Memories (Of Dreams and Demons)

Lyra

Draft. Massive draft.

We spot a dog beaten and starved. Its frame is small and fragile, barely able to keep up its pace. It's a miracle that the dog is even alive, let alone running. We call out to the dog, coaxing it with gentle words and trying to get closer. The poor creature looks up at us with tired, desperate eyes and then collapses. Its breathing is ragged and shallow, and it's covered in dirt and blood.

As the dog stumbles upon us beneath the tree, it's apparent that this is no ordinary canine. Its spirit is shattered, its body emaciated and battered, and it looks as though it's desperately fleeing for its survival. Upon calling out to the poor creature, it limps towards us.

Naoko, on the other hand, runs forward to cuddle the dog and give her water and food. It's a side of her I have never seen before, as she shows motherly and loving care towards a helpless animal. She's divine, and I watch in awe as her tough exterior evaporates, and she lavishes selfless love upon this castaway. She scoops the dog up in her arms, and I can see that the animal is grateful for her kindness. "You poor thing," she says softly, her voice full of love and concern. "Let me help you."

Chi, on the other hand, is repulsed and recoils in fear. But it's not from the dog's appearance or condition. He has seen worse things in his time. It's the fear of the unknown, the fear of what this little dog could represent. Nothing but bones and skin, starving, thirsty, dying, sick - this dog represents the pain and suffering that we so often overlook. The pain that we refuse to acknowledge, and the suffering that we turn a blind eye to. The dog is a symbol of all the things that we don't want to confront, and the reality that we're all trying to escape.

But Naoko sees beyond the fear and the suffering. She sees the beauty in the fragility of life, and the resilience that comes with it. She sees a living being needing help, and she doesn't hesitate to offer it. As she holds the dog, I can see the love radiating from her, enveloping the dog like a warm, comforting blanket.

Lyra, the name suddenly comes to me, returns some life to her bones and skin and warms up to Naoko immediately. Chi and I watch in envy as she obeys Naoko's every command and even stops licking her lips upon Naoko's request. It's as if Naoko were a queen to be loved and obeyed.

Some life returns to Lyra, and she warms towards Naoko immediately, kissing her and wagging her tail like crazy. She goes to lick her lips, but Naoko jumps up, putting Lyra down and wagging her finger at her dramatically disapproving, who sits there gazing up at her as if she were a goddess.

"No!" Naoko gushes. "Not the lips. Yucky!"

But Lyra shivers, full of terror despite her love, her brokenness palpable.

"What is it?" Naoko asks.

Chi's eyes narrow at a burn mark on Lyra's side, then widen in recognition.

"She has escaped Vicente!" Chi exclaims, his voice filled with fear and awe.

"I need to warn you," Lyra pants, her voice shaking with fear. "Vicente is a demon, the kind that enjoys nothing more than torturing and killing innocent beings. He leaves their skins hanging in the woods as a warning to others. He's after my family and friends."

"The forest heart, the further you go. It's a dark and gruesome place, full of fear. No one has ever found where he lives, and no one has ever escaped from him alive, until me. I was lucky to get out, but I still have nightmares about what I saw."

Lyra breaks further, her voice trembling with fear, that she had been where Vicente lived.

"He's close," Lyra howls, "they're looking for me, chasing me. But something guided me here, to find you."