Madam Magnius, Dream Interpreter

A.N.

This is a collaboration with Caroline Fonteno, and Breckin Northrup! Go check them and their AMAZING stories out!!

https://blog.reedsy.com/creative-writing-prompts/author/l-o-8e780c/

https://blog.reedsy.com/creative-writing-prompts/author/caroline-fonteno/

Enjoy!!

If you didn’t know the legend about the witch that interpreted people’s dreams, you were a nobody. A loser. A rando from the west coast where nobodies tended to live. If you didn’t know the legend of Madam Magnius, and didn’t believe in her, let me tell you, that these stories are sure to change your mind.

Glynn’s POV

It was a gloomy day in the small town of Tear Creek, and I sat in my dimly lit room, reading on a big blue bean bag. 

Patter, patter, patter, patter.

I watched as the raindrops darted toward my window and slowly slid down. Awakening me from my trance of watching out the window at the dark gray clouds as they moved across the sky, was a knock at my door.

Assuming it was my annoying little sister, I called, “Emelia, go away! I’m. . . doing homework!” I lied, wanting peace and quiet to myself.

The door opened and hit the wall, denting it, with a deafening thud. I was about to yell at Emelia, when I realized that it wasn’t Emelia at all. It was my best friend, Kiana. 

“Girl, I could never imagine you doing homework on a cloudy, rainy day. I mean, who does that?” Kiana said, flipping her dark, rich hair with blue streaks out of her face.

“Kiana!” I exclaimed, racing to give her a hug. I released my grip, and asked, “What are you doing here?”

“Hey, Glynn! Can’t a girl come say hello to her best friend?” Kiana asked, plopping down on my bed.

I folded my arms across my body and gave her a look. “I know there’s a bigger reason than that!” I said with conviction in my tone.

She sighed, hating to know that I'd caught her. “Yep, Glynn, I want to go to Madam Magnius.” She admitted.

I opened my eyes wide, and my jaw dropped to the floor. “You’re kidding?” I laughed. “Right?”

She shook her head. “Girl, come on! We can take the golf cart up to the mountain where the witch lives. When we get there, we can go to the house where she is, and she can interpret our dreams!” Kiana said, revealing her plan like it’d been on her mind for the past year.

“You really believe that garbage?” I asked her.

She sighed. “Are you kidding, Glynn?” You don’t believe it?” 

“No, Kiana, I don’t. So there’s no reason to go. Would you like me to take you home now, or can you get there on your own?” I said, annoyed that she obviously wouldn’t leave me alone. I could only take so much of Kiana.

Groaning, Kiana said, “Oh, Glynn! Don’t be like that! Please. Please!”

I contemplated for a little bit before coming to my answer. NO! But still, I said, “Will you leave me be, and not make me go on these random adventures, if I go this time and this time only?”

She squinted at me, skeptically. “Fine. Now get on a raincoat and shoes and let's go!” She ran out of my room and I got dressed into a bright yellow raincoat and red galoshes.

I walked outside with a black umbrella and saw that Kiana was waiting in the golf cart. Her dad was a golfer who participated in professional golf tournaments, and in our neighborhood, you had to be at least 12 to drive a golf cart. Kiana and I were both fourteen.

As soon as I sat down in the golf cart, Kiana hit the gas and started driving up the hill to Madam Magnius’ tent where she interpreted dreams. 

The ride up the dirt hill was bumpy because of the rocks and tan colored dirt that lined the road. There were old, dark, dead trees that lined the road, and were dropping sticks into the road, and Kiana had to swerve around them.

As we drove around the corner of the hill, a big tent came into sight. It looked hippy, and colorful smoke was flying around it.

Kiana parked the golf cart just outside the tents, and hopped out. I followed her to the entrance of Madam Magnius’s tent, and she walked inside.

Madam Magnius sat at a table, with a crystal ball in front of her. She had dark brown, wavy hair, and emerald green eyes. She looked up at Kiana and I and smiled, a bright white smile. “Girls, come sit.”

She pointed to small stools, and we sat down. 

“Now,” She said, looking into the crystal ball. “What can Madam Magnius do for you today?”

I looked at Kiana, and Kiana looked at me, before Kiana said, “We need you to interpret our dreams.”

“Need?” Madam Magnius asked.

“Well, I guess we want you to interpret our dreams. I’ll go first.”

“Name?” Madam Magnius asked.

“Kiana Raine Youth.” Kiana stated her full name and Madam Magnius stared deep into Kiana’s bright green eyes. 

“Look.” Madam Magnius said, pointing to her crystal ball.

Kiana stared into the ball and got lost in a trance. When the crystal ball stopped playing after a moment, Kiana got up and smiled.

“Happy?” Madam Magnius asked, smiling.

“Yes!” Kiana said, running out of the tent to wait in the golf cart for me. I could hear her singing to herself. Something about becoming a real princess.

Madam Magnius didn’t have to tell me what to do; she already knew that I’d watched Kiana do it.

“Name?” She asked.

“Glynn Eleanor Green.” I stated.

I could feel Madam Magnius’ eyes on me as she stared at me. And then I could feel something in my body. It felt like Madam Magnius was poking around for information in my soul! She pointed at the crystal ball and I looked into it.

There I stood, wearing all black. I had a black cape draped over me, black sunglasses, and my brown hair flew in the wind. A group of smiling children stood behind me. And I. . .

I grabbed them and. . . killed them.

Madam Magnius looked up at me. “Glynn, I’m afraid death isn’t coming for you, but you are death.”

Tracy’s POV

A black figure meted out of the shadows grabbing me before I could scream. Bringing me to the mountain hill volcano. I tried to get out of his grasp but it was no use. He pushed me in. I could hear my screams echoing as I plunged towards the lava below.

I woke up in a cold sweat. My dream had seriously freaked me out. I immediately knew what I needed to do. I had to go to Madam Magnuis. The dream interpreter. I needed to make sure that dream wasn’t anything bad. I had never been to Madam Magnuis’s because I didn't believe in those things. Or at least that’s what I told people when they asked because I didn’t want to say the real reason. I was scared. Scared of what I would be told. What she would find in my dreams.

Still I got up and got dressed. I went down stairs, left a note for my parents and left the house. The porch of our small white house had a swinging bench on it. I considered sitting down and never getting up. Sorting through the dream on my own but I knew that that would just make it worse so I took a step of truth. 

I walked down the long straight street to the big building at the end. With the Limestone walls and the dark oak doors with golden handles it was over all intimidating. The huge building was surrounded by equaling as daunting grounds. There were windows that I was sure people were watching me from but maybe that was just my nerves getting the best of me. There was a big porch at the front. I walked up and  took a deep breath before taking the door knocker and rapping twice.

“Come in.” A voice called. 

I pushed open the door, stepped inside, and gasped. Marble floors with beautiful rugs, the limestone walls had vanished revealing cream white colored walls with paintings and tapestries on them. There were windows about the place and I could see the beautiful grounds outside. Even though they were daunting they were still beautiful. A huge fireplace sat on the far wall surrounded by comfy looking chairs and sofas that made me want to sink down into them and never get up. But that wasn’t what I had come for. Not the views or the comfy cushions. I had come to find out about my dream. To have it interpreted. The thought alone made me shiver. What if the dream meant something bad. What if I was going to die! I took another deep breath gritting my teeth as I walked over to the counter where a man in a black suit was standing.

“Hello, I have come to see Madam Magnius.” I said mustering up as much confidence as I could.

“Of course you are.”  The man said, rolling his eyes. 

I sighed. Was I nt going to be able to see Madam Magnius dream interpreter? Fortunately the man said

“Right this way.” 

He stepped out from the counter and motioned for me to follow him. We walked out of the beautiful room and down a hallway before stopping at a closed door. 

“Madam will be with you shortly. Please sit and wait, do not touch anything.” The man instructed me.

I nodded and he opened the door. I stepped inside and the door closed behind me. The room had plush sofas with a small fire pit. There was a circle of rocks on the ground. In that circle stood a stand and on that stand was a blue ball. It was so clear and stunning. I moved to sit down on the sofa taking my eyes off of the breathtaking ball. The rest of the room was fairly plain. It had pale blue walls with a few pictures on them. I was just bringing my eyes back to the crystal ball when someone opened the door and walked inside. The woman had jet black hair, crystal blue eyes, and was wearing a midnight blue dress.

“Welcome, you must be my new dream interpreter. My apprentice.” The woman who I assumed was Madam Magnius said.

“Oh no I’m just here for a reading.” I replied.

“Oh.” Madam Magnuis’s face fell. “Well then let’s get to work.”

She moved to where I sat and and said

“Well then what is your name?”

“Tracy.” I said.

“Alright.” She said.

She began to stare into the crystal ball.

“It looks as if you've had a terrifying dream.” She whispered. 

I nodded.

“Can you tell me what it means?” I asked.

It was her turn to nod.

“The dream is of a dark sense. Something bad is coming your way. Something evil. I am afraid that death may meet you soon.”

Jonathan’s POV

My eyes slowly closed shut as the door of my room closed. My dreams were always awkward and really weird. Once I dreamt about a shark that could dance, and morph into people. Weird, right? Tonight I was hoping for a good dream, but nothing came. 

I look over at my clock. It reads 3:17 A.M. Way too early to be up and at ‘em. My eyes shut again, and I’m being pulled into an alternate reality. At least, it feels like that. It’s just a dream, though. I’ve had multiple nightmares in the last month, and I hope I don’t have anymore. Those are always freaking me out, and scaring the living daylights out of me.

The dream starts in a weary, brokedown palace. Almost like I’m in a world, but it's lifeless. A lifeless place. I had seen this place before, though. It was dark. And really creepy. I’m Madam Magmius. And I, for my great job, inspect people's dreams. His dreams are always really weird and are weary and sometimes really scary when he has nightmares.

And, when I mean scary, I mean scary in a way that if you were five years old and watched IT. I mean, they were really really scary, and really really weird.I feel really bad for the kid, though, because nobody wants recurring nightmares that just keep on going every night.

This one was recurring though, and it was a nightmare he has been having for the past few months. It's almost as though it's VR, the place he’s in. He’ll always wake up in a sweat, panting. He’ll lay back down in bed and then come back to the same dream. A monster lurks in the shadows, waiting for him to follow the trail, leading him right to the monster. The monster had many features.

Blood dripped out of its mouth. Sharp claws that can dig into your skin, and kill you in a heartbeat. As fast as the blink of the eye. And today, he followed the trail. Blood drips off of the trees. Gravel crunches beneath his feet and the leaves are crunched, then blown into pieces. This monster travels by blood. If it smells your blood, it will come after you and eat you up. Yay, dinner!

He walks along on the trail and there is a breeze that makes him shiver in the cold, and this place is very cold.

 The monster comes along with a roar, and Jonathan stops cold, now the only thing you hear is the breeze of the wind.

The monster jumps and scratches him in the stomach, then he awakes from that crazy dream.

And oh boy, he doesn’t know what or who is coming after him, and is going to kill him. Tear him. He will be dead in days, and yet, he doesn’t know what's coming for him. The next night, he lays in his bed, terrified that the monster is real and is out to get him. And the monster is out to get him. He just doesn’t know yet.

His eyes slowly close shut, and he hopes that he’ll have the same dream. 

He is pulled into the alternate reality, and he is laying on the ground, a slit in his stomach, from the monster and his claws. He doesn’t move.

The pain grows stronger, and the moment the monster smells then blood, he attacks again. Could you imagine being in what seems like VR, but is a dream, and getting killed by a monster? I didn’t think so.

And poor Jonathan doesn’t even know that death is to come in four days, and his dreams are going to come to life and kill him, then, start world domination. And there's not just one monster. There's millions. Scattered all over the earth. And they are waiting in the dark. In the silence. Waiting for their next victim to kill, and tear apart their soul, until they are laid down in their grave, coffin empty, and all that's left where they were killed, is a pile of bones and blood.

But then I awoke from what I thought was a dream, but I was actually being eaten alive, and in pain and agony, as I watched the monster steal my soul, coughing up blood, and signing my life away.

I mean, what was there to fight for? I couldn’t get the thing off of me. And to think I thought it was all a dream, but truly, it was real.

What was there to do? Try and fight the thing off of me? That thing was so big it was impossible to fight off of me. So right then and there, I basically gave up on life and signed my life away, to this monster, a terrible, terrible thing to do, but what could I do? Punch it in the gut, and hope for the best?