Daydream (ONC 2024)

Chapter 19: Miracles or Lies (Part 2)

"An entity of light hovered before me, gathered from the power of every human dream or nightmare the generator had harnessed. It had kind eyes that shifted through colors and faces of the lost—sadness of those passed, relief from millions of freed souls, and even a glimmer of happiness for the children finally returning to their homes. So many souls joined in harmony for the one thing that both humanity and the creatures of dreams craved most. A future.

"'We have enough for just one,' the voices of so many whispered together, fierce in desperation for its final gasp of life and yet gentle in the understanding of what would be lost."

Kearo's eyes met mine, and his brow crinkled as I wondered about the plethora of things he could have wished for. Somehow he knew what I was thinking and answered.

"There was little I could personally want that deserved such a gift, so I thrust on them your dream. I begged with the last bits of my sentience to make it real, one that you alone held even though so many other sentients had come and gone. You wanted all of it, to save everyone, and yet there was no way to do so. Reality was a dismal place, yet it was freedom for so many, and though the world of dreams wasn't real, it was in the hearts of those who loved their creations.

"That love is what mattered, more than which world we were in or who was born of dreams or reality.

"Ray was right that I'd wanted nothing to do with him and Sven at first, because I didn't like that he'd created a being to serve him. It made me sick to see a creature wearing shackles that they weren't even aware of, but what you said to me when we stood across from each other for the first time changed the way I'd been seeing everything.

"You said I was real, and I know, at the time, you didn't understand how deeply that struck me, but it quelled the pain within my heart. I wasn't a figment created for the sole purpose of serving my creator, but a dream with a living will of its own, as were Sven and Lexington. That's why I told them the truth, because they had a right to know and choose for themselves a future, as I did."

Kearo stood from his perch and took the few steps it took to close the space between us before he crouched and offered me his hand. Mine trembled as I touched his fingers and told myself I wasn't imagining all this. The shifting shadows as night settled over the world did me no favors as Kearo's cold fingers held mine with a gentle tremor.

"I did not want to burden you," Kearo whispered into my fingers. The shadows around us near melted him into nothingness against the asphalt. "I eat as much as the next person, and wear clothes, and need things, so I didn't wish to put that strain on your already tight budget." Kearo lifted his blue eyes, and they glowed as the lights in the back lot flickered on. "But if you might wish to call, this time I will come." The uncertainty in Kearo's last words had my lips trembling as tears flooded my eyes. He wasn't sure if I wanted to call him.

"You don't have to wait for me to call, you know. You could have showed up bum or not, and I'd have eaten ramen noodles for a few weeks while you got your job." I clutched his fingers and leaned my forehead against his, and he pressed back with enough pressure to show how much he craved the touch.

"Lovebirds!" A familiar voice scared the living hell out of me, and I scrambled into Kearo as I turned to the massive guy behind me.

"I can't leave you two alone for more than a second before he's all over you." Ray cackled as he stepped into the light, and he was as ripped as when I left him. With his beige sleeves rolled up, his muscles were out for show, and his shoulder seams begged for someone to save them as he stretched the shirt.

"It's nice to see you with clothes on, Ray," I jabbed back, and he slid his dark hand over the sleek silk. "Do you creep around abandoned lots often?"