Chapter 13

Wings, the beating wings that surround me and wake my sleeping self are large & absolutely beautiful. Golden sparks seem to fly from the tips as we sour above the clouds, endless rhythms pounded by the motion of my own wings. Wait a minute...did I just say 'my own wings?'. My goodness, I did!. It seems I have the wings of a griffon which in itself is fairly amazing, the fact I can actually use them is quite astounding!
I sour, there are no clouds & I can make out the shape of my three friends way off in the distance. Jumping & waving as I land on the ground beside them, they rush at me, excited & nuzzle into the soft feathers growing from my shoulders. They all seem in awe of my new wings, as though it's something they haven't ever seem before. I've seen many creatures with wings in my garden & I know Goblin has as well, so why are they looking at me that way? Goblin is chattering excitedly & pointing at my wings...the other two are bouncing around me, nodding in agreement. From the small parts of the conversation that I can understand, it seems most creatures that have wings are born with them, or develope them in their early years...I'm the only one they've ever seen to spontaneously grow them when they were needed.
I try to explain that this is my dreamland & I have the ability here to change things, to do as I wish or even do what's needed, when it's needed.
This time.....I needed to fly with my own wings.
I can feel a sensation, not an unpleasant one, it's just different. My eyes open & Zanna is standing beside me speaking...I answer her in gibberish as my head slowly wakes up...my day begins, not again...this is a new one.

Chapter 12

There's something odd & unusual about sleeping, well with me there is anyway. I dress up in my head when I'm asleep. In my dreams I'm a beautiful lady in the most rocking night attire anyone has ever laid eyes on. Sometimes it might be with a robe, or a shawl gently wrapped round my shoulders, but mostly it's just the most beautiful nightgown imaginable. Not much lace, I'm not really a lace person, even when I'm asleep. The fabric is glorious though, silky, flowing & hugging at the same time, right the way down to the floor (and it never seems to get dirty). My shoulders are usually bare in my sleeping head and the sleeves are long and gathered at the wrist. I actually sleep in a vest top & knickers...so it's a bit odd & unusual as I said.

I have my beautiful lady self on & Goblin is here waiting for me to get up. I can feel him peering at me impatiently over the top of his rather overlarge nose. I open an eye & his smile is full of relief. Something prickly is under my bottom, I can feel the indentations and put my hand down. I'm not in my bed. I seem to be on a bed of mosslike stuff that has little tiny twigs & lots of insects in it. I can hear slithering, it's not close. Maybe Houdini is following me to make sure everything is good. Until it comes closer I'll never know.

It's time to stand up, my bed of moss wasn't very comfortable & I have to stretch myself in all directions before I'm able to move properly, hobbling around like a geriatric isn't a good look, even when you're sleeping. It's flat, the rainbow sky isn't here & the sunshine is blinding. Bones is clacking, he seems very happy to see me, perhaps my friends don't sleep & find it strange that I lie myself down & turn off every so often. Three Legs bounds over to me in a happy greeting too. They all seem to be ecstatic. I wonder why.....

We're on the road to Africalafrica, the path is in front of us & I'm fairly certain we have to go left. Goblin shuffles us over to a point on the landscape that looks like any other & says 'Wheeee' the others copy him & then start blowing upwards! I'm completely baffled and I'm sure I look it because Goblin turns & encourages me to join in. I blow. We all start to rise....slowly at first and then I realise the more we all blow the faster we go. Then we come to an abrupt halt. Goblin grins at me, the others are all very excited and jump up & down like 80's teenagers at a Duran Duran concert. Goblin says 'Wheeee' again & points downwards...far in the distance I can see a huge city, full of spirals & turrets and ramparts & crennelations...the colours are amazing! Goblin dissapears, all I can hear is a sound in the distance shouting a gleeful 'Wheeeee', all I can see is a small speck of Goblin shooting back down to earth faster than a speeding bullet. Oh My Goodness, this is gonna be fun!

'Woof' 'Whine' Woof woof' My eyes open slowly to see Dizzy peering at me, eagre to get out of the back door & chase whatever is making that racket outside in the garden. I slide my feet into my slippers & put a dressingown on over my vest & knickers...heading for the back door.

Chapter 11

Am I awake? I ask myself this in my head without saying the words, I peer round in the darkness for a trace of normality that would surely answer the question for me...I can't actually see anything other than shadows, so I shall just have to keep probing the darkness. There is no Goblin.

My feet hit the floor. Feeling round for something to cover them, I stumble across an old book. Ahhh I'm sleeping, I know that wasn't there when I was awake. I slip my feet into my trusty old flip flops & reach down for the book. A snake slithers over my hand causing me to breathe in sharply. Houdini seems to have escaped again, he's a bit of an attention seeker & keeps trying to sneak into my bed for warmth when he escapes his tank. He shouldn't be here, this is just a dream after all. He slides gracefully up my arm & I think 'oh well, he may as well come too'.

We leave the room slowly, feeling the way into the hallway where there's even less light if that's possible. The few shadows cast wierd shapes again as I work my way along, arms outstretched feeling for something familiar. Everything is as it should be, I can feel the picture frames lining the walls & use the dado rail as a guide until finally I reach the first of the doors that lead off the hall. I open it & get blinded by a ferocious light. Houdini tightens his grip & wraps his bent tail around me for comfort. I open the door wider & can feel the warmth of the light pulling me closer. It doesn't feel right. I don't know why, but it's a feeling I can't shake off. Shadows loom behind me, almost as though they think they can scare me into going forwards. The darkness is a blanket I can hide under. I back away from the door & close it gently, pausing to get my breathe back & asses the thoughts blazing a trail through my brain. Houdini rests against my neck again, sensing the danger has passed. I still have the book in my hand & look around for a candle I can light to allow me to see the cover. I don't want to open any more doors.

I feel my way along the wall, I know once I get past the chair, there's a table that has a candle on it in the real world. I sit down on the chair & grope until I find the candle, a match appears in my hand & I light it silently. The match dies with a hiss & the flame lights up the darkness. I peer down at the cover of the book in my hand & absentmindedly give Houdini a stroke. It's an old book, the cover is very well worn leather & it has a slight indentation round the edge, as though it once had a gold pattern. The lettering is very faint, I can't make out what it says in the dim weak light but I can see the pages of the book are gilt edged. I turn it to see if it makes a difference but I still can't tell what it says. It's a long title, I can tell that by running my fingers over the indentation. I need more light, this one candle flame isn't enough. The shadows have closed in slowly while my mind has been otherwise occupied. I feel trapped by them, they form a wall all around me and as I stand up from the chair they close in further until I feel I can't even breathe. I open my eyes & the sun is once again streaming through the window. Houdini is in his tank & happily pokes his head out from under his coconut shell house to say good morning. I feel elated & the main thought running through my head is 'At least I woke up!'.

Chapter 10

It's early morning in the meadow, my three friends are here and they're looking at me expectantly, standing (if you can call it that) in a line of sorts. They look up and all speak at once 'tree, fox, leaf, bat, pumpkin, spider' etc. I look at Goblin and he gives a little shrug, looking at me from beneath his lowered head in a bashful sort of way. I'm so happy I dance & squeal with delight!! Even if they learnt the words parrot fashion & have no idea what they actually mean this is real progress. Incredible is the only way to describe it. I squat down & we have a group hug, right there in the middle of the clearing, in the middle of the meadow beside the path. Path, what path? Ahhhh THAT path. It seems there's now a path through the meadow.

I peek through the long grasses either side of it to see where it ends up. I want to know where it goes. Goblin takes my hand gently, I pick up Bones, who isn't the fastest mover on the planet, & we set off. Three Legs is happily bounding along beside us with his ball in his mouth as we move from the clearing & begin our journey. My three friends are happily chatting away as we walk, every so often one of them mentions 'Pore & Lorr' & I eventually begin to understand a bit more about them. From the little I can gather, they're a bit naughty really & you don't get one without the other. They go through this, my dreaming land, causing havoc & mayhem at every turn, despite the huge efforts on the part of their sister, Trin, to curb their behaviour. Hmmm I'm not very sure I want to actually meet them really.

We're on our way to Afrikalafrica I think. It was just mentioned by Bones. To begin with I thought that was the name of my beautiful meadow, but now I know it's a faraway land of enchantment. I have vivid pictures of magical griffon rides through clouds coloured by rainbows...I can hardly contain my excitement. Finally, I get to learn a bit more about my friends. The slithering sound has been following us now for quite some time, it doesn't get any closer, it just follows at a distance. It's only there when things are good, so it doesn't worry me, Pore & Lorr are a bit worrying though I must admit. We stop at a stream, it's a hot day & I slip my bare feet into the water to cool off before we begin the next part of our truly amazing journey. Blast! I'm awake.

Chapter 9

I woke up this morning with a headful of Pore & Lorr, Afrikalafrica wasn't very far behind it to be honest. I did a little research on the subjects & found out the Pore & Lorr are gnomes! Why on earth would gnomes be in my Happy Place? The mind truly boggles! What's more, they have a family supposedly, a younger sister called Trin. I have been savouring this heady delight, my new information. On the other matter Afrikalafrica, I don't know very much. My inquiries have left me a bit bereft. All I managed to find out was...it's a faraway land that can't be reached easily. You need to fly there on the wings of griffons that habitate the far off lands of dreaming. It's all a bit of a puzzle really.

I can't wait to go to sleep tonight. I have a soothing bath & a cup of hot milk to help me on my way, then I toss & turn fitfully because the night is just too warm. While I lie there, I think about this magical land & wonder why my friends seem hesitant & scared at times. I wake up in my sleep & stroll out into the garden. It's night & the birds and bats can be heard like whispers. The fairies are about, flitting between the branches in the wood at the bottom of my garden. There is no gloom, the moon is riding high & sending beams down that light everything they touch. All around me there's busyness & activity. Mamma fox is feeding her babies, the hedgehogs are slowly making there way across the grass, into the wood to search for bugs in the moss & dead leaves. Spiders scurry across webs lit up like lace in the moonlit sky as I walk past, hoping no doubt that my movement will bring flies for them to wrap. Tonight it's a happy place, I don't feel scared.

Goblin is by my side. Although he appeared as if from nowhere, he didn't make me jump or startle me. It was as though I was expecting him. He seems happy, the ominous feelings of my last sleep have left us for the time being and his smile is as radiant as the sun that warms my happy place. He nods & does a little flourish, probably dancing to a tune in his head as usual. He has a gait like a dance, maybe there is no music, maybe that's just how he moves?
I point to each thing I can see in turn & say it's name, I try to speak out loud but it's more like a whisper when it leaves my lips. Tree, fox, leaf, spider, bat, pumpkin.. I would love for Goblin to be able to talk to me. I know what the world says about English people expecting the rest of the world to speak their language because they're too lazy to learn any themselves but this is different. I don't think Goblin has words for these things where he is from. It's almost as if he can only describe feelings & emotion, not actual words that might form a sentence. Three Legs & Bones don't seem to have many problems communicating with him but it's usually when they're either happy or frightened. I point again & repeat the words, slowly, over & over. He doesn't repeat them as I was hoping he would. He nods & smiles & carries on his weird little dance to the tune that might be in his head.

I'm awake, back in my own bed. Sunlight is pouring in through my bedroom window & the alarm is making enough noise to wake the dead! Good morning world, what new levels of hell can you find to stress me out with today I wonder!?

Chapter 8

I'm back in the meadow. I have company. Three Legs isn't running around playing with his new toy though. He's sat on the ground with me, shuddering. Goblin is keeping lookout as though he's expecting something & Bones is just sat there, looking at me. Bones doesn't have eyeballs but it seems he's looking at me & he's looking worried. I talk to them, tell them that they're in my dreams & not real, there's nothing to worry about because I can protect them. I have no idea if they're listening, I don't speak often & don't even know if they're able to understand me...I try to keep my voice soothing, my face calm & my movements slow & exact to convey the message I'm trying to send them.

Although not cold, the weather in my meadow is overcast, there is no sun. Dark clouds are forming, mixing in with the light ones & trying to take over...this is my happy place, why is it like this instead of sunny, or covered in rainbows. What has caused the sky to behave like this, why are my friends scared & shaking. I haven't got a clue but I think I'm going to find out soon enough. Goblin isn't dancing. Every sinew in his body is poised to attack & his breathing is shallow. I get up, walk over & take his hand. I smile...he just looks scared. He's muttering under his breath, I can barely make out the words but it sounds like he's whispering 'Pore & Lorr' over & over. 'Afrikalafrica' is mixed in there too & I'm wondering if that's the name of this place where I am. The slithering is noticeably absent today, or is it tonight, it's hard to tell. Bones rattles over to Goblin & I, Three Legs is still shaking & I beckon him over. I get the feeling it's best we stick together.

We stay in our little formation waiting for something to happen, but nothing does. It's a bit of an anticlimax really. At that moment I realise I know nothing about the beautiful little monsters that live in my world when I go to sleep. Do they have families, homes, pets etc the way the beings in my waking world do...or are they alone, all they have in the world is each other. Do they go home or do they merely cease to exist once I'm awake?? These are things I aim to find out, one way or another over the coming days I need to know. I should work on a way to communicate with them, we can tell moods & emotions all we need now is a common language.

Chapter 7

Peace. The sweet smell of the meadow is the first thing I notice when I open my eyes. Goblin is grinning at me & Three Legs is running around excited to see me. There's a red ball on the ground by his back foot & I pick it up & toss it gently across the clearing. He looks at me like I've temporarily gone nuts & doesn't even attempt to chase it. I can see I'm going to have fun teaching him this one. The rainbows seem to be missing, perhaps because the sun is high in the sky & a shimmering heat haze has settled across the imaginary land.

I turn suddenly because I sense something behind me. A higgledy piggledy set of bones is looking at me, not a scary one though if you can imagine that! They look quite sweet. Smiling even. There's a skull connected to a backbone, arms, legs & a tailbone. My goodness, shocking! It's feet & hands don't appear to be much in evidence but who needs them anyway. Goblin comes over, maybe he wants to introduce us. He gabbles away in a foreign tongue still dancing to the tune in his head. The pile of bones, that we'll call Bones, starts to shake with mirth, I wonder what was so funny. They're looking at me laughing, I don't think they're laughing at me, but I'm not laughing so it can't be with me either. Over my shoulder Three Legs has finally discovered how to play with a ball. Bones & Goblin are actually looking past me & seem to be chuckling at Three Legs attempts to play with the weird object that's round.
Even though Bones has arrived in our happy clearing, I can still hear the distant sound of slithering. Three Legs has all his fur back now, he does look a bit odd actually, it's all different lengths & textures, soft to the touch & various shades of blue. He's a cute little monster, he has a mouthful of squared off teeth that glint at me when he grins. Goblin takes my hand & gently pulls me closer to Bones. I sit down beside him & Three Legs runs over to join us, ball in mouth. Three Legs snuggles into my side & I look Closely at Bones. He needs a bit of help in the flesh department. Is it my job to restore all the monsters in my happy place.... I don't get that feeling, but I must keep returning here for some reason. Perhaps it has something to do with the slithering...who knows. I didn't get a good look at the slithering being at all because the phone rang. I wish it'd trust me & come close again. Shame, but maybe one day. I turn around & stare at Goblins contented little face with the odd protrusion and it starts to fade, I'm losing my grip, waking up, but smiling broadly.