Lucid Waking

Archive for July, 2007

Trouble at the Zoo

            It was a pleasant afternoon that most people would call “normal.” The sun arched across the sky, there were no clouds in sight, and the temperature was generally hot. It was the perfect day to go down to the pool. That is, if Jennifer liked going to the pool. She didn’t suppose there was anything wrong with being in a bathing suit, if catcalls were desirable things. And no matter how hard Steven begged her to go with him (guys can’t take to the heat as well as girls), she would rather be dead than go. So being a good boyfriend that he was, they went to the zoo.
            Going to the zoo would have been fine, if Steven didn’t know how to talk to animals. In fact, it turned out to be a much better trip for him than for her. Jennifer was completely aware of what had happened last time they went to the zoo (got caught talking to the monkeys and ended up being sent to a mental hospital), but was so happy that they could see the penguins inside an air-conditioned space, that she didn’t care. Steven acted at least a decade younger than his actual age as he pressed his nose against the glass and caused the zookeeper to tell him, a bit amused, to get away from the animals. The feline house was almost worse, but the lions were behind glass, so no one except their meal was seriously hurt.
            “What do you think you’re doing?” Jennifer said as soon as they got outside for the second time.
            Steven shrugged. “You were the one who wanted to go to the zoo.”
            Perhaps he was feeling guilty because he said, “I’ll buy you ice cream; come on.”
            But they didn’t reach the ice cream truck before they were stopped by zoo security. It had happened before, but this time, security didn’t seem as serious as they had been the last time Steven and Jennifer went to the zoo. In fact, it was a little hard to see why they were being picked up, except that Steven had been talking to leopards and penguins. Jennifer was a little disconcerted that no one seemed to think it was odd.
            But she found out as soon as they reached the employee’s station that it was only because they had no idea what had happened because one of Steven’s co-workers, who knew of his gift, had come to the zoo on “business.” He disclosed that he had used a memory charm on the employees here and insisted that they leave.
            “The boss will get a little suspicious that the incoming instances have your name on it,” he said smiling. “Maybe you two should go to the pool, instead.”
            Jennifer shot a look at Steven and he just rolled his eyes at her.
            “So what now?” Steven said as they went back to their car.
            “I don’t know,” she said sourly, “how about the beach?”
            He smiled, but didn’t say anything. Weaving his way through the parked cars, he managed to find his way out and go speeding off down the highway.

Freaks

            The freak show was in town and the only reason Alison was going was because James invited her. She would have never indulged in the crude practices the rest of her town enjoyed in, but she, like every other girl, couldn’t say no to James’ imploring smile. So in the middle of a slight drizzle, she was walking hand in hand with a tall, dark skinned, dark haired boy waiting to go into a large candy-cane circus tent. She sighed inaudibly and pretended that she was waiting in line at the cinema. James smiled back at her.
            “I heard they have a good batch this year,” he told her excitedly. “And the human tree is coming back.”
            Well, this isn’t the most romantic thing you could’ve done, she thought. But the more she kept looking at him, the less annoyed she got. She was too busy staring at his high cheekbones and sparkling eyes to notice him hand her a ticket and usher her inside.
            And she kept focusing on him in order to get her through the laughter at the unfortunate people on stage. Finally the laughter stopped and the people shifted excitedly. The announcer called out the derogatory term assigned to this person and the lights lifted on an empty platform. People booed and hissed as the master of ceremonies looked around nervously.
            “Ah, well,” the master of ceremonies said clearing his throat, “they must not have been able to get him out of his cage.”
            James stopped voicing his displeasure and started to take Alison’s hand. “Let’s go,” he said, but stopped as the crowd cheered again. Lumbering up to the stool under the light and being led like a dog from a chain around his neck was a large lumbering man looking much like a gorilla. His dark skin was scarred from whips and his sunken eyes were dull. The man had high cheekbones and identical smooth graceful hands to the one she was holding. James paled and stared silent at the new victim. A few minutes went by as people shouted and threw things at the man before Alison felt a tug on her hand and was sent flying through the crowd towards the exit. She was barely able to squeak out apologies before she was out into the fresh air of the darkening sky.
            James wouldn’t look at her, but even in the dying light she could tell he was crying. She squeezed his hand gently and pulled alongside him, resting her head on his shoulder.
            “What’s wrong?” she asked when they were far away from the tent and her perfect suburban house pulled into view. He led her up the stairs onto her porch in silence.
            “That was my dad,” he said quietly. “I didn’t know he…” his voice trailed off.
            “It’s all right,” Alison said. “How could you have known?”
            “He left my mom when I was young, so I never really knew him, but from what I remember from photographs…”
            They stood in silence a little longer, shock staying on James’ features much longer than sadness. Alison wasn’t sure how to leave politely, so she stood nervously on her porch, hoping her parents wouldn’t open the door and ask what was what. Finally he bowed politely and started down the steps.
            “I’m sorry,” he said. “How can I make it up to you?”
            “A movie would be nice,” she said.
            He smiled. “Good night, then. Pleasant dreams.” And with that, he walked down the steps and down the street, his hands shoved in his pockets as he walked towards the house he called home.

The Princess of the Human World

            It was a strange ritual. Molly would sit on the ground and close her eyes, making sure to arrange her legs in a lotus position. The dewy ground under her would shake a bit and slope, sending her sliding forward. Wind would rustle her silver blond hair for several minutes as she sped, blind, to stop in front of a large tree. Only when she had come to a complete stop would she open her eyes.
            The tree in front of her would twist and the hollow lengthen until two beady little eyes appeared in the bark and the tree was able to speak to her. But Molly could not speak back. Every time she was asked a question, she would brush her hand over the scar on her neck, nervously, hoping that whatever was in charge of the tree, would notice and leave her alone.
            But, tonight, instead of questions, the tree smiled, the bark crackling as the hollow lengthened upwards. Molly did not return the friendly gesture, but clutched the ground, her face even paler than usual.
            “My mistress demands a meeting with you,” the tree said, still smiling. “She wishes to see for herself, the obstinate little princess.”
            Molly could do nothing but blink, as she was blindfolded and sent spinning and sliding to another unknown destination. The wind was bit harder than it usually had through her thin frock, but she was too distracted to notice the pain from the cold. She ricocheted off several rough objects, scratching her arms on the way. At last, she stopped and the blindfold was removed. To her first reaction, she was in the center of a large white tree. Water trickled down the sides into a large basin far below the glass floor where the roots of the plant bathed in it. The ceiling branched off to feed presumably leaves and a few small silver insects crawled up and down the tree, aiding water where they could, carrying various objects into little nooks carved into the walls. But facing her was a long hallway that ended in a gold door with a wooden handle. Molly stood up and slowly approached the door. She carefully placed her hands on the knob and gently turned it; the knob seamlessly slid through her hands. She pulled the door ajar and poked her head in.
            This room was gold and engraved with a great many stories, she could only imagine: men and women fighting dragons, lions, and other frightening beasts; ships going out to sea; lovers, heirs, curses, and blessings; cities being built and destroyed; and a great many other things of heroes and legends.
            “Come in, child,” a crystal voice said from somewhere farther in the room. Molly started to retreat back towards the hall, but wash ushered inside the gold room by the voice. Now inside, she realized it was more of a cavern and both the ceiling and walls were covered in pictures. In the middle of the room, surrounded by a circle of water was a wooden chair covered in purple velvet and sitting on the seat was a beautiful woman made entirely out of wood. Her eyes sparkled down at the small silver ones looking up at her.
            “My servants tell me you don’t talk,” she said. “Perhaps its best to explain our motives, first,” she pointed vaguely to an area of the gold room, “Our last story begins with losing a princess who was heir to the human throne. But she disappeared after an outing in the forest one day and the fragile treaty between the trees and the humans was broken. Thus, when a girl showed up in one of the elfin villages, it was somewhat crucial to the trees to figure out if she was indeed the princess lost. But the problem is, she doesn’t talk. So it’s quite impossible to figure out if she is indeed the princess who saved her land from disease and famine. It was quite a story you should find out sometime. I want to know what happened to your voice, so for now—I will lend you the gift of speech.”
            Molly’s throat burned, but she pushed through it fueling air harshly through her throat. It was a harsh sound full of static, but she continued talking and gradually it got less rusty and more fluid.
            “I got sick,” Molly said. “The doctor had to take it out before the infection spread. Beggin’ your pardon ma’am,” Molly pressed onward, “but I don’t know what you’re talking about. I’m not a princess. I was born to the woodcutter.”
            The woman shuttered at the word “woodcutter.” She smiled with the same crackle of wood as the tree, but not quite as loud. “That’s no surprise,” she said. “The trees tell me you came in contact with the Forgetter.”
            Molly wrinkled her nose and made move to talk, but found she couldn’t again.
            “It’s to our advantage that you don’t remember anything. Acres of my people have been killed and I don’t want the king getting too happy that you’re back before replacing my lost land.” The woman looked at Molly, as if it was her fault, but Molly stared like stone back at her. “Regardless,” she continued, “it doesn’t matter if you are her, just so much as you look like her.”
            Molly looked shocked and turned away from the woman frowning and biting her lip.
            “Don’t be ridiculous,” the woman said. “legend has it that you’ll be sent to get your memory back from the Forgetter as a test, anyway before I can profit from anything. I’ve already offered up six little girls and you should be the last one. Unless the stars are playing with us again.”
            Molly didn’t move. The woman finally waved her off with her hand and told a couple insects waiting at the door to give Molly a place to sleep. She followed them reluctantly, but she didn’t need to worry about the place she would end up staying. Back in the silver room and up a small ladder of knots in the wood, she found her bed neatly made in lavender silk with a wooden armoire next to it full of lovely clothes. Molly sat down on her bed forgetting her rebellious pretense and tested out the give. The ropes bounced back eagerly and, having nothing else to do, Molly lay down on the silk and went to sleep.
            As she lay, the wooden woman got up from her seat and left the golden room. But she did not go to the silver entranceway, but pressed a small button on the leg of the chair with her heel and sank downward into a polished blue room. The room sparkled with stars and various models of the sky spun around in slow circles.
            “What do you think?” she asked the darkness. A figure stood up and approached her, a full head taller than she and flexed its white wings.
            “She’s the one,” he said returning back to his corner after bowing to the wooden lady. “There’s no reason for me to stay. I’ll return tomorrow.”
            “NO!” the wooden woman yelled, causing some of the equipment to stutter on their course. “I do not know you aren’t lying.”
            “Prophecies don’t lie,” he said. “Only the ones giving them. But you have it yourself written in stone and I wouldn’t lie.”
            She started to protest again, but he put his hand over her mouth. “There is nothing you can do to keep me and now that you have what you want, I will leave.” He vanished to the corner and she thought it best not to argue.
            “As long as everything is going according to the legends,” she said to the darkness, “I have no reason for concern. But if one event does not go accordingly, all the forests will burn.”
            She started to leave but stopped as he said, “You have quite the audacity to let your people burn.”
            “What would anyone do without trees?” she asked, “you all underestimate us, but you’ll kill yourselves off for shelter, oxygen and food without us. It’s only a matter of time before things deteriorate. There’s only so long you can eat mushrooms.”
            She thought she heard him laugh before she sat back on her chair and pressed the button again, speeding off to another location of her infinite castle.