"WELCOME HOME, MASTER DAVE!"
Just when Cornelia thought that Dave would look delighted upon hearing that squeaky voice, it dawned on her that he was probably worried, too. Nang bumati ulit ang cactus, nagkatinginan na sila.
"Dito ka lang. I'll check on him."
"Sure ka kaya mo nang mag-isa?"
"Oo naman. Saglit lang ako, don't miss me."
Cornelia rolled her eyes.
Pero dahil hindi naman niya hahayaang ang Dreamcaster lang ang humarap sa panganib na 'to, agad din siyang sumunod. Stealing one last glance at the door, she witnessed it close on its own. A glimpse of the gray sand retreating as if it couldn't penetrate this palace. 'Kailan ba ako masasanay sa mahika ng lugar na 'to?' Cornelia thought before disappearing in a hallway Dave headed to.
Sinulyapan niya ang mga larawang nakahilera sa pader.
They were portraits.
Momentarily stopping at the nearest one, she studied the painting. Hindi na niya kailangan pa ng kumpirmasyon para malamang si Dave ang nasa picture. It was a younger version of him, probably around three to four years old. Mataba ang pisngi at halatang walang kamalay-malay na may nagpinta siya habang naglalaro ng buhangin sa dalampasigan.
From the looks of it, he was trying to built a sand castle.
'Cute.'
Agad na napailing si Cornelia. What in the name of paintbrushes and watercolors is she thinking?
Hindi siya cute. Hindi!
Napalunok siya't mabilis na dinaanan ang ibang mga paintings. Hindi na niya kailangan pa ng karagdagang destruction---I mean, distraction---sa buhay niya. Wala na dapat siyang pakialam kay Dave.
Soon the hallway led her to a small office with its door slightly ajar.
Walang pagdadalawang-isip siyang natungo roon. But upon hearing bits of the conversation, Cornelia halted a few foot steps away.
"Master Dave, ito ang napapala mo sa pakikipag-interact sa mga tao! Didn't I warn you last time? Hay, ang kulit mo talaga, master!"
She recognized the squeaky voice from earlier, knowing that Dave must be talking to Coco the cactus. 'A talking cactus? Hindi na talaga ako magtataka kung nananinginip lang ako,' isip-isip niya. Pero hindi inaasahan ng dalaga ang sunod na sinabi nito...
"Pero okay lang 'yan, master. Kapag iniwan mo na siya rito sa Land of Nightmares, babalik sa dati ang lahat."
*
Dave was expecting Coco to be a little more different than how he met him. Sabihin na lang natin nagkaroon na rin siya ng trust issues dahil sa twisted reality ng Land of Nightmares, but a part of him still wished that his cactus companion isn't evil.
'Coco may be a little too noisy and demanding sometimes, but he isn't evil.'
Bumalik sa alaala niya ang naging unang pagkikita nila ni Coco. Despite the decades passed, Dave can recall everything like a carefully kept memorabilia inside a treasure chest. Ilang araw matapos siyang ampunin at gawing apprentice ni Sandman, nagliwaliw sa loob ng palasyo si Dave dahil maaga niyang natapos ang readings niya.
Well, he was the kind of kid to finish his lessons earlier than planned. Kaya siguro tinatambakan siya lagi noon ng mga babasahin ni Sandman?
Anyway, Dave didn't fancy getting himself lost in the corridors, but that day was an exemption.
"TUBEEEEEEG! TUBEEEEEG!"
Napatalon sa gulat ang batang Dave nang marinig ang boses na 'yon na nagmumula sa kabilang dulo ng pasilyo. Wala naman siyang naaalalang sinabi ni Sandman na may multo rito! And they're in the Land of Dreams, so there can't be any evil entities around, right? Napalunok siya sa kaba lalo noong narinig na naman niya ang paos na boses na 'yon.
"TUBEEEEEG! HOY SANDYYY! TUBEEEEG PLEASE!"
'Huh?'
Did... Did the ghost just called his mentor by a nickname?
Dala ng kuryosidad (at pananakit ng kanyang mga tainga dahil sa ingay ng sigaw nito), Dave wandered deeper into the heart of the pristine white palace. The soles of his leather sandals left imprints on the golden carpet that magically shifted designs every two minutes. Nang makarating si Dave sa pinakadulong silid, doon niya naaninag ang pasong nakalagay sa desk ni Sandman.
Not surprisingly, Sandman wasn't home yet.
Alam ni Dave na palaging busy ang kanyang mentor tuwing tinatawag nilang "sleeping hour", kung saan karamihan ng mga tao sa mundo ay humihilik sa kanilang mga kama. In his bravado, Dave stepped closer to the desk and studied the peculiar clay pot.
A cactus sprung to life when it felt his presence.
"TUBEEEEEG!"
"What on earth?"
Napahakbang papalayo si Dave, lalong naguluhan. Ngayon lang siya nakakita ng cactus. Pero ano naman ang ginagawa ng isang cactus sa Land of Dreams? And...did it actually speak?
Baka kulang lang siya sa tulog---
"TUBEEEEG! MAMAMATAY NA AKO DITO! HUHU!"
Dave blinked rapidly and took in the situation. Doon niya napansing lantang-lanta na pala ang cactus. He grabbed the nearest pitcher of water and splashed it all over the poor plant.
Maya-maya pa, tumayo nang tuwid ang nagsasalitang cactus at tinitigan siya nang maigi.
"HAY, SALAMAT! Teka, teka, ikaw 'yong batang inampon ni Master Sandy, 'di ba?"
Dave nodded, still can't comprehend how a plant can have vocal cords. At buong akala talaga niya "bizarre" na ang pagkakaroon ng Land of Dreams, Dreamscapes, at dream stones. Who would've thought that his life was gonna get crazier the longer he stays with Sandman?
"May pangalan ka ba?"
The cactus nodded. "Ako si Coco!"
"Nice meeting you, Coco! I'm Dave."
And the rest was history.
Now Dave stared at the cactus resting in his pot. Nang mapagtanto niyang wala namang kakaiba sa cactus na 'to, nakahinga siya nang maluwag.
This Coco isn't evil.
"Ibig sabihin ba nito may glitch din sa'yo? You're the same Coco I grew up with, right?"
Tumango ang cactus. "Master Dave naman! Ako lang 'to. It seems like I'm the same in both the Land of Dreams and Nightmares, after all!"
"Buti naman," Dave grabbed the watering can besides the bookshelf. Magmula noong unang pagkikita nila, naging obligado na siyang diligan ito. "Akala ko talaga dadagdag pa sa mga problema ko ang isang evil Coco. That human girl is already too much to handle."
"Masyado ka nang matagal na wala, Master Dave! Nagkakagulo na sa Waking World!"
"Alam ko," he replied.
"Master Dave, ito ang napapala mo sa pakikipag-interact sa mga tao! Didn't I warn you last time? Hay, ang kulit mo talaga, master!"
'Alam ko,' he thought.
Bago pa man niya madiligan ang cactus, napahinto siya sa sunod nitong sinabi.
"Pero okay lang 'yan, master. Kapag iniwan mo na siya rito sa Land of Nightmares, babalik sa dati ang lahat."
---
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...
