A Dream Worth Remembering

Chapters

A Dream Worth Remembering
We Meet Again [Bonus Chapter]
The Final Dream [Bonus Chapter]

A Dream Worth Remembering

I had sensed it for a while.

It had always felt like there was something else there, something more than the temporary warped characters of my dreams. Something that was clear, standing apart from the other fodder that occupied my subconscious at night.

Yet tonight, it was different. Instead of a normal dream, it felt like this one had a purpose. It was a forest, similar to the forest I had explored and played in when I was a kid. I felt a strange sense of calm, which mixed with my hazy feeling of unease. I looked around. The grass was shiny, dew reflecting off of a bright full moon overhead.

I couldn't escape the idea that I wasn't alone. "Is anyone there?" I called out.

A little way ahead of me it emerged, the thing I had sensed for so long but had never seen. It was a horse, with wings and a horn. It's indigo blue coat furthered its look of an elegant mythical creature. As it neared, I noticed its mane was flowing, sort of like a gentle stream. It was dotted with white specks that looked like stars.

"Hello," I said. The creature looked real, like I could reach out and touch it. I resisted the urge.

"Hello, human," it replied. Its eyes, a bright turquoise, gave me a searching look.

"Do you have a name?" I asked.

The creature smiled. "You may call me Luna."

"Luna," I repeated. "My name's Dean. Are you the thing that's been in my dreams?"

"Indeed," Luna replied with a small nod. "They quite intrigue me, I must admit." Something about Luna's gaze made me feel like I was a creature she had been wanting to study.

"How?" I questioned, confused. "My dreams are pretty meaningless, just a bunch of random stuff. I usually don't even remember them."

"However, as the Princess of the Night, I tend to visit a lot of dreams. Thus, I remember them." Another small smile, warmer than the last.

"Why do you watch my dreams?" I asked. "I'm just like all the other humans. How come you picked me?"

"But you are not like the other humans," said Luna. "Your dreams contain parts of your life that have been hidden away from your memories, or even parts that have yet to take place."

I thought about Luna's words. It did feel, in the rare occasions that I remembered them, like my dreams were lost memories. But dreaming the future? There was no way my mind could do that.

"I can't dream the future," I said, voicing my last thought. "It's impossible."

"Perhaps you haven't realized it yet," said Luna. "But as I said, I tend to remember dreams much better than most."

"So, you can see when stuff from my dreams happens in real life?" I asked.

"Sometimes," said the Princess of the Night. "You do have an intriguing life, Dean. Your mind is a wonder, even I have yet to understand it myself."

"But..." I couldn't wrap my head around it. "How? How is my mind different?" Then a new question came to the front of my mind. "Have you been watching me my whole life?"

"It has been a while," Luna replied. "But I don't believe it has been that long."

"Is that why you watch my dreams? Because you see something in me?" I was beginning to wish that this conversation had happened sooner.

"Possibly," replied Luna. It felt like she was only telling me so much, and wanted me to piece together the rest on my own.

"Can you...see my future?" It felt weird to ask, but with what I had already been told it might not have surprised me.

"I'm afraid I cannot." Luna gave a small laugh. "Though I would not wish to regardless."

"How come?"

"I prefer to think that future is better left in the future."

"Yeah, I guess so." I looked down at the ground. I was barefoot, something I hadn't noticed. Seeing this detail also reminded me that this was a dream. It felt so real I had easily forgotten.

"Are you real?" I couldn't help but ask. If this was a dream, would I forget all about Luna come tomorrow morning?

"I do possess a physical form," said Luna. "Though it is likely you will not see it."

"Are there more of you? That watch dreams?"

"Not that I know of."

I paused for a while, thinking of what to say. Then, the burning question emerged.

"Will I see you again?" Luna's presence made me feel safe, like nobody could touch me while she was there. I didn't want to wake up.

"Only time shall tell," said Luna. "But I do indeed hope so."

"Yeah," I said, looking up at the moon above. "Me too."

Without warning, everything began to fade. The dream was becoming less and less clear. Luna's face began to dissipate before me, and I could feel myself being pulled from the forest.

Bright sunlight filled my vision as I opened my eyes. I sat up on the edge of my bed, looking around at my half-organized room. I thought about what had just happened.

I had met a completely alien creature. I had spoken to it, and it had told me things I never knew I wanted to know. I could picture the forest, the moon, and Luna. It was incredible, the kind of creature she was. That something like her could even exist.

I blinked a few times, and stared at the floor, trying to bring my dream back into focus. I thought about what Luna had said in response to my last question.

"See you soon, Luna," I said to myself. I got up and began to start my day, brushing my teeth, getting dressed, going off to work, the same old thing. It was tiring, going through the same routine every day, but regardless of whether or not this day would be different, I had something to dwell on, something to be happy about.

For the first time in a long while, I had remembered my dream.

Author's Note

Hope you liked this short fic, I just really wanted to write something.

I originally intended for this to be longer, but I'm still pretty happy with how it turned out. Any comments would be appreciated, especially constructive criticism.

I plan to write more stuff in the future, so stay tuned for that I guess.

We Meet Again [Bonus Chapter]

THREE YEARS LATER

I closed my eyes, having had a grueling day at work. I was exhausted, and there was no better feeling than letting my head hit my pillow. Almost immediately, I fell asleep.

I found myself in a forest. Light clusters of trees surrounded by moist, dewy grass. Up above was an elegant full moon, which shone brightly.

The place stirred a memory, a memory of a past dream. With every passing second, the dreamscape became more and more familiar. It just felt like there was something else, something else that was supposed to happen.

And then it happened.

The Princess of the Night, her star-studded mane flowing beautifully, approached, and in that instant I remembered exactly how I knew her, how I knew this place.

"Luna," I said, smiling. It took me no time to recognize her. The one I had seen, and talked to, in a dream from a long time ago, the only dream I've had that was worth remembering. She looked so real, like she would be there when I awoke, but I knew she wouldn't.

"Hello, Dean," she replied, returning my smile. "It's been quite a long time."

"It has," I said. "A lot's changed in my life since I last saw you...when was it?" I looked up at the sky, trying to remember.

"Three years ago." Luna answered my question. "I wish I could say that since our last meeting I've kept a closer eye on your subconscious, but I have not. Things have also changed within my duties, and I have had less opportunity to see your dreams at night."

"I get it," I said. "You probably have a lot of dreams to watch, right? It's got to be almost impossible to see all of mine."

"That much is true," Luna replied. "However, I would prefer to dwell on how you are doing now. Well, I hope?"

"I'm alright," I said. Without thinking, I added, "I've been waiting to talk to you again."

"How nice of you to say," she replied. "As have I, and now we are here."

"Yeah..." I looked around again. The more I focused on the details of the scene, the more familiar everything felt. "I can't believe it's been three years."

Luna stared at the bright moon. "Yes, the time does seem to have passed rather quickly."

But there was something else. There was something I needed to say. The problem was, I had no idea how to say it, no idea if Luna even knew already.

I decided to plow ahead with it. "There's something I have to tell you," I said.

"Please do." Luna didn't take her eyes off the moon above.

I took a deep breath. "A...a year ago, I was diagnosed with cancer." It hurt to say it, like it must have hurt for the doctor who broke the news to me.

Still not looking at me, Luna sighed. "As I had feared."

"Wait, what?" I asked, confused.

"I believe I have said this in the past," said Luna, "but in the case that I have not, your dreams tell say much more about you than you can imagine, Dean. Your fears, your worries, they are displayed within your dreams."

I thought about her words. The fact that there was little she couldn't discern from my dreams was extremely impressive. But the fact that she knew made the feeling worse.

"I don't have a lot of time left," I said. "I've been trying to go out more, just live life to the fullest before it all ends."

She nodded. "Understandably so."

"You know, sometimes it's not so bad," I said, trying to be optimistic. I wasn't sure who I was trying to comfort more, Luna or myself. "Sometimes it's easy to forget, when I'm really invested in something-"

"Where is it?" Luna asked, interrupting my sentence. I didn't mind; I could tell that this was something Luna hadn't figured out, and the look on her face as she stared at the sky told me it had been bothering her.

"Heart," I said. "Eventually, it'll get to a point where I'll have to be in a hospital day and night while doctors try to save me, but since I'm gonna die anyway I like to think that every day I'm not stuck in a bed is a good day."

Luna finally looked down at me, fixing her large eyes on mine. "A being such as you does not deserve something such as death." She sighed, then looked down at the ground.

It shocked me, to see a being so powerful, so elegant, hurting in such a way. I had no idea that she was concerned about my health; I just thought that she was interested in my dreams.

"Hey," I said. "I'm not dead yet. And for me, that's good enough."

"I appreciate the way you look at it," said Luna, returning her gaze to the sky. "It shows bravery, or at the very least an ability to accept the end. It is not common among our kind."

"Well, everybody dies," I responded. "I guess it's really about whether or not we choose to live." I was visibly stunned at the depth of my words, but quickly recovered.

"I've had a good life, anyway," I said. "Didn't get to have kids, and I probably won't get to, but I've done a lot and still have more on my list." I looked up at the moon, joining Luna. I noticed she was sitting, and I sat cross-legged on the wet grass, feeling the cold of the water on my legs and feet. It was a little bit refreshing.

How long we stared up at that bright full moon together, I may never be able to say. But I can say for sure that I'll have another dream to remember. I've never told anyone about these dreams, and I never plan to. The conversations I've had with Luna. regardless of how vague they may have been, were and are valuable to me.

When I woke up, I went to my drawer and opened it, pulling out a large sketchbook. I flipped a few pages until I found the one I was looking for. I then added the finishing touches to my drawing, a drawing of the Princess of the Night that I had started three years ago. I promised myself that I would be holding it when I died.

I wish Luna would be able to see it.

Author's Note

I added this chapter because I liked what I had, and based off of this one, there will be a final chapter that's gonna close out the story. I hope you liked it, and if you did, leave a comment. They mean the world to me.

Peace.

The Final Dream [Bonus Chapter]

SIX MONTHS LATER

It was a nice place to be before I moved on.

For the third and final time of my life, I was in my dreamscape forest, and I was grateful for a final opportunity to talk to Luna. As expected, she appeared, looking a bit shaken. I didn't need to ask what was wrong.

"It's alright," I said. "I'm perfectly fine."

In reality, I hadn't been fine. I had been, as I had predicted, stuck in a hospital bed constantly taking medications and treatments, going through each fruitless attempt to eliminate the cancer that would remain until it killed me, which, once this dream was over, it would.

I had been aching from treatments, my hair had gone, and I looked nothing like myself. Here, I was back to the same person I used to be, pain gone, feeling better than I had since I was last here. It felt like it was impossible to be scared or worried in this place, as all I could feel was calm.

"This is your final dream, I presume," said Luna.

I nodded. "Yep." Taking a look at the sky, I noticed the bright moon, always present.

"Wonder what it'll be like," I said. "The afterlife."

"I suppose we can only imagine for now," said Luna. "It seems your time has not come yet."

"Yeah," I said. "How have you been these past few months?"

"I have been well," said the night princess. "Concerned, but well."

"Concerned?" I had suspected it. "Is it about me?"

Luna sighed. "Your condition, Dean, has left you limited, kept you from what should have been a whole and happy life. You have a good heart, yet now here you are, at the precipice of your lifetime, preparing to step over the edge. It is sad to see, yet there is nothing that can be done. It must happen."

"I appreciate your concern, Luna." It felt nice to know she cared, to know she wanted to stop this just as much as I did. But we both knew that soon I would stop dreaming, and I would never be able to see her again. The thought sat in the back of my mind, and I tried to ignore it. I was dreading that part.

"You know, when I was twenty-five, I went to go visit one of my friends. He had two kids, and a little while after I got there I noticed the older of the two, maybe ten or eleven, drawing on a piece of paper. I remember he kept looking at me as he drew.

"I went back to his house two months later, and when I was about to leave his older son gave me a drawing. The one he had been working on the first time. It was a drawing of my face, and I could tell he had put a lot of effort into it. He was really happy to give it to me, even though he barely knew me. He had only seen me twice.

"I know it's a bit of a childish way to go about it, but three years ago I started a drawing of my own. I finished it a while back, after we last talked." I felt in the pocket of my jeans, jeans I hadn't worn in six months. And there it was, folded and a bit wrinkled. I handed it to her. "It's sort of based off of my memories of you when I'm conscious."

She extended her hoof and took the paper, using her magic to unfold it. It was the first time I had seen her use her horn. It was incredible.

She looked at the drawing for a moment. I felt a twinge of embarrassment, but I stood where I was, waiting for a response.

Luna looked back up at me, smiling the sort of smile you'd give to your dog licking you on the face before getting put to sleep. It was a sad smile, and it hurt to see. "Thank you," she said softly. I didn't know if she would keep it, but I hoped.

"No problem," I said. Before I could stop myself, I blurted out the words I had been trying to conceal behind my mask of calm this place provided me with.

"I don't want to die, Luna."

It seemed that those six words, said with the same calm I had spoken with since the beginning, were too much for the princess to take. A tear rolled down her cheek, and I couldn't help feeling sorry for her, just as she was feeling sorry for me.

"I do not want you to die either, Dean." She looked up at the moon as she did last time, tears still falling down her face. It was a sight so beautiful yet so sad.

"Hopefully dying isn't too bad," I said.

"Indeed," Luna replied.

And I could feel everything slowly beginning to fade. I turned to Luna, who turned toward me, looking me in the eyes.

"Goodbye, Luna," I said, wrapping my arms around her in a heartfelt hug. It felt nice to finally be able to touch her, like a sort of long-needed confirmation of her existence.

"Goodbye, Dean." She said, returning the hug. Everything became more and more foggy with each passing second. It wasn't like before, as if I was returning to reality, but different, the feeling more hollow, because I was now truly dying. It didn't hurt at all.

And then everything was gone.

"Well, that's it," said a man. "He's gone."

Before him was a bed, occupied by a man who had just passed away. With him were two other men, friends of the deceased. There wasn't a dry eye in the room, not even those of the young doctor.

"He was a good dude," said another of the men.

"Look, he's holding something." The third man reached down and grabbed a piece of paper from the dead man's hand.

"How in the world was he able to hold that through all of this?" said the second man as he and the first looked over at the piece of paper that had just been unfolded.

It was a well-drawn picture of a horse, an indigo blue horse with wings and a horn, and a flowy-looking mane dotted with white specks. In the corner of the piece of paper were the words Luna, The Princess of the Night.

"Wonder where he thought of that," said the first of the three men as he wiped his eyes.

"Who knows," said the third, refolding the paper and placing it gently back in the man's hands. "Maybe in one of his dreams. Dean was a great thinker, he always told me, 'Guess I just dreamt it up." The man sighed.

The three friends of the man named Dean left with the doctor, leaving the departed alone in the room.

This was the end.

Author's Note

The final chapter is here, hope you enjoy it. I was really feelin this one.

If you liked this, leave a comment, cause they mean the world. You already know.

Also, found a link to a speedpaint of the cover art, you can watch it here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q5xBoXEcGc0