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Dream Maker (Short Story inspired by the art of Ms. Josephine Wall. The painting is called "Bubble Flower" and can be seen in the "Fairies" section of her website.) The eyes of the children were bright with an eager light. They were unusually quiet for young ones, but knew they were in for a special treat. They sat on the floor, at the foot of the Old Man, who was gently rocking back and forth in the ancient, yet sturdy, rocking chair. The Old Man stared into the orange flames of the fire in the hearth, the light and warmth reflecting from his sky blue orbs. "So," he began with a raspy voice, "you want to hear about the Dream Maker, do you?" The children nodded with excitement. This was one of their favorite bedtime stories. "Once many years ago, the Great Ones, who live among the stars, decided to create a world that was different from the other worlds of the Universe. They wanted to populate this world with creatures whose minds they could mold, be able to teach them, and have them interact with the other creatures and their environment. The Great Ones decided to call the new world "Sylva" and started their work by first creating all that we see around us - from the trees, to the flowers, to the sky, and even the animals on land and in the sea. After all this, they created the creatures to populate the world. They taught them things and watched as they interacted with the surroundings. And at night, the beings would rest. It was during this restful time that the Great Ones decided that the creatures should have images in their minds, as a way for the Great Ones to communicate without outright interference. They named one of their number "Dream Maker". Dream Maker's job is to create the images and send them to the minds of the resting creatures. The images travel to Sylva by means of invisible magic bubbles that protect the creations of Dream Maker. Most images are pleasant, soothing, intended to awake the imaginations of the beings. Others, however, could be dark and horrible, sent to those who stray from the Path of Good. They are intended to teach a lesson and cause them to feel guilt over their actions. However, sometimes the dream sendings would get caught in the storms that were caused by the arguments of the Great Ones and be misdirected, which is why some of the bad dreams get into the minds of those that are good, and vice versa. If you have done nothing wrong, the dreams may frighten you, but they will not be able to touch you. Sometimes Dream Maker makes so many dreams, they leak out during the day, causing the images to show up during the day as Day Dreams. But, when you close your eyes at night, you will see the images from Dream Maker, those that have been crafted especially for you." The story ended, and one by one the children kissed the Old Man before crawling into their beds to await the sending of their dreams. |