From the Darkest Depths of the Unconscious: A World of Dreams

Jonathan Garrett

As I lay sleeping in my bed, the deep darkness envelops me in a sheet. Frozen tendrils of fire wrap themselves around my body and drag me down into the abyss. Around me I hear sounds that I cannot begin to explain, they are a mixture of horrors and terrors and happiness and celebration. There are brief flashes of light that bombard my vision with images of the vast oceans, the green fields, the majestic mountains, and other things which I am unable to comprehend. Suddenly, the light flashes faster and voices become louder. It feels as though my body is being torn apart and then…the flashing stops. Silence.

I look up and find myself standing on an empty, grey plain. The plain stretches to the horizon in all directions and even the sky is a dull, iron grey. There’s absolutely nothing else here besides me. It’s cold here and my body begins to shake. My breath comes out as a thin puff of mist. I can hear only the sound of my own beating heart. A footstep. I turn around. There is a man standing directly in front of me, only a few feet away. The man wears nondescript clothing and had a closely cropped beard. He was wearing half-moon glasses.

“I’ve been waiting a long time for you to arrive, All-Seer.” The man says.

“Who are you?” I ask warily.

“I have no name such as one that others give me. However, I have a name that was given to me for my purpose. I am Author.”

“Author? What is that supposed to mean?”

“It means, All-Seer, that it is my purpose to see to it that what’s supposed to happen happens.”

“Why do you call me All-Seer?”

“Because that is what you are. You are one who sees everything and knows all that happens in this world.”

“What is this world exactly? I come here often in my dreams, but this doesn’t seem like any ordinary dream.”

“This world is a world built upon a foundation of dreams and illusions. All things that happen here happen because they are caused to happen. That does not mean, however, that all things that happen here are for good.”

“Then none of this is real. It’s merely something I’ve conjured up in my own mind and nothing more than that.”

The man smiled mysteriously. “I assure you, All-Seer, that this world is more real than you can possibly imagine.”

I’ve had enough of this old man and his babbling. This can’t be any more real than any other dream that I’ve had, I say to myself. I can simply force myself to wake up and this world will vanish away. I concentrate on that thought, but nothing happens. I pinch my arm. It hurts.

“What exactly are you trying to accomplish, All-Seer?” Author asks me.

“Will you stop calling me that? I have a name, you know!” I say with exasperation.

“Do you now? What, then, is this name?” he says a broad smile forming on his face.

“It’s…it’s…All-Seer.” That isn’t what I mean to say, but for some reason it sounds right.

“You are now one of us.” Author says.

“Why me?” I ask. “Why not choose someone else for this task?”

“Everything that happens, happens to someone.” Author says somberly.

The landscape around me shimmers and begins to fade into darkness. The Author’s voice echoes hollowly around me. All the air seems to evaporate and I gasp for breath. The darkness is absolute now. There is nothing here now. No air, no light.

I…

I…

I…

All-Seer…

All-Seer stands in a dark landscape all alone. Soon a light begins to form and brighten, bringing the landscape into focus once more. A chessboard, with the pieces all arranged. At one end are The Dark Things who are without form or shape. The Dark Things who feed on sorrow and hatred and suffering. The Dark Things who seek only destruction. At the other end are The Avatars who all serve a different purpose. The Avatars who rejoice in happiness and understanding and prosperity. The Avatars who seek only peace.

They are evenly matched in their struggles and for every success there is a failure. But The Dark Things are increasing their power, slowly corrupting the very foundations of the world and even the hearts of men. The war will be great and terrifying, but there is one who can end it, who can turn chaos into order. The All-Seer. He alone holds the key. It is his choice.

All-Seer stands in the middle of the board, The Dark Things and The Avatars are all around him, frozen in time and waiting. All-Seer opens his eyes, the choice has already been made and now it has but to be carried out. All-Seer turns and walks toward The Dark Things. They shrink from his presence and coalesce into one form. The mass boils and bubbles and They shriek in terror. All-Seer stretches forth his hand and presses it into the dark, writhing heap that was once The Dark Things.

Then, They attack. They attach themselves to All-Seer, climbing all over his body. The Avatars try to run to his aid, but they are held back by some force. The mass that covers All-Seer begins to shrink, smaller and smaller. The Dark Things melt into All-Seer’s body and run through his veins. Then, All-Seer stands alone on the board. He falls to the ground.

The Avatars rush to him. Author bends down and checks his pulse. After a moments he stands up, his mood is somber ever more so than usual.

“What happened, Author” Traveler asks.

“I don’t know. This wasn’t supposed to have happened.”

“Is he…dead?”

“No, he is alive, but barely. Wait…he’s opening his eyes!”

All-Seer…

All-Seer…

All-Seer…

I…

I open my eyes slowly. I seem to be lying on my back, but it’s hard to tell because there is a dull pain in my entire body and a bright light is obscuring my vision. Finally, the light dims and I can see. Several people are standing above, they all look exactly alike and for some reason they are familiar to me. Suddenly, I know where I am.

“Are you okay, All-Seer?” One of them asks me.

“My purpose has been served; I am All-Seer no more.” I answer him.

“We saw The Dark Things enter your body! Does this mean that we have lost?” The one asks.

“No, The Dark Things are defeated. For now.”

“But they went into your body! How can that be called a victory?”

“The Dark Things can never be totally destroyed, I can only reduce them for a time and put barriers around them so they cannot gain power again. You see, They are as much a part of me as all of you are. They will be with me as long as I live, but so will you.”

“We will always be ready to stand with you to protect this world.” The one says.

“I know you will.” I say smiling.

Then…

I awaken.

The End