A Peculiar String of Bizarre Dreams

Chapter 35: Speed of Light

With Sachelle in my pocket guarding all the precious gemstones, I cross realms and arrive at my final destination. I still feel jubilant, Glinda the Good must spread her goodness wide and far. Even after leaving her realm, I'm reeling under its calming effects with a mindless grin plastered across my face.

The sky is black as charcoal in this realm. My gaze wanders across the dark heavens and I finally spot a half moon. I get dizzy with wonder when I see two more half moons. I don't realize it but soon I find myself lying back, flat on the ground. A ground, as black as the sky; it isn't hard, but soft, possibly made of loamy black mud. The kind of soil that is good for plants. The Junipers talked about it at considerable length once upon a long time ago. The dirt does not bother me. I stretch my limbs out and lay back to admire the black horizon above me. Because besides the half moons, it has a tremendous orb of fire burning further away. I assume this distance because the orb appears smaller than the moons. The rest of the sky is a hypnotizing starless black.

A while later, I hear the ground beneath me crunch as if it was made of sugar instead of loam. I sit up instantly and examine the darkness around me. From afar, white rays of light seem to be heading in my direction. They also seem to have monstrous white wheels, explaining the source of the crunching noise. I'm too awed to move and stand there watching as about seven rays head towards me. Soon, they've surrounded me from all directions. Up close now, their brightness hurts my eyes.

They stop a few feet away from me, a few feet in every direction, almost forming a perfect circle around me. Slowly and in synchrony, the rays begin to dim till they're half their size, and look like small globes of white light. Their physical form is now easier on my eyes, and I stop squinting at them.

Dwarf-like white creatures bob down from the lights, and it's as though they're merely dismounting from their horses. I count seven creatures as they encircle me. Clothed in flowing white gowns with a black belt around their waists, they have elvish ears, a pinocchio nose and a wispy red line for lips. Their hair is ash blond and severely braided. Deep purple eyes regard me viciously yet tenderly at the same time.

"My name is Jemma and I don't mean any harm," I hold up my hands in cautious surrender.

One of the creatures with her hair tied like Legolas from the Lord of the Rings comes forward to address me, "Jemma, we know you mean no harm. I'm L4R4. I will be taking you to 5OR0W. We assembled as soon as we heard you were coming to visit us."

Her voice is smoother than a mountain spring and I stare at her in confusion. Why is her name half-numerical and half-alphabetical? This doesn't feel like a place from Star Wars and this creature certainly does not look like R2D2. I try not to exasperate, it isn't like they're harming me. Not yet at least.

"Could you tell me again, who is it that you're taking me to?" I ask timidly.

For a few moments, the pointy creatures look at me curiously in silence. Then, L4R4 returns my question with a question of her own, "Does the word Bijoux Maven hold any significance to you?"

Well obviously, that makes sense. "Yes, I'm actually looking for one in this realm," I reply.

"5OR0W is waiting to see you. Are you ready to assemble?"

"Uhh, I guess." It isn't like I'm a transformer. How could I assemble? Or are we preparing for a battle? I amuse inwardly.

Simultaneously and all at once, the creatures board their bright wheels again. L4R4 drives her vehicle closer and I see three-step stairs embedded between the gigantic wheels. I climb them and metaphysically strap myself behind her. It feels like I'm sitting on nothing; the light below me is entirely made of electromagnetic waves that feel like nothing. My brain attempts to process the non-feeling.

Then without any warning, all the wheeled-lights spring in one direction. I instantly sense the lack of wind in the realm; my hair doesn't blow back as we head towards the mysteriously named Bijou Maven.

As we move at the speed of light, figuratively and possibly even literally — everything around me turns into a blur. But then suddenly, I notice a watery shine and glow emitting from the landscape on my left. Is it a lake? A river? No, the watery shine goes on forever into the darkness. An ocean. Time slows down as I decipher the details of its shoreline.

The three half moons and the fire orb follow me; they continue to hang in the sky above the glowing abysm of the ocean. An enormous dark tail of perhaps a whale whips in the distance. The waves ripple and shine in a trance-inducing manner under the moon-fire light. I see microscopic stones lying scattered across the shallow waters — tiny glowing light blues, reds and greens.

But my gaze constantly returns to the ocean stretching into the ether. It is frightening and alluring, and I want to drown in its depths.