~-~-~-~-~-~

Cowboys and Wizards

S01E08 - Dreamworld I

~-~-~-~-~-~

I banked the fire and stared into the golden eyes of Beatale before I crept into my makeshift tent.

I still had my auric vision running and couldn’t help but notice the thin silver cord that ran from me to Horse. Firming up my aura, I reached out with my hand and grabbed it. I could feel the nearly imperceptible vibration between my fingers as I used my mind to probe at the thread. I could feel a bright spark of intellect, a light at the end of a tunnel. Pushing with my mind, I slid down the thread until the spark grew larger and eventually filled my inner vision with a hazy white light. Horsey thoughts nudged at me curiously.

I slid into the haze and immediately lost all sense of direction. If it wasn’t for the silver thread, I’d have no idea how to exit this shifting white fog. Horsey thoughts got stronger as I followed the thread and the haze thinned and cleared to reveal an endless prairie of green grass. I found myself standing before a naked man wearing a horse mask and stared in shock. It was obviously me wearing a cheap costume horse mask — there was no mistaking my tattoos.

“What did you expect?” Horse neighed at me. “I am you and you are me and we are all together. Goo goo ga joob.”

Horse made a shooing motion with his hands and I accelerated backwards through the white haze and slammed into my own body with a gasp. I stared at the tarp overhead for a long minute, processing this new revelation. Horse was a part of me, a piece of my spirit. Whatever psychic stuff I did with that silver cord lead me into a house of mirrors where I got to look at myself pretending to be a horse. I can’t even deal with that right now.

Rolling into my blankets, I dropped off to sleep.

*Ding*

-=-

- Welcome to the Dreamworld -

Included in the Psychic Skills pack, the Inner Sanctum is your psychic domain. It is the mental fortress that you must secure and maintain to defend against psychic and spiritual assaults. All of your neurosis and fears are symbolised in this realm and must be defeated or subjugated before you can become master of the domain. Good luck.

-=-

I banished the pop-up and looked around. I knew I was asleep, but everything was just as real as when I was awake. I was breathing, I could feel the floor under my feet, and if it weren’t for the pop-up, I would have sworn I was teleported. The room I was in resembled an oversized luxury prison cell, maybe a three hundred cubic feet. No windows. Rough stone walls with thick mortar. Large brass wall sconces were set directly into the stone, suffusing the room with a warm, golden light. The stone floor had colourful Persian rugs tastefully placed. A high plaster ceiling was painted with a rendition of Michelangelo’s ‘Creation of Adam’, depicting me as both Adam and God.

There was a comfy sofa in front of a large screen television that hung from one wall and an ornate grandfather clock ticked loudly in the corner. It was currently 10:08 PM. Another wall was a floor to ceiling bookshelf, stuffed with books of varying sizes. The third wall was covered with pictures and I could see at a glance that they were images from my life. The last wall had a thick riveted steel door on the right side, a full sized mirror on the left, and a computer workstation in the middle.

The picture wall was my first target. A few were quite large, nearly life sized, while others were tiny prints no larger than the palm of my hand. Scenes of my life were displayed in each one. The largest was me riding Horse with a shit-scared expression, shooting at a pack of wolves. Others were smaller, each with different frames. Some ornate gold or silver, others plain wood, a few wrapped in briars or barbed wire. Nanny Ramsey holding me as a young child. My dog Jean with a red ball in his mouth. My parents, screaming at me. I turned my attention to the books. Books are safe. Books don’t judge you.

The sweet, musty scent of a used book store filled my nostrils as I drew close to the honey coloured shelves. Hundreds of volumes filled the wall from floor to ceiling, with a ladder that could be rolled along to access the top. I smiled at the sight. I had always wanted a library like this. I pulled a book at random and read the title, “Fantasies about Joe Harris, part XXIV of the Middle School Years”.

I slid the book back onto the shelf. Let’s see what’s on TV.

The remote was a slim, futuristic looking affair with a minimum of buttons. I pointed it at the television and moments later the huge screen came to life and presented me with a simple menu for movies, divided into six categories: Happy, Surprised, Afraid, Disgusted, Angry, and Sad. I scrolled through the offerings for a minute, reading the titles and reviews about the movies of my life. It really bothered me that there were so few selections in the Happy section.

The number of Sad movies increased by one.

Walking over to the mirror, I noticed there was a small sticky note pasted to it. “Astral Realm. Experienced users only.” I shoved the note in my pocket and stared at my image. A Rootin’ Tootin’ Cowboy stared back at me. Shiny black boots, black denim jeans and button up shirt, sandy brown gun belt slung at my hip, red bandanna and black felt hat. All I needed was a pencil moustache and I would look like the stereotypical villain in any spaghetti western. At that moment I decided to grow out a goatee. I’d rather be mistaken for a bad guy than a victim.

So how does this astral realm thing work?

The mirror appeared to be nothing more than a mirror. It was cold, smooth glass surrounded by a wrought iron frame, and reflected my image. I didn’t necessarily want to go walking into danger, but I wanted to know how it worked. I pushed and prodded the glass in frustration until I noticed my image grinning at me. I jumped back in surprise and it doubled over in silent laughter.

“Hilarious, dude. You got me,” I huffed. “So how do I get in?”

My mirror-self tipped his hat and stepped to side.

I reached up to the mirror again and my hand passed through, vanishing as if cut off. Okay, just a quick peek and we’ll explore the rest of the room. I stepped through and the world shifted around me. I was standing back at the campsite. My body was insubstantial as a ghost and the tarp was a wisp of substance running straight through me. Non living things don’t seem to have much presence in this realm. Glancing down, I saw my sleeping body rolled up in the blankets, a thin silver thread running from it to me, and another thread running to Horse.

Looking around, I surveyed the campsite. My astral vision seemed to be on and had an unlimited range. I could see the life all around me, the distant forest was a sea of greenish-gold, grasses and brush nearby glowed with spectral light. Tiny ghost insects scurried while ghost mice nibbled at whatever ghost mice nibble on. Ghost seeds and ghost insects, I suppose. I turned my attention overhead and gaped at the sight of a monstrous spirit flying through the inky void. I dropped back through the tent and rolled inside my body. That was plenty enough for now.

-= NOTES =-

[CAST]

Vincent J. Carter

Vincent J. Carter (Mirror)

Vincent J. Carter (Horse)

Horse (Vincent J. Carter)

[PLACES]

Cold spring

Wendleton

Inner sanctum

Astral realm

Dreamworld

[PEOPLE]

Delilah Silverwood

[OTHERS]

Beatale

-=- PERSONAL -=-

[[ Next chappie Wed 13jan21 ]]