puff of smoke. It was a bit of a disappointment if I'm honest,  although the whole thing had been against my will I would have at least liked a decent fight but she just vanished as soon as I drew the blade. Shame really but I'm still glad it was finally over at least had hoped so evidently I was wrong.

Then, before I could lie here and ignore the now glowing path any longer, one of the super fluffy pink cotton candy clouds forms a fist, flips me off, and then changes into an angry red stormcloud just to assault me with hail. You see that's the problem with dreamland it's controlling. Do one thing wrong, or stray away from the main questline, and it will punish you. Usually causing me to wake up in a cold sweat and have to do it all again the next night until the quest is complete. I have found it much simpler and easier just to go along. I once spent a whole month just trying to run away each time my feet would erode and shatter causing me to wake up with cramps in my legs. 

Reluctantly I pick myself up, groaning like a rusty gate. I rise in this meadow of rainbows, trampling the bright flowers and kicking any lams that cross my path out the way. I shuffle towards the stupid mushroom village on the horizon, no doubt they're already halfway through a song, and I wonder what they could possibly have in store for me now, the distant sounds of celebration begin creeping into my ears.

As I approach I see banners and a float of my face, there I am the boring face of peat the account by day but to them the inspiring visage of their hero at night the “snugooldpuffs saveur”. Still throwing a parade in my honor is embarrassing and too much especially with the theme “friendship wins the day”. I wouldn't call anyone to hear my friend but I suppose  I did have a few followers that I was forced to gather along the way. At first, they proved to be distracting at least but grew to be incredibly annoying and overly zealous about the whole killing the evil queen thing and so I try to ignore them as much as dreamland would allow.

As I make my way through the village the crowds covered me in confetti, a party hat, and flowers. Shaking it all off I head towards the inn, not that anyone hears drinks. As far as I could tell the whole purpose of this building is as a starting off point for me to go and receive my next quest, occasionally there would be another snugoldpuffs drinking, but never enough to justify a business. They only serve what I found out to be slushies or milk in exchange for hugs I mean really, why? 

Trying to move things along as fast as possible I push through the swing doors to the innkeeper, a  stocky character with a big beard and bigger ears. His only redeeming quality is that he doesn't sing much.

I drag my feet up to the bar and ask

“ Alright. why am I here?”

To witch  Keny, the barman then processed to proclaim loudly to all around

“Why we are all here to celebrate you, hero! and your great deeds”

After putting that show he then, all too eagerly, leans in and whispers loudly behind a raised hand. 

“There's a meaning of the fellowship downstairs in the back. The password is Melkon, a friend in elvish” 

He winks at me and nods me towards the cellar door

Rolling my eyes I walk to the back and head down to the cellar. Kicking open the door I enter a completely darkened room, with a single lamp hanging above a small table. This makeshift spotlight is then hurriedly lit by unknown hands. clearly, an attempt at creating some sort of dramatic meeting of mystery and is unmistakably the work of the edge lord vampire, Tron. He is the first one of my followers who had sworn a blood oath to me because I was forced to save his life that one time. After I had saved him from the evil queen he thanked me by forming the fellowship with a blood oath and following me around. On top of that, he then had the audacity to hijack me into dating his sister. It went terribly. Begrudgingly I sit down in the nearest chair when a cloud of purple smoke reveals him in the chair opposite me. After a couple of deep breaths, I look him straight in the eye and through gritted teeth said

“Alright let's get this over with why am I here?”

"she's still out there"

He whispers as if it was forbidden knowledge.

“she ran away. Isn't that enough?”

I bark back as I feel my patience draw thin.

“No, we need to be sure we're safe. We need to kill her”

Tron replies with far too much glee in his eyes

As I go to protest more I feel a warning pulse from the room 

“Ugh fine” I lament .” well where do we think she is then?”

as I finally accept his bloodlust

Before he can answer, just as dramatically as the first fellow of the friendship arrived, Snowy the dwarf forces his way in. Breaking down the door with his ax, and loudly exclaiming “”sagh”, which I learned is friends in dwarven. He is swiftly followed by Arms, the token elf of the group. As they enter the room, Arms starts chastising Snowy for not being more subtle "this is supposed to be a secret meeting" and so an argument ensures. 

These two members are by far the most nauseating and ridiculous characters in the whole dreamland constantly arguing with each other. I have to leave before this gets tedious. So I start looking for the shortcut I found a while back in the form of the gnome who takes the minutes of the meetings. He may not be one of the fellowships but he does seem to have all the useful information and he is much more sensible and so in the past, I have found it faster just to ask him what needed to be done. Spying him in the corner I walk over and quietly ask 

“Where do I need to go?”

“Ermm they were planning on  going back to her castle to look for clues.” 

He nervously replies  watching the chaos of Snowy and Arms fight

“Ok I'm heading out see you there”

 I call back to the rest of the party as I make my swift exit

“We should go together”

 Tron begins to protest but I've already left.

As I head up out of the cellar I see her.  She's at the bar. just sitting there the evil witch queen, Why hasn't anyone else spotted her and they're all just acting as if she's invisible. I mean she's not wearing her evil witch queen getup just some plain clothes and she looks human but it's definitely her. After a moment of confusion I'm flooded with relief  maybe this will be over with sooner than I thought, I let out a whoop and a smile forms on my face

As I move closer I spot her drink, not a slushy or milk but, a whisky on the rocks, an actual alcoholic drink. I can smell it. 

This is so odd and out of place it throws me for a loop and so instead of attacking I find myself forced to ask

 “How did you get that?”

She looks at me like I wasn't supposed to be able to see her and her autopilot takes over.  “ It's called dad's juice.”She says with no emotion as I can visibly see her trying to figure out what is happening. She's not acting on the script and she doesn't want to attack me either. She's not some sort of caricature she's hesitating and dreamland isn't responding to what's going on. this is new. 

“Are you real?” I ask 

“Are you?” She shoots back instantly

Then there's a look of recognition on her face, her eyes go wide and she turns bright red. Peat?. She squeaks out more of a statement than a question

I silently nod, how douse she know me? Who is she?

 Then she lets out an eeep her hands cover her face and she disappears in a puff of pink smoke. 

After a moment of confusion I look around completely dumbstruck, take a sip of her drink. It really is whisky. then as the penny drops and dreamland catches up forcing me awake. Hungover with the taste of whisky in my mouth.

Who was that? How did she know me? 

A simple innocent earth-shattering message from an unknown number appears on my phone a few hours later. 

Hey, did I see you at the bar last night?