Since 1972, Dave has observed a lot of humans.
Given the fact that they can't really see him, he would often take advantage of that and study mortals from afar.
May mga araw na tumatambay lang siya sa parke at pinagmamasdan ang mga taong naroon. Buong araw lang siyang uupo at papanoorin ang mga batang nakikipaghabulan sa mga kaibigan nila habang abala ang mga nanay nilang makipagtsismisan sa isang tabi na parang may sariling meeting. Minsan naman sinasadya niyang maglakad-lakad sa lansangan para panoorin ang traffic at mga estudyanteng umuuwi galing eskwela. On special occasions, Dave would even be as bold as going to bars and amusement parks just to get a secondhand feeling of what it's like to actually be alive.
To exist on another plane other than on the Realm between the Waking World and the Land of Dreams.
Since 1972, Dave has observed a lot of humans, but he never actually had any encounters with one...
Until now.
"Paano mo 'ko nakikita?" Dave asked in astonishment, too confused to even bother with her rants.
Napasimangot naman ang dalaga at hinapit ang kumot sa kanyang katawan, as if shielding her from his gaze. Gustong matawa ni Dave. Mukhang wala nga itong ideya sa isang Dreamcaster kung akala niya may X-ray vision siya.
"Sabog ka ba? Malamang nakikita kita dahil may mata ako! Paano ka nakapasok, ha? Sagutin mo 'ko!"
Dave sighed. What's her name, again?
"Ikaw si Cornelia, hindi ba?"
Natigilan ang dalaga nang banggitin ng Dreamcaster ang pangalan niya. When Dave sensed that she was going to scream again, agad siyang umupo sa gilid ng kama ni Cornelia at tinakpan ang bibig nito.
'She'd wake up half the city with her ear-piercing voice!'
At first, he didn't think it would actually work, kaya ganoon na lang ang mangha niya nang mapagtantong nahahawakan niya rin ito.
'So, she can see and feel me? Cool,' he thought.
Trying to keep calm with this crazy situation, nginitian ni Dave si Cornelia at ipinaliwanag ang lahat---err...ipinaliwanag ang mga bagay na kaya niyang bigyan ng paliwanag.
"I'll explain everything, but first, I need you to stop screaming."
She glared at him. Her eyes shouting "Why the hell would I?" Halatang walang tiwala at wala siyang balak pagkatiwalaan nito.
Damn. Ganito ba kakumplikado ang lahat ng mga tao?
"You might wake up your parents and disturb their sleep. Alam mo bang hindi rin sila nakakatulog nang maayos nitong mga nakaraang linggo?" Mahinang sabi ni Dave.
Kumunot lang ang noo ni Cornelia at sinubukang tanggalin ang kamay niya. Still, he continued, "This isn't suppose to happen, you know. Sa 49 years kong pagiging Dreamcaster, ngayon lang may taong nakakita sa'kin. Hindi ako nagpunta dito para saktan o pagsamantalahan ka. I don't know what's going on, but I need you to trust me. Okay?"
Trust.
Dave knew the weight of that word and that he shouldn't even be expecting it from a human he just met.
Mahirap magtiwala at mas mahirap panatilihin ito.
Sandaling katahimikan.
Walang gustong umimik sa kanila.
'Akala ko ba 'save the best for last'? Bakit ba sa ganito pa magtatapos ang gabi ko?' Maya-maya pa, nagulat na lang si Dave nang tumitig sa kanya si Cornelia at marahang tumango.
When he pulled his hand away, doon niya lang nakita nang maigi ang mukha nito. Her eyes were a common shade of brown, nothing special there. Her hair fell on her slender shoulders in soft waves. Her old navy blue t-shirt failed to conceal the pimple marks that mapped the exposed part of her skin. Agad na na-conscious si Cornelia at hinawakan ang kanyang mukha, knowing these marks claimed territory on her face, as well.
She lowered her gaze, temporarily loosing the ferocity in her expression.
"A-Ang sabi mo isa kang 'Dreamcaster'," pag-uulit niya. "What does that mean, exactly? At kung hindi ka masamang tao, anong ginagawa mo rito?"
Dave stared at her, assessing the situation. As amazed as he is that this girl can actually see him, alam niyang delikadong isiwalat ang lahat-lahat sa kanya. Hindi yata nabanggit noon ni Sandman ang rason kung bakit walang dapat makakita sa kanila, pero alam ni Dave na malamang may mabigat itong consequences.
Besides, he doesn't even know if she'll believe him, anyway.
"Basically, I manipulate human dreams."
Napataas ang isang kilay ni Cornelia, "Isn't that Sandman's job?"
Natawa si Dave. "Hindi ka ba updated? Nagretiro na siya 49 years ago."
"49 years, huh... Tapos ang sabi mo kanina 49 years ka na ring Dreamcaster. Oh, shit! Does this mean you're the new Sandman?" Napatakip ng bibig si Cornelia, eyeing him from head to toe.
Dave felt uncomfortable.
"Well, you could say that... Sa totoo lang, naiilang ako kapag tinatawag nila akong Sandman 2.0. Nobody can ever compare to Sandman. He's like a god!"
And for him, that's an absolute truth. A god that literally saved him all those years ago.
"Nila?"
Dave's ears perked up when Cornelia suddenly scooted closer, a curious look in her eyes. Bahagyang napaatras ang binata, hindi sanay sa atensyon. Pero bago pa man siya makapagsalita, Cornelia started firing her questions.
"So, ibig sabihin nito may iba ka pang mga kasama? At saan ka nakatira? Paano mo nama-manipulate ang mga panaginip ng mga tao? Bakit ngayon lang kita nakita?"
Napalunok si Dave.
Oops. Dapat pala wala na lang siyang sinabi sa isang 'to!
"Alis na ako."
"Huh? Hoy, teka! Napaka naman, eh. 'Di mo pa nasasagot ang..."
Napahinto na lang ang dalaga nang bigla na lang naglaho si Dave sa isang kisapmata. Cornelia sat in the middle of her bed, confused.
"...mga tanong ko."
She frowned.
'Siraulo 'yon, ah!'
Humikab siya at sinulyapan ang oras sa glow in the dark niyang wall clock. 5:16 am na pala. For a moment, she sat there and started wondering if it was all just a dream. Pero nang kinapa niya ang pwesto kung saan nakaupo kanina ang Dreamcaster, she smiled upon feeling the particles of sand left behind.
The only indication that meeting him wasn't a dream.
"Until we meet again, Dreamcaster."
---
BINABASA MO ANG
✔ Dreamcaster
Fantasy"I am a Dreamcaster." "But you don't have any dreams?" "Does it matter?" He challenged. She glared back. "It does." After his mentor's retirement, tuluyan nang pinandigan ni Dave ang kanyang mga responsibilidad bilang isang Dreamcaster. As someone w...
