Wandering Dreams

Maria Andrea J. Bao

In the realm between sleep and wake, there exists a world where reality dances with
imagination. Within the empty yet infinite void, our story finally begins with a girl who
stirred from a deep, deep slumber. Upon awakening, she found herself in a strange and
enigmatic place, greeted by an ethereal yet unfamiliar scene. Before her was an array
of doors, each hinting an untold story, waiting and itching to be explored.
Beside her was a mask, its simple yet childish features seemed to be quite old from the
faded paint, yet she found herself reaching for it. Just by looking at the object, she felt a
slight tinge in her chest. Her heart heavy and full of confusion, the girl attempted to
remember- reaching out to grasp any fragments of her memory but to no avail. Not even
a name popped in to help her recognize her own identity.

To prevent herself from dwelling too deeply on her unanswered questions, she rose on
her two feet and slowly approached one of the doors. A plain wooden door, painted with
a deep shade of red. With trembling hands, she grabbed the handle and turned it, as it
swung open to reveal a graveyard-like world, cloaked in a chilling hue of red that tainted
the atmosphere. The biting cold enveloped her as she made her way towards a shelter
to warm herself up.

As she opened the door–darkness greeted her, revealing a room adorned with scattered
paintings and statues across the walls and floors. A receptionist’s desk nearby hinted
that the place where she stands at the moment is a small, closed-off museum.
Strangely, the unnamed girl found comfort in this place and an unsettling sense of
familiarity. In that moment, a blurry yet comforting memory flooded into her mind. She
found herself standing in front of a tall figure with a candle for a head, casting a soft,
warm glow around them, the exact look alike of her greeting him before they start
discussing their upcoming journey to explore another world.
Similar to a candle, casting light into the darkness, the scene before her briefly
illuminated her mind before dimming and fading away, leaving her back in the present.
She stood there, momentarily lost in the bittersweet warmth of that fleeting recollection.
Confusion once again clouded her thoughts, as a pang of pain in her chest
accompanied from the slight remembrance. Filled with the fear of uncovering the truth
and its events, she hastily fled to find an exit– desperate to escape the unbearable pain
this place had stirred within her poor heart.

Without a destination in mind, she ran around blindly, her eyes shut tight as her feet
carried her wherever they could go. A door was nearby, and the female seized the
opportunity, rushing herself out of the dimly-lit museum. As she opened her eyes, she
found herself in a monochromatic world, with her attention drawn to a river of inky black
substance nearby. “What a strange place…” She mumbled as she quietly gazed down
on the black ink river. Her tranquility shattered as she noticed a hand slowly emerge
from the river.
“What the… Is that–” Filled with fear, she cautiously retreated towards a nearby wall, but
it snatched her by the ankle before she could escape. Despite the effort to break free,
the grip remained firm. From the depths of the inky river, a man soaked in black
substance emerged, inching closer to the poor female with each agonizing moment.
With an axe in hand, the figure wasted no time in throwing it towards her. Though she
managed to barely evade the projectile by slipping off, it unfortunately caused her head
to collide with the ground, spiraling into unconsciousness.

Moments passed by, the female awoke to find herself being treated by an unknown
figure. Her eyes met with void like ones which startled the Dreamer. The entity noticed
her stirring awake, and started to speak. “...To see you unconscious in a place like this,
did he.. perhaps try to harm you?” She remained silent, unable to comprehend his
words. “Well, there’s nothing remarkable about this place… Until you arrived.” He
muttered while heading towards his stall. The girl trailed after him, fidgeting nervously.
“I’m at a loss.. I don’t even know how I ended up in this place,” she admitted.

“How about we begin by introducing ourselves first? It might ease up the tension,” the
male entity calmly suggested. The female felt troubled that she still doesn’t know her
identity, especially the event that happened earlier only added to her inner conflict. “I
don’t even know my own name so I’m not sure how to…” The situation grew
increasingly troublesome for both the entity and the girl, he then gestured for her to take
a seat, and she obliged. “..Well, then, allow me to explain what I know about this realm.”

The monochromatic entity proceeded to explain that they were in the realm of dreams, a
never-ending realm of endless possibilities. Each door led to a different world, the
creator(s) who made these remained unknown, which remains a mystery until this very
day. The entity could remember existing in this realm for as long as he could remember.
He also shared that he was once an imaginary friend of someone he held dear, whom
he calls the Listener, a dreamer who used to roam around, which gives more reasons
on how beings like him could inhabit these worlds. However, destruction struck when an
unknown being emerged, inflicting harm upon the innocent entities residing within.
Despite the realm’s purpose as a tranquil haven, it now faced contamination at the
hands of the Masked Crow.

“I can’t be certain, but there was a sense of familiarity whenever I saw the masked
crow,” his gaze drifted away as he contemplated. “Somehow, he reminded me of my
creator.” That suspicion of his surprised her. The idea that someone who once had
shown kindness in creating and nurturing the monochromatic entity could also be
capable of harming his own kind seemed unbelievable to her, she couldn’t believe that
would be the same person.
“Dreamer..” her attention perked up slightly at his words. “For the time being, I’ll refer to
you as Dreamer– similar to the ones I’d encounter wandering about in this world.”
“Dreamer–..” Repeating the name that he just gave her, a small smile curled on her lips.
“Alright then, sir Merchant. I’ll cherish this name dearly.” Their interaction continued
smoothly, the entity– now known as the Sad Merchant talks about some of the worlds
he discovered while working as a merchant, about his little clone brothers, and how he
is willing to supply her with necessities in her travels. Until one of the monochromatic
entity’s mini clones came rushing towards him.

It was bad news. The two headed towards the ink rivers, only to discover that the
entities that once inhabited it, especially Mother Ink, whom the Merchant held dear are
now dead and empty vessels. Surely, it was the work of the Masked Crow. The Dreamer
felt a tinge of sorrow as she witnessed the Sad Merchant’s grief over the loss. He
embraced his little brothers as they couldn’t bear to watch the scene before them.
“...You should continue your journey. It’s best not to linger here any longer,” The Sad
Merchant urged, “but—” she was hesitant to leave him in a state like this. “Do not fret,
I’ll manage on my own,” he reassured her. “I’ll make sure that I’ll find a way to reach out
to him, so..!” Upon hearing her determined words, the sad merchant offered a smile in
return, “and the deal still goes, Dreamer.”