"Nightmares are born from negative energies."
Naaalala ni Dave ang isa sa mga lecture noon ni Sandman sa kanya. Magmula noong kinupkop siya sa puder nito, araw-araw siyang naging obligadong aralin ang lahat tungkol sa trabaho nito. He can vividly remember taking down notes.
"At saan naman po nanggagaling ang negative energies na 'to?" The younger version of himself asked.
They were inside the lecture hall, adjacent to the library inside the white palace. Nakasuot ng ginintuang roba ang kanyang mentor, a pair of round spectacles rested on the bridge of his nose. Gawa sa buhagin ang salamin nito, just like most of the objects in his possession.
"Well, imagine the world as a collection of human thoughts and emotions, Dave. Iyon mismo ang nadadala ng mga tao sa kanilang mga panaginip, kaya nagkakaroon ng enerhiya ang bawat isa sa mga ito. But as nature cannot live without darkness, positive energy cannot exist without the negative."
"Just like how good and evil coexist."
"Exactly, my boy!" Ngumiti si Sandman sa kanya. "It would be unrealistic to assume that every human thought and emotion is born from a good heart. Kaya sa mga pagkakataong nahahaluan ng masasamang hangarin at maruruming isipin ang enerhiya nila, it gets concentrated and separated from the positive ones---from the regular dreams. Nagkakaroon ng division, at dito nagsisimula ang mga bangungot nila."
Dave nodded, writing that down on his parchment. Sandali niyang sinulyapan ang blackboard at binasa muli ang sinabi ni Sandman. Indeed, it was a magical board that automatically writes down everything his mentors says for his convenience.
"Pero saan naka-store ang nightmares? The Land of Dreams only has good and bizarre dreams in it. May ilang 'di maganda, pero hindi ito sapat para ma-classify sila na 'nightmare' ng isang tao. Where are these nightmares being concentrated?"
Sandman paused and adjusted his eyeglasses.
He doesn't normally wear them, pero dahil pinapanindigan nito ang pagiging "teacher" niya tuwing nagtuturo siya kay Dave, he always dresses up to set the mood. Siya 'yong tipo ng nilalang na palaging isinasaalang-alang ang dramatic setting at aesthetics ng lahat.
Maya-maya pa, ngumiti ito nang makahulugan.
"Mas mabuti nang hindi mo na alamin ang lugar na 'yon, Dave. It's still part of the Land of Dreams, but let's just say that the Land of Nightmares is a reversal. Another dimension, totally opposite from the one we're living in right now."
"So, the Land of Nightmares is still the Land of Dreams? They... coexist in one plane, just like good and evil?"
Tumango ang matanda at ginulo ang buhok ng batang Dave. Hindi nawala ang proud na ngiti sa mga labi ni Sandman.
"Very good, Dave! Balang-araw, magiging mas magaling ka pang Dreamcaster kaysa sa'kin."
Pero sa kabila nito, hindi rin nawala ang pakiramdam niyang may hindi sinasabi sa kanya ang kanyang mentor.
---
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...
