Flights of Fantasy - The Pub Fantasy Smackdowns

Grains of Sand - Part 4

He found himself seated on a bench. Bare skeletal trees surrounded him and birds sang in the blue sky. Breath steamed from his mouth in the cold air, but he wore layers of warm clothes and felt cosy despite the ice on the pond nearby. A small girl on a tricycle wheeled past, stopped, reversed and looked at him solemnly.

"My shoelaces are undone," she said.

Calasta glanced at her feet and noticed two soggy strands dangling from one shoe. "May I assist you young lady?"

"You talk funny."

"I suspect I probably do. Would you like me to tie up your laces for you?"

"No need, I just fixed it."

He glanced at her foot. The shoe had changed to a boot without laces, a picture of a bumblebee painted colourfully on the front.

"I like your boots."

"Thank you. They match yours."

Calasta glanced at his feet and laughed as he realised he was wearing the same boots. The laughter stopped as there was a rumble and dark clouds appeared in the sky.

"Shall we go indoors little one, I'd hate to see you get wet."

"Okay." The world around them moved, and Calasta staggered upright as his senses tried to keep up with the changes around him. "Would you like some tea? You'll have to pour it though, as mummy says I'm too small to do hot tea."

They stood by a table in a small cosy room with many other tables all bearing flowery coverings, and dishes piled high with cakes. Calasta helped the little girl into a seat and sat opposite, offering the girl a small bun from a plate that had popped into existence by his elbow.

"Where's my mummy?"

The question caught him off guard, and he thought for a few seconds before replying.

"This is a dream little one, your mummy is fine, but can't be here because this is all in your mind."

"So you're not real."

"I'm real to me," he smiled. "Your dream has drawn me in, and now I'm sharing tea and cakes with you and wearing a lovely pair of new boots and some nice warm clothes. You seem to be looking after me very well."

The little girl smiled. "My name's Emily, what's yours?"

"You can call me Cal. Pleased to meet you Emily."

A dragon walked past the window, and Emily shrank back in her seat. "Why is there a dragon Cal, I don't like dragons?"

"Braemon," whispered Calasta. The Paladin moved smoothly to his feet, searching for a weapon. Runes glowed faintly on a butter knife on the table and he lifted it, holding it tightly in one hand.

"Emily, I'm here to protect you, but what we need to do is try and wake you up. Do you think you could end the dream for me?"

"I don't know how," she whispered. "I've been trying so hard to wake up, but nothing works."

The dragon paused outside in the snow, and lowered its massive head to look in the window, one baleful red eye peering in.

"What normally wakes you up at home with your mummy Emily?" said Calasta calmly, his grip white knuckled on the small butter knife.

"Toby, my dog."

"Can you picture Toby in your mind?"

The dragon moved away from the window and turned to face the shop, its chest swelling as it breathed in the frosty air. Steam trickled from its nostrils.