The Last Harvest: Dreams

Caught between the world of the living and the one beyond, Gabriel and his friends strive to become Paladins. The warriors who risk all to keep all worlds safe from the evil of Angels.

Gabriel’s Dream

  It was obviously another dream.  The room was nicer than any place Gabriel had even seen.  Plush carpets of deep lavender, large thick rugs of the finest quality, and an enormous bed covered by a luxurious white comforter and complimented by twin nightstands, made from walnut wood and topped with lit purple candles giving off the smell of lilac. Two incredibly comfortable looking armchairs were off to one side of the room facing a large window framed by extravagant lacy curtains.  The vantage point from the window was no less impressive.  Lofty buildings " though none as high as the one he was in - dominated the skyline.  There was a glow in nearly every window giving the illusion of thousands of panes of light that seemed to go on endlessly. 

  The sight was impressive, but Gabriel had grown use to the marvels of his dream world. His attention was, instead, centered on the man standing by the open wardrobe.  The man was looking into a mirror, on the inside of the wardrobe door, and straightening his red tie that stood out against the black and white suit he wore.  It was hard to gauge the man’s build in the suit, though he seemed fit, tall, though not as tall as Gabriel, and wide shouldered as well.  It was also difficult to put an age to the man.  Gabriel moved to get a better view; he wasn’t worried about alarming the man, not one person in these dreams had ever been able to see him.

  The dreams started a few months ago. Gabriel, like everyone, always had dreams, but they used to be of the usual type; talking to a group of cute girls and suddenly realizing he was in his underwear or dreaming that he was late for his classes and waking up in a panic.  Those were normal dreams, but these new dreams didn’t make any sense to him.  He was just an invisible spectator in some other world.  Nothing remarkable ever happened and many times he didn’t see any other people at all. Another difference, between these new dreams and normal dreams, was that after waking up, he remembered everything, in perfect detail, nothing at all like the usual foggy memories of a dream.

  Gabriel sighed, resigning himself to wait for the dream to end.  The man in front of the wardrobe stiffened, and slowly turned around.  Bright blue eyes focused on Gabriel.  The face was young, but the eyes looked experienced.

  “I’m sorry, I wasn’t expecting any visitors.  Who let you in?” The tone was casual, but Gabriel could see the man was surprised. Still, this was a dream, so Gabriel wasn’t too concerned.  In fact, he welcomed the chance to finally talk to someone from this dream world.

  “No one let me in, I just dreamed myself here.” Gabriel answered. It was the truth after all, but the young man seemed confused by the answer.

  “Are you joking?” he laughed unbelievingly and Gabriel noticed he seemed concerned.

  “I’m sorry if I scared you, but I’m being honest.  This is just a dream,” Gabriel said reassuringly.  It seemed stupid, but be really wanted to talk to him and scaring him was pointless.

  “I see,” the man said calmly as he did up his cufflinks and walked over to the ornate dresser.

  “So this is your dream…” he said flatly. His back was to Gabriel but Gabriel noticed him taking quick peeks in the mirror above the dresser.  Gabriel thought he should say something to make the man feel more comfortable. He tried to imagine how he would fell if someone had suddenly appeared in his room.

  “Well, it’s either a dream or I’m crazy.” Gabriel answered.  Probably not the best choice of words, Gabriel thought to himself.  “I mean, I’ve been dreaming of this place a lot lately.”

  “You dream of my room a lot,” an edge had snuck into the man’s voice.

  “Not this room in particular,” Gabriel reassured, waiving his hands, “but this city " always in different places, but I’m pretty sure it’s always in this city.”  Gabriel thought how ridiculous this conversation really was and had to laugh.  “I really don’t know why I’m telling you this, just want to pass time until I wake up I guess.”  Gabriel smiled and shrugged his shoulders.  The situation seemed absurd, even comical.  “Who are you anyway?  And what are you dressing up for?”  At least being social would entertain him until he woke up.

  “My name is Jacob, Jacob Andersen.  And you?”

  “My name is Gabriel and it’s nice to meet you,”

  “Gabriel, huh? Well, Gabriel, I am getting ready for dinner,” Gabriel noticed how casual his tone was and yet he seemed ready for action.  “But I would like to help you if I can,” the man said, sounding genuinely concerned.  “Is there someone I can contact for you?”

  “What?... no, really, I’m Sorry, but this is really a dream.”

  “I see.  Well, if this is your dream then I don’t really exist, and I’m pretty sure I do exist. So, let me help you.”  He placed his hand on the telephone that rested on the dresser. “Listen, I’ll call John, he’s head of security, and we will get you some help.” The man’s tone was so convincing that Gabriel felt an uncomfortable doubt creep into his mind. 

  What is going on here?  He needed to get a grip.  “You think I’m crazy or something?” he asked. “I will wake soon and you will disappear along with my dream,” a little desperation snuck into his voice.  “You’ll see,” he added.

  “Well, Gabriel, the thing is you really don’t belong here and if you’re not crazy then what are you after?”  Gabriel was surprised at the strength in the man’s voice now.  Jacob turned to face Gabriel with the posture of a man in control of the situation.  “Are you a thief?” he did not give Gabriel a chance to answer.  “If so you are crazy for targeting me. Even so let me point out the clock on that nightstand over there,” he gestured toward a beautiful crystal clock with diamonds embedded below each number, “it is worth the most in this room.  You could get thousands for it.”  He turned back toward the dresser and opened a drawer.  “Just take it and go, or if this is your dream after all,” he added sarcastically, “just wake up.”

  Gabriel was taken aback by the words and the calmness of the man.  He watched him for a minute more and woke up.

 

  Jacob’s blood still pounded in his ears.  How long did he dare keep his back to the intruder?  His gun lay in the drawer, loaded and ready to use.  He turned once more to face the man and found him gone.  The clock remained.  Maybe the intruder did not think it worth the risk to steal from one of the most powerful men in the city, but then why break in at all?  Jacob thought the young might have been genuinely confused.  Talking as if this was nothing but a dream was insane, but Jacob had met a lot of people, cruel and skilled negotiators and liars, and it seemed to him the young man believed what he was saying. 

  Maybe he should still try to help him, but if the young man was crazy he could be quite dangerous.  Jacob marveled at how big the man had been, almost seven feet tall, broad and muscular as well.  He had worn a white hood over his head and it almost seemed as though those, steel gray, eyes had been glowing. Whether the man was in his right mind or not, those eyes were definitely dangerous. 

   The real problem was how the man got into his room in the first place.  Jacob lived in the most luxurious penthouse in the entire city.  Security was everywhere and a suspicious character shouldn’t even be able to get close to the entrance.  Jacob would have to have a word with John.  He took one last look in the mirror, regarded the gun for a moment, decided to leave it and headed out the door.

 

  Gabriel lay in bed thinking about the dream he just had.  As usual, his memory of the dream was perfect.  It was strange that someone had actually seen him, strange they had talked to him.  But even stranger that I’m wasting time thinking about it.  It was nothing but a dream after all.

  He sat up and looked, with satisfaction, around his room.  Nothing soft and plushy here; no, this is what he was used to; the dresser, the bed, his desk, and his practice area; nothing frivolous, nothing fancy, although nothing his choice either.  It was the same as every other student’s room, but it comforted him still.  All those nice things in the room from his dreams would only distract him from what was important, it might even make him soft.  That was something he would never allow.

  He began getting ready for the day, berating himself for wasting his time thinking about dreaming.  Seriously?  He needed to stay focused, especially today. 

  Today was the first of two days of tests, tests to become Paladins.  Every year one hundred and fifty students are chosen for the tests and he had been chosen this year.  Being chosen to take the test is a very small part of becoming Paladin; even though so many are chosen to take the tests, there are usually only two or three who actually become Paladins.  The rest are given other assignments; teaching, cleaning, weapon making, even jobs in The White City’s government; and then some others… well they are never heard from again.  The belief among most of the students is that they die during the tests, although, every teacher denies this.  Gabriel didn’t know what he believed.  He once took a chance and asked a teacher where they went if they weren’t dead and he was chastised for implying that the instructor was lying.  This of course was not the case; Gabriel was just interested in what way these people are used.

  It’s obvious that teachers teach, cleaners clean, weapon smiths make weapons, even Paladins are seen in the streets, entering buildings no one else has access to " but some people just disappear.  Well, probably not disappear, but they are at least put to work someplace they never have to leave.

  Gabriel finished getting ready, grabbed his school things and joined the throng of young men heading towards the smells of bacon and eggs being prepared in the cafeteria.  When he arrived and had gathered his breakfast he headed towards his normal spot where Brian was already saving him a seat.

  “Hey Brian, how’s it going?” with one glance Gabriel knew exactly how it was going.  Brian looked like a nervous wreck.  He had a tendency to break down any time tests were given, but he too had been chosen for the Paladin testing this year.

  “Oh, it’s f-f-fine,” he stuttered nervously, “Just eating. H-how about you?”  Most people, who didn’t know Brian, would wonder why he was chosen for the testing, but those people didn’t know how incredibly intelligent Brian really was.  All they saw was the boy who fell apart when the pressure got to be too much.  Gabriel knew him much better, and though he did seem to fall apart, no one, but Gabriel, performed better in classes.

  “Doing good. Pretty nervous about these tests " I wish I knew as much as you do about everything,” a little confidence boosting couldn’t hurt.

  “Oh, no, I’m s-sure you’ll do amazing.” He seemed to perk up a little at least and began eating his meal with more energy. 

  In reality Gabriel wasn’t really that nervous, he felt prepared.  He always did well in every class and even excelled in combat classes, only his and Brian’s friend Eric could really compete with him.  He didn’t know if he would get to be a Paladin or not, but he felt confident that he would at least avoid becoming a cleaner or trash collector.  He and Brian finished their meals, cleared the table and headed outside towards the lecture hall, the site of the first test.

  The White City really was quite amazing.  Every building made of brilliant white rock, crafted so ingeniously as to never show a seam between stones.  It was as if they had been molded right out of the ground all from the same rock.  Even at the base of the buildings you couldn’t tell where they ended and the walkways began.  Truly amazing!  Gabriel had spent a lot of time about in the city while studying his lessons and had spent a lot of time admiring the craftsmanship, also wondering who built the city or if it possibly had always been here.

  The weather was good, as it always was in the city, warm and sunny, except those times set aside for rain to keep the plant life alive and colorful.  Plants of every size, type, and color dotted the landscape, complimenting the overall beauty of the White City.  Gabriel lost himself in the way the manmade structures and the natural landscape harmonized and complemented each other.  His admiration was interrupted.

  “Brian, Gabe, wait up!” Eric came running up from behind, his perfectly combed blonde hair slightly bouncing but never falling out of place.  He slowed as he approached and flashed a brilliant white toothy smile, showing far too many teeth in Gabriel’s opinion.  Gabriel really liked Eric, but his vainness could get on anyone’s nerves. 

  “Eric,” Gabriel smiled back at him, “ready for today then?”

  “I can’t wait any longer,” Eric answered with childlike enthusiasm.  “I mean we’re finally going to become Paladins.”

  “Well… there is still the m-matter of the tests,” said Brian sounding less and less confident again.  “Remember out of the one hundred and f-fifty that take the test each year there are only two or three P-Paladins are normally accepted.”

  Eric’s confidence and swagger were not affected at all.  “Normally Brian, normally.  That’s the key word.”  He shrugged off Brian’s concern.  “We’re not your normal group are we?  I mean the three of us, plus Kate, have to make it.  We’re all doing awesome in all our classes.”  Eric shook his head shocked that Brian could think anything otherwise.

  “The three of y-you are good in every class,” Brian corrected.  “My combat scores still s-suck pretty bad.”  His eyes dropped and Gabriel recognized the feeling of defeat that sometimes overtook him.

  “Your combat is fine Brian,” Gabriel contested, “Your technique is near perfect.  The only thing I would try is thinking less.  Don’t analyze too much.  Just act and react.”  He smiled at Brian in what he hoped was an encouraging way.  “Let that skill and technique take over for you and you’ll be fine.”

  This seemed to perk Brian up a bit and the remaining walk to the lecture room was filled with speculation about what a Paladin’s duties might be.  Ideas ranged from spy missions - although they didn’t know who they could be spying on - to ambassadors to other worlds.  Eric even thought that just maybe they were given superhuman strength to protect other cities similar to The White City.  They all laughed at this since no one had ever left the White City, and that they had never heard about any other place.  Even Brian was having a good laugh at the ridiculous adventures Eric was dreaming up about superheroes and villains, but then the lecture hall came into view.

  Gabriel’s stomach knotted a little; it was one thing to prepare for the tests and feel confident in that preparation, but walking into the lecture hall and realizing that he was about to start on two days of tests that would determine the route the rest of his life would take was a little overwhelming. 

  He wondered what kind of tests there would be.  He had learned so much in his classes; all about the history of The White City, the leaders, and how The White City was comprised of hand-picked people, although he had to admit that he was curious about who picked these people and how they were picked.

  If The White City was only for special people, where were the other people?  Where did they come from?  And, who chose them?  Questions along this line were always ignored in lectures, and push too hard and you would be sharply reprimanded.  “That information is not relevant to a student’s position,” was the usual answer, but Gabriel thought that his odd dreams may be a key to some of these questions.

  Who was Jacob?  Was he really just a dream?  Every time he visits his dream world he has the impression that it is so much more than a dream.  Jacob surely had more personality and life than any normal dreamt up person. 

  “Well, this is it.”  Eric’s words snapped Gabriel back to the present; even made him jump a little.  “Ha-ha, a little nervous are we?” teased Eric.  Gabriel couldn’t believe he had been letting his mind wander again.

  “Nah, we’ll do fine,” he answered reassuringly mostly for Brian, who looked like he would throw-up any moment.  Gabriel looked over the lecture room he had been in hundreds of times before.  It was still the same room, same uncomfortable desks, same sharp-eyed and sharp-nosed Al Hiqpid standing in his lecturer’s robe at the head of the room, and Gabriel took a seat next to the same Katie he always did. 

  “Hey Gabe, you ready for this?” she whispered in a tone somewhere between excitement and nervousness.  Katie was amazing; she had high cheekbones; flawless dark skin, beautiful straight teeth, and a smile that made Gabriel smile back every time.  Her ebony hair was straight today, as opposed to its normal tight curls, and hung down to her shoulders with a slight curl flaring outward at the ends.  Gabriel was sure there was no prettier girl he had ever seen than Katie.

  “As ready as I’ll ever be,” he smiled back at her; he couldn’t help himself.  He finally tore his eyes away and focused on Lecturer Hiqpid, who stood, arms folded, waiting for everyone to stop talking. 

  The light murmur quickly died out as students shushed their neighbors.  Finally, silence descended on the classroom, albeit a heavy silence.  Al Hiqpid had always been able to project intimidation on the students, but the look he was giving now seemed to crush the breath out of the room. 

  “I hope everybody is ready,” he said in a low voice that carried throughout the room.  “It has come time to find out how you can best serve The White City.  I have always been tough on you, but know that it was for your own good.”  He paused here and looked over the class, and for a moment his expression softened and seemed almost… caring.  “Good luck everyone.”  Shocking!  Gabriel had been taught by Lecturer Hiqpid for years and never had heard an encouraging word.  For the first time, since being selected for the tests, Gabriel actually felt nervous.  What does happen to those people who disappear?

Author's Note

First chapter of a book I have been working on. I'm working on trying to hit a balance between "easy to read" and "not too juvenile." A work in progress, and really a first draft,