Dreamcatcher

Marius had what many people would call OCD, but he defined it as a liking to things being in the right place.

For example, lines were supposed to be on the floor, angles were supposed to be on the walls. It was just common sense, really.

He was now standing at the door, looking inside the newly redecorated living room. It had been built to face East, so one could make the most of the lights and shades provided by the sun. He had also made sure all the four windows on that same wall held identical glazing bars, allowing the sunlight to project lines on the floor. The laminate floor was light oak, so that the dark shadow lines could be more evident. The ornaments, all of them displaying geometrical shapes, were also positioned strategically so that their shade would collide with the walls, providing the foretold angles.

That living room was his little haven.

Marius smiled in satisfaction and stepped in – avoiding the lines on the floor, obviously. He sat on a brown armchair placed between the two central windows and let his eyes wander outside.

He had bought the countryside house a few months after his retirement, and to that day he was sure it was the best investment he could have done.

No more city lights and ambulance noises, now he only practiced stargazing and only listened to the birds' songs.

And to his doorbell, he was reminded as its sound broke his moment of mindfulness.

He rose to his feet and walked towards the front door, already knowing who he would see on the other side.

It was Sally, the young lady that lived across the street. She was the only person in the neighborhood who was still far from her 60’s. When he once asked her why she had moved to a small town with 300 people, she had told him that she was a writer, there was no other way. Marius was yet to understand what she meant, but didn’t want to push.

“Hi, Sally.” He greeted her.

“Good morning, Marius!” She replied, a friendly smile on her face.

She carried a backpack that rivaled her own size and weight.

The man smiled back and moved to the side, in a silent invitation for her to come in.

Sally accepted, not bothering to clean her shoes on the carpet that said “clean your shoes”, let alone take them off and walk bare feet as Marius did.

She strode to the kitchen. He waited until he heard her pulling a chair and sitting, he knew better than watch her step on the lines of the tiles. It made him feel sick in the stomach.

He joined her a minute later and proceeded to put water in the kettle, to make them some coffee.

Sally put her backpack on the marble table, much to Marius’ chagrin. God only knew where else the bag had been and how many microorganisms were now landing on his piece of furniture.

“I brought you a gift, Marius. You’re gonna love it!” She stated, chuckling and standing to her feet, so she could have better access to her belongings.

When he looked in her direction he saw that half of the content of her backpack was already spread across his kitchen.

“I bet I will.” Marius retorted, a grimace on his face. He poured boiling water in a French press coffee maker, grabbed two twin mugs, and brought them to the table along with a pair of drink coasters.

Sally was still busy with her tackle.

“Found it!” She yelled in victory. She held a little package and handed it to him.

Marius took it and opened it carefully, making sure not to damage the wrapping paper. He then picked a circular handcrafted item, something he had never seen before.

He brought it to eye level to examine it. It had a thin frame strung with loose webbing forged into a pattern around a central hole. It was decorated with colorful feathers and crystals.

“It’s a dreamcatcher. People use it to avoid bad dreams, so it’s usually placed in the bedroom, though I brought it for you to put in your living room. Is the renovation finished yet?”

The man was a little bit dumbfounded by her gesture. He recalled having mentioned the work in progress in his house, but never expected her to remember it, much less to get him a gift to garnish the room.

“Yes, it’s finished, just finished yesterday, actually.”

“So what you say we go and find a place for this?” She took the dreamcatcher in her own hands and stalked to the living room.

Marius followed her, coffee mugs forgotten on the table.

The woman had no respect for the lines on the floor, as expected, and seemed to intentionally step on each one of them.

Even though that was a sacred place to Marius, he let her go in and inspect every corner. She touched the ornaments, going from one side to the other, observing every detail. The light cast through the windows was now being projected over her body, and reflecting different shapes on the walls, sometimes giving the illusion that Sally was dancing.

Oddly, it didn’t disturb him too much, and he didn’t avert his eyes.

After some roaming around, Sally came to a halt, dangerously close to one of the windows. Before Marius could intervene, she stepped on the leather armchair, shoes still on, and wrapped the string that held the dreamcatcher around the curtain pole.

Divided between passing out or chiding because of her demeanor, he found himself, once again, speechless.

Sally jumped to the floor and turned in his direction, placing her hands on her waist and flashing white teeth.

“Beautiful, isn’t it?”

Marius looked at the dreamcatcher, then let his head turn towards the walls. New shapes were swinging all across them, none of them matching or opposing the ones he had chosen before.

Suddenly he wasn’t annoyed anymore.

He walked in and stopped by Sally’s side, both staring at the dreamcatcher, catching lights and shadows, and playing with them.

“You’re right, Sally. It’s beautiful.”

Later that night, when a happy Sally had already gone back home and he was once again alone in the serenity of his living room, he sat on the chair and fell asleep there.

He dreamed of warm days, full of colors and shapes.