Chapter 4

A dream is your fear being replayed to you as you sleep. Be careful not to lie with your fears because they will haunt you when your eyes are closed.

When I had laid on the semi-hard rock in the cave, I was thinking about the future and how bleak it looked. Do I have to call upon someone's help to fulfil my destiny, or could there be another way to save my family and people I didn't know?

I kept twisting and turning till Arthy shouted at me to stay still or he was going to throw me out of the cave and leave me to survive on my own. Out alone, with a head-on stick, didn't sound like an all too enjoyable idea, so I shut my mouth and steadied my breath. Before I knew it, I was fast asleep.

Something is prickling my skin. Wait, is that sunlight? No, it is too early for the sun to be up in the sky, and we are in a cave; there's no way the sun would reach me for my skin to be filling it. This is strange. Arthy had previously told me of some gods who had the powers to walk through dreams; he called them the 'Paquerla'.

They never showed their faces during the day, always preferring to hide under the night sky, but I can tell what I am experiencing is different.

My eyes are glued shut, but I keep pushing them to open. Slowly, some streaks of light begin to pass through my lids before finally, my eyes are open wide, and I take in the beautiful scenery in front of me. There were little ones, climbing trees so tall, freely swinging and picking the fruits from the branches.

A little one lost his footing, and as I shot from my position, the branch lowered and held onto him. No wonder the parents were so relaxed; there was nothing to be afraid of because nature wouldn't hurt him.

Looking elsewhere, I notice a group of women surrounding a creature like Arthy floating on the ground and releasing some pheromones. A goddess she must have been, for her presence left me feeling better than ever, but the fact that she was there and the human world flourished was startling.

Then it dawned, this must have been the time Arthy spoke of with fond memories, back when gods and goddesses freely roamed and brought peace and tranquillity (in some cases).

The creatures who were like me wore funny-looking with strange artefacts covering their bodies. They tied them around their bodies, which made no sense. Indeed, it felt constricting, and they shouldn't be able to move. They were leaving their stomachs bare for the ladies and the upper torso for the men and standing near structures built out of bamboo, laughing, joking, and playing with one another.

The green was vibrant, the air as well, and when I saw the animals brought back to be eaten, my saliva was pouring out of my mouth, but I could only watch. But then, I'm hearing a sound coming from behind me, and as I turn to see what it could be, I see the area change in a split second.

Gone was the vibrant green grass, happy smiles, and joyful sounds; in its place stood a barren land filled with sadness, sorrow, and worry. Even the skies had lost their vibrant blue colour.

Even the watering holes were empty, the little water that looked like it had been mixed with the sand on the shore. The humans no longer looked like themselves. The vibrant skin and hefty builds of the men had become sunken.

No longer could they show off their might, for their arms looked like twigs. The women and children looked a bit better but still, with little water to drink and tiny animals to eat, no energy to climb up dead trees.

Walking around, I notice that all the roads, no matter which one I'm on, seem to lead to the same place, and since I'm not waking up, I decide to continue on my journey, hopefully, find some way to jolt me back to Arthy. Then I happen to come across a 'palace'. Arthy had drawn it on the walls and told me about them a long time ago. They were supposedly where the king and queen lived with their offsprings and attendants.

Though the palaces look much more sturdy and beautiful than the one in front of me, I could sense the resemblance in the drawings. I enter the court with nowhere to go, past the guards who didn't notice me and continue roaming. Looking here and there, I see stones and wood pieces that seem to serve as decorative pieces while large huts like ours placed some distance from each other.

Some huts are big and look great, while others look like they would soon be destroyed. 'ah! they must be the slave quarters Arthy talked about. So sad that a creature would have to live in that.'

I happen on the largest hut of all, which stood in the middle of the palace. Two men stood, like the guards outside, either letting people in or denying them. But, something kept pulling me in, I was a slave to it, and before I could stop, I was already inside.

There was a chair adorned with animal skin and jewels that seemed to never lacklustre in the middle. There sat a man who radiated power despite the conditions of his body. He looked like he hadn't eaten in such a long time, and very soon, they were going to drop his body in the field outside. Even the men sitting next to him still looked like they had life, albeit small. And as my eyes laid on his, a connection was set, his energy flowed into me, and I felt so much power. I did think I could take on a god and win.

Walking around him, I noticed how everyone bowed down before speaking to him or how there were extra guards at his side who seemed to protect him more than the other men. They didn't let anyone touch him before releasing their spears. Finally, the men left, and some entered, greeted him and sat on the stools before them. I couldn't understand a word they had said like before.

So, I could only stand on the sidelines and hope their expressions gave away any and everything they could be thinking of.

They seemed to be arguing about something severe and grave. Some seemed to agree with the king, while others refused vehemently. Then they stopped talking and waited. And waited. And waited. I sat near the man in the middle, just watching and listening to their words and body language.

After waiting, a man who seemed to radiated even higher power though different from the king, stepped in. Immediately, his eyes zoomed on me, and he made his way to me.

'Who are you? Why are you here? What is your business with the king? Why do you bear the mark on your head?'

As strangely as it was, I did understand what he was saying? Though for the people standing by his side and looking confused, they had no idea what he was saying. It was good for me; I could get answers as to why I was there, who they were and why I felt a deep connection with the man in the middle.

'My name is Nuala. I don't know how I got here or why I am here. I just landed and kept on walking until I reached here or wherever here is. I don't think they can see me, which begs the question, why can you?'

'Nuala? Did you say that your name is Nuala?'

After answering him positively, he broke down in tears and told the king something. Whatever it must have been caused the king to cry and send his guard to do something. He arrived with a woman who had an air of dignity just like himself. He seemed to repeat what the man had told him, and she too cried. I could only stare at her.

She was just like the king; I felt a deep connection with her, and her tears caused me to feel something, whether sadness or happiness, I couldn't decipher it.

The king, too, seemed to be crying but tried to console his wife. I guess it didn't work because he soon broke into tears that washed away the things adorning her face. The people near them too cried, but soon their faces seemed to melt into one another, and I could no longer hear anything from the strange man. I knew then that I was waking up. I could only watch in silence as she seemed to scream something so painful.