*Disclaimer: The dialog below is 100% monolog.
Q: What inspires this particular Lucid Dream Diaries?
A: This Lucid Dream episode goes back to 2008-2009-ish, in the era of 2nd instalment of Narnia and Coraline. I suppose some parts of the dream are heavily influenced by both materials.
Q: Are the characters inspired by the characters in Narnia/Coraline?
A: Not necessarily. Perhaps, Lady Tanya does resonate with the Other-Mother in Coraline. However, in my dreams there weren't exactly a backstory on why Lady tanya did what she did. So in order to make this piece with depth, I drew some inspiration from Nora Montgomery in American Horror Story: Murder House.
Q: How about Vale?
A: In the dream, Vale was also just a firefly who hovers around Lady Tanya like a guardian that continuously remind Tanya of her futile effort to gain children of her own. He was also without background. I had to make a small research to create appropriate back story for him. Vale is inspired by a Lithuanian Godess, the Dark Mother, Veliona who protects the dead. She is the goddess of afterlife. However in this novella, Vale is gender neutral and prefers the term him.
Q: How did you experience the Lucid Dream episode?
A: It was strange, it was like I am watching through this pigeon hole and also experience everything under Kuya's point of view. I particularly remember the feeling when Kuya was being chased by the Lady in the ballroom. I can actually feel that my legs were getting heavy, like running in deep water, and I can feel the cushiony impact of the carpeted floor.
Q: That sounds intense.
A: Yeah, and I remembered I woke up crying :(
Q: How did you get inspired of the HDB layout?
A: My aunt (who happened to have 2 sons too) actually lives in Singapore. I am familiar with HDB layout and the stories about landlords leasing their place when they shouldn't have. by means of locking a room as a pretence of the landlord's occupancy.
Q: What songs are can give clearer perspective to the whole episode?
A: As stated in the previous chapter, Juliette Moser's Lullaby, Erutan's Come Little Children, and Libera's Sancte. Libera's Lacrymosa can also do justice.
Q: In the dreamverse, what happened to the boys?
A: Honestly, I don't know and it does lean on towards a bittersweet ending :") in my imagination, they'll reunite with their father in the Otherworld while their mother continued on living.
Q: Any note for the readers (if any, lol)?
A: Thank you for coming this far and for enjoying my writing. Wishing you awesome day and please, do not trust stranger easily :)
KAMU SEDANG MEMBACA
Lucid Dream Diaries: The Locked Room
HorrorBased on one of my experiences lucid dreaming: The story follows the Reyes family as they moved into a new place. In Singapore, it is illegal for an HDB apartment owner to rent their place out when they have not payed the mortgage yet. However, it i...