Dave managed to catch her just in time.
Agad silang pinagtinginan ng mga mangangalakal at mamimili, half-curious about them and half-angry with the commotion. Inayos ni Dave ang pagkakatakip sa ulo ni Cornelia at binuhat ang dalaga.
'Ganito ba talaga kabigat ang mga mortal?'
He cursed under his breath and adjusted her weight in his arms. Soon, as he walked through the marketplace, curiosity and anger morphed into pure hesitation.
Kapansin-pansin ang pag-iwas ng mga nilalang sa kanila---sa kanya.
'Now they're starting to realize that I'm the Dreamcaster,' he thought. Hindi niya alam kung anong implikasyon nito o kung ano ang gagawin nila ngayong nadiskubre na nila ang identity niya, but first thing's first: he needs to get Cornelia to a safe place and cure her wound.
Lumiko siya sa isang kalsada, just passing by the maroon tent that sold nightmare stones as charms, and walked straight ahead. The alley grew narrower with every step, pero hindi siya huminto.
Kung tama ang theory niyang ang Oasis dito sa Land of Nightmares ay isang replica sa Oasis na alam niya (sa Land of Dreams), then her clinic should be around...
"Gotcha."
Dave smiled when he spotted the familiar signboard. Katulad ng pagkakaalala niya, kupas na ang pintura nito at nababakbak na ang ilang bahagi ng kahoy. Nonetheless, the words MEGARA'S CLINIC stood out in red paint. Walang pag-aalinlangang pumasok si Dave sa loob at hinanap ang kakilala.
"Meg?"
Nobody answered.
Dito na kinakabahan ang Dreamcaster. Paano na lang kung ibang version ni Meg ang humarap sa kanya? Will she be the exact opposite as she was in the other Oasis? Damn. Hindi niya naisip 'to agad! Sa totoo lang, walang ideya si Dave kung paano nagiging posible ang lahat ng ito.
He knows that these two versions of the same land coexists, but to what extent?
"Dave!"
Mabilis na nag-angat ng tingin si Dave, just in time to see the woman exit her workroom. Mula rito, nakikita niya ang ilang herbal plants at botilya ng mga gamot sa mesa. Pero ang nakapukaw ng kanyang atensyon ay ang pagkalito sa mukha ni Megara. She tucked strands of thick black hair behind her ear, but there was something off about her.
'Maya ko na nga lang isipin! Cornelia comes first...'
"Meg, I need you to check her wound. Muntik na siyang nakain ng dinosaur kanina," he quickly said and laid Cornelia on the old bed covered in the finest black silk Dave has ever seen. Back in the Land of Dreams, this should've been white.
"Dinosaur?" Meg rushed to his side and stood next to the bed, studying Cornelia's bloodied arm. "Sila na ba ang bagong camel ng disyerto?"
Natawa si Dave. "She stared into a stone and got caught in a nightmare. Kaya mo ba siyang ayusin?"
"That explains... Oo naman. Ako nang bahala rito," Meg answered and started her work, cleaning the wound.
Nakahinga nang maluwag si Dave at pagod na naupo sa upuang nakareserba lagi sa mga panauhin. On a normal basis, Meg would've shouted at him for sitting here, pero mukhang wala itong pakialam ngayon.
Sa Land of Dreams, si Megara ang number one healer sa lupain. Walang sugat o sakit ang hindi niya nagagamot. Rumors say she was blessed by the gods, while Coco the cactus would often joke that maybe she was blessed by Sandman himself. May reputasyon si Megara sa Oasis at palaging puno ng mga pasyente ang clinic niya. Plus, she's pretty. More often than not, men would would even break a rib or two just to avail her services.
"Salamat, Meg. I owe you one."
But as she was preparing the crushed herbs and bandages, Dave failed to see the evil smile on Megara's lips when she gleefully replied.
"No need to thank me, Dave. I'm just doing my job."
---
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...
