The Empty World | The Empty World Sequence [complete | rewriting]

Nineteen

For Morpheus, time in The Empty World began to fall into a cyclical pattern of recurrences. He experienced the wheel of the year more clearly through remnant Human traditions kept by Vampyres and Halfangels, than he did observing the relative motions of the heavens visible from planet Earth. He had learned what family meals felt like since moving into the Palace Shade, and had experienced a grande celebration of Halloween and its closely placed festivals of Samhain, Dias De Las Muertos, and The Feast of All Saints.

"Are you in town for Thanksgiving?" Shio asked one day.

Morpheus knew these holidays from watching them. In Nede, they had passed some years with hardly a change to be seen but the theme of Movie Night. They did not have work and holiday in the same sense in The Land. It might truly be Christmas or Halloween every day there, and so no days - which they did not technically have - were special. Souls simply were. Forever.

"Yes," Morpheus promised Shio. Yes, for most occasions. But he was not always in town, between.

There had been a series of talks with Mother, with his Father, Sleep, and with Dream, and even a few chats with Zerachiel, and Grandfather Night. Morpheus was troubled that his time spent in The Empty World had not been helpful. He acknowledged some Angelic willingness to serve in his nature. This was not truly discouraged on Earth; there were regions where service to the greater good or to a whole was seen as a just course in life. There were fraternal orders of public service and defense. There were religious orders. To be charitable was beautiful, even in America. But, there, especially, loss of individuality...submission...surrender were seen as flawed.

"Be close to me," Sleep had said, when Morpheus voiced his concerns. He invited Morpheus to share his couch. Morpheus sat then with his father, who put his arm about Morpheus, and leaned against him in the same companionable way Laudanum often did. It was good, and Morpheus felt - strongly - the love that he had always assumed to be between them. "What is it you require?"

"Confirmation? Affirmation?" It was a good question. "Your continued love and blessing."

"Not permission?"

"No." Morpheus knew it was true when he said it. He had traveled without permission before, given himself temporary goals; he had not chosen his own mission, or path in life. He could.

"You have decided." Sleep had known this as true when he said it.

"My most righteous path is there, one part of that is being near Julien, some part is finding others to help. Part of both those things is accepting that I am exceptional and individual and as worthy of being helped as helping."

"It remains in your power to return, always."

"Yes," Morpheus had agreed, "Father, you must- please, tell me if I can serve you further. I still feel there is some clue I have missed. There are yet things I have seen or know to be that have not been perceived to have passed, there. It is sometimes difficult for me to identify what is and may be."

"Morpheus, Son, we are none of us perfect beings. You continue to have my blessing." Sleep kissed his face and Morpheus felt instantly calmed.

Morpheus had gone to Steven during the Thanksgiving festivities. He was in the seldom used first floor living room, which for the occasion had been converted into some manner of football den. Morpheus sat and watched part of a Cowboys game, until the program came to a commercial break.

"You remember the...Prime Directive?" Morpheus asked, using Steven's borrowed Science-Fiction phrase.

"Yeah." He moved his eyes over Morpheus. "Everything OK?"