The Sand Queen ✅

Second

The next scene I saw was a greyish place, like a medieval kingdom burnt to ash.

My lower jaw fell down. Even though it was in its worst condition, he indeed brought me to a totally different place by only throwinhg some sand around us.

"Woah" I mumbled in surprise, stepping away from him and toward the greyish world. "You weren't lying"

Morpheus's pale lip returned my sentence with a duck face like expression. "Why would I lie about being the king of dreams?"

My eyebrows ran to join together. "Dreams? Usually they aren't this boring and grey"

"That's why I'm asking for your help" the man replied right away. His icy gaze got lost in the view of his kingdom, a torn sigh leaving his mouth. "Once it was a colorful, mesmerizing world full of happiness and fantasy. However, ever since I was thrown into jail by some unfledged wizards and my stuff was stolen, there was no one watching over my kingdom"

"How long were you away?" I inquired, out of curiousity.

Morpheus turned my way. His bright, blue eyes were as stiff and rigid that it made my legs spread root, chill running all over my spine. I could literally feel his attitude, as if he shared how he had really felt then, how furious he really had been.

"More than a hundred years, Addie" he was standing half than a meter from me, gazing me remorselessly, without a blink. "Sleeping wasn't going on its ordered way for more than a century. People got stuck in their dreams without my help forever"

I immediately knew what he preferred to.

It was more common a couple of decades ago. More and more people didn't wake up from sleep, no matter how hard others tried to wake them up. It was as if they were stuck there, as if they fell into coma.

Same happened in my family, as well. My grandma's little brother was one of the always-sleepers. He never woke up again,

I gulped. My voice was weak as I looked up at the man, who looked more and more important as I twisted and turned his figure in my brain. "And you need my help to fully restore this land, so no always-sleeping will occur again"

Morpheus nodded. He stepped to my side, walking behind me. Suddenly, long fingers dives into my blond locks, making my heartbeat stop for a moment. It was only him, still, every drop of blood ran put of my entire body as he played with my hair. "Do you know why I chose you?"

I shook my head. I absolutely didn't have the slightest idea. As far as I know, I was nothing special.

"You may not know" Morpheus began, his fingers running along my blond hair. Then, he stretched his arm to show me his palm full of... sand? "But you are able to use the same sand I do. You are somehow connected here"

My eyes widened. I carefully shoveled up a bit from the golden grains, running it from one hand to the other, gazing the mesmerizing, smooth material. "But... how?"

The man shrugged. "Sometimes when I visit the human world, I use my sand there. Not just to travel, but when people are just so desperate about not falling asleep. Probably once I was at you when you were younger, pouring some on your forehead. Turns out that rarely, but some people have the ability to absorb this sand and build it in their body"

"And I'm one of them" I finished his sentence, my heart pounding faster and faster as the thought of being somewhat special got worked up in my mind. "You know, I remember a period when I just couldn't fall asleep. But I do remember seeing things as well... I thought they are childish, fantasy images, but that tall and creepy guy was you then, not some imagination"