Dream Weaver
She walked for what seemed like a long time. Blackness, unchanging blackness. Then, she ran, nightgown fluttering, bare feet pounding. Still, the blackness. Everywhere, unending blackness. Finally, in frustration and despair, she sat down and began to cry. "Hey, hey, little one, why all the tears?" A soft male voice spoke from her right. Kathy nearly jumped out of her skin. She looked in the direction of the voice and saw a young man standing about ten feet from her. "W-where did you come from?" She stammered, "You weren't there before." ""I come from all over." The man said with a wink. He was about six feet tall with white blond hair and blue eyes; slim and attractive. A smile seemed to play about his lips. "But it's not often I find a young girl sobbing her eyes out.... So, what's a pretty girl like you doing in a place like this?" The shock of seeing another person was wearing off. She looked around in the blackness then back at him. "I don't know." she admitted, "I don't even know where I am. I'm looking for something, but..." Her eyes filled with tears as the bleak reality of her situation hit her full force again. "I don't know what it is. It's something I've lost and I have to find it!" Kathy broke down into sobs again. The blond man gathered her in to his arms. He pulled her close making calming noises. She resisted at first and then buried her face in his shoulder. "Shhh, Kathy, shhh. It'll be Ok." He stroked her hair and held her until she calmed down. When she pulled away, she felt a little ashamed of crying in front of this stranger. Still flushed from the tears and her embarrassment, she fought for composure. "You called me Kathy. How did you know my name? I don't know who you are." Her voice was still shaky, but she was more curious than accusing. "You can call me Chris. Come. Let's walk this way." He indicated the direction he seemed to have come from. 'Why not'? she thought, following him. 'Where else am I to go?' They walked side by side in silence for an immeasurable amount of time. It could have been five minutes or five hours. Then, he stopped. "Here we go. This looks like a good place." Kathy looked around. It did not look any different than anyplace else she had seen so far. "Ok, Chris. Whatever you say." She said doubtfully. Chris made a small gesture. Kathy gasped in surprise. The floor was moving, growing. She watched in total fascination until the structure was complete. Walking around it, she saw that it seemed to be a wall of some kind. It was about eight feet tall and twelve feet across. There were no seams in the floor where the wall joined it. "What is it? What does it do?" Kathy asked, consumed by curiosity. "Well, it's kind of like of movie screen. It shows you things." A smile peeked out of the right side of his mouth. "See, watch this." Suddenly, the wall burst into color. Startled by the brightness and noise, it took Kathy a moment to realize what she was looking at. It was birthday party. There were balloons, toys, a cake and lots of laughing children. She watched one little girl blow out six candles with a little help from her mother. It was so familiar... It tugged at her mind. Then, she knew what it was. "That's me!" she cried, "That's my birthday party when I was six. I remember it!" she laughed in delight at the memories floating in her head and in front of her eyes. "How did you do that?" Chris only smiled a knowing smile. The pictured blurred. When the details became sharp again, Kathy saw a stage. A slightly awkward girl with glasses was standing there. She seemed to be looking off to the side at someone. "That's me again. I was twelve, It was the County Spelling Bee." She smiled a small smile. "I won third place. I couldn't spelled Pennsylvania. I still can't. I was so disappointed." The scene dissolved into an ice cream parlor. "But Mom and Dad took me out for ice cream anyway." Kathy's face brightened at that memory. More and more memories were played out on the screen: the first kiss, a hard final, the first love, a fight with her parents. Each memory more precious than the last, for they gave Kathy back other memories she had somehow forgotten. The scene shifted once more. It was Kathy sitting in a car next to a handsome young man. They were talking and laughing in front of a house. "Oh Alan!" She breathed "How could I have forgotten you?" She watched the screen, feeling her love for her fiancée. Then, she starting feeling scared as she watched the car drive away from the curb. Something was very wrong. "No." she whispered, "Stay home..." She saw herself and Alan driving in the car down the freeway. So happy and free. "No. I don't want to see this..." She looked away for a second then looked back, drawn by some over-powering force. She saw herself laugh at something Alan had said. They had not a care in the world except one another... Suddenly, the car in front of them blew a tire and skidded sideways right into their path. There were cars on either side, nowhere to go except straight in the skidding car! "NOOO!!" Kathy's scream matched her own as she crouched on the floor. When she looked up, the screen was blank. "Who are you?!" she yelled at Chris. "Why are you doing this to me?!" Her mind was a whirl of pain and loss. "I'm someone who cares. I'm trying to bring you back to yourself." His face was one of gentle concern. "I've shown you your past. I can show you things that might happen if you have the strength to make it back." Other memories came flooding in, overwhelming her. Things she had not thought of in years. Then, seemingly of its own volition, the screen grew bright again. It started showing Kathy brief glimpses of things possibly to come: college graduation, her parents, a wedding, a picture of her nursing a baby... All of these things she longed for. As she watched the screen, she heard Chris speaking in a soft low voice. "I am the Dream Weaver. With my magic, I create fantasy. With my Will, I create Reality. I weave the dreams for those Dreamers who will make them so..." "I want this!" she cried, gesturing to the screen showing her the possible future to come. "Then, make it so..." Was the whispered reply. "I want to live!" Tears streamed down her face. "Then, make it so!" The voice commanded. With the strength of her memories and her desire for the future. Kathy willed with all her might. She felt something inside her start to give. She pushed with everything she had. She felt something break. The darkness burst into a pure, blinding white light. Spiralling into it, she knew no more.... In room 703 of the Alameda County Hospital, a young woman opened her eyes for the first time in fifty-three days. She let her eyes focus and saw the white ceiling above her. She then realized someone was holding her hand. Her heart leapt, it was Alan! The,n the memory of the man with white blond hair and blue eyes came to her and she smiled. "I made it Chris, I made it." She used what little strength she had to squeeze Alan's hand. He woke up with a start and saw that she was awake. With a strangled cry, he leaned over to gently hug her. "Thank you." Kathy whispered to no one as the tears rolled freely, "Oh, thank you." Elsewhere, the Dream Weaver smiled.
Written for Christopher Senft, 1992
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