Impossible Dreamers

Chapter 47 (mektwi-gell): Dream dream

Liana's daytime life was so different from her dreaming life, it was sometimes difficult to believe that either of them was real. While she was awake, she thought about her dream-time meetings with Herago, telling herself that it was there that reality lay. While she was asleep, dreaming and rehearsing the new showing with Herago, she kept wondering if what she thought was happening, really was. Or was this just something her mind had created so that she would be better able to cope with the awfulness of life under the Bartys?

The work in the factory had changed. The discs into which Liana had to stick spikes were gone. Now, to Liana's left were piles of crescent shaped papers. On the belt, ovals made of a pink substance moved along the belt, which sped along faster than before. Liana had to place a paper crescent on each of them, in a particular way and at a particular point. As with the discs and spikes, the work was just one repeated movement, over and over. It was deadly boring. After a while the movement caused Liana to feel sharp pains in the bit of her back that turned from side to side. Liana looked around, and saw that other people along the moving belt were doing similar tasks, and were finding it hard to keep up with the new speed.

Silmoa was still walking around, but now she had a bigger version of the shocking stick. If anyone seemed to be slowing down, she would poke them and they would jump in pain. However, this didn't make them work any faster, so the stick would be used over and over again on the same few people, who would then have to be taken away. Liana had no idea what happened to them after they went, but she was sure it was not pleasant.

At least now it wasn't difficult to get to sleep. Liana was so tired after a day at the fast moving belt, that as soon as she got back to the dormitory and lay down on her bed, she fell into a deep, deep sleep.

Soon Liana was dreaming again. For a while, the dream was something that she drifted through, unaware even that she was dreaming. She was walking around the city built by the Bartys. Everything was harsh and ugly. Guardians wearing 'aerial bracelets' flew in straight lines above her head, and she knew that she was on her way to work on the moving belt. Silmoa appeared with an enormous stick, with which she poked Liana. There was a sharp pain in her back, and Liana woke up suddenly. A hard lump in the bed was poking into the bit of her sore back.

Liana moved around to avoid the lump, and tried to settle to sleep again. Time was disappearing, and she needed to sleep some proper sleep, with proper control dreaming, so that she could meet up with Herago. They didn't have much time.

The pain in Liana's back subsided, and tiredness took over. She could feel that she was headed towards a proper control dream. At first she saw images of the Barty version of her world, but she was awake enough to change them, and put herself back in the old world of Seren-ila. Even the air became clearer, as once again she found herself outside the House of the Green Jewel.

Suddenly, she remembered what had happened last time she had been here. People in the back room of the building. She hadn't told Herago about what had happened, but now she thought perhaps she should.

But Herago wasn't here. At least he wasn't outside the House of the Green Jewel, where they had been meeting in these dreams. Could he have gone inside? There was no need, it was warm enough out here. Suddenly Liana wondered whether Herago felt the same things she did in these dreams. Was he also warm when she was? Or did it depend on the conditions where he was sleeping? She would have to ask when she saw him. But where was he?

Reluctantly, Liana walked into the House. It was as it had been last time she was there. There in the corner was the red door, leading to the other room where she had seen the strange figures last time. Quietly, Liana walked over to the red door. She put her ear to the door. She waited a few seconds, and as her ear got used to the feel of the door, she began to hear noises. Not talking, but some sort of movement. There was somebody or something in there. A person? An animal?