Dream Mountain

We walked back into the room just as Tommy was placing down two plates of steaming food. He looked up and smiled at us, before heading back into the kitchen for the third plate. Setting it down, he motioned for us to take our seats. After saying grace we each dug in.

  “Tommy,” I started looking from my plate of steamed vegetables to Hunter’s hamburger, “how did you know I was a vegetarian?”

  Tommy smiled at me. “Lucky guess.”

  “No, it’s more than that,” I said very sure. “No one would just guess that out of nowhere.”

  Tommy put his fork down to concentrate on me. “You’re right.”

  I swallowed under his piercing gaze. “Um, so how did you know?” I tried again.

  “I don’t really think I can answer that right now. But how about I give you some other answers?” Tommy redirected the conversation.

  “Any straight answer would be cool,” Hunter cut it.

  Tommy looked towards him. “Yeah, I can imagine. Well, how about the mountain’s story? Would you like to hear his view on this whole thing?”

  I nodded eagerly. “Yeah!”

  Tommy smiled at me again and this time I had to remember that breathing is essential for life. Man, he was good looking! “The legend is twofold, one the humans from your own world have some recollection of, but the other one, the real legend is told from the animals of the forest. It is their hope.

  “In the past, parents use to tell their children to go to sleep and Dream Mountain would send sweet dreams. Maybe your parents even told you. And long ago, the mountain was alive with those dreams. Legend says that the mountain was created from the first dreams. From that moment on, the mountain produced and protected dreams. But that was not all. The mountain was purely good and from it flowed its good magic, which graced the land,” Tommy paused, but Hunter wasn’t about to let him stop.

  “What’s ‘grace the land’ suppose to mean?” He questioned.

  Tommy looked at him solemnly. “You saw the land when you came in. The legend says the forest was the most beautiful in all the worlds. The animals lived peacefully as friends with one another and humans. There was a rippling stream that surrounded the mountain and flowed through the land. There was also a meadow that looked like a sparkling sea of green grass. Now, all of that has either changed or disappeared completely.”

  “But why? What happened?” I asked, even as I noticed the song’s distress was adding to my own.

  Tommy shook his head. “No human knows for sure. The animals do, but they won’t tell. As best I can figure, people grew up. Children became adults and stopped dreaming. And kids started to have harder lives and left childhood behind earlier. Dreams and imagination suffered and so the mountain decided to protect itself.”

  “By keeping its dreams in itself…. So, it became this dark sentinel mountain, void of the vibrant color and instead took on the grave and jiggered appearance it has now,” I elaborated.

  Tommy smiled at me. “Exactly.”

  I felt myself blushing and wondered briefly at my response to Tommy’s favorable attention, but Hunter was already on his next question and Tommy turned to look at him.

  “Is any of this based in reality?”

  “Yes, it’s just a different one than you are used too.”

  “No kidding. This place has its own set of rules,” Hunter observed unhappily.

  “Yes, but once you learn those rules you can apply them just like you do in your old world.”

  “Wait! Did you just say ‘old world?’” Hunter questioned, eyes narrowed.

  “Shoot,” Tommy muttered. He sighed, but replied calmly, “Only if that’s what you choose.”

  “Choose? How or when are we supposed to do that?” I asked.

  Tommy shook his head sadly and looked at me. “I’m sorry. I wish I could tell you, but that will come later.”

  “I was wondering when we would come back to that,” I sighed. It was so frustrating to get so close to the truth that I longed for, only to get more questions. “What about the song? Hunter and I both hear it, and Hunter has a verse too.”

  Tommy tuned to Hunter. “Can I see it?”

  Hunter looked at him suspiciously, but reached into the scabbard hanging at his side and pulled out the rolled up parchment, handing it across the table to Tommy.

  Tommy took it and unrolled it carefully. After he read it, he handed it back to Hunter. “Interesting. I’ve never heard of verses before, but it appears to have a part in the legend. Maybe the animals know.”

  “Do you hear the song too?” I asked, following a sudden hunch.

  Tommy gave me an approving smile. “Yes, actually. We all do, but while the mountain sleeps it lies dormant in all humans. I believe the mountain uses the song to send its dreams. Or at least, it use too. And not everyone who can hear it hears it to the same degree. All three of us hear the song, but I’m betting Grace hears it louder than either Hunter or I. It is completely part of her.” I looked at him amazed that he could know that, but he continued, “And Hunter hears it better than I do. It is the song’s choice.”

  “Who is my sister?” Hunter interrupted anxiously.

  “I can’t answer that.”

  “Then you do know her? Is she here? Is she okay?”

  Tommy held up a hand to stem the rushing tide of questions. “Hunter, I’m sorry. I don’t have those answers. I’ve never met another human here besides the two of you. But, I didn’t have the verse for the song, so I didn’t know to look for anyone else either. I can only guess at who or where she might be.”

  “But you won’t tell me,” Hunter half-accused.

  “It’s only a guess. I can promise that the mountain wants you to know. So, in time you will find your answers. Still, nothing is set in stone, at least not yet,” Tommy added cryptically.

  “Set in stone? But he does have a sister. She is here, right?” I looked at him tired of the constant unanswered questions.

  “The song certainly seems to say so, but I don’t know for sure. Everything can still change. It’s hard to explain. I have the privilege of being the mountain’s human guardian, yet my job is temporary. The mountain is protecting itself while it waits. I’m part of that protection. My job will be over when the legend becomes true and the dreams start to flow freely once more.”

  “You don’t know for sure?” I asked confused.

  “No,” Tommy said simply. He smiled sympathetically at my frown. “Everything I know I have also figured out by myself.”

  “Wait, then how did you know our names?” Hunter interrupted.

  Tommy smiled. “That I did have help on. Daydream and Nightmare have always known your names.”

  “I’m confused. You said you’re the guardian, but you had to figure everything out yourself too. Then how did you get that job? How did you know it was you?” I questioned.

  “I stumbled on a natural portal to this world when I was a child. Rougefire found me and brought me here. The unicorns have been like my parents for years. I grew up listening to the animals in the forest tell of their legend. I knew the mountain was waiting for its guardian, but that obviously wasn’t me. Since I had no other place to go, I decided to stay and become the temporary guardian until the true one came. The mountain accepted this. Anyway, I can’t tell you absolutes because I don’t have them. I’m confident in what I do know, but I can’t take the chance of misleading either of you.”

  “Why would that be so bad, especially if it got us a little closer to real answers?” Hunter spoke again.

  “If my hunch is correct, you both have a large role to play for the mountain’s new life. If I give you wrong information, I could jeopardize that. That’s not a risk I am willing to take,” Tommy answered.

  “What if we are?” Hunter interrogated.

  Tommy shook his head. “Sorry, I am ruling on this one, and I am telling you, ‘no.’”

  Hunter threw his hands up in the air disgusted, but I hesitated.

  “He’s right,” I heard myself whisperin
g.

  Hunter turned to me in shock. “What?”

  “Can’t you hear it? Feel it?” I whispered again.

  I had responded to Hunter, but I was looking inside myself and feeling the song giving its own response. Finally I focused back on Hunter. “We have to figure this out on our own. I don’t know why, but I know its right. If Tommy told us everything he knows, he would be undermining the mountain.” I looked at Tommy, whose eyes glinted with pride in me. I wasn’t sure why, but I did know it showed his appraisal and agreement. I turned back to Hunter. “You know from experience the mountain won’t let that happen, Hunter. We’ll find out everything we need to know, when we need to know it and not before,” my voice grew stronger as my confidence in my words grew.

  Hunter threw me a look that told me I was right and he knew it, but he was still in protest. The look he gave Tommy wasn’t even that nice.

  Tommy’s stature never changed from one of calm, confident authority. He turned to face me and his features softened. “You guys have learned a lot tonight. You should get some rest. Give yourselves time to process what you know. We’ll talk tomorrow and I can show you more of the mountain.”

  I readily nodded my agreement and rose from the table. Together, we cleared it quickly and then headed to bed for some extremely needed rest.

  ^^^^^^^^^^

  Chapter 5