The Questioners and the Scroll of Time and Space

Billy arrives at the gateway where many truths are revealed and their mission is explained

Billy barely had time to hold his breath before the swan took him to the depths below. He clung tightly to the orange plumage and shook his head in disbelief as he looked around the watery domain he’d found himself a part of.

Mer-people swam with dolphins, sharks, whales, turtles and oversized fish and crustaceans that carried or escorted an array of young people in a forwardly direction to some unknown destination. Submarines, hovercraft, shipwrecks and countless other underwater craft carried their crews quickly to the same point. An octopus moved its tentacles so that it moved beyond Billy and the swan and Billy almost gasped as two small girls waved at them as they sped by.

‘You will come to know harm here Billy. There is no need to hold your breath,’ the swansong of dawn told him with a hearty chuckle.

Billy doubted her greatly, but opened his mouth to reply,

‘What is this place?’

Bubbles floated from Billy’s mouth as he spoke and he considered the strange happening with wonder.

‘We are in the realm of dreams and imaginings, where the thoughts of the waking world are real,’ the swan replied.

The swan’s explanation made no sense to Billy,

‘How can dreams be real? They disappear almost as soon as we wake up. I probably won’t remember any of this tomorrow,’ Billy declared with something like ridicule to his tone.

The swan swam along unimpeded as she replied to her passenger’s assertions of truth,

 ‘Few know that as the world turns from night to day, the inhabitants of the waking world traverse the realms of different realities; these places exist whether you are awake, asleep or somewhere in between.

The waking realm is that which you remember most; the physical, the sensible, the tangible, while the sleeping realm is recalled only partially, by most, as a whimsical none existence of flight and fancy. Most people believe that their dreams and imaginings serve little or no purpose in the real world, but the waking world would be a bleak place indeed if it stood alone.’

Billy considered this and was about to ask exactly how the world would be so bleak when the swan began to break for the surface at incredible speed. Billy clung on tightly as they passed through the water and flew from it in a flurry of orange winged mayhem.

All questions left Billy’s mind as they emerged on the crest of a wave and he beheld the procession of dreamers and their company that made their way to the azure brick, golden etched archway that stood upon the surreal beach they were fast approaching.

‘Welcome to the Gateway,’ the swan said as Billy took in the mountain range that loomed over the blue walls of the entrance.

‘What is this place?’ Billy asked in awe.

‘This is the threshold to the dream realms Billy- the place you go when you break free of the waking world.’

‘But I leave the waking world every night when I’m in bed,’ Billy challenged, to which the swan replied,

‘Being asleep does not mean you have left the waking world, Billy, it is at your age when most humans forget about dreams and imaginings. Look for yourself and see.’

Billy complied with the swan’s wish and looked to the passengers who travelled all around them. It appeared that the swan had spoken the truth as Billy noted that the overwhelming majority were small children riding on some fantastical creature or vehicle. There were far fewer people his age and even fewer adults.

‘You all get caught up in the world you see through waking eyes until it takes over your dreams,’ the swan explained as she waddled onto the watery sands that lay before the gateway.

Billy silently assessed the situation as the swan carried him through the arched entrance into the gateway realm. He felt that he could recall parts of this dream world, nothing more solid in his mind than fleeting feelings of familiarity, but he became more and more convinced that he had visited before.

The swan spoke again and broke Billy from his thoughts,

‘You must leave me now and I shall await your return.’

‘But where am I supposed to go?’ Billy asked as the swan lay flat to the ground beside the gate and advised him,

‘Look for the creature that brought you here once upon a time. You will know them when you see them.’

‘Aren’t you coming with me?’

‘I am the swansong of dawn- when next we meet it will be time for me to return you to the waking world. There is much to be done before then.’

Billy reluctantly dismounted the swan, bade her farewell and wandered into the mountainous valley, through the milling crowds in search of the unknown creature. The knee high purple grasses parted to show him the way beyond the other visitors to the dream world. The course seemed co-ordinated for each dreamer and they passed by one another without the merest accidental collision. The shrouded figures that walked about appeared to be orchestrating the guidance by gesturing from beneath their long grey cloaks that covered them entirely.

‘What are they?’ he asked aloud.

‘They are the dream wraiths,’ a masculine voice told him to his side and when he looked he saw that it had been a green dragon who had answered his question.

‘Norris?’ he asked in disbelief.

‘Hello again, Billy, it has been a long time since last we spoke.’

At the sight of the dragon Billy suddenly remembered being a small child and flying off on amazing adventures in fantastic places on Norris’ back.

‘It was you who brought me here!’ he exclaimed joyously.

The dragon smiled fondly and blew a plume of green coloured smoke from his nostrils,

‘And now I bring your sister. She awaits you inside,’ he said and pointed a single talon toward the crack in the side of the mountain.

‘Amber’s waiting for me? Why?’ Billy wanted to know.

‘The answers lie within; you must go to her.’

…………………………………………………..

Billy’s journey through the passageway was unsurprisingly less terrifying for him than it had been for his younger sister, although he was still thankful to see the light at the end of the tunnel.  When Billy emerged into the cavernous space he was shocked to see that both his sister and his mother were inside. His mother, it seemed, was still wearing the ‘evil Queen’ Halloween costume from the party.

‘Amber? Mum?’ he said of the pair who turned to face him as he stepped into the candlelit interior. They were seated on the throne in the middle of the cave, Amber upon his mother’s knee.

Amber’s look of delight at seeing him quickly turned to a confused frown and the Queen said,

‘Alas I have no children of my own Billy. I am the Queen of the Gateway Realm and I have need of your assistance.’

His mother gave Billy a stern stare that told him to ‘play along’. It seemed a strange request, but Amber seemed convinced.

‘She’s not mummy silly Billy,’ she scoffed as she climbed to the cavern floor then held her arms up for Billy to lift her into his. This he did, while asking the Queen,

‘What’s going on mum, I mean- your highness?’

The Queen stood from her throne and opened her cloak of night. Billy gasped as he saw the pallor and gauntness of her skin below,

‘A most terrible thing has happened to the dream worlds,’ she began- again urging Billy to play along with a wry expression that he pay heed to her words and all would make sense.

‘The King of the Gateway went on an adventure to the dark realm, but was captured by the King of Horror,’ she continued and Billy considered the hidden meaning of her words as she spoke.

He felt it was obvious that ‘The King’ and his ‘adventure’ were metaphors for his father and the war in Iraq. Billy listened to what his mother had to say while holding his sister closely. He didn’t entirely understand or accept what was happening, but considered it a brotherly duty to protect his younger sibling.

‘The dark lord of the realm forced the King to grant the night terrors passage to the worlds imbued with light and as I speak an army of darkness marches to conquer all in its wake!’

Billy looked greatly perturbed as he held his sister closer to him,

‘I think this is all a bit too frightening for Amber,’ he said protectively, but stayed his opinion when his mother retorted defiantly,

‘Not as frightening as what will await you in the waking world, if you do not help me Billy.’

The teenager bowed his head to kiss Amber reassuringly on her cheek,

‘Okay- we’ll help you, but I’m not convinced by all of this. This is only a dream after all.’

The Queen smiled as she walked toward the children and stroked their hair in turn,

‘It is much more than a simple dream,’ she told them, ‘if the dream realms fall before the dawn returns to the waking world then all will remain trapped in the cloak of night that prevents me leaving this cave.’

‘What do we have to do?’ Billy asked. He was resigned to the task at hand without further disagreement.

In answer to this the Queen dropped to the dusty floor and beckoned the children did the same. As Billy hunkered to the ground with Amber in his arms, she pulled a scroll from below her dark cloak and unfurled it in the space between them.

Billy and Amber saw that upon the parchment was a most unusual map. It was a map of two worlds that stood side by side against a backdrop image of the rising sun. The world to the right was light, while the one to the left was dark and below both was the cusp of a third globe that arched across the page. But the strangest thing by far was that the features of the globes constantly moved as if being viewed from a space satellite.

The movement of the dark world, on the left, was barely noticeable until upon closer inspection the viewer could make out the distinction between the varying shades of darkness to the perpetual cloud cover. Flickers of lightening flashed sporadically and made it appear as if a lump of coal had been electrified.

The world to the left very much resembled the globe that most are accustomed to, although it contained around only half of the land mass and sea than one would expect. Movement was infinitely more discernible here and vast tracts of land and ocean continually shifted with the eternal turning of twilight and dawn in the waking world. It seemed obvious to Billy that this globe represented where the waking world slept in darkness

 Three hyperbolic triangular shapes were spaced across the centre of the map; one to the left one to the right and one dead centre between the opposing globes.

The Queen pointed to the triangle at the centre of the scroll, (below which was scribed in golden font, ‘The Gateway to Dreams and Imaginings’), and said,

‘We are here at the first Gateway- the way from the waking world, and from here you must follow the dawn to the world of light,’

Amber sighed with relief that they would not have to go to the dark world, but her pleasure was short lived as the Queen moved her finger to top of the illuminated globe and said,

‘There you will find a glorious Kingdom where the dawn lingers longest and here you will find the girl who will prepare you for your journey to the dark realms.’

Billy felt Amber’s body tense on his lap and he stroked her shoulder comfortingly,

‘Why are we doing this though, m… I mean- what’s the point?’

The Queen looked directly into the children’s eyes and said,

‘The human story has long dictated the path of dawn, but now another story is being written; a story written by a King who is lost and afraid and searching for a way out of the darkness. It is up to you to question the tale being told- you are the Questioners on a quest of un-writing this new story’

‘I don’t get it. Not one bit.’ Billy protested in annoyed exasperation, ‘this really can’t be happening.’

The Queen sighed and smiled fondly at Billy, but there was desperation in her voice when she replied,

‘There isn’t much time Billy. The dawn that brought you here will soon have passed and then no one can stop the story becoming real in the waking world. You need only to know that the King of the Horrors, the ruler of those night terror’s that creep and petrify, is privy to the knowledge in his prisoner’s dreams and imaginings and that knowledge has shown him the way to invade the worlds graced by light. You must wake the storyteller and ask him to give up his story.’

Billy shrugged dejectedly,

‘Is that all?’ he asked sarcastically, ‘and I thought it was something serious.’

The Queen held Billy’s gaze to her serious expression on hearing this, until the boy conceded,

‘Okay then- what’s next on the map?’

Her attention returned to the scroll, the Queen motioned to the triangle at the right of the page,

‘You will travel the dawn route until at the pole of two worlds you come to the second gateway,’ she said, pointing to the writing that described this location as, ‘The Gateway Between Dreams and Imaginings’, then,

‘This is the place where you may rest the longest on your journey. Time is slower here, but do not dwell longer than you need to, for it is nothing like this Gateway and many strange happenings can occur there.’

Billy felt an involuntary chill shudder the length of his spine at her words, but he swallowed hard against the unexpected and inexplicable trepidation he felt and listened to the remainder of the instructions. The Queen scraped her long finger nail across the breadth of the map until she reached the opposite side where the description of the hyperbole triangle was the same as on the right. Billy was incensed to speak his doubt,

‘How can there two gateways between dreams and imaginings mum? This map doesn’t make any sense to me at all.’

The Queen looked up at Billy with a hint of malice to her eye and stated harshly,

‘Firstly- I am not your mother, secondly, this is not a map- not only a map. This is the sacred scroll of time and space and it will be your only guide on your quest to save all worlds from eternal night… and thirdly,’

Instead of speaking her final point, the Queen picked up the scroll and bent it backwards to halves, so that the triangle at the centre folded in exact symmetry. She twisted the scroll back and forth so that the children could see first the dark side, then the light and understood that the two outer triangles met back to back at the bottom.

‘Does it make sense to you now Billy?’ she asked.

Billy was quite upset at her reaction, but nodded that he understood as she placed the scroll back onto the ground.

‘When you reach the pole of the dark realm you will find the tower of terror, where the King is held captive. You must find him and wake him from his slumber. This will bring an end to the invasion, but you must make haste. This is where the dawn lasts least and any delay will see you trapped there forever.’

The Queen let the meaning of her words sink into the children’s minds, before continuing.

‘To escape the dark realm you must follow the waning dawn back to the Gateway before the swansong has died for another day. From here you can return to the waking world- should all go well.’

The Queen seemed suddenly exhausted and stood slowly from where she had knelt in the dust,

‘You must leave now children and ride your dragon across the passage of the dawn. All is lost should you fail.’

She rolled up the scroll and handed it to Billy,

‘This is your guide- it will show you the way ahead by reminding you where you are and where you most need to be.’

She turned and walked back to her throne while saying weakly,

‘Fare thee well noble Questioners. Look to the dawn if you wish to find the answers you seek.’

Author's Note

Is this chapter too long? Information overload? I'm not certain how well I've pieced this aspect of the plot together, but it is pivotal to the novel as a whole. First draft though- plenty of room for improvement.