What is Reality?

[DryIceKnowledge]

The corridor was very long. My feet were starting to tire when suddenly I was thrust into a world of light. Now, as there were windows at regular intervals in the corridor, it wasn't that dim in there. But I had been inside almost all day- or night, I've no clue how long I had been sleeping- and the sun was bright!

Sam seemed to be very comfortable though. In the sun his eyes turned a lighter shade of blue and his red tattoos seem to stand out even more.

He tweaked his collar and turned to me.

"Ready?"

"No."

"Then let's go."

I think this is the front of the House. There were certainly a lot of steps, though, leading down to a little paved area before a gigantic wall. Beyond that wall was an even taller hedge. I think I wanted a lot of privacy as a kid. Who knows? Anyway, there was a golden door in the wall that was certainly very intricate. It looked to be just a bunch of little golden statues with the occasional stone clothing stacked together at impossible angles, some gripping a comrade's hand in friendship or an enemy's throat in fury. Most were dancing, it seemed, and feasting on little golden turkeys and golden grapes.

Sam went up to the golden door- I can't even imagine how heavy that is- and bowed. "Mistress Mary of Platypus House requests entrance to the Courtyard," he said grandly. He's talking to a gate. No, that's not odd, not at all...

But these very sarcastic thoughts were blown out of my head when the gigantic silver knocker of the door, made to look like an horse's head, moved.

"Surely the Mistress of the House needs no approval?" the silver horse said, and I think it smiled. I couldn't really tell, as it was a horse... and metal...

"You know the formalities, Fargo," Sam laughed. He straightened his robe once more and stepped aside while the door split down the middle and opened. He gestured for me to walk beside him and we went through. One of the figures on the door winked at me as it closed. The other side was just plain and smooth.

"That wasn't odd," I said, my voice heavy with sarcasm. Ah, beloved sarcasm. How you've annoyed many a classmate!

"You appointed Fargo especially, I believe," Sam replied with a small smile, "When you were eight. He wasn't happy being a carriage horse and wanted to help protect the House instead. He liked the idea of being the door knocker and agreed, you made him so, and everybody was happy."

"I wish I could remember," I said wistfully. This House was so amazing, and born out of my own imagination, and yet I could not remember a thing!

"Look upon the Courtyard and smile, Mistress. You won't ever have to leave here again if you do not wish to," he said, throwing his arms wide. The tattoos on his arms turned into frolicking people, centaurs, and what looked like dwarves.

The Courtyard was very pretty, I must admit. The ground was merely smooth paved stone, but they were many colors and many grains, set in the ground to create their own sort of mosaics. On the long borders were wild plants, trees, herbs, you name it. It seemed the Courtyard had been set right before the gardens and probably for the strange wild beauty of it. While there were no fountains, deep but stepping width rivulets ran through the stones, weaving this way and that around the edge and leaving the center alone.

I crouched down to look at one rivulet before my feet. It seemed to be like a miniature canyon. The water wound off to the left, around Sam, and I swear there were rapids down there. Before my eyes I saw a miniscule raft navigating its way around the sharp rocks and coming safely into smooth water.

"Cool."

"Very." Sam tapped my shoulder and pointed forward. In the center of the Courtyard was a large patch of grass, a square of tables set there, the middle free for the monkey acrobats that were currently stacking themselves on the others shoulders. A table at the northern end stood higher than the rest, and the cloth that rested on top was as red as cherries.

I stood and brushed off my knees, more because I was nervous than because of dirt.

"Shall we?" I asked Sam, somehow finding it appropriate to lift my chin and hood my eyes.

He just smiled and led me forward.

When I came around the side of the tables and went up a set of stairs behind the tallest table- set on a wooden platform, so as to make it easier to rest- the diners grew silent. I saw that there was no food on the table, but they had been entertaining themselves with conversation and watching the acrobats until I appeared.

Sam stood at my right side, Tabitha- dressed splendidly in a emerald green toga- at my left. Her hair had somehow been combed through and her customary plants draped a bit more elegantly about her willowy frame.

"Make a speech, Mistress," she muttered in my ear.

I stared around, seeing centaurs, a giant two headed sheep, dwarves, Dryads, lions, bears, all sorts of creatures as well as several that I'm sure were just made up of parts of others.

I opened my mouth. Words came unbidden to my mind.

"The Summer feast is here! A time for play and rejoice, a time for sitting on the highest balcony with friends to hear the wind singing as it runs by. A time to recollect of times past and enjoy times present, till the future brings a time for harvest and careful counting. Summer is a time to be free and be happy.

"So, now, we sit comfortably and talk with friends and eat the many foods the House provides, enjoying the time we have, the time we have had, and the times to come. For Summer is a time for all!"

They clapped, roared, barked, howled, every sound that a creature to make when I raised my arms to the sky and laughed. Tabitha howled and stomped her foot, the former picture of elegance ruined.

"Eat, drink, and be merry, my children!"

They complied.

Wood Sprites darted out of the gardens bearing huge platters and dishes of everything, setting each one on the tables before sitting down themselves to rejoice with comrades. A few of the taller ones came respectfully up to the dais and set down platters, bowing as they walked back to their seats.

I thanked a female looking Wood Sprite when she placed a jug of juice in front of me. She blushed green, muttered a welcome, and scurried back to her place.

"Mary," Sam said in a low voice, tapping my arm. I was grinning like a fool, watching everything from my seat at the middle of the table.

"Yes?"

"Let me introduce to you some of your higher appointed Creations," he said, and I finally took the time to look around the table. There were six others beside Sam, Tabitha, and I, and they all looked pretty much human. Odd. Wait, never mind. I think a wolf is sitting at the end on the left.

The wooden platform was pretty wide. Sam bade me to stand and we went, from left to right, along the table.

First he introduced me to the wolf, which was as big as a horse with a very impressive set of teeth. Surprisingly, he had only greens on his platter.

"This is General Samuel Bloodwrath, main mind behind the defence of Platypus House," Sam said, and I curstied. I think I would have nearly fell over if Sam wasn't there. The General smiled and bowed on one foreleg, choosing to ignore my obvious clumsy moment. I did not see why we needed a general, but I did not see why I should argue, either.

"It is a pleasure to see you grown up and so mature," the General grumbled. His voice was very deep. I noticed a few medals somehow pinned onto his fur.

"And it is a pleasure to finally meet you, kind General," I simpered. I think that it would probably be best to flatter a wolf that was much, much, bigger than you.

He smiled, bowed once more, and turned back to his brocelli.

"This is Master Amadorus, the director of the Creations School, where all of the children are taught, and Head Librarian." Master Amadorus was a thin, bald man, with a beard so long that it was to his feet, braided into one, long, multi-colored braid. His eyes seemed bulbous by an huge pair of glasses that covered his eyes and his cheeks, and when he smiled, his teeth were all there and strangely sharp. He was dressed in a simple brown robe, very unlike all the garnish creatures present.

"I am much obliged to the occupation you have given me," Master Amadorus said. He took a sip from his glass and smacked his lips. The liquid splashed against the sides of the clear wine glass, a little sluggish and a very dark red.

Oh, dear. I have a vampire in charge of children. Ah, well, if no accidents have happened...

"I am pleased that you enjoy your job," I said, and curstied again. This time I didn't trip. That much.

We went on to a very normal looking human. Her hair was red, straight and very long- seems to be a fashion- and her skin very pale. She wore a toga much like everyone else, the color sea green. But when she turned to us, I saw that her neck had gills and her eyes were bulbous, looking much like a fish's eyes.

"Matilda Marine, head of all the Water Creations in the House," Sam said, and I swear I saw his eyes spark a little. Oh, Sam has a crush on Matilda!

"Hello, miss," Matilda said, and her voice was very soft, almost like the shushing of water on the beach. Without the screams of tourists, though. Matilda glanced at my robe and smiled, her eyes crinkling around the corners.

"Hello, Madam Matilda," I replied. I went on to thank her of taking care of the Water Creations and all that. By now I was getting a little bored.

The remaining three were also simple, seemingly human creatures. Argo, a blonde, robust man with pure white wings sprouting from his shoulders, was head of the Air Creations. He kept making jokes and laughing; he seemed to be a very jovial fellow. He also is the director of the Watch, the spies and watchguards of the House. Again, I did not understand the need for spies and the like, but I did not ask as it would probably be rude. And Argo looked like a very formible man.

Hera Burning, a golden skinned woman with crackling, shivering red hair, seemed very snooty. She stuck up her nose and said in a nasally tone that it was a pleasure to meet me. I replied with a little more warmth. Hera was head of the Fire Creatures and director of the Kitchens, Culinaries, and kept a careful eye on the larders and pantries of the House. I mentioned Dragon and she actually smiled. Dragon was a particularly close friend of hers, apparently.

Last, was Bruno Magelight, a dark haired man with a long face. Like Matilda, he was also decevingly human looking, but he smelled of a forest after a rain and his dark skin had a definate bark like look. Head of all Earth Creations and Magic Makers, Bruno was apparently very powerful. But he looked sad. I wondered why.

I curstied and said, "Hello, Bruno. I thank you for keeping such good care of my Creations." The Earth Creations certainly seemed to be more happy than others. A Dryad had climbed over the table and joined the monkeys in the middle, dancing with her branch like arms raised to the sky and laughing.

He looked at me closely. "Mistress Mary, I think you are ready to rule here, as you are of proper age and maturity. But don't let the Nightmares get in the way, or else everything will fall apart." He nodded, as if he was confirming something he had already decided, and sat back.

I furrowed my brow. "What do you mean-"

"Come, Mary, let us get back to our seats," Sam said hurriedly, gripping my elbow and steering me back to the middle of the table. He pushed me down into my seat and took his own, and started talking before I could even open my mouth to demand what his problem was.

"Tabitha and I are your Regents, should you choose to go back and visit or if anything were to happen to you," Sam told me, sipping from his glass and trying not to seem a little panicked. But I saw on his tattoos that he was, in fact, very panicked and a little angry; there was a repeated scene of a little figure berating another, shaking his finger and frowning. The tattoos were moving a little fast, too, trembling like a dog during a thunderstorm.

"We keep watch of everything that you should not be bothered with," Tabitha put in. "Like the formalities and the extra fine details of the House." She seemed completely oblivious to what was going on, instead delicately placing pieces of oranges in a semi circle on her plate only to eat them a moment later. I think Tabitha likes to play with her food.

Sam was silent. I ate dutifully, but I watched him out of the corner of my eye. He kept looking down the table at Bruno and glaring; Bruno merely stared back.



Quite a few hours later, the Creations were simply sitting back and talking to friends, all the food gone and the drinks merely sipped. There was a definate air of contentment pervading the Courtyard, but I was on pins and needles.

Everytime I had started to ask Sam what Bruno meant by the Nightmares, he interupted to point out another fine point of the House or to just chatter aimlessly. Tabitha, unfortunately, took his lead. I became suspicious of my Regents.

"It's time for cleanup," Tabitha told me happily, drinking the last dregs of her juice and smacking her lips.

A Wood Sprite nearby had over heard, and pretty soon a cleaning team broke through the ranks of happy diners and began collecting empty platteres, plates, and goblets. They worked very fast; in a few minutes the tables were clear, and a few selected redwood Wood Sprites were shaking out table cloths and folding them up.

The Creations begant to disperse, their long shadows cast out on the stones and minature rivers as they went back to their rooms, trees, pools, and perches.

I stood and stretched. As if on cue, all the other Head Creations stood themselves and politely took there leave. When the General passed me he smiled again, trotting gracefully down the stairs and going into a loping run towards the west part of the House gardens. He probably sleeps outside. I would to, given the liberty.

"Mary?" Tabitha questioned, when I just stood behind my chair and looked out blankly at the Courtyard.

"Yeah?" I blinked, ruining my frame of thought.

"Let's go back to the House. Today was easy; the Summer Feast is always a bit more lenient. Tomorrow we have to sit in court and settle minor disputes, just like after every season's feast." She hooked her arm through mine and guided me down the stairs, as if I couldn't walk down myself.

Matilda was waiting at the bottom of the stairs, her hands clasped behind her back and her hair glinting in the dying sunlight. She smiled when we reached her.

"Mistress Mary," she said in her shushing voice, "I am to attend to you tomorrow in court, as Water always does for Summer." She took my other arm, and the three of us walked over the grass to the paved part of the Courtyard.

"Attend to me?" I asked, looking around for Sam. He had dissapeared, though I think I saw him talking to Bruno when Tabitha took me down the stairs.

"Yes, attend. I will be there to give advise along with your Regents," Matilda answered.

"Alright. I will be glad of your company." I smiled at her; Matilda seemed to be the nicer of the Heads, always smiling softly and speaking in her faintly lilting, shushing voice. The very opposite of Hera.

Tabitha spotted a dying vine on the edge of the gardens. She cried out and forgot totally about us, running towards it with her skirts lifted and her sandals somehow flung aside.

Matilda gave a long sigh.

"Mary," she whispered in my ear, before we came to the door and its guard, Fargo, "Mary, you must meet me tonight at the main pool. I have something to talk to you about."

"What?"

"Don't ask questions, now, wait till tonight. But know this; your Regent Tabitha has a good heart, despite her strange ways, but watch out for Sam." She let go of my arm and walked a little ways ahead, where Fargo had kept the door open till everyone had left. I was left standing stock still, a look of confusion in place.

What did she mean? Sam has been a very picture of elegance and kindness, even though he had been acting a little strangely at the feast. And it was Tabitha that had been a bit rude...

I shook my head to clear my thoughts and walked through the door, thanking Fargo politely. He smiled and laughed; it sounded very much like a neigh. The doors closed with a gentle thud.  

[DryIceKnowledge]

I could not sleep anyway. My mind was in an uproar, filled with jumbled thoughts from every part of the day. First I was in school. Then the park. Then the forest. Now here. It was almost painful to make the connection between the Platypus House- what a ridiculous name- and home.

I sighed.

Real home, where mother kisses you goodnight and checks your homework for mistakes. And where you lay in bed and look at the picture frame and the precious picture contained within before you fall asleep.

I could not sleep at all.

And now I am here, pacing the fairly cavournous bedroom I awoke in earlier and biting my nails. Ugh. Horrid habit. Thought I kicked it. Ah, well, stress does bring these things out in me.

The clock glared at me from its mosaic perch. Well, actually, the clock itself was made of the ever present mosaics, long ebony wands in place of hands. It told me, I imagined, a little smugly, "It's near midnight, Mary. What are you going to do?"

Matilda seemed nice... Bruno glum. Sam formal and catlike. Tabitha forgetful and rude to humans. Who was I to follow?

What? Follow? I'm Mistress Mary, Creator of the House! Never mind them! I'll just go to bed.

Still in my blue toga, I flung myself face first into the bed.

It was half a second later that I stood with a silent groan and marched resolutely into the dressing room. Damn mysteries and their need to get me hooked...


The dressing room was the size of my bedroom back home, a three-fold mirror on one side and the rest crowded with clothes. Bored, I flipped through them all, wondering why in world would someone ever need so much clothing. There was very modern things that you might see in the street at home, and there were very old things. I even found a corset and a Victorian age white dress. But none of the garnish and attention grabbing outfits were what I needed.

It was behind the mirror- don't ask me how it got there- that I found a simple pair of black pants and a thick black sweater. There was even a black mob cap, with plenty of room for my thick hair. Worry brushed aside and determination in its place, I dressed.

A few minutes later, I was back in that dratted bedroom sitting on the bed with my arms crossed.

The flaw in my plan? I had no clue what, forget where, the 'main pool' was. I only arrived here yesterday! (Yes, yes, I made this whole place, grand Creator, and all that. Never mind I've only been here in my subconcious form, whatever that may be.)

Anger was making my teeth grind and green eyes narrow. I needed a guide, that's what I needed, but how was I to get one? Sam was out of the question. I needed to find out what Matilda was going to tell me about him, not alert him to the situation. Tabitha would probably just try to get me in trouble. I had a feeling she wouldn't like me to wake her in the middle of the night. But, then, I don't know where either Regents' bedroom is.

I gnashed my teeth and wove my fingers together, cupping them to catch the air. Gah! Thinking back on books I've read, I recalled a little magically made ball that guided its master. That would be cool. Just a ball, the size of an orange, maybe, with a soft glowing light that I could only see and a complete knowledge of all the places in the House... Obedient, of course... Smart... Takes commands well...

There was something pulling at my head. No, not pulling the hair or anything, but pulling it from the inside. My eyes watered and my mouth opened in a silent scream, back arching in agnoy. It hurt! It felt like a thousand migranes plus a hangover! It was not just a constant pain, either, it came in waves from my head to my very toes to make them curl in the black boots I found and make me contort in agony. No! NO! NO NO NO NO-

Pop!

A weight in my cupped hands made me start- as well as the sudden lack of pain- and I dropped whatever it was. I expected a thunk or a bang and someone to come running in with a scream of, "WHAT IS IT MARY?!" on their lips, but, oddly, nothing happened. Then did I chance to look down.

A softly glowing ball, maybe the size of an orange, looked back at me. It seemed to be made of some translucent stone and it hovered in the air.

"Hi." The whispered greeting was the only thing that could force itself out at the moment.

In reply, the stone, glowing, imagined ball dipped a little, and went back to its hovering state.

"Did I imagine you?"

Another dip.

"And you're real?"

Another confirmation.

"Can to take me to the main pool and to Matilda?" I was excited now. I had made something! But I won't, ever again. That hurt a lot. Now maybe I won't scoff when Mom says that I took seventeen hours up in labor and I should respect her more.

In reply, the ball dropped to the floor- with hardly a sound, too- and rolled over to the door. Swiveling around to face me, it waited.

I was up in a bound, only checking my enthusiasm to open the door carefully and snap my fingers for the soft light from the fountain to disperse. It did a moment later, and the glowing ball and I went out the door.



It guided me through the confusing halls, rooms, and snore-rumbling dormitories of the House, rolling around on the ground with hardly a sound. There was one moment when a dog- a perfectly normal looking dog- twitched on its bed in the hall while we snuck past.

"Sleep on," I had murmured then, and there was some other odd twist in my mind, but far less unpleasant and more like a deeply hidden memory stirring. It showed through my voice, and Guilder- as I had named my guide- shuddered.

The dog went back to its dreams.

Guilder finally got to a huge but surprisingly translucent door that was like water when I touched it hesitantly, distorting my view of the other side. It even formed back around my hand when I pressed it through.

Wiping my hand on my pants, I asked in a whisper, "The main pool?"

It was hovering again and dipped a little to show agreement.

"Cool."

I looked at Guilder and frowned, unsure of what to do with him. (I've decided it's a he, because there's just something distinctly masculine about Guilder.) Can he shrink? Hide? What about that glow? What if my Creation has a tiny flaw and other Creations of mine can see the glow?

As if in reply to my thoughts, Guilder began to slowly shrink, still hovering, and the glow dimished. When it was the size of a small marble and totally darkened, it dropped into my outstretched hand.

"Thanks, mate," I whispered to the little stone and tucked it in my hip pocket.

The door I just pushed open, pressing on the bronze metal bar that was stretched down the middle to show the break in the door. It swung open silently and I was met with the sight of the main pool.

It was as big as several Olympic sized pools and definately more natural. Made to seem like a beach, golden sand stretched to the farthest corners and only ten feet from the door. In fact, this was the only land in the whole main pool, except for a small, sand covered island in the direct middle. The ceiling was the night sky itself; it opened up to the heavens, walls painted a night black with magic stars themselves.

A quiet splash startled me into dropping into a crouch with my hands on the floor and eyes narrow against the dark. But it was only Matilda, swimming up to shore. Her sea green toga was gone, replaced by a sea green fish tail. She was a mermaid. When her hair moved I turned away, but she had somehow gotten a bikini top. Don't ask me how. I thought mermaids were supposed to wear starfish or something...

"Mary, you have come," she whispered, and I had to strain to hear her shushing voice. "Quick, come with me, I know where we can talk in secrecy." She slipped back under the waves of the immitated beach.

I stared for a while, mouth agape. Hello, Matilda! I'm a land creature. Me+water= DROWNING.

She popped back up, frowning. "Aren't you coming?"

I just pointed to my gill-less neck.

"Oh. Sorry. Forgot for a second." She crawled onto shore and suddenly was standing on two legs and wearing the rest of her bikini. "Come on, it's simple. You're the Creator, so it should be a snap." She pulled on my hand and tapped my shoes with her foot. "Get rid of those."

"But, but-"

"No 'buts', just listen. Go shoes, hat, sweater you can keep as it's a little cold down there, and pants go too."

I clutched at my shoes and ripped them off, looking down so that Matilda hopefully wouldn't see my bright red cheeks. This is a little embarassing. Thank goodness for the forethought of wearing a one piece swimsuit when I was sifting through the dressing room. After all, Matilda did say that I should meet her in the main pool.

Soon I was standing in only my sweater and swimsuit, shivering a little. It is cold. Damn.

"Just come down to the water." She was pulling on my hand again, but she was looking down longingly to the water. "Wait a few seconds, don't worry."

I don't know why she said it was cold. It's actually nice and warm. The water was pulling at my sweater, though, making it heavier than it really was. When I felt my legs snapping together at around waist deep I stifled a shriek. They're merging!

And then there was a slight pain in my neck, only slight, but I suddenly couldn't breath. Only when Matilda- with a sigh and a roll of her bulbous eyes- shoved my head underwater I could breath.

She came down under too, watching with amusement while I twirled like a tornado.

"I have a tail!" I shrilled. I actually did, a black tail that had somehow merged with my sweater. So instead of a supposedly wool sweater, I had shining black scales up to my neck and wrists. There was a long dorsal fin that went from the base of my neck to the end of my awesome new tail, too. I spun again and laughed, surprised at how clear the sound was.

"Glad you're so happy about it, but really, we must get going." Matilda's smile was gone, replaced by a worried frown.

"Okay," I said, still grinning.

It took me only a minute, but maybe that was my position in the House, for me to figure out how to swim. My hair streamed behind me and my tail made good time, keeping pace with Matilda.

Underwater could only be described in detail to one who's actually seen it. How do you tell a land-dweller the clarity of the water, the blue light that pervaded everything even though it was the middle of the night? How do you describe the sway of underwater plants, made lazy by the pull and push of the rolling waves? How, exactly, can you explain the feeling of moving against and yet with those waves, swimming powerfully forward with only the flick of your tail or the slightest move of your head?

Matilda led me to a cave under the island, carved out naturally by the waters long ago that pummel the island. It seemed to go in a downward slope, the tunnel leading to the cave, but eventually it went back up and opened into a pocket of air under neath the island. I would have never imagined it to be here.

Compared to the rest of the lavish and gigantic house, it was rather small. The cave floor was smooth, as were the walls, reflecting the light that drifted up from the water. The size of a small bedroom, there was only enough room for Matilda and I to sit facing each other with our legs crossed.

But, unfortunately, once I came out of the water, my legs came back and sprang apart to make me trip the most ungraceful way possible. Matilda laughed, hiding her mouth with her hand.

"Thanks for your moral support," I growled, but goodnaturedly. How could anyone be mad after swimming underwater with a fin's tail and the freedom of breathing? Ah, it is the best therapy possible.

Settling down Indian style- my sweater was dry, too, keeping me warm- I looked at Matilda. She looked like she was meditating, but her eyes were wide open and staring right back at me.

"Why did you ask me to come here?" I said in a whisper. My voice was amplified, though, by the smooth walls. I wondered if sound could carry from air to water as well as just through one medium. Being caught by someone- because I had no doubts whatsover that what Matilda was going to tell me was faintly rebellious- would be the worst thing possible.

She narrowed her eyes, for just a moment, and leaned forward. "Mistress Mary," Matilda said, her voice also a whisper, "In years past you ruled the House with an gloved hand. It showed you could do so and do so well, but never were you really revealed to your subjects. Yes, you sat at the seasons and the day after for judgments, but that is all. Most of the Creations hardly knew who you were.

"But, then, you had a dream. But to us it was not a dream. It was reality. Subjects knew you then. They saw you walking among them with a smile and a kind word, carefully but sternly admonishing those who needed it and rewarding those who deserved it. They grew to love you in that time, however short it may seem. Because, Mary, afterwards, your dreams and subconcious showed you more and more often, and may I tell you, time runs differently in the House."

"Why are you telling me this?"

"Because it is important," Matilda answered gravely. "Then you came from the Edge and came here, stunned, a little frightened, but real. You were real, Mary, not just a form of yourself or a shadow of your soul. You were here, you were real, and you were a threat."

"A threat?"

"A threat to those who didn't really want you here."

"Who?"

"Sam, the Second Creation."

"Why?"

"Because he's been in control too long. Tabitha cares for only the land and its children. He cares for the politics. He doesn't want to relenquish the power to some little upstart with only fifteen years under her belt."

"But, isn't he-"

"2,347," Matilda answered instantly. "Tabitha is a round 3,000." She looked at my open mouth, wide eyes, and disbelieving face. "Again, time runs differently here. For all you know, if you tried to go back to the Edge and beyond tomorrow, you actually might come before you went in, if that makes sense to you."

"Wow. Great. My Second Creation wants to get rid of me."

"It's not just that. He wants to cripple you politically. Then you won't be fit to rule, and we all know that Tabitha would never take the throne as is her right, so it would come to him."

"But... Why?"

She didn't answer that question, only to go on about another part of this once-thought fabulous dream.

"Bruno said something about the Nightmares, didn't he? And Sam became flustered and hurried you away."

I just nodded.

"The Nightmares, as you have guessed, are another part of the House but, strangely, they are apart from it. No one really knows how they came about, but I think I can hazard a guess."

Oh, crap.

"As anyone will know and testify to, when you sleep you dream, and sometimes, you have nightmares. When you were slowly creating the House you were dreaming. But, then, you had a nightmare. The Nightmares were born."

"I don't like where this is going." Nervous, I looked to the small hole in the ground that led to the water. I dipped my fingers in and made little waves while Matilda went on.

"The name should say it all. They're monsters, horrors, dreams gone wrong. Minotaurs, serphants, mixed breeds, giant scorpians- the list goes on. Boogy men, monsters under the bed, in the closet, children's worst fears brought to life to live on the very outskirts, in the Forest."

My skin rippled with goosebumps. I took a deep breath of air before asking- in a shamefully shaking voice- "The Forest?"

"Not the one you came through, dear," Matilda reassured me, patting my knee. "It is far away. A wall is in between, made of stone and magic, blood and tears. It keeps the Nightmares away."

"That's why we need Argo and General Bloodwrath?" I whispered. The news of a wall hardly assured me. Memories of past dreams, past nightmares had been dredged up and were currently playing wickedly across my mind. Runnning from a monster, being unable to move, feeling a knife go through your heart...

"Yes, that's why."

"What do the Nightmares have to do with Sam?" I asked, putting on a brave face.

"Because he's part Nightmare himself," Matilda said carefully. I blinked at her, my mouth a silent O.

"Yes, I know. Shocking. But it was a political alliance, you know. Figures. Sam is all about politics." She snorted. "Anyway, you agreed when the House was barely able to withstand the assaults of the Nightmares that a creature at least part Nightmare would be in the House. Even better, you made your Second Creation- one of the highest positions- of Nightmare blood."

"But that would mean he was already made..."

"And that's why Sam wants your political downfall," Matilda said triumphantly. "Because you changed him against his will, even with his obediance, and because you never bothered to change him back once the Nightmares were able to be withstood."

I sat back against the smooth wall, my hands in the water and mind in chaos. This is telling me I ruined someone's- someone who trusted me- life and never bothered to say a simple 'sorry'. This is telling me that maybe I wasn't such a sweet little innocent dear when I was young. This is telling me I am in deep s**t.

"Crap," I said aloud. Matilda just pointed to the water and raised one eyebrow. "Time to go back?"

"Yes," she answered my question, and slipped into the water. I followed suit, making sure that my head was fully submerged before the gills appeared. We swam off, both with worry and questions in our minds.  

[WildWildWindWhisperer]

I think it is superb There are a few grammar mistakes but otherwise read great . Your descriptions are marvelous and the phrasing splendid.
Totally enjoy this story.
I'm enormously interested in reading more. Please continue with your tale.

Thank you for the kindness of sharing.

................WildWildWindWhisperer wink ( Vice-Captain)  

[DryIceKnowledge]

The swim back was easy enough, and Guilder had only to occasionaly lead me back to my room. Once there, I simply laid down on the floor and put my hands behind my head. When things were too much, especially back... then, I would lie like this in my room and watch the fan above. I wish there was a ceiling fan or something that I could stare at here.

A tugging at the back of my mind again, and, frightened, I clenched my teeth and braced myself for pain. But the ceiling only shifted, a bulge in the middle of the ceiling forming into a simple white fan. It began to spin almost lazily; ruffles of wind disturbed my still damp hair.

How odd. I think I'm beginning to understand this. When I am creating something out of pure thought does it hurt. Maybe because I am putting so much into it? I am not sure. But this, this is different. I only made something out of something else.

I needed a distraction from the thoughts rolling about my head like the break of waves on the beach. So I rolled onto my stomach and lay like I had as a child, feet waving in the air and chin propped up on a hand.

I poked at a small mosaic tile on the floor. What should I turn it into? I know. I poked it again, stroked it like it was something living and should be treated nicely. Tugging on my mind again. The tile rose on four stubby legs, shifted from square to round, and turned a dark green color. Soon I was looking at a little stone turtle. It looked back up at me, and began its slow progress towards the foutain in my room.

I scooped the turtle up and stood, walking to the fountain and setting the little stone turtle inside. It slipped off the lip of the fountain into the water itself, swimming away. Soon the ripples and little waves caused by the cascading water obscured it from sight.

What was I to do?

I played with the notion of changing the room entirely, to whatever I wished, but I quickly vetoed that idea. I needed to do something about what I had done. Hurting Sam like that, it was unacceptable. But, then, how do I know exactly what I had done? Matilda only briefly explained it. How long ago, exactly, had it been when the House could not defend itself? I needed to find these things out.

Surely this imagined palace would have a library. I had loved looking through books as a child, sounding out the words and delighting in the pride in my father's voice when he told me, Yes, Mary, you are reading!

I shook off the chills that came when I imagined his voice so perfectly.

So I peered through the dressing room door, still shivering a little, wondering if there was a shower or something around here. But, instead of the dressing room, I found a large bathroom. The tiles were white, but the bathtub, the sink, and all the accesories you would associate with a bathroom were rainbow striped, bright and vibrant against the white.

I just shrugged and slipped into the new bathroom to cleanse myself and finally go to bed.



I awoke in the morning to the chirping of a bird. Oddly enough, it sounded like words.

"Mistress Mary, Mistress Mary, Mistress Mary..."

Yawning, I sat up in bed and stretched, my shoulders popping. I groaned and asked sleepily, "Who is it?"

Like I had thought, a bird was perched on my footboard, a robin, by the looks of it. "Mistress Mary," it chirped. "'Tis time to wake. You will hold court in two hours."

I glanced at the clock. Six thirty.

"Thank you, Warble," I thanked the bird, it's name somehow springing from my mouth. But I did not feel shocked by now at what happened. I had a fish's body last night, wore a shawl of water, and chatted with a man with angel's wings. Yeah, I think I just may be 'shocked out'. Warble bobbed its head in reply and flew out of the window.

I sat still for a few more minutes, waiting for my eyes to loose its sheen of sleep and to adjust to waking. Then I got out of bed and, yawning again, shuffled my way to the dressing room. I had no doubts it would be a bathroom first though, and then when I exited and entered again, a dressing room. It was just a bit disconcerting if you really thought about it, but I was just sleepy enough to not think.

At eight someone was knocking on my bedroom door. I opened it, now dressed in a nineteenth century dress I had found and decided to wear, finding the flowing skirts and tight bodice actually rather pleasant. I hadn't really figured out the shoes, though, but then somehow they found their way on my feet after the tugging went through my mind.

Sam stood there, as immaculate as always, somehow dressed according to the era I had chosen. I thought about last night and felt sad, because here he was, half-Nightmare against his will and I had done that. But I brushed it aside- I did not want that sadness showing on my face- and listened to what he was saying.

"Mistress Mary? Are you ready for court?"

"Yes, Sam, I am." He took my arm and we walked down the little hallway that led to my rooms, and the into the main corridor.

"Did you sleep well?" he asked to make conversation.

"Yes, I did, and dreamed of nothing. Why was that?" I was true. Ever since I could remember, I dreamed of at least something, and even if I did not truly recall it in the morning, I knew I had dreamt.

He smiled at me, his thin lips drawing back to expose white, even teeth. "Because you are in a dream world, and who dreams in a dream?"

I thought on this and laughed. Oddly enough, his logic made perfect sense.

As soon as could be expected, we came upon a small little wooden door, hidden in an alcove in the wall, and totally out of the way.

"This leads to the room behind the throne room," Sam explained to me in a whisper. It was quiet here, and I had glimpse through an open pair of doors a little way past that there was a line of Creations, all waiting.

I nodded. Of course.

We slipped inside. Tabitha was there, as well as Matilda. They had both dressed their best, Tabitha in a dress much like mine, except the skirt was to her knees and that she had no shoes. And her usual plants were much more abundant, clinging close to her skin till she seemed like a living plant herself. Matilda's dress- again, like mine, I wondered how that happened- was a sea green like before. I don't think she has any other color preference.

Holding court was as you could imagine it. Creations shuffled in, pressing knuckles to their foreheads and bowing, to explain their problem. I would do something to fix it. In fact, it was oddly... familiar. As familiar as reading a book or thinking of a dream. That disturbed me just a bit, though not as much as it might have, and I only brushed it aside and paid attention.

Matilda would whisper in my ear and give advice as she saw fit, and so would Sam. Tabitha was only interested in a few of the Earth Creations, the Dwarfs and Gnomes, and the Dryads, to be specific. I do not believe she really cares for life that walks about as we do.

At the end of the day, maybe six in the evening, I was very tired. Even though the usual "He said, she said" things were rather boring, I did have a creature similar to a rooster and another that was a python suddenly break out into a fight, and men with wings- I assume from Argo's bunch- appeared from behind hidden doors to break it up. That was the strangest part of holding court. I had glanced at Sam, then, for just a second, and noticed that he seemed in battle with himself, hovering between his spot and in front of me.

As if he couldn't decide to protect me or not.

So, at the end of the day, when I requested to be shown to the library, I was more than a little unnerved. Sam, though, only gave his decorous smile and nodded.

"Surely, Mistress Mary."

I was left in the library, and I was utterly astounded.

If you are a lover of books, you will know how excited I was. Dusty tomes lay on thick oak tables, comfortable leather chairs scattered around the only spot that was not occupied by bookshelves, and lamps hovered above these chairs, floating quietly in the air to give illumination. It was perfect for reading, this foyer, this lounge. You could sit for hours, turning the pages of the books and no one would disturb you.

Then, of course, are the books themselves.

The library was made like a spiral, with the small end at the very center and the largest where all the tables and chairs were, where you could read. It moved downward, actually, this spiral, and the shelves reached the very high ceiling. Excited beyond real words, I took off at a near run, trying to take all this in.

It wasn't very long until I stumbled across Master Amadorus.  

[WildWildWindWhisperer]

It grows to become more interesting and full.
Much enjoy this reading of your work.
Thank you for sharing.

...........WildWildWind Whisperer wink ( Vice-Captian)