A Hidden Heart

26 - Preparations

Question: Has Nightmare now crashed the economy of Fluffytale with that single tip?

Answer: ...Maybe.

Question: Happy that Nightmare and Ccino talked about what happened to Dream. Did they get to piece everything or are there still things Dream keeps for himself ?

Answer: Oh, Dream hasn't told anyone everything; he probably never will, to be honest.

Comments are welcome and appreciated!

Please enjoy!

~~~~~

Dream was nine and a half now, and life was..surprisingly good! Dream felt..normal. For the first time in his life, Dream felt like a normal kid. He didn't feel like he had to meet impossible expectations or make himself useful every day; sometimes, taking a day off to play was okay! Of course, he still kept the castle clean (he would never be able to ignore his urges completely), and he made sure that the prisoners in the dungeon were fed (they had been happy to see him again!), but he didn't hold himself to the same standards he had before..and that was okay! He didn't have to clean every molecule of dust from the floors, and he didn't have to get everyone fed within ten minutes; he could take his time. After everything, Dream found that he liked taking his time; he didn't feel pressured to do the best job he possibly could, and no one was mad. Well, maybe a few of the prisoners in the dungeon were mad, but they were mean anyway. In addition to being happier...

Dream was feeling a lot better inside. Through some reading and conversations with others, Dream had figured a lot of things out. For one thing, he was something called "claustrophobic," since he felt afraid and pressured in small rooms; he preferred being in large rooms, and the castle's size certainly helped him to feel comfortable! He was also scared of sensory deprivation - that was something he had known for a while, now - but he didn't think that one had a word. He didn't like the dark because he felt as if he were losing his sight. He didn't like the noise-canceling headphones Dust sometimes used when he was overwhelmed because he couldn't hear anything. He didn't like bland foods because he couldn't taste anything. He had to tell the others about all those things, and they helped him through it. If there was a bowl of white rice at the table, there would be gravy to smother it in. The gang sometimes grabbed scented candles when they were out so Dream could take comfort in the scents. They put nightlights in the halls that lit up when the lights were out, and no one ever put their hands near Dream's eyesockets. They also ended up getting Dream a lot of different clothes to help him feel grounded with more tangible fabrics, and..Dream appreciated every bit of it.

He also appreciated the journal Nightmare had given him. He hadn't known what to do with it, at first, but after some time, he figured out a good use. There were some things that he wanted to tell the others..but he also didn't want to tell them. He couldn't bring himself to talk about how his previous captor had used sensory deprivation to force Dream to work faster, even if he had told the others about what he wasn't comfortable with. It was weird; he could hint at things, but saying it out loud directly..he just couldn't. So, instead of saying those things..he wrote them. Only he was allowed to read the journal, and, therefore, anything he wrote wouldn't reach the others. It didn't need to reach them; Dream felt better just writing it. In addition to his sensitive topics, he also wrote happy things, as well as some other stuff. He wrote about how much fun he had playing with Swap or Ccino's cats, and he wrote about victories he had won regarding his instincts; he was particularly proud of the time he had refused to clean the kitchen when Killer had exploded an attempt at a pie! His instincts had really wanted to clean it, but he had told Killer to do it, instead, and he felt great every time he read his account of the event!