Penny For Your Dreams

Chapter 3

“Bernadette!” the Seller of Dreams stood right next to Disney, who was red in the face and shaking. “Don’t be shy. Or are you scared?”

            “Fine!” Cassandra snapped. “I’ll buy a dream, okay? Show me those pouches and let me choose—“

            “I wasn’t talking to you!” the Dreamseller snarled. 

            Cassandra shrunk back, causing the Dreamseller to chuckle. “Boring,” he yawned. “Boring, boring, boring. I thought you had a little more… fight.” Cassandra didn’t reply. 

            “Fine,” the Seller of Dreams shrugged. Isabelle was rooted to the spot. It felt so creepy to hear those words come out of her own mouth. “It’s absolutely boring, anyway. My customers go crazy, they die. How boring.” 

            This man is insane, Isabelle thought to herself for the millionth time. And that’s what makes him so dangerous. He’s too unpredictable. 

            “Here’s the price for a dream of the future. You pick one of your sisters, and you sign on the contract which characteristic of theirs you would like to remove. Pick carefully. It’s such a bore when you pick carelessly.” He yawned again, stretching his arms, to prove his point. “Let’s start with the one I currently look like.” He cast a slow, creepy smile at Isabelle. Eyes growing wider, lips stretching out into a gruesome arc. “Isabelle. Here’s the contract.” 

            A single piece of short bond paper appeared in front of her. Words were printed across it:

            To get your dream, you are required to write a person’s name on this paper, and below it you shall write a certain characteristic of his/her. Write your name below and sign with signature over printed name. The person you have chosen will sign as well, with the words: “I accept” preceding his/her signature.

            The deal cannot be broken by any means.

To Isabelle’s horror, words started writing itself across the paper in an elegant, smooth handwriting: 

            The person required must be your blood relative, and must be present at this very moment. NO FUNNY BUSINESS OR YOU LOSE YOUR LIFE. 

        “That’s it!” the Dreamseller handed her a black ballpoint pen. He smiled at her encouragingly, but the maniacal fire in his eyes burned hotter than ever. “Easy price to pay, right?” 

            He turned to face the three other girls. “Well, are there any volunteers? It’s a chance! Look at the situation in a positive light. This is the chance to eliminate your flaws. Go on, don’t be shy.” 

            No one moved. The air was filled with silence so thick one can cut through it with a knife. Cassandra decided to cut through it, saying, “Me. Get rid of my temper.” 

            Isabelle was shocked, and it was evident from her other sisters’ wide eyes and dropped jaws that they were too. Disney and Isabelle had exchanged a quick look at each other, knowing they might’ve influenced Cassandra’s decision ins some way. 

            Cassandra stepped forward and snatched the pen from the Seller of Dreams. She took the contract from Isabelle and silently signed it. She stepped back and handed the contract back to Isabelle, her mouth wordless but her eyes filled with a silent plea.

            Isabelle took the contract and filled it up with shaking hands. Once she finished writing the last letter of her signature, the paper instantly vanished. The Seller of Dreams casually threw a purple pouch at Isabelle, who barely managed to catch it.