Calliope - In The Arms Of Morpheus

Chapter 14

Morpheus pried his eyes open, back to reality. Every fiber of him wanted to stay in their shared dream. His body ached, from wanting to close the distance between them, and finally indulge in the sweetness of her promising lips. Endless were not supposed to be corporeal, thus bodily aches were uncommon.
Calliope was changing him. Whenever she touched him, he became real. Physical. This was probably a result of him existing because humans needed to dream. Their needs affected him. Her needs. Her needs made him corporeal. More than he ever expected or wanted.
He needed to stop this. There was a rule against Endless meddling in human lives, especially if it became so physical. This was trouble, and needed to stop, right now.
Damn you, Desire! His body did not want it to stop. His heart ached. His heart.
Morpheus was responsible for the entire human subconscious. There was no time for selfishness. There was no time for needs and aches.
His fingers drummed on his throne's armrests.
A quick cut was probably for the best, to stop the catastrophe of feelings they were sliding untowards. With her gone, he would hopefully return to his former self.
She needed to leave. As soon as Calliope was awake, he would inform her that Hippolitos could stay in his realm and be safe. She could always visit him in her dreams. Then it was time for her to return to her own life, fulfill her purpose, and become a working muse.
She had to be fully awake by now. Lucienne could see how she was, help her get dressed for dinner, and they could discuss all these matters then.
Morpheus conjured a long dinner table for maximum physical distance and rose from his throne.
"Sssssquueeeaaakhhh!" Skoni rubbed itself against his boots, startled awake.
"Hello little Bugger. That explains why you've been bumbling though Calliope's dreams." Another unaccustomed smile tugged at his lips. If this continued, his far to corporeal face would end in a cramp.
The door to the library burst open, and Lucienne barged in, raven Jessamy on her shoulder. Morpheus' librarian was quite a sight: with her old fashioned nightcap, the striped night coat, from which protruded equally striped pajama pants, her feet in brown slippers, her glasses slightly askew.
"Lord Morpheus," she stopped and curtsied, "I have an urgent message from your sibling." She lifted the tiny scroll, that must have been attached to Jessamy's leg.
"Please read it to me."
"Rrrreeaaad-it!" Jessamy croaked.
"Dear Brother," Lucienne read, looking over the rim of her round glasses, "it has come to my attention that you must deal with issues of corporeality. If you want advice on how to deal with those, visit me, as soon as possible, to prevent damage to the innocent human. Yours truly, Desire"
Oh, no.
Jessamy looked from one of them to the other. "Explain-it!" She demanded.
Of course, his sibling could sense his desire. They could not do anything, since they were not allowed to interfere in Morpheus' realm. But they could still sense him. There was no way knowing, how they would deal with that information. He needed to see them and find out, what this was all about. Talk to them and see, if he could keep Calliope out of their little row. Right now, before they could wreak havoc in Calliope's life.
"Lucienne, I need to ask you a favor."
Her eyebrows lifted, hands on hips, she gave Morpheus her i-need-to-sleep-stare.
"Doooo-it!"
He gave Jessamy his best stop-it-glare.
"Just sayin'it." She shrugged, and flattered away in the direction of the library.
Morpheus turned back to Lucienne. "I have urgent matters to attend. Please see to Calliope. Do not let her fall asleep unguided. She needs distraction from-... her desires. I need to have a talk with my sibling."
"Oh. I see." Lucienne nodded. "Do not take too long, Dreamlord. Be careful."
She lowered her chin, then turned and marched in the direction of Calliope's chambers.
Morpheus sighed, placed sleeping Skoni on his throne, and walked down the stairs, to stop his sibling from destroying a life.

****

Calliope exhaled and opened her heavy lidded eyes.
The place, where he had sat on her bed, was empty.
She was alone in the gloomy bedroom. Black, furry covers kept her glowing warm. So soft. Too warm.
In the fireplace crackled a warm fire.
Her body was heavy, the back of her head hurt. She could move all her limbs, but every little movement stung like bees. She could wiggle her toes, scratching the remaining sand between them.
Calliope's lips were parched and her throat burned.
Water?
So warm. She tried lifting her arm, to push the covers aside, which resulted in stinging skin and her gritting her teeth. Her arm was as heavy as if it was made of marble.
Finally, she managed to lift her covers and free her glowing body of the entrapment.
The air was not as refreshingly cold as she had hoped. Why was her body shivering and continued to glow at the same time?
On a small table beside her bed stood a cup.
Water!
She tried pushing herself up, but as soon as she was in a more upright position, the room started spinning.
Calliope's torso fell back down.
The door squeaked open, but it was not him.
"Good Evening, dear Muse Calliope. I am Lucienne, Lord Morpheus' librarian." She was the other voice, when Oneiros had carried her inside his dwelling - castle. The woman wore a curious attire, consisting of a striped coat, pants, and weird, fluffy shoes. She had chocolate brown skin, wore a funny headdress, and had sparkling eyes, that looked at her over some kind of black ornament, perched on her nose, but attached to the ears.
"Good evening Lucienne." Calliope's voice was barely audible and croaking. "What is a librarian?"
"Oh Dear, you must be thirsty!" She rushed to Calliope's bed and grabbed a few pillows to push them under her torso. "I take care of all the books here."
The vast hall of scrolls. What a beautiful place to be working in.
When Calliope sat upright, Lucienne offered her the cup from her table to hold. Calliope's hands were so shaking, that Lucienne finally held the cup to her lips, so she could drink greedy gulps.
"Oh Honey, yes, I know." Lucienne took the cup away. "You need to slow it down, or you'll get sick."
Calliope nodded. "Thank you."
Lucienne cocked her head to the side looked at her from head to toe. "You are looking very pale, and shivering."
"...I'm so hot. And ... everything is spinning... and my dream..." Has it even been real? The ride, the flight, the library and the sky? Establishing ties?
"Is there a book about a fox in your, hall of scrolls - library?"
Lucienne smiled and put the cup for a few gulps to Calliope's lips. "Many. Any fox in particular?"
"One to tame and... establish ties to?" She must sound ridiculous.
"Oh!" Lucienne smiled brightly. "He showed you the Little Prince. It's a marvelous book."
"I wish I could read it, one day..."
"Sure." Lucienne put the cup away. "But why don't we get you into the bathtub? You look like getting rid of the sand is a good idea, and the warmth will thaw you a little more."
"But I am already hot!"
"I know," Lucienne looked at her, from above her nose-ornament, "the cold is tricking you. It'll get better after a while. Come, put your feet to the floor. We'll walk together to the bathroom." She pointed at a black door.

***

A few minutes later, Calliope was propped upright in a large black bathtub, with golden water-outlets. Everything in this weird bath was black and gold. The marble table with the water-basin, underneath a magical wall, in which one could see oneself clearer than in the pond's water, and a few other objects, she had never seen. Lucienne had been so kind, as to help her open her bronze clasps out of her torn garment. Now, Lucienne was rummaging around, while Calliope indulged in letting her arms float in the milky water, trying not to move too much, because even the water stung a little.
"What is that?" Calliope pointed at a shiny black pot with a lid in the corner of the room, with a small scroll on a hook beside it.
Lucienne turned around and looked at her. "Why, of course. You probably have never seen this," she pointed at the pot, "it's called a toilet. We use it as the latrine." She opened the lid, and mimicked sitting. "You can use this paper to wipe yourself." She gestured to the scroll attached to the wall. "And when you're done, you close the lid, and push here." Water rushed loudly inside the pot.
"A toi-let. Very convenient."
Lucienne sat on a stool beside Calliope's bathtub and handed her two slices of bread on a plate. "Here, you must be starving." They were stuck with brown cream and reddish mousse together.
"Enjoy." Lucienne smiled. Calliope was already chewing the first delicious bite. The cream was slightly salty and matched the pureed fruit mousse perfectly. "Diff is deliciouff! What if thiff?" Calliope swallowed her bite.
"We call it peanut butter and jelly sandwich." Lucienne's smile shone all over her face. "Anything else you wanna know?"
"Yeff..." Calliope swallowed again, to be able to speak more clearly. "How is your face ornament called?"
Lucienne's smile reached her ears. "These are glasses." She took them from her nose and showed her the see-though eye-pieces. "My eyes are a bit tired. With the help of glasses, I can read much better."
"Do they help you read foreign languages?"
"No." Lucienne laughed. "You are quite interested in everything, aren't you?"
"Of course." Calliope smiled at Lucienne. "Muses were created to inspire. We need to know everything that is, in order to inspire what is missing."
Calliope ate the final bit of her sandwich, savoring the fine tastes. She wondered which Muse would get to inspire people inventing toilets and glasses. Probably a Muse, yet to be created herself. Or maybe... maybe not a muse. Maybe a dream. Yes, a dream will inspire them. Oneiros... my dream...
"No-no-no, Callipe, don't fall asleep in the bathtub! You'll drown. Let's get you out of here and back into your bed."
"No." Calliope opened her heavy eyelids. "I promised Lord Oneiros I'd eat with him."
Lucienne steadied her while she tried not to fall, standing up, as the air's heaviness tugged at her weight.
"I'm sorry." Lucienne said. "I'm afraid, he had to leave and attend urgent matters." She wrapped Calliope in the softest furry cloth, that ever touched her skin. Sadness tore at her heart, while Lucienne rubbed her skin dry and handed her a fresh loincloth.
"I'm sorry. Sometimes he is a real clutz. This is for men, am I right?"
A sad smile tugged at Calliope's lips. At least, he had cared enough to provide her with clothes. "Do not worry. I do not mind. Thank you for your kind help."
Calliope's body was still so heavy and hurting. "Can I go back to sleep, please?"
"Of course. You need more rest." Lucienne nodded, then thought for a moment, while bringing Calliope back to bed. "Can I suggest taking you to the library, during your dreams? We could go find the book you so liked."
She bent over Calliope's little table and un-lit the lamp by pressing a tiny knob. Then Lucienne sat in a large and comfy chair by the fire, propped up her feet on a matching seat and closed her eyes. "Sleep well. We will meet at the library's entrance."
I wanna dream of him... Oneiros... lush lips, eyes as deep as the universe... his chest against my cheek... the way his skin blushes, when I touch him... lavender and sandalwood...

(Are you ready to find out what that meeting with Desire is all about? then read the next chapter, and please vote for this one.)