I slump back down on my bed and watch the clock as it goes from 3:00 am to 3:01 am. What is happening to me, what are these strange dreams because now I'm not just dreaming of the girl and her wolves, but terrifying creatures that remind me of Iroquois false face masks come to life. Something is changing in my dreamscape, the current dream was not just a nightmare, and I know this deep down inside. But how is this even possible? Dreams are just that dreams, aren't they?

I throw one arm over my closed eyes. Thank God, it's early on a Saturday morning, and I have no work and no classes. I can sleep in, get up when I want and study when I want. Heck, I might even go and see a movie, no horror though! 

I turn over and reaching out I make sure the alarm isn't set, I don't want to wake up at 5:00 am later on. Then I cuddle back down into my warm blankets and fortunately I easily fall back asleep.

***

What feels like seconds later, my eyes pop open. Bright sunlight nearly blinds me, as my senses are assaulted by the scents of hundreds of wild flowers. When my eyes finally adjust to the bright light I see that I am sitting in a field full of wild flowers, some of whose stalks are as tall as the top of my head. 

"I've been waiting for you." 

My head whips around so fast I can hear the bones in my neck crack and whiplash pain shoots down one side. 

"Fuck that hurts!" I groan, my attention has been taken off the soulful voice. That is until gentle fingers pluck the muscles on the side with whiplash, and the pain begins to subside. 

"I didn't mean to startle you." 

I still can't see her, but I'm pretty sure who it is, especially when two wolves come romping into the wild flower field. Strangely I am not afraid of them. One of them plops down and puts his head in my lap, at least I think it's a him, before the other swipes one side of my face with his rough tongue before sitting down and cocking his head to one side as if to say, "Well aren't you going to pet me?"

I laugh, while they may be wolves, they're acting like great big puppies.

A slender hand reaches over my shoulder and begins scratching behind the ear of the wolf who is sitting in front of me. The wolf lets out a low whine of pleasure. "This is Pokey." 

"Pokey?" I ask, I think that is a pretty ridiculous name for a wild wolf, but maybe she knows something I don't.

"Yes. She is always sticking her nose where it doesn't belong, hence the name Pokey."

"Ah." I say, as if it makes perfect sense.

"And this is my Darius, he's the Alpha wolf." She says, and I guess that explains why the wolf whose head is in my lap, and who has the most beautiful gold eyes I've ever seen has the majestic name of Darius. 

I smile down at the wolf in my lap, "Hello, Darius." I say, gently scratching the top of his head and around his ears. He sighs, and closes his eyes.

Just so Pokey won't feel slighted I lean forward holding my hand out so she can smell it. She licks my fingers and taking that as a sign  that we are friends, I rub my hand under her chin and along her chest. She lifts her head back and gives what I can only surmise is a little happy doggy groan. 

The girl with me, laughs. "You keep doing that, and they're going to leave me for you." She teases.

"I very much doubt that." I smile. She is still behind me and I cannot see her face, but her voice calms me.

"There, your neck should be better now." She removes her hand from where she continued to massage the pain away. 

"It is, thank you."

"You're welcome." I feel her move around me until she is sitting in front of me next to Pokey. "And I am Sarah." She holds out one hand to me and I take it, squeezing it gently. She is even more beautiful in person than in my dreams. Raven hair cascading over her shoulders and down her arms, silver eyes and blood red lips. She is like something out of my most erotic fantasies. She is wearing a black and white corset dress that pushes up her breasts and creates some of the most wonderful cleavage I've ever seen. To top it off, she has a red cape over the ensemble. On her legs are white stockings and finally black flats with some kind of small silver buckles that have beautiful round filigree carved into them.

"It was very brave of you to confront him, but I want you to promise me you will never do so again." 

I laugh nervously, I didn't confront him the first time. "Are you talking about the false face man in the dark forest?"

"Yes. He's dangerous and I don't want you to get hurt. Promise me you won't confront him again." 

"Sarah, I didn't confront him the first time. I'm not sure why you think that." As much as I wanted to keep touching her, I drop her hand, slightly irritated she would think I would put myself into what had clearly been great danger if her demeanor was anything to go by.

"You didn't?" She seems surprised. "But I thought..." She shakes her head. 

"You thought what?" I ask belligerently. 

"That you were the one. Well, damn. That is that then." She moves as though she is going to stand. Not having any idea what is going on I grab her hand again.

"Hey wait a minute. Sarah, what do you mean the one? What are you talking about?"

"There's just no help for it then." She tries to shake my hand off, but though I'm small, I'm stronger than I look.

"Uh, uh. I want some answers Sarah." I looked deeply into her eyes and I can see she is wavering. "Listen, I've dreamed of you and your wolves every day of my life for the last twenty years, there has to be a reason, so tell me."

"You have?" Her eyes blaze with the fires of hope.

"Yes, nearly every night. Last night was the first time the dream was different. I didn't consciously seek out the false face. I just found myself there. Who is he, and why did I dream of him?"

"His name is Ciprian, and he's evil as they come." She said in a voice devoid of emotion though she held my hand so tightly I heard one knuckle crack. "I don't know why you would dream of him, but you wouldn't be the first person he used dreams to trap. You need to guard your dreams better."

I could scarcely believe I was talking to the girl from my dreams in a dream as though I were not dreaming right now this very second. "How do I guard my dreams?"

"You don't know how?" 

"Not really no. You see where I come from dreams aren't real, and while some people believe dreams have meaning, most do not believe they are anything more than the subconscious hashing out the problems of the day while we sleep."

"Oh, that is a very dangerous belief to have. Dreams are real, Leilani, and they are often doorways to other realms."

"I believe you, I'm dreaming right now you know."

"You believe this is a dream?"

"I know it is, though it's very real."

Sarah shook her head. "Dear, dear Leilani, this is much more than a dream. You have traveled into another realm and become caught up in a spider web of lies created by Ciprian. He is toying with you and me." 

"Stop speaking in riddles, what do you mean?" 

Sarah took a deep breath. "I am cursed." She whispered.

"Cursed like in the fairytales?"

"Goddess, you're from the human world, you're human!" Sarah sounds utterly shocked.

"Well, yeah. What's so bad about that?"

Sarah frames my face with soft hands. She brings her face even closer to mine. "Dear, dear Leilani, this realm is not safe for humans.You have been dreaming and visiting the realm of the Fae your entire life if you what you tell me is true, and I have no reason not to believe you. Why Ciprian would involve a human in our battle I do not know, but you must return to your world now. You cannot dream of me anymore beautiful Leilani." She leans into me and puts her soft lips against mine, "Sweet Leilani." She whispers against my lips. 

I crave to taste her breath and as though she hears my thoughts she opens her lips slightly and I swipe just inside with my tongue. She is the one who is sweet. I don't want to leave her. She pulls back from me.

"Dear one, if only we had time for more. I would do such wicked lovely things to you were I not cursed. If only you were not human. I believed you were Fae, or maybe Elven, but that was one of Ciprian's tricks. I have watched you as you have watched me. If you do not heed my words, he will trap you in this realm forever, and you will share my curse. You must wake up now, Leilani, and never return to this place. Wake dear one, wake never to dream of me again. Be safe, love." The words whisper against my lips.

I try to hold onto her, the wolves, a wild flower stem, anything, but it all becomes as smoke and as I begin to wake I hear an angry growl. Then I open my eyes to the plain cream of the walls of my bedroom. I know I will not take Sarah's advice. I cannot leave her to her curse as she wishes. I will have to find some way to go to the realm of the Fae for real, but I'm scared. What if I can't find a way to help her though? 

No one will believe me if I ask for help. Humans no longer believe in fairytales, or the Fae. 

A tear tracks down my face to fall on my pillow. 

How am I going to help Sarah? Because I know I have to try.

(c) Copyright 2017 by Regina Paul. All Rights Reserved.

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