June has never been inside a woman's bedroom.
"Kapag nalaman ni Cornelia na pumasok ako dito, baka lalo akong mawalan ng pag-asang kaibiganin siya."
What? A man can dream, can't he?
Besides, it's not like anyone will hear him, not after Cornelia's parents insisted he'd check her room while they prepare dinner downstairs.
Nahihirapan siyang isipin na pahihintulutan nila ang isang lalaking pumasok sa silid ng anak nila---much less a "friend" who their daughter never even mentions! Pero siguro nga desperado na sila.
'Desperate people do desperate things, even it it's against their own wills.'
June ran his hands over the unfinished murals on the wall. Pastel-colored hues splattered against plain white, mistulang isang malaking canvas sa loob ng kanyang silid. Pinasadahan niya ng tingin ang magulong higaan sa gilid at ang nagkalat na paint brushes sa sahig. Sa kabilang sulok, napansin niya ang isang sketch na nakadikit sa pader. The words "final project" scribbled on the paper.
He found himself gravitating towards the sketch. A faceless man in the middle of a flower field. It looks surreal, like something you'd see in a fever dream.
Hindi niya maiwasang mamangha sa talento at imahinasyon ni Cornelia.
"She'd be a great artist someday."
June scanned the room again. Hanggang ngayon, hindi pa rin sila makapaniwalang naglaho na lang na parang bula si Cornelia sa loob ng silid na 'to. Walang indikasyon na may pumasok o na may lumabas dito. With every passing second, the mystery remains.
Cornelia disappeared without a trace.
Her phone was haphazardly lying on the bed, no history of anything suspicious.
Her homework laid unfinished on her desk, with the pen on the floor.
'Saan ka naman pupunta?' Huminga nang malalim si June at sinubukang pakalmahin ang kanyang sarili. Hindi man niya aminin, pero habang tumatagal, lalo siyang kinakabahan at natatakot para sa kalagayan ni Cornelia. But as he walked around the room, June noticed something under the soles of his sneakers.
"Buhangin?"
Crouching down, he studied the gray sand on the floor of her bedroom. Lalong nagtaka si June. Paano magkakaroon ng buhangin dito? He eyed the sand closely, his eyes narrowed upon realizing that the odd gray color.
Gray.
Sinubukan niyang sundan ang buhangin sa sahig, pero bigla na lang itong naglaho sa sentro ng silid. It left an impression of a straight line.
As if something was suppose to be there.
After taking pictures of it, June stalked towards the window. Base sa kwento ng mga magulang ni Cornelia, nakasara rin ang bintana noong pinasok nila itong silid. After careful deliberation, June opened the window to let the night breeze in.
Madilim at walang katao-tao sa lansangan.
'Hindi naman siguro siya bababa rito?' Sinulyapan ni June ang baba, kung saan bumungad sa kanya ang maliit na hardin sa kanilang bakuran.
It wasn't a mystery that Cornelia's mother liked plants. Noong junior high school nila, palaging may dalang mga rosas si Cornelia tuwing Valentines day para sa kanilang mga guro. Madalas pa ngang matuwa ang mga ito dahil sariwa ang mga rosas. But then again, June heard the other parents whisper during PTA meetings that before Cornelia's birth, her mother couldn't even make a single flower bloom.
Ang sabi nila namukadkad lang daw ang hardin nila noong ipinanganak si Cornelia, hence they named her after the first flower that bloomed that day.
"Cornelia," June unknowingly whispered as he gazed at the garden below. Hindi niya alam kung bakit, but there's something familiar with this view.
A familiarity that will haunt him for the next few nights.
*
That night, people were having bad dreams.
Noong una, akala nila nagkataon lang na pare-pareho silang nagigising sa mga bangungot at nahihirapang matulog, pero habang tumatagal, unti-unting napagtatagpi-tagpi ng mga tao ang katotohanan: lahat sila ay hindi makatulog nang maayos.
At wala, ni isa sa kanila, ang nakakalam kung bakit.
*
Isang malaking pagkakamali ang desisyon ni Sandman na ipaubaya sa kanyang ampon ang pamamahala sa mga Dreamscape ng mga tao. Matagal nang may haka-hakang umiikot sa dimensyon ng demi-gods tungkol sa pagkuha ni Sandman ng bata bilang apprentice.
At first Morpheus didn't believe in those rumors. Pero nang makita na niya mismo ang ebidensya, doon na namuo ang mga problema.
"Tinangay ng batang 'yon ang kriminal at ang carpet ko! Magnanakaw!"
It's ironic how a mistake can be caught by another mistake.
Walang kahirap-hirap na nilagpasan ni Morpheus ang kumpulan ng mga tao at hinarap ang mangangalakal na kanina pa nagsisisigaw sa gitna ng plaza. The merchant was standing beside a tomato-stained ground, with the Golems dumbly staring at the "crime scene". Paulit-ulit nitong idinidiin ang tungkol sa nangyaring paglilinlang sa kanya ng isang lalaki.
Morpheus raked his eyes over the place and spotted a pair of footprints on the gray sand.
'One man, one woman.'
"Excuse me, sir."
Pansamantalang tumigil sa pag-aalburoto ang mangangalakal nang magsalita si Morpheus. Since he was dressed in the standard dark clothes, no one dared to question him.
"May alam ba kayo kung saan nagpunta ang mga... kriminal?"
He used his terms carefully. Alam niya kung gaano ka-sensitive ang mga tao rito sa bersyong ito ng Oasis. And that's what the Land of Nightmares does to you---it makes you a tad bit corrupted. Sa kabila nito, umiling ang mangangalakal.
"Hindi ko alam! Pero siguradong hindi pa sila nakakalayo. Walang silbi lang talaga ang mga Golem na 'to dahil babagal-bagal sila!" He spat at a one of the clay creatures who looked offended with what he said.
Morpheus couldn't blame them.
Binuo ng mga diyos ang mga gwardiyang ito para maging "peace officers" na nakaangkla sa Oasis. Limitado lang ang kanilang mga nagagawa at mga kilos.
He smirked. "Maybe I can be of service?"
Sumimangot ang mangangalakal.
"Wag ka ngang nakikiala---"
Naglabas ng gintong kwintas si Morpheus at inabot ito sa kanya.
"---ay, sige lang! Hehehe. Ikaw nang bahala rito."
As expected.
Now that the pesky merchant is out of the way, the demi-god turned to the creatures and whispered an enchantment. Maya-maya pa, napuno ng mahika ang lupang tinatapakan nila. Umatras ang mga nilalang ng Oasis nang binalutan ng buhangin ang mga gwardiya. Their howls filled the marketplace, the frequency cracking a few nightmare stones nearby.
Maya-maya pa, tuluyan nang nagbago ng anyo ang mga ito.
Lumawak ang ngiti ni Morpheus.
"Ngayong hindi na kayo nakaangkla sa Oasis, malaya na kayong makakaalis. Catch those criminals and bring them back to me."
The ground rumbled as they heeded his command, their clay and stone bodies coated in a pale blue glow. Maya-maya pa, tuluyan na silang naglaho at nakalagpas sa invisibility barrier, confirming their new monstrous speed. Alam ni Morpheus na malamang ay mabibigyan na naman siya ng written warning ng ibang mga diyos, but he'll worry about that later.
Ang mahalaga ay madakip ng mga ito ang 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...
