Buong araw niyang hindi nakita si Cornelia.
Ang akala ni June sa isang klase lang siya magiging absent, pero maging sa English at History classes nila, hindi niya nakita ang dalaga. As much as he wanted to ask somebody if Cornelia sent an excuse letter, pero bukod sa hindi niya alam kung kanino magtatanong, alam niyang wala ring maituturing na "close friend" si Cornelia.
She was the type of girl who'd always keep things to herself, but that didn't stop her from being ambitious.
'Ang dami niyang pangarap sa buhay,' June thought in admiration. Kahit pa wala silang direktang interactions ni Cornelia, nakakatuwang isipin na ang pagiging "dreamer" nito ang nakapukaw sa atensyon niya.
With her, June remembered high school, clear blue skies, essays, and milkteas all over again.
"Kung bisitahin ko kaya siya?"
He hesitated. Hindi niya namalayang naglalakad na pala siya kalsadang papunta sa bahay nila Cornelia. One glance at the neighborhood and he knew it was a stupid decision. Ano na lang kaya ang sasabihin ni Cornelia kapag nakita siya? Ni hindi siya kilala nito!
June would only be creeping her out and making things awkward.
He doesn't want that.
He doesn't want to make Cornelia feel uncomfortable just because he was being paranoid with her sudden absence.
"Tsk! Tama na, June... She'll be in class tomorrow. Walang nangyaring masama sa kanya," he coached himself and stirred in the opposite direction.
*
"Ang akala ko hindi mo pa tapos ang extraction sa wild flowers na 'yan? You've been working on those since last month," Dave commented when he saw her mixing a bottle of pale blue liquid in the concoction.
"Iba siguro naaalala mo. Ilang taon ko nang na-master 'to, Dave."
Hindi siya nilingon ni Megara, as she was too busy doing her own "magic" for Cornelia's injury.
Nakakatuwang isipin na aksidente lang silang nagkakilala noon ni Meg, back when he was still training under Sandman's supervision. Sa mangilan-ngilang pagkakataon, his mentor took him out for a field trip to explore the Land of Dreams. Noon, halos ayaw pang iwan ni Dave ang palasyo kaya malimit pa siyang pinapagalitan nito.
"Dave, ito na ang magiging tahanan mo sa mga susunod na dekada. Believe me, running away from your own home won't help you at all," Sandman patiently lectured him.
"Pero puro buhangin at mga bato lang naman sa labas, eh!"
"Buhangin at mga batong bumubuo sa Land of Dreams. Come on, I hope you'll find the Oasis much more exciting!"
And he did.
Nang malagpasan nila ang invisibility barrier ng palm trees, sumalubong sa kanya ang magulo at maingay na pamilihan. While venturing around the merchants' tents, Sandman explained to him the nature of this place. Ang Oasis ang isa sa pinakatanyag na lugar sa Land of Dreams na pinupuntahan ng iba't ibang nilalang---kasama ng iilang mortal. Dito nagaganap ang tinatawag na "dream trade" kung saan ipinagbibili ng merchants ang ilang dream stones na may mas magagandang panaginip.
You'll be shocked at how many creatures on earth buy better dreams every single day here at the Oasis.
Iyon ang dahilan kung bakit nakataklob ng tela ang kanilang mga ulo at katawan, para maging "fair" ang bentahan. Ayon kay Sandman, may ilang mangangalakal kasi na ayaw bentahan ang ibang lahi (tulad ng mga bampira), kaya nagiging mitya ito ng gulo. Indeed, it seems like prejudice still prevails even in the Land of Dreams.
"Pero bakit naman po may mga tao rito?" Dave asked out of curiosity.
Sandman smiled and gazed at a few humans negotiating for a chunk of rose quartz.
"Sila ang mga taong kayang iwan ang katawang-lupa nila sa Waking World. They practice something called 'astral projection', so that their conscious minds can wander about the Land of Dreams. Iyon ang dahilan kung bakit sila nakakabili ng mas magagandang panaginip and sometimes, some of them sell their own dreams, too."
Dave was eyeing the humans when he suddenly bumped into a girl about his age.
"Sorry!"
He hurriedly helped her up, noticing the herbal plant seeds and books she carried. Sa huli, nagpakilala ang batang babae bilang si Megara, ang anak ng kaisa-isang healer sa Oasis. Hindi na sila nakapag-usap nang nagmadaling bumalik si Meg sa luma nilang clinic.
Since then, Dave visited her from time to time, especially when Coco felt sick.
'Paano ba nagkakasakit ang mga cactus?'
Napabuntong-hininga si Dave, naaalala na naman ang alagang naiwan niya sa palasyo.
"What are you thinking about?" Meg suddenly asked him to break the silence. Nilapitan na pala nito si Cornelia at pinunasan ulit ang sugat nito. Wala pa rin siyang malay.
"Nothing... I'm just thinking about how lucky I am that you're still you. Ang buong akala ko mag-iiba ka rin dahil nasa Land of Nightmares tayo," he admitted.
Sa hindi malamang dahilan, tumalim ang mga mata ni Meg nang bumaling ito sa kanya.
"Ano bang pinagsasasabi mo, Dave? We've always known each other in the Land of Nightmares."
Dave just stared at her, feeling unsettled with how she held the large surgical blade. Sa ilang ulit niyang pagbisita at panggugulo sa clinic ni Meg, Dave knew that she never liked holding that blade. Ayaw nito sa matatalim na bagay. Biniro pa nga siya nito dati na: "The only time when I get to hold this blade is when I'll be murdering my patient".
Back then, Dave laughed with her, knowing that Meg will never have the guts to actually do it.
Pero bakit parang iba ang nararamdaman niya ngayon?
'Nasa Land of Nightmares kami. Could it be...?' Dave glanced at the "medicine" Meg prepared for Cornelia. Maya-maya pa, hindi na siya nagdalawang-isip at tinabig ito, causing the bottle to crash to the marble floor.
"ANONG GINAWA MO?!"
Megara's roaring voice filled the clinic, her eyes ablazed.
Napasimangot si Dave nang mapansing bumakat sa sahig ang "gamot" at sinunog ito na parang asido. Sinamaan niya ng tingin si Megara---no, this isn't the same Meg he loved to annoy whenever Coco the cactus had a flu. Bakit ba ngayon niya lang napansin? Her eyes didn't hold the same sparkle of innocence in them.
This Meg's eyes were murderous.
Dahil dito, naalarma si Dave at agad na kinuha ang walang malay na mortal, cradling her protectively in his arms. Kung hindi niya napansin ang kakaibang kilos ni Meg, ano na lang kaya ang mangyayari kay Cornelia?
"Ibalik mo ang pasyente ko, Dave. Hindi ka nakakatuwa."
"Pasyente ba talaga ang turing mo sa kanya?"
"Oo naman!"
"Cut the bullshit. You weren't planning to heal her, were you?"
Meg didn't answer. She just glared at the woman in her arms. Flames of jealousy and hatred burned behind her eyes, making Dave wish he never walked into her clinic in the first place.
Silly him for thinking that the Land of Nightmares won't twist things up.
"Hindi ikaw si Meg."
A bitchy laugh escaped her lips. "Sigurado ka ba? Whether we're in the Land of Dreams or the Land of Nightmares, iisa lang ako, Dave. IISA LANG AKO!"
"Fuck off."
Hindi na nagdalawang-isip si Dave at mabilis na iniwan ang healer. Despite her screams and sound of bottles crashing against the clinic's walls in her fury, the Dreamcaster didn't dare look back. Aminin niya man o hindi, hindi pa rin maalis sa isip ni Dave ang huli nitong sinabi.
'Iisa lang ako...?'
The Land of Dreams and the Land of Nightmares coexist in one plane...but to what extent, exactly?
---
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...
