Evermoore: Chapter 15, pt 4

Continued from part 3



The boy remained still, looking at the girl as she ran towards the bridge, then to the clouds swirling above the tower, his tower. He wanted to go, yes he did. He yearned to run after her, to explore the castle and see what kind of adventure they could have within.

Yet another part of him made his feet feel like lead, and his legs as cold as ice. The voices of his parents ran through his mind, reciting all their rules. Rules meant to keep him safe, rules meant to keep him out of trouble. Rules to keep him from having any fun.

But…this is just a dream. Who said dreams had any rules.

But perhaps this wasn’t a dream. He hadn’t woken up when the girl pinched his cheek, and she had woken up when he pinched hers. If this wasn’t a dream, he was in trouble already. His face was dirty, his hair a mess. He had gone wandering with a stranger, and if he followed the girl into the castle, he could meet more strangers, tear a whole in his clothes, or get hurt. He’d be in big trouble if he got hurt.

The girl had just reached the drawbridge, and was running over. But she stopped just before stepping onto the wooden planks, and turned back to him. She looked at him with wide and hopeful eyes, which turned long when she saw he hadn’t moved, hadn’t ran after her. He looked into her dark and stormy eyes, and the side of him which wanted to run after her grew stronger, silencing the voices in his head, thawing the iciness in his legs, and lightening his feet.

Well, nothing can actually hurt you in a dream. Then, he ran after her.

Her smile returned, as well as her dimples, as he reached the bridge. He paused beside her, and they stood together briefly, before they began running side by side. They ran over the moat, across the bridge and through the open gate into the courtyard. Inside, there was an array of practice dummy and archery targets, and a few wooden rows holding swords, axes, spears, lances, and bows and arrows.

“For knights and archers to practice,” the girl said brightly.

The boy smiled, and looked at the weapons. He was drawn to the bows, while the girl seemed taken by the swords. She drew one from the rack, and it nearly fell from her hands before she steadied it, shakily, with two hands.

The boy laughed, until the bow he nearly tripped over the long bow he had been trying to take off the wooden rack; it was almost as tall as he was. His cheeks grew warm, and he looked at the girl sheepishly, who was bobbing her head again with a cocky smile.

“There a bit big,” the boy said, awkwardly. Inside, he wished he didn’t look so foolish.

“Right, and I’m sure we’ll grow into them one day,” the girl said brightly as she carefully placed her sword back on the wooden rack. When it was replaced, she motioned towards the stone staircase leading to the largest structure within the castle walls. “Come on,” she said quickly.

The boy placed the long bow back on the rack and together they ascended the stone stairs. At the top of the stairs was a large double wooden door which appeared exactly as the boy had always pictured a large double wooden door would. It was latched with a large wooden beam, but together, the boy and the girl lifted it easily.

Above, the sun had begun its descent in the western sky, and the purple hue of twilight blanketed the forest and the plains. They could still hear the ocean rolling onto the beach. It no longer glinted against the rays of the sun, but was growing darker and duller with each moment. Before they passed through the big double wooden doors, the boy looked up. The storm clouds still swirled around the tallest tower and he heard a faint howling as the winds blew the rains hard. He shivered as the sky was beginning to turn as dark as the clouds above, and their shadows began to stretch farther across the sky.

But once he stepped through the double wooden doors, his eyes grew wide at the sight of the grand hall. The girl had gasped, and was standing a few feet ahead of him, turning slowly and looking at the entire hall.

It was a truly grand sight to behold. With a checkered marble black and white tiled floor, vaulted ceilings with elegant carvings and painted fresco’s of mythical creatures, stone pillars stood along the walls with stained glass windows or stone statues in between them. In the place where the boy would have expected a raised floor for a throne or two, was an open balcony instead, with a view overlooking the beach and the ocean. On the wall behind them was a great hearth, with a stone staircase on either side leading into long hallways.

“Isn’t it amazing,” the girl said. “This is just how I always pictured it.”

“Really?” the boys asked, thinking of his tower.

“Yeah,” she said, nodding vigorously as she continued to turn around and around.

She spun and twirled on her bare feet, drifting aimlessly towards the center of the great hall. Her arms were lifted in front of her, and her toothless smile was spread from ear to ear. The boy followed, looking up and down the great hall at all the statues and stained glass windows. He passed the girl as she remained at the center of the room, and headed towards the balcony overlooking the great sea.

“Whatcha think?” the girl asked, still spinning.

“It looks great,” the boy said without thinking in the mannered and polite way he had been taught., though his attention was on the sea. But then he thought of something, and turned back to her. “What’s this place for?”

She stopped spinning and looked at him curiously. “What’s it for?” she repeated.

The boy turned back to her. “Yeah, what’s it for? Place this big must be for something. So what are you suppose to do here?”

The girl placed her hands on her hips, and frowned. “I don’t know,” she said, defensively again. “Whatever you want to do.”

“Anything?”

“Yeah, anything,” she said, stepping closer to him. She came closer and closer, pointing and shaking her finger at him. “It’ll be for whatever I want it to be for tonight, and tomorrow I’ll decide what I want to use it for then. This is my hall, I dreamed it, and ain’t nobody gonna tell me what to do in it.”

The girl was just in front of him now, and her finger nearly brushed his chest as she waved it. “Ok, ok” the boy said, holding up his hands in defense. “So…what are you gonna use it for tonight?” he asked, cautiously.

The angry look was washed away, and the toothless smile reappeared, along with her dimples. “Let’s see,” she said, placing her hand under her chin and looked up at the vaulted ceilings. “I know,” she said, her face lighting up. “Tonight, we’re just gonna dance.”

She turned and leapt away from the boy, resuming her spinning and twirling. Her arms waved wildly, and her bare feet moved clumsily across the marble floor, often stumbling or tripping, but never stopping. The boy watched, curious at first, but soon had to cover his mouth to suppress uncontrollable laughter.

She began with a leap, and ungraceful leap, causing her to land with a hard smack on the souls of her feet. Then, her skirts became tangled within her legs, and she had to stop and let them fall loose. Her hair often fell over her eyes, and she had to wave her head wildly, or fumble at it clumsily with her hands. The boy kept his laughter contained, though more than once he had to bite his lip, and his ribs began to ache. But he lost control and began laughing uncontrollably when she tried to spin her whole body while standing on her toes. She fell flat on the seat of her dress instead.

“Well what are you laughing at?” she asked as the boy struggled to regain his composure.

“I’m sorry,” the boy said, truthfully, though he had to gasp for air between each word. “It’s just, that’s not real dancing.”

The straightened her skirt as she stood up. With a great effort, the boy held his breath, suppressing the last bits of uncontrollable laughter, and fearing she was going to yell at him. However, she remained where she was, and looked at him rather sadly.

“What‘s real dancing then?” she asked.

The boy started to speak, but stopped. He had been taken to many ballets and plays, and had seen a great many dancers. Their movements were controlled, precise, carefully orchestrated to create a visual spectacle that left the audience in awe. Completely opposite of the random and messy movements of the girl.

He explained this to the girl, but not very well, he could tell, as she often raised an eyebrow or frowned when he tried to describe the dancing he had seen in the ballets and plays.

“Why don’t you just show me,” she said finally.

“Me? Oh, no,” the boy said. “I don’t dance.”

“You don’t?” the girl asked.

The boy shook his head. “I can’t dance at all.”

“Have you ever tried?” the girl asked. The boy shook his head again, and the girl shrugged. “Well, I don’t know what you think dancing is, but I like the way I dance.”

“But there isn’t even any music for you to dance too,” the boy replied.

The girl shrugged again. “Don’t need none. I just play the music in my head, and then dance however I feel like.”

“You mean like imagine it?” the boy asked.

“Yeah,” the girl said. “You should try it sometime.”

The boy frowned and the girl began dancing again. She closed her eyes and began to hum. It was a tune the boy had never heard before, but then he was sure it wasn’t a real song, as it changed tune and tempo at random times and intervals.

But the girl danced on, spinning and twirling, as clumsy, ineloquent, and ungraceful as before. The boy prepared to suppress his laughter again, but none came. Instead, as he watched the girl dancing away, un-orchestrated, uncontrolled, imprecise, and without any music except her humming, he watched her, and wished he could dance like her.

Moonlight began to flow into the great hall, and stars began to appear in the sky. The great sea became dark, but the lapping of its waves could still be heard. A fire appeared in the great hearth and within the sconces along the wall, without either the boy or the girl noticing. The flickering of the flames made the shadow of the girl grow, stretching from the floor and onto the walls. It towered over them, and danced along with her.

Time doesn’t have much meaning in a dream, but it passes nonetheless. The girl danced her dance until the moon was high overhead, and the boy watched, forgetting all about the dark cloud hovering over his tower casting its shadow over the evening sky. She danced for what could have been hours, but seemed like minutes, humming along the way, and moving whichever way she felt.

Then, a chill wind swept through the hall, causing the flames in the hearth and the sconces to flicker and jolt. It was followed by a flash of lightening, and a loud crack of thunder.

“What was that?” the girl asked, blinded by the lightening and startled by the thunder.

The boy saw spots from the lightening, and nearly tripped as the thunder caused him to jump. “I don’t know,” he said.

They both turned towards the balcony, and looked out in the great sea as rain began to fall. The rain fell hard, sounding like hurling rocks as the raindrops fell onto the stone balcony and the vaulted ceiling. The girls dimples returned, began skipping towards the balcony with the boy remaining where he was.

“Aren’tcha coming?” the girl asked. “I love the rain, and I can show you what games you can play in the rain.”

The boy shook his head slowly, but the girl didn’t notice. She skipped all the way to the threshold between the great hall and the wide open world, but just as she was about to step outside, another blinding flash of lightening ripped through the sky, followed by the booming sound of thunder.

She gasped, and became deathly still. The winds began to howl then as well, causing the great sea to toss and turn creating white caps atop the waves before they crashed loudly onto the shore. The sky turned black, blocking the moon and starlight, and neither the boy nor the girl could see the much of the outside world.

Slowly, the girl began to back away from the balcony back inside the great hall. “I thought you said you never wanted it to rain here,” she said over her shoulder.

The boys heart was pounding. He shook his head as the girl turned to face him. Though he could see the gaps where her teeth hadn’t grown in yet, her dimples were gone, and he could clearly see the whites in her eyes. “Then make it stop,” the girl said.

There was another crack of lightening, and another rumbling of thunder. It was so loud it shook the boys ear drums, and caused them both to flinch.

“Come on, make it stop!” the girl said, shouting over the howling winds.

“I don’t know how,” the boy cried. The air turned cold then, pushing back against the warmth from the hearth. They shivered as they wrapped their arms around themselves.

“Just think it, it’s a dream remember!” the girl shouted.

The boy tried. He closed his eyes and tried to picture the sun and blue sky they had seen when they first emerged from the forest. But as he tried to hold the image in his mind, it was drowned out by black rolling clouds, leaving his mind as black as the sky. He tried again, to no avail. Over and over he tried, with the girl shouting at him all the while. Each time it was the same, he pictured a perfect day, only to have it blotted out by dark and stormy clouds. The only thing he saw each time was his tower, standing tall within the swirling clouds.

His eyes snapped open.

“The Tower!” he shouted.

“The tower?” the girl called back.

“The storm is from the tower, remember?”

The girls face lit up. “Oh yeah,” she said excitedly. She broke into a run, heading towards the twin stone staircases around the hearth on the other side of the great hall.

She grabbed the boys hand as she ran past him, forcing him to run with her, or else fall on his face. “Where are we going?” he asked.

“Duh, the tower,” she said. “I bet you gotta be up there to make this storm go away.”

They passed the hearth and began to ascend one of the stone staircases. It led them to a long hallway, which had a wooden door at its end. The hallway was plain and dark. Without any paintings on the walls, or statues lining the way, and only a few torches providing a dim light, but casting long shadows. The girl continued running as fast as she could down the dark hallway, towing the boy along as she still held onto his wrists.

The boys heart was pounding, and his lungs were gasping for air. He felt his chest tighten, and wished he could reach into his pocket and take a puff of his inhaler. “I don’t think…I don’t think there’s anything I can do,” he said, his voice starting to wheeze.

“Well we know until we try,” the girl said as she pushed open the wooden door.

The door revealed another set of stairs. These ones, however, spiraled around a tall stone pillar, leading up. The girl began racing up the stairs, her bare feet skipping lightly from step to step. The boy followed, his shoes stomping hard against the stone, and looked up. The storm continued to rage wildly outside, the thunder echoing throughout the winding stairs, and the sound of the rain growing louder as they ascended. He looked up, and realized they were running up his tower.

Round and round, up and up, the girl ran, with the boy in tow. She gripped him hard, and he was afraid that if he tried to rip himself free, he would loose his step and tumble down the stairs. But his heart was threatening to pound through his chest, and it was becoming harder and harder to breath. So, he risked it, yanking his arm free from hers.

He stopped himself, nearly falling flat on his face, but managed not to tumble down the stairs. The girl stopped as well, a mix of annoyance and confusion on her face.

“What’s the matter?” she asked.

The boy felt the tower shake as thunder sounded again. He looked up, and saw the girl was standing in front of another door. They had reached the top.

But he shook his head. “I… can’t do it,” he said, his voice quivering. “I can’t make it stop. Let’s just go back down, and try to wake up.”

“What!” the girl shouted. “Yes you can, just do it.”

The boy stood, slowly. His arms were weak and his legs shaking. His heart pounded and he took short breaths in, but could only exhale slowly. The corner of his vision started to become fuzzy, and he felt a tingling sensation around his eyes.

He shook his head. “I can’t.”

“Yes you can,” the girl said. She reached for his wrist again, but the boy recoiled. She tried again and again, but he avoided her grasp.

She pressed her lips tightly together and glared at him fiercely with narrowed eyes. “Make this rain stop!” she said.

He wished he could, but he had tried over and over. Now he was just frozen with fear, afraid to close his eyes and try to picture a beautiful day. The dark clouds would just drown it again, just as it had before, and leave him in darkness.

He wasn’t allowed to play in the rain, it was against the rules. It could make him sick, or worse yet, dirty. He was told over and over how playing in the rain was dangerous, and he had to stay inside all day whenever it rained. The boy used to sit on the couch, staring through the window as the rain fell outside, wishing it would go away, so he could go outside and play. But the rain never went away when he wanted it too, it only went away when it wanted too.

The girl reached for him yet again, and he just narrowly missed her grasp. She was about to yell at him again, but there was another boom of thunder, and the door burst apart behind her. Startled, he fell backwards, and rolled down a few stairs before catching himself against the outer wall. Then, he heard a scream, and looked up to see the girl swept up by the howling winds, through the opening where the door had stood, and into the upper chamber of the tower.

He gasped, leapt to his feet, and dashed after her. Up the stairs and through the opening, he entered the upper chamber, ignoring the shaking in his legs, the beating of his heart, and the tightness in his chest. Rain spilled forth from the sky and the wind howled in his ears. He whirled around, searching for the girl.

He heard shouting from the balcony facing the sea. “HELP!”

Turning, he saw her, clinging desperately onto the railing. The wind had taken her, and was threatening to pull her into the sky. Running towards her, the sky turned bright, causing the boy to fall as he covered his eyes. Then, the sky rumbled again, shaking the tower.

The girl screamed, having nearly lost her grip. The boy tried to stand, but fell over again as spots filled his eyes.

“You have to make it stop!” she shouted.

“I can’t!” he shouted back. He got to his feet, but a gust of wind knocked him over again just as he reached the balcony. The wind tossed him to the far side of the balcony where the rain pelted him.

“You have too!” she shouted again. “I’m slipping.”

His eyes widened in horror as he saw her fingers turn white, and begin to loose their grip. Above, the clouds swirled ominously, and the wind howled hungrily. He wanted it to stop, he had to make it stop. She would loose her grip soon, and be taken by the wind.

So, once again, he tried to picture what the sun had looked like when they first arrived. It was warm and bright, causing the ocean to sparkle like diamonds and the sky to be bright blue. The wind was still, and the waves were calm, and there was nothing that could hurt them.

The dark clouds began to pour forth, drowning out the sun and the sky. He pushed back, fighting to keep the sun in its place. But the clouds pressed harder, bringing with them the voices of his mother and father. They told him he couldn’t play in the rain, couldn’t wander off alone, and certainly couldn’t play with strangers.

He cowered away from them, and the dark clouds began to overwhelm the sun. The sky grew blacker and blacker as he felt himself give in to the voices, telling him to follow the rules.

But then he remember how he felt when the girl began to wander through the forest, running across the bridge, and dancing in the great hall. It was a dream, none of this was real. Yet, it was…fun.

With a burst of strength, he pushed back against the dark clouds. They began to recede, and he felt himself smile. This was a dream, his dream. This was his tower, and it was hear because he had dreamed it. Nothing was real in a dream, it was all imaginary. He could imagine whatever he wanted, and right now, he wanted the rain to go away.

He opened his eyes, and began to laugh. The wind began to die, and the howling with it. The rain became light, and almost refreshing as it fell against his face. Looking up, the clouds became still, then turned from dark to light, before melting away and revealing the moon and the stars.

The night turned peaceful, and the girl collapsed on the balcony.

“Whoa!” she said, looking at the boy with wide excited eyes. “That was awesome!”

The boy smiled, relieved to see she was ok, but wondering how exactly he had made it happen. The girl got to her feet, and ran towards him without stopping to straighten her dress. The boy noticed there were a few holes and stains of dirt where she had fallen, and then noticed there were some holes in his pants as well. He knew his parents would be furious, but he also knew this was a dream, and they would never know.

“I told ya you could do it,” the girl said, punching him lightly in the shoulder as she reached him.

“I know,” the boy said. “It was…awesome.”

“Sure was,” the girl said. They turned towards the great sea, which glowed dully in the pale light of the moon and stars. “Wow, this is a cool view,” the girl said.

The boy nodded. “I love the ocean,” he said. “And I’ve always wanted a place I could go where I could always be by it.”

“Well, will this place do?” she asked. The boy nodded airily, his eyes moving back and forth along the sea. “Then this is your place,” the girl said. “Your tower. And no one can come here unless you want them here.”

The moon was nearing the end of its descent in the west, and to the east, the orange glow of dawn began to appear.

“You’ll stay, won’t you?” the boy asked.

The girl cocked her head. “You mean, you’d want me here?” she asked, cautiously.

The boy nodded. “Yeah, this can be your tower too, and you can come here whenever you like as well. I personally invite you.”

The girl smiled her toothless grin again. “Really? Thank you!” she said.

The boy nodded as daylight began to spill across the sea. It leapt from the sea onto the land, and flowed over the forest and across the plains. They both turned and watched as the sun continued to rise, blinking rapidly as its bright light filled their eyes.

“That’s a pretty sunrise,” the girl said.

“Yeah…” the boy replied, but his voice trailed off.

For the world had begun to spin then, fading away before his eyes. He closed his eyes, trying to fight dizziness, but to no avail. Darkness settled in under his eyes when the world finally stopped spinning, and when he opened his eyes, he found himself back in his room, under his covers, and the sun was just beginning to creep through his curtains.