sunnyflowet

[sunnyflowet]

Hi there

[sunnyflowet]

The Line Between Dreams and Reality

Isaac didn't sleep often, with his insomnia it was a given, but when he did his dreams were a bit…odd.

Ever since he could remember, he had these recurring dreams, and while they never really went exactly the same way they always followed the same setting. A medieval fantasy world in a castle. He was a prince, his dad the king, and his mom the queen. Outside not far from the castle was a village, the capital of the kingdom that they ruled over. His bedroom window had a perfect view of the town square where he would often sit on the window seat and watch the people go about their daily lives. As he grew up he would have lessons on politics, how to rule, and the kingdom's history, shockingly boring for a place of imagination.

The part that always stuck out to him as odd was the fact that it was all so consistent. No history was ever lost or twisted, whatever he did last night followed him to tonight, and the people he spoke to all remembered past conversations. But the strangest part was how in control he was, he was able to acknowledge the real world and had free will over himself but no control over the world around him like he would if he were a lucid dreamer. He could daydream in lessons, bruise from falling out of a tree or even draw and paint. The whole world just felt so real. So much so that when he was very young he couldn't even tell which was real and which was fake (even nowadays sometimes he is unsure).

By the time he reached middle school, he concluded that the fantasy world was fake, all in his head. Whenever he was shaken awake in the real world he supposedly would pass out in the other one but in the dream world, he slept like the dead. Isaac soon decided to start exploring this weird world in his mind. He started sneaking away from the castle, adventuring out into the forest. It was there that he met a very familiar boy, he had dark skin and curly dark brown hair. He was dressed like how Isaac would imagine a fairy would with vines wrapped around his arms and legs, branches like antlers springing from his head, and leaves in his hair. The boy was fascinated with Isaac circling and poking him, asking questions with stars in his eyes as if he had never met another human before in his life. And as it turned out, he hadn't; he wasn't even human, introducing himself as a forest nymph. He was strangely fascinated with humans, investigating and treasuring everything Isaac brought with him even if it was just a pen or bracelet.

Soon Isaac realized where he recognized the boy from, a quiet kid in his class named Edward Quinton. He wore big red glasses that had nearly made him choke when he caught a glimpse of him in the lunchroom. The forest nymph was overjoyed when Isaac gave him a "human's name" he kept asking where he got it and telling him how he will treasure it always. Isaac was confused but happy for his friend.

The idea of someone from reality that he didn't know being in his dream seemed odd. But Isaac reasoned he had probably just seen him before and just inserted him in as a base, after all, they don't even act all that similar.

Soon his light-hearted adventures had come to an end. At the age of 11, he was "awoken" in the early morning to yelling, guards and servants were running down the hall. Everyone was too panicked to notice him following them to his parents' room. His mother, the Queen, was assassinated. There was more shouting. His father was crying, and Isaac found that no matter how much he told himself it was just a dream, that he would wake up in the morning and it would all be OK, he just couldn't wake up.

He must have passed out, as when he woke to the real world it was 1 am, not even that late, he found his mother awake on the couch holding a cup of tea in shaking hands. She told him that she was alright and simply had a bad dream. When he asked her about it, she told him that she could hardly even remember it anyway. Isaac got himself a cup of tea and sat beside his mom till morning.

After the death of the queen the kingdom went to war, he was no longer allowed outside the castle walls or to even walk around the castle without a guard nearby. But as the war waged on they couldn't afford to keep possible soldiers on the job. Not to mention Isaac was starting to find more ways to sneak out. So they hired Jesse, a young knight in training too young to be on the front lines and too strong to keep on the sidelines. They were about Isaac’s age and the idea was that he would be more willing to listen to a friend than an adult. And so Jesse was assigned his job, to be Isaac's guard and friend. With the new development of constant supervision, Isaac was once again allowed outside.

In the years following, there would be many kidnapping and assassination attempts. But there were also games and laughter that came with having a friend his own age and, as far as Isaac has looked, this one isn't based on a kid in his school.

He realized a lot of people he has grown to love in the dream world he has never known in reality. This revelation came alongside the realization that grief in the Dreamscape doesn't just stay there. More and more people he had known all his life in the Dreamscape, were dying in battle. The guard that used to stand by the gate and scold him for coming home after dark, the kind baker that gave him freshly baked muffins that always said 'With how late his Highness wakes up, you might as well have breakfast now', the old man who used to make all his favorite jewelry and was getting ready to pass on his craft to his young apprentice. All of them had left to fight, outraged at the death of their queen. None of them ever came back.

The deaths were tearing Isaac apart, unlike his mother's where in the morning he could go and give her a hug, as far as Isaac is aware these people were well and truly gone.

Finally, in the summer of his sophomore year of high school, the war was finally over. They had won and acquired more money and land than their kingdom had ever seen. People celebrated, throwing festivals and parties so often that it became a near tradition to hold at least one celebration a month. Everything was finally looking up and with the threat now gone Jesse was changed from a full-time guard to both a guard and assistant. With this change, Isaac was able to convince them that he was able to order them to stay in one place without him.

With this, he was able to go off and see Error again. At this point in the real world Error was dubbed the "King of the School" and his minions kept pushing Isaac around so to see him get excited about something as simple as the fountain pen Isaac brought him was a nice change.

He was happy with his two lives. Reality went from being a place where he was trying to make it through school without being bothered by the popular kids to investigating the supernatural with the biggest asshole in the school. And the Dreamscape was his place of respite, where he could sneak away from guards, play flute in town, and dance at festivals. Everything was going great, he didn't worry about what was real and not anymore, after all, what did it even matter?

That was until he was at a basketball game against some rich private school. Isaac was just waiting for Error so they could go investigate something or another when he made eye contact with them. They looked a bit different, hair slightly shorter and wearing a soft green sweater rather than the armor Isaac had known them for, but Isaac recognized them.

That was his guard, his imaginary dream-world friend: Jesse.

And he knew from that look in their eyes that they recognized him too. It was the same look they gave him whenever they found him somewhere he wasn't meant to be when they had been so sure he had no way out.

Isaac tried to escape the gym, not wanting to deal with whatever supernatural bullshitery this was, but Jesse quickly caught up to him and pulled him behind the bleachers. No words were exchanged between them, they just stared at each other in bewilderment until finally, Jesse straightened up, and slowly bowed, still with that confused, unsure look on their face.

He had to call off that day's investigation with Error.

[sunnyflowet]

[sunnyflowet]

Toh fans, I haven't seen anyone talk about the flowers in this scene, and as a huge flower lover I have to say

The blue fowers in Flapjack's grave? Those look a lot like the flower myosotis

Also known as "forget-me-not". And in the flower language they mean eternal love and a promise to remember someone. They can also be used to show true love and loyalty.

I hope you guys enjoy this little detail <3