Dave couldn't believe his luck.
Alam niyang may katapusan ang bangin dahil wala naman talagang "forever" sa mundo. Lahat may katapusan, lahat may hangganan. And no, he isn't saying this just because of bitterness from the lack of love life (dahil walang lugar ang ganoong bagay sa trabaho niya).
It's just the truth.
You can imagine a line infinitely stretching in front of you, but at some point they'll need to meet since the world is round---an elipsoid, to be precise. Tulad ng mga panaginip ng mga tao sa kanilang Dreamscape, kahit na gaano kadalas niyang naririnig ang mahihinang hiling nilang "sana hindi na ako magising", for 49 years, Dave watched over and over again as they were forced to wake up. The Dreamcaster silently witnessed the cycle of waking and dreaming, and the disappointed faces in between.
Dahil tulad ng mga panaginip, gaano kaganda o kapait, may hangganan ang mga ito.
"Something I might never understand."
Napabuntong-hininga na lang ang Dreamcaster at nagpatuloy sa paglalakad. 'Di tulad sa ibang parte ng Land of Nightmares, tila ba mas mabigat ang buhangin rito. He was having a hard time walking through it as he searched for Cornelia.
"Cornelia!"
Dave called out, his voice almost hoarse. Walang sumagot. Hindi na niya alam kung gaano katagal na siyang nagpapalaboy-laboy dito sa ilalim ng bangin, nagbabaka-sakaling 'di pa huli ang lahat. 'Did something attack her? Is she safe? Damn it,' he was overthinking. When he fell from the sky earlier, Dave knew it was a miracle he managed to survive. Naubos ang lakas niya sa pagmamanipula ng buhangin, kaya hindi na kataka-takang halos kaladkarin na lang niya ang kanyang sarili.
'Rest.'
"No, I can't... not until I find her."
Hindi na niya pinakinggan ang pagdaing ng utak at katawan niya sa pagod.
Habang tumatagal, tila lalong dumidilim ang paligid. Wala na siyang halos makita sa kakarampot na liwanag na nagmumula sa mga batong nakabaon sa lupa. Dave avoided making eye contact with the Nightmare stones, knowing the ones stuck in the darkness are the deadliest.
His mind started wandering off again.
'Hindi kaya nabiktima na naman ng bangungot si Elia?'
Fuck.
He was getting crazy worried about her.
Maya-maya pa, tuluyan nang bumigay ang katawan ni Dave. Napaluhod siya sa buhanginan, his skin scratched by the rocks. Hindi na niya napigilan ang mga mata niyang tumitig sa isang bato sa tabi. The diamond shone brighter, as if greeting him, before dragging him in...
"We've already talked about this, Dave."
A man's voice.
Bago pa man niya maproseso ang mga pangyayari, natigilan na lang si Dave nang mapagtantong nasa loob siya ng palasyo. The golden tapestries and velvet rugs were all too familiar, and so was the person standing in front of him.
'S-Sandman?'
"This is what I've trained you for, my boy. Sa ngayon, kailangan mo itong tanggapin nang buong puso."
Dave's face paled. Naging malabo ang mga sumunod na pangyayari.
"MASTER!"
A loud crash.
"DAVE, ANONG GINAGAWA MO?!"
The sound of sand grating against the floor.
"I'm sorry... I'm sorry... I'm sorry..."
Sinundan ang lahat ng isang makapanindig-balahibong pagsigaw na lumabas sa bibig niya.
Dave quickly broke free from the nightmare and took in deep breaths. Hindi na niya namalayang nanginginig na pala ang kanyang buong katawan. 'What the heck was that?' He had never encountered a nightmare so vivid that it physically pained him to remember it.
Habang tumatagal, lalo siyang nalululong sa kasamaan ng Land of Nightmares.
Kailangan na niyang makaalis dito, makabalik sa Realm in Between, at maibalik sa dati ang lahat. He had one fucking job, and he couldn't even do it properly. Dave hated this.
'But I need to find her first,' he reminded himself, standing up. Wala siyang balak umalis ng lupaing ito nang hindi kasama si Cornelia. Kahit na abutin si Dave ng ilang araw sa paghahanap kay Cornelia nang walang pahinga at walang kain, wala siyang pakialam.
He needs to find her, through dreams and through nightmares.
Indeed, hours turned into days, and he was afraid it would never end...
"Dave?"
Someone called from beyond the sand dunes. Mabilis na hinanap ng kanyang nga mata ang boses, hanggang sa makita na niya ang dalagang nakatayo sa ibabaw nito. Cornelia was standing on top of a sand dune, with messy braided hair and muddy brown eyes.
For a moment, she looked like an apparition. Like a lovely hallucination conjured up by crazed man deprived of water for several days. At nang ngumiti ito sa kanya, alam niyang totoo ito.
Hindi isang bangungot.
Relief flooded his chest as he ran towards her, embracing her tightly.
"Elia," he sighed.
She suddenly broke away from his hug and avoided eye contact.
"Tungkol sa nangyari..."
"May masakit ba sa'yo?"
Nag-angat ng tingin ang dalaga, alam na sinasadya niyang iwasan nila ang topic.
"W-Wala naman," sagot ni Cornelia. "Pero kailangan na nating umalis dito. Who knows what's happening in Eastwood right now without the Dreamcaster? Let's go."
At nagsimula na itong maglakad papunta sa kabilang direksyon. Dave silently watched her, as if Cornelia already knew the way out of this place. Isinantabi na muna niya ito at sinabayan siya sa paglalakad, even though his body was already complaining from fatigue.
"Paano mo nalaman ang daan palabas?"
Cornelia smiled, a fake one.
"Intuition? Malakas lang talaga pakiramdam ko."
Dave frowned, confused with her shift in behavior. Pero dahil sa nangyari, alam niyang hindi ito ang tamang oras para pansinin ang maliliit na bagay. They were both tired. She was safe, and that's what matters the most to him. Maipagpapatuloy nila ang paglalakbay at makakaalis din sila rito.
And what happens after that?
Ayaw na niyang isipin.
"Okay."
Tahimik na lang niyang sinundan si Cornelia.
Dave didn't notice three things that time: the nipa hut concealed beyond the sand dune a few feet away, the tightness in Cornelia's smile, and vial of poison she carefully hid in her hand.
---
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...
