A Dream Chronicle

3

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ⓐfter a take out from the village, I went to bed early. My head still hurt quite a bit. I apoligised to Dad over and over, but he said it was fine. I told him we'll do something he wants to do tomorrow, but we agreed on Monday, the day after tomorrow.

Tomorrow Dad and I are going to take a look around town. Looking through all the shops, buying a pack of chips and eating them on a pavement like "bums", which I loved doing.

I kissed Dad good night, and climbed up the stairs to my little bedroom, small room, big enough for me. I put on my pajamas, and chucked my coat by my bags near the door, and watched out my window until the moon shone all over the cottage and village, and everywhere else in England.

I couldn't fall asleep. Again. What was wrong with me!? The bed was comfortable. My eyes were extremely heavy, my brain just wanted to stay awake and wait until the sunlight rose.

I tossed and turned by nothing happened. I tried to imagine cars and street lamps, but nothing worked. Counted sheep, pigs, ruffled my pillows, took off my blanket, put back on my blanket.

Nothing.

And then, I remembered. When I turned over and faced my bags.

The dreamcatcher.☪

Maybe that could help? It was worth a shot. So I jumped out of bed, tip toed across the floor, not wanting Dad to wake up, as it was now really late, and searched through my coat pockets to find the dreamcatcher. But it wasn't there!

I checked through the side pockets, and the inside pockets. Nothing! I rushed and rushed, not wanting to see angry Mum again if I actually fell asleep. But I stopped looking.

I slouched and sighed. I gave up. Angrily throwing my phone into my bag, I slowly walked back to my bed with my head low, being pushed down by all the disapointment. I got under the quilts, and closed my eyes, shivering and worrying.

☪

A breeze is what first made me open my eyes. I promised to keep them closed until I fell asleep, but the chilly air made me open them. Unable to get to sleep, as it was now 12:04am, I finally knew that sleep eluded me.

I sat up, staring at the window to see Hartburrow, from my dream, at the windowsill, with something in his little beak.

"Missing something?" He slightly hissed. "Give me that!" I realized that what he had was my dreamcatcher I found in the junk pile. "My dreamcatcher!" I almost hugged it.

"Excuse me!? Your dreamcatcher? I believe that the dreamcatcher belongs to me, thankyou very much!" He snatched it off me. "Hey!" I yelped.

"I found it!" I whined like my little brother. Wow, I really wasn't ready to grow up. "You found it?" Hartburrow giggled. I frowned.

"This dreamcatcher belongs to me. I put it there! Trying to keep it away from the others, knowing that humans never go through the Azafar Forest!"

"Why not?" I snapped. He seemed shocked at first, but then settled as of he was going to tell me a story.

"I can't tell you."

"Please, I'll only have nightmares again." That really shook him.

"Night..I shouldn't be telling you this." He took a breath. "A very long time ago, way back when he was my friend, Azafar, was a good man. He created the Forest, he made the village, and created all the people inside of it with his glorious powers. Years went by and he snapped. Something happened where he just snapped. No one knows why, but that man who I thought of as a friend was nothing of the sort." He almost choked.

"A wizard?" I questioned. Hartburrow nodded. "Indeed. You see, not all wizards from Azafar Forests were good. Many infact bad, but none like Azafar himself."

My eyes grew huge as I became curious for the answers to my questions. "So, this place is magical?" I smiled.

"In a way, yes. But don't get excited, if you get involved the dangers will keep arriving. The bad dreams are the way to stop you from coming in, but I can stop them." My smile continued to beam huge.

"Protect me? Whatever for?" I nearly fell of my bed I was so intrigued.

"You know about it now. About me, Azafar. You're not safe here." He began to flap his wings and flew out of my window, leaving the dreamcatcher on my lap. I ran to the window.

"Wait! What about the dreamcatcher!?" He stopped on a tree branch outside my window.

He nodded. "It is a gift, I said I'd protect you from the dreams. That is partly my help." He nodded once more and flew away into the darkness. I felt like I wasn't going to be seeing him for a long time.

☪

The next morning, I quickly got dressed in my Doctor Who t-shirt and blue jeans, and headed downstairs to do what I wanted to do. Dad still had the good old paper in his hands and a cup of tea, fresh and proper.

"Mornin' sweety." He swigged down the last drop of tea and placed it on the wooden table, making a some-what loud noise of the old china.

"Hiya." I smiled and slumped down in the chair across from him. "So," he began. "What's on the list for today?" He put down the paper and made full on eye contact.

"Well," I said shyly, "I'd like to go down to that book store you said the village has; Azafar Books and Magic?" I was expecting a sudden sigh and a new offer of what to do.

"Grand idea! Let me just get out of my slippers and I'll meet you on the front porch in ten minutes, let me just tidy up a bit." He put the paper next to the empty china mug and headed upstairs into the room next to mine.

☪

I waited outside for Dad for what I thought ages. The clouds drew in closer and I thought it was going to rain again. Probably would, if you know England as well as I do.

I thought all about Hartburrow, and how I realized he was real.

Really real.

What did he mean; he would protect me? He was a Tallawink, obviously real. Right?

Or was I just dreaming everything?

☪

"Mama always said life was like a box of chocolates. You never know what you're gonna get."☪

-Forest Gump