Part 15 - A Spirit's Temper

The world once more faded in from black; did she even go home and wake up this time? She couldn’t remember anymore. How many days had past? Had she really moved from her home, did she no longer have her job, or was that just part of her dream world? If this was a dream world.


She’d seen a TV show about a guy who got hit by a car and woke up 35 years in the past. One version of the show had him in a coma. Was that what happened to her? Had she been so drunk after drinking the damn Delirium she’d gotten in an accident? Was that what this all was, just a coma induced dream? Wow, if that were the case, she really had to get a life, a real life. If she ever woke up, that is.

She looked around wondering where she’d ended up this time.


“O-kay. This is definitely different.” He might have pointy Spock ears, and enough piercings and tattoos to make a biker jealous, but she forgot all about that when she looked at the beauty of his face.


“Ah, Cori, please have a seat.” He waved his hand and a crimson drink appeared on the table next to him. “A drink while we’re waiting? No wonder he’s a lesser Spirit, he has no idea how to teleport more than one object at a time when he has to cross vast amounts of time and space.”


Corinne wasn’t sure whether she was confused by what he said, or nauseated by the thought of the drink.


Nausea must have won out, because he again waved his hand, and a coffee cup and saucer appeared in the place of the glass. “Latté, then.”

Ah, the coffee looked good, good enough to even tempt her to sit next to the man. Was he a man?

“What are you?” Oh, crap, where’d that come from? What, had she been in the delusion for so long she’d forgotten the manners her mother had pounded into her?


He laughed and she saw the fangs. “Oh, shit another Vampire.”

“No, Cori, I’m not a vampire, although I do know one or two, no I’m half Silvanus Elf and half bastard. Please sit, you do want to know what’s been going on, don’t you.”


Did she ever. Okay, really how much worse could he be than the vampire in the alley? Actually, if she were lucky, he’d be half as good.

Suddenly the air shimmered and gold light appeared as another man materialized into the room.


“Morpheus!”

She turned on her heel trying to run as fast as she could in another long-ass dress. What was it with this dream world, didn’t anyone ever wear jeans? Suddenly she stopped mid-stride, her back to both men. She was frozen in place, only her eyes seemed to move.


“In the name of the Spirits, Morpheus, what the fuck did you do to her?”

“I got pissed, she keeps making the wrong damn choice and time’s running out.”

“You sent her into a nightmare?”

“‘fraid so.”

“Does the Guiding Queen know that?”

“Ah, yeah, that’s what took me so long to get here. Damn, for a benevolent Spirit, she sure knows how to yell.”


They both appeared in front of her; the elf, Yup, Middle Earth here I come, and Morpheus. But this was a Morpheus she’d never seen before. He’d always been a bit handsome, but there was almost a glow about him this time.

Wow, did he look different, nice different to be sure.

“She thinks I look different,” Morpheus said with a laugh. “And she thinks you’re from Middle Earth.”


“You’re seeing the true Morpheus, Cori, he’s dropped his human persona. As I said earlier, he’s a lesser Sundara Spirit. He can be seen in his true form here on Dagon because this is where the Spirits dwell.”

Is that a good Spirit? And what kind of a Spirit are you?

“Yes, Corinne, it's a good Spirit, but I have a very hard time being good. My temper, you see, gets the best of me, and when I’m particularly angry, humans all over the universe randomly suffer from nightmares.” He looked at the elf and back at her. “He’s not a Spirit, but he walks both worlds which is why he can be in your dream and not be from the dream world.”

What did he just say?


She felt Morpheus’ hand as he gently stroked her cheek. “I’m truly sorry I scared you, but you weren’t alone in the nightmare realm, there was a little boy over in Seattle who swore to his parents there was a vampire standing at his window. My anger ‘s far-reaching.”

“If I release you, will you stay and sit with us?” The elf said, “We can’t explain everything, but we can tell you what we know. Do you promise not to run again and drink your Latté while we explain?”

How am I supposed to agree? Blink my eyes twice, groan?

“She agrees,” Morpheus said.

As suddenly as she stopped, she felt her limbs loosening. Immediately, without realizing that she was even going to, she reached up and slapped Morpheus hard against the cheek.


Laughing the elf said, “Damn, I’ve wanted to do that for years. You deserved that you know?”

“Yes, I did. Shall we sit?”

She took the seat with the Latté, the elf next to her and Morpheus giving her a wary look took the seat across the table. The elf waved his hand and drinks appeared in front of them.


“What’s your name?” Corinne asked the elf.

“Telaan.”

“Oh, yeah, okay that’ll be easy to remember.”

“Do you know that many elves?”

She raised her eyebrow and stared at him, “Well, if you count Legolas, that’s about it.”

“See, you remember his.”


“Can we get on with this, we’re running out of time,” Morpheus cut in. “I didn’t bring her all the way to this world just so you two could chat. Not that I’ve ever known you to make small talk before.”

“Fine.” Telaan looked at Corinne, his face suddenly serious. “Do you know who Morpheus is?”

“I’m going to guess you don’t want me to point to him.”

“No, I mean the myth on your world, do you know it?”

“You mean the Greek god of dreams or the Matrix?”


“Spirits, why does everyone think of the damn movie? I’ve been around a hell of a lot longer than that.”

Telaan smiled. “The god. Well, that’s not quite true, he’s not a god or even a lesser god, he’s actually a lesser Spirit.”


“Okay so tell me, lesser spirit of dreams, just what the hell is the key, the letter and who was the poor old man whose head you chopped off?”

“The key, the box and the letter are all objects that have entered the dream world, but are of human origin. They don’t belong here. That’s why I need you, you’re human, you can touch them, find them, I can’t and he can’t so don’t think it. He’s not human, he’s an elf. The old man didn’t exist, he was just part of the nightmare I created, he’s not important.”

She laid the two keys she’d picked up from the nightmare on the table. “I have the key.”

Morpheus reached over and picked up the two keys. “No you don’t.”

“Why do I need to find and touch these items, what’s in the letter and who’s the man who’s supposed to have the key, why can he touch it?”


“Because he’s a human trapped in the dream world. The key will open the box and the letter will free the man from the dream world.”

“Who is this man?”

“He’s your…”


Suddenly they both began to fade.

“Shit…” Telaan was the last thing she heard before she moved on.

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