It wasn’t long before Alice emerged from the bakery, a pink dream bouncing beside her, only a few minutes old. She paused in front of a shop window to check her reflection in the glass before hurrying towards the forest in the direction Mason had gone, her dream trailing behind. I didn’t have much time.
My pocket warmed like it had been submerged in a puddle of sunshine. I carefully dipped my pinky through the slit of the handkerchief and the dust curled around my finger. My magic blossomed more quickly than ever before, spreading through my body and extending to my palm at the slightest concentration.
Mother’s dust burst from its cloth prison and spun towards the dream, mingling with my own magic. The force thrust me back; I dug my nails into the bark to keep from falling out of the tree. A sparkly cloud cradled the dream in a swirl of glitter and color. I hooked my arm around a sturdy branch for balance and flicked my other wrist to pull the dream back. For a moment it didn’t move, but after another desperate tug, it started approaching at a crawl. Excitement flared in my chest. It was working!
But before it could reach my perch, the dream froze, and the magic enveloping it started to slip away as the warmth within me diminished. Desperately, I tried to summon more, but my powers were drained. I pulled with what little power I had left, but the dream refused to budge. I gritted my teeth and tightened my grip around the branch as I yanked with all of my might.
A tiny piece broke away and soared over to me, while the remaining fragments of the dream flickered out one by one like blown-out candles. I stared at where the shattered dream had vanished, slightly dazed, while the portion I now cradled in my hand glowed cheerfully, seemingly unharmed.
I pressed it into the bottle and corked it before lifting it to my gaze. The dream snippet of pink flowers and hearts falling gently from the sky like snow swirled within its glass prison. I grinned. At last a dream was mine. I carefully tucked it safely in my bag and pulled out three more jars. I needed more.
By this time the rest of the village had awakened, yawning midst their morning greetings, their closely following dreams ready to be plucked. My magic twirled towards the nearest one, a dazzling purple diamond hovering above a farmer blearily setting up his baskets of produce with half-closed eyes, but the magic paused partway. Confused, I peeked inside the handkerchief.
It was empty.
I frantically investigated every crevice of my pocket and even amongst the leaves in case some magic had fallen, but it was gone. I slumped against the trunk. How could I have used every bit of Mother’s magic? How would I capture any more dreams now? The disappointment was a heavy weight, crushing my shoulders.
Defeated, I scrambled to the ground—then a sudden rustle stopped me cold. I jerked towards the noise. The path outside the village lay abandoned. Shadows stirred in the branches of the surrounding forest, their dark limbs stretching towards the sky, devoid of any intruders. Perhaps the noise had only been my imagination…and yet the usual symphony of twittering birds had ceased, leaving only thick silence; the woods weren’t usually so quiet.
Suddenly, I felt it: a heated gaze scrutinizing me. I’d been watched before, but this was different from the gossipy stares of the villagers; this gaze seemed hostile. The back of my neck prickled. Heart hammering, I frantically searched the trees.
My breath caught. High up in the branches—hidden in the thick shadows—a pair of emerald green eyes appeared, watching me. I stumbled back, but before I could react the eyes disappeared. Immediately, the prickling sensation cloaking me vanished, leaving behind only a trail of goosebumps.
As if mysteriously vanishing eyes weren’t strange enough, suddenly a high-pitched giggle drifted from above, but upon investigation nothing unusual filled the cloudy sky—except…I shielded my eyes against the sun and squinted. A cloud had twisted from its cotton-candy shape to form a perfect five-pointed star, which quivered as I watched. I rubbed my eyes and the star-shaped cloud disappeared, replaced with a regular cumulus.
Before I had time to question what I’d seen, a shadow suddenly enfolded my senses and something squishy crashed into me. The force knocked me over. Transparent hues of multicolored vapor entirely surrounded my face before the thing moved and two large rainbow-colored eyes blinked down at me.
“Oh no, I just squashed a Mortal. This won’t look good on my detective application. I need to hide the body before the Council discovers my crime.” The colorful blob’s gaze darted towards the edge of the forest and lingered at the base of an evergreen. “Too obvious a gravesite, but I’m pressed for time. It’ll have to do.”
The back of my head throbbed. I groaned. Hesitantly, the thing poked me with an airy touch and sighed with relief when I flinched.
“Thank goodness it’s still alive. Disaster averted.” It circled me gracefully as it inspected me. “Why isn’t it moving? Is it broken? I didn’t know Mortals were so fragile. Perhaps I should fetch my glue.”
I struggled and hoisted myself up. The thing stared at me intently, as if expecting me to shatter at any moment. It—she?—appeared to be a cloud, yet she was unlike any cloud I’d ever seen in the sky. This one was straight out of a child’s drawing: fat, puffy, multi-colored, and coated with sparkles.
“Are you a cloud?”
A dimple appeared where her cheek might be as she smiled. “Of course. Why, did you think I was a shadow?” She shuddered at the thought. “There’s no need to be rude. Running into you was an accident, and since you’re not dead, there’s no harm done.”
This was so surreal. Had I stumbled inside a dream? I
