Interlude
“The Great tree is an enigmatic thing. Something multifaceted to the god’s design. An ever-weaving structure, as if a confluence of silken webs were stitched together with a care unfathomable. What I am telling you is this; all possibilities are real. Every experience is an existing silken thread. Your dreams, your ideas, your unconscious desires, your subconscious machinations, they already exist somewhere. From the deepest depths to which light has never known, to the loftiest heights where light permeates from the very stars themselves.”
“I don’t understand. What do you mean that all possibilities are real?”
“It is as I said. What seems impossible, unthinkable, chances so miniscule that the universe itself cannot fathom that chance, already exist on another branch of the Tree.”
“All possibilities… So what does that have to do with anything I asked about? I asked such an innocent question, do you think dreams are real?”
“You miss the point, Jesse. Dreams are just a faint glimpse through the haze between branches. For us, for those that are sensitive to the branches' magic, it's much more.”
“So when I dream, I’m looking at something real?”
“In a sense.”
***
I found myself on the shores of the village. The radiance of the early morning sun reflecting off the bay’s waters kept me there entranced. The slowly growing warmth spread along my skin as the sun continued to rise.
The heat starting to recreate the daily thermal drafts along the cliffside of the caves, caused small gusts of wind pulling in the cool air off the water. My hair started to snarl as the wind tangled it in a thousand complicated knots. Running my fingers through it, I tried to undo the worst ones.
It was a peaceful start to the day, though no one else was awake yet. A thought came to me as I flicked my tail out, swatting away a fly that had decided that it was a good place to land. I jumped, and landed on a small fluffy cloud, solid beneath my feet.
Somewhere in the back of my mind, I thought that this was strange. Jumping again I had in mind to see the sun rise over the horizon. I had only wanted to see the light spread along the hilly landscape.
Continuing this, fluffy cloud after cloud, I didn’t even notice that the air was getting thin. Marveling at the sight before me, the wondrous red and orange hues reflecting off the clouds along the curve of the world. The wind higher up, stronger, tasseling my hair again. Sighing I thought about the few minutes I spent undoing that, wasted.
I sat down on my cloud and watched the thunderstorms off in the distance. Just barely over the skyline, the bright flashes of yellow and blue as the lightning moved from thunderhead to thunderhead. That mix of dazzling morning sunshine silhouetting the storms beautifully.
Gazing up, I saw the stars behind me, the morning sun before me. High enough to see both day and night, what could I see if I went higher? Climbing back to my feet, I continued.
The air was thin enough here that I finally noticed it. Things took a little bit more effort, my clouds were smaller, though fear never crossed my mind. The sky above me grew darker purple as the verdant green and brilliant cerulean of the sea below me grew hazy with the atmosphere thick between me and it. The stars far brighter up here, they gazed down on me with an absent interest. I could finally see that they were a wide variety of colors.
The sun hung by itself far off in the distance while I watched the world below turn slowly. The warmth of that light clinging to my skin, the two moons slowly dancing their way around the massive sphere below me.
I thought to myself, that is a wonderful day, the view from here is perfect for thinking. I wrapped my tail around my waist and thought nothing of it while I sat back down crossing my legs and folding my hands in my lap. Breathing deep I stilled my mind and enjoyed the moment.
The stars around me twinkled on endlessly as I watched. “What a nice dream.” I thought to myself.
But, something felt off now. My skin didn’t feel like my own now. Fidgeting, I tried to shake the feeling off and continue watching the world slowly revolve below me. “A dream…” A small realization filled my mind, feeling it in my chest. “A. Dream…”
I turned to see a set of eyes watching me. Eyes unfathomable, blending into the starry night sky, it was hard to notice them. The same scape as the night sky itself. A voice called out, sonorous and melodic “Only me”.
I awoke back in the tavern, the sound of a hard rain pattering on the rock in waves. A crash of thunder reverberating off the walls. Rubbing the sleep from my eyes, I saw those starry eyes again, watching from the mouth of the cave.
