"Anong ibig mong sabihing si Dave ang rason kung bakit namatay si Sandman? H-He's his apprentice! Inampon siya ni Sandman. Dave would never do that... he's not that kind of person."
And she wanted to believe her own words so bad that even saying his name pinches her heart. Pero nakakatakot lang isipin na hindi ito ang unang beses na pumasok ang ideya na posibleng may hidden agenda rin ang Dreamcaster.
Habang tumatagal, lalong lumalala ang trust issues niya.
She felt sick.
'But Dave being the cause of Sandman's death? No, this is too much.'
Nang mag-angat siya ng tingin, napansin niyang huminto na ang ermitanyo ang kanyang ginagawa. Nakaharap na ito sa kanya, a look of pity offered to her. Kung nararamdaman nitong may mas malalim pa siyang uganayan sa Dreamcaster o hindi, the old man kept his thoughts to himself.
"Hindi ito sinasadya ng Dreamcaster, kung iyon ang ikinakabahala mo. In fact, he wasn't even aware that he killed his own master in the process of inheriting his powers."
Napailing na lang si Cornelia.
Ni minsan, hindi nabanggit sa kanya ni Dave ang mga detalye ng "retirement" ni Sandman o ang araw na pinalitan na niya ito. Dave just gave her hints that his mentor is already "gone", in every sense of the word. She can't imagine the trauma his might cause him.
A part of her wanted to give him the benefit of the doubt.
"Then you can't call someone evil if its against his will. Hindi kontrolado ni Dave ang sitwasyon---"
"Hindi nga niya kontrolado ang sitwasyon, pero kontrolado niya ang kung paano siya magre-react sa isang sitwasyon, hija," mahina nitong sabi bago isinara ang librong kanina pa nito sinusulatan. "It happened almost 50 years ago. The very day Sandman was about to renounce his title and pass on his powers to his apprentice, Dave reacted violently. Matagal na niyang alam na darating ang araw na 'yon, pero nang mapagtanto niyang mawawalan na rin siya ng pagkakataong mamuhay nang normal, he became defiant."
"Paano?"
She was curious. Gosh, she wanted to make sense of this discovery.
"Dave lashed out... He couldn't control his new powers properly. He was aware of it, but he didn't stop. From the stories Sandman told me, Dave was a naturally calm and good boy, but he lost his temper and brought out the evil within him that day. Hindi naging maganda ang kinahinatnan nito, kaya sa huli, tuluyang naging naging abo si Sandman. Alam ng alaga nilang cactus ang nangyari, kaya't sinubukan niya itong pagtakpan."
'Si Coco. Alam ni Coco ang nangyari, pero nanatili pa rin itong loyal sa bago niyang amo... What the heck?'
"Sinabi ng cactus na ganoon talaga ang proseso, na mawawala talaga si Sandman kapag tuluyan nang namana ni Dave ang kapangyarihan nito. Since Dave had muddled memories of what he did, he easily accepted the explanation. It was a secret that cactus kept within the palace walls, just so Dave can do his work properly without the guilt."
Cornelia was at loss for words.
Because it made sense. Matagal na siyang may ideya na bukod sa pagiging resident cactus, isang mahalagang gampanin ni Coco ang maging companion ng Dreamcaster. In a way, Coco looks after Dave like a best friend would, while making sure that Sandman's sacrifice didn't go to waste.
'Kaya pala ganoon ang reaksyon niya nang malamang nandito si Dave.'
"It seems like you knew Sandman personally."
Tumango ang ermitanyo at mahinang tinapik ang kanyang libro. "Sabihin na lang natin na sa akin siya humihiram ng mga aklat tuwing nauubusan na siya ng mga babasahin."
"Ikaw ang nagsusulat ng mga librong nasa library niya?"
The old man smiled, filled with pride.
"Indeed. Sandman was fond of my works just as much as you seem to be fond of that boy."
Cornelia avoided eye contact. Hindi niya alam ang isasagot niya rito kaya iniwan na lang niya roon.
"Kung nakilala mo man ang Dreamcaster, pinapayuhan na lang kitang mag-ingat, hija. Given that nobody is inherently harmless, but Dave's temper and his power is a fatal combination... At may reputasyon ang Land of Nightmares sa pagpapalabas ng itim sa puso natin. Even the purest of hearts can't last forever here."
Good and evil co-exist.
Cornelia recalled the mocking voices she heard when they fell into the canyon.
The voices that actually came from inside of her.
Sinundan ng katahimikan ang kanilang usapan. Cornelia gazed up at the darkness, shadows dancing above her head. Kung hindi lang dahil sa samu't saring fairy lights at mga gaserang likha ng ermitanyo sa kanyang kubo, nababalot na sila ngayon ng dilim.
Hindi pa rin maalis sa isip niya ang kanyang nalaman.
'You may not have control over the situation, but you have control over how you react to it... In a way, it's true.'
At baka ito ang rason kung bakit nahihirapan siyang ibigay nang buo ang tiwala niya. Hindi lang dahil sa mga naririnig niyang usapan, kung 'di dahil kay Dave na rin mismo. He's too calm and composed, smart and reliable. Ayaw man niyang aminin, pero mala-anghel ang Dreamcaster---despite his occasional arrogance. Sometimes, Cornelia thinks he's too good to be true.
'Dave.'
An evil version of him will surely be her greatest nightmare.
At kung darating man ang araw na kailangan niyang kaharapin ang bangungot na 'yon at piliin ang sarili niya, Cornelia knew she'd do anything to wake up. She'd do anything to get back to the Waking World and chase the dreams that felt are now farther away the longer she stays here.
Even if waking up from that nightmare will surely leave her with a broken heart.
---
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...
