The sun had fully emerged when Daniel opened his eyes again and found himself back on the beach, where he had fallen asleep the previous evening. He was no longer shirtless; he was now wearing the new pair of pajamas he’d put on before going to bed. Apparently, whatever he wore when he fell asleep, appeared in this world with him.
Daniel got up and stretched. He felt refreshed and full of energy, as if ready for a new round of adventures. The air smelled wonderfully fresh as a soft breeze blew in from the sea, bringing with it the scent that Daniel had grown to prefer.
He looked around for Nemo, but the merboy was nowhere to be seen. He had been gone all night. Had something gone wrong? He had said he would not be gone for too long. Not knowing what else to do, he decided to walk back towards the place he had first met Nemo. He was dying to know if the image he saw yesterday above water was still there. It would take him a couple of hours to get there, but he had nothing better to do with his time. And he was certain Nemo would be able to find him easily.
Eventually, he thought he spotted the tree Nemo had been tied on and moved closer. Sure enough, the rope was still there, at the base of the tree. He remembered his t-shirt and looked for it, but it was not where he had left it. He decided the wind must have taken it away, so he forgot about it and turned his attention to the sea.
As he got closer to the water’s edge, he spotted the vision hovering in the air not too far from him, almost translucent and invisible. It was still there, just like yesterday. He got into the water and swam closer. He was now right in front of it. It was like a mirage, an illusion or special effect that defied all logic, but it was there, within arm’s reach. He could clearly make out the wall facing his bed, his desk with the laptop and books on, the chair where some of his clothes were resting, and a part of his wardrobe on the right side of the room. Everything just the way it looked from his bed when laid on it.
Daniel swam around it a little to the left, and the image sort of moved with him. He then swam to the right, but whichever angle he took, the image remained the same; he would always see the same thing. There was no way to get around and behind it, the vision rotated as he did.
Daniel stretched out his hand to touch it. As his fingers went through the image, he saw them as if through the mist, but felt nothing and nothing happened. He then decided to go through it completely and see what would happen.
The moment he swam inside it, he woke up in his bed, in the dark. It felt very early in the night, and he was right. The clock on the wall showed half past midnight. It took him only a short moment to shake off his sleepiness and recall his last actions. He realized now that the image he went through was a way back, some kind of a portal.
This was real. Everything he had experienced was real and not just a dream like he had thought. He’d managed to go back to Endërland and discovered not one, but two ways to get back home from there. He was now more than ready to dream again.
Smiling and full of anticipation he closed his eyes again and let sleep crawl back into him. It didn’t take him long. Soon he was back asleep and in a very short while, his breathing grew steady and his pupils started moving very fast. He was dreaming again.
My Queen