Dreams of Falling

[Arlina Rhys]

Carving out a repository for fiction for Arly here, mostly going to be shorts and one-offs until I get a better feel for where I'm going to go with her plotline.

[Arlina Rhys]

Come away, O Human child
to the waters and the wild.
With a faery hand in hand,
for the world's more full of weeping than you can understand- The Stolen Child, W.B. Yeats

Arlina woke with a start, staring up at her dorm room ceiling, almost expecting things to leak out of the blackness. "Another night, another nightmare", she sighed as she sat up, pulling out a small journal and pad of paper, beginning to write quietly.

As she wrote, she reviewed her memories of the dreams in her head, analyzing and re-analyzing every detail she could recall, writing in an almost constant stream of thoughts as she went

---

Falling, I have that dream a lot. The scientists all say its a symptom of stress, of feeling the world crushing in around you, on one level I agree, on another, I know its only half the story.

The bad dreams always begin with falling, deeper and deeper until I hit, Most people wake up then in a cold sweat and a glad feeling that it was simply a nightmare, but I don't. I plunge into the depths, I see the grand crystalline palaces with halls that loop forever without end, i see the caverns filled with hellfire that have doors but no exits, I behold fae kings and dukes on their thrones, both grotesque and beautiful.

This time, the dream was merciful, for I dreamed simply of the school, and yet it wasn't merciful, for everywhere I went were faces I didn't know, faces warped in subtle manners that were just enough to make things strange. People with one too many eyes, with clothing that shifted in color and sometimes to colors that have no names. Hallways connected in ways that made no sense to my waking mind, yet were totally normal to my dreaming one.

I wandered the halls for many hours, speaking with people I recognized yet did not, In gym class we played a form of Basketball, but the ball was more like a diamond in hue, yet soft and pliable as a beanbag.

In Mathematics the numbers flowed across the board like living things, the equations dancing and weaving into configurations that defied known logic

As the dream reached the end of my day, I spoke to a nun, much resembling the kindly one who had first set me on my way here at school, save for that her eyes were replaced with diamonds, and her teeth more like knives, and she promised me great things and terrible things were to come.

"But what good and bad things will occur? " I asked "Its not very specific to just give me such vague terms"

She laughs, not answering, but simple laughing jovially, A laugh, Its both musical and yet not at all, like the tinkling of a million little bells with an afternote of screams

And once more, a void, another fall, another endless blackness into a light too brilliant to look into. A hint for any who dare travel the fae realms, there is such a thing as beauty so dazzling it can make you go blind. Or mad.

And then, just as I behold the parapets of a castle I know I've seen before and yet cannot place, I wake. With the dream still echoing in my head.

--

Arlina sighed as she put the pen down, frowning in thought as she hugged one of her stuffed animals close, curled up, and stared at the ceiling once more, daring to let out the briefest hint of a hum and basked in the subtle radiance of faerie washing over her as she fell back into fitful slumber

[Arlina Rhys]

Training Day

Monday, March 2nd.

1, 2, 3, Breathe. 1, 2 ,3, Breathe. Focus on the magic. Shape it. Control it. Let it flow without letting it take over, or without trying to order it..

This is way tougher than it sounds.

Imagine trying to keep a 5 year old with an overactive imagination hopped up on 2 kilos of caffeine and sugar in check. Only not. More like letting them go hog wild and then trying to move the resulting chaos in a desired direction with nothing more than sheer concentration and focus. Yeah. Faerie magic isnt nearly as easy as it looks in a Disney film.
---

"Miss Arlina, please try to focus harder. You won't get anywhere without absolute focus on your goal", the teacher said, sighing as she rubbed her face with slight frustration

"Its not like I'm TRYING to slack off, Its just..not easy at all. ", Lina sighed as she stopped humming and wiped some sweat from her brow

"Yes, and that's exactly why you need to focus more. You won't get anywhere with faerie magic simply by letting it do as it wills. You're not equipped to truly handle that yet, and if you use it like that untrained it WILL overrun your mind. You are overthinking things, faerie magic cannot simply be ordered, it must be coaxed gently, diverted, and skillfully directed."

Arlina gulped slightly, apparently brought back to determined focus by the very thought of it, nodding quietly "I know, I know..Just because you don't understand the rules doesnt mean you're exempt from them, and all"

"Thats right, now, once more. Calm yourself. Breathe deeply, Sing, and focus on directing the flow", the teacher nodded and offered a reassuring glance at Lina

Arlina nodded, slowly bringing her voice back to a gentle hum, feeling the gateways open and magic beginning to pour through, bending her entire will to try and direct the flow without outright trying to order its movement, or being swept away by the eddies and currents flowing forth with every note.

Arlina frowned, trying to hold back panic as she felt the spell starting to slip away from her, trying her best to focus yet not focus, obviously once more having trouble doing so, until the teacher finally stood up after a few minutes, nodding vaguely, as visions of faerie glamour swam through Lina's head "Alright, Thats enough for today, I think"

Arlina sighed, stopping the song and panting tiredly, slumping to her seat

"You're making progress at least. Moreso than you have in quite some time. We still need to work on your endurance though, so now I want you to take a few laps around the track and then get some rest"

Lina nodded, stretching as she stood up "Any information yet about the dreams? I'm still having em..and I still dont really understand their significance"

"They could signify a lot of things. Prophetic dreams, messages from the fae who gifted you, maybe even just your subconscious playing tricks on your mind while supercharged with residual magic. All we can really do is wait and watch and see where they go."

Arlina sighed as she got up, nodding quietly "I guess that's as good of an aswer as I was hoping for. Thanks teach, see you next monday for another session?"

The teacher nodded, watching as Arly exited the room, and then wrote down a few notes in her journal, returning to her thoughts.

[Arlina Rhys]

Sunday Morning, March 15th

5, 6, 7, 8.

Cue the music, Light the set. The whole world's a stage.

--

Arlina frowned as she missed the hoop again, frustration evident in her eyes again.

"Its just like dancing, Arly. All you gotta do is have your body and mind in step. The coaches said so. One more try." Another toss, another miss, another annoyed grunt.

Arlina shrugged, taking another run about the gym with the basketball in hand, concentrating herself totally on the staccato rhythm of the basketball as she dribbled it, humming a few bars of a song to herself as she advanced around the court, occasionally bouncing the ball against a wall and catching it in some loose approximation of passing and receiving.

In a lot of ways, she mused, basketball was exactly like a musical. You need to be aware of your surroundings, everyone else, the ball, the rhythm of the game. She could do this. The stage was her home, her everything, it was what she lived and died for.

Another shot, barely missing the hoop, a grin of accomplishment as she picked up the ball and resumed her run and dribble, taking the occasional shot as she worked out the angles and the fine control on throwing.

step, step, pivot, throw. Hold the release. one beat,. one half. Release. Swish.

Arlina grinned as the shot landed, smirking to herself. "Aha, Thats better. All in the rotation then, Hm." Another resume, counting beats silently as she continued her drilling, keeping the beat with more music as she giggled to herself, face slick from the exertion but having fun nonetheless.

Use the leg muscles, don't think too much about it, just do it. She finally understood the tips she had bummed off the coaches and the internet. In a way, this was just like a dance. It had its own rhythm, its own rules and steps, overexamining them made the release jerky and inaccurate, it had to flow smoothly like you were't even thinking.

Another step, another beat, another shot, landing in the hoops with a certain calm grace and a grin from Arly. Resume the beat, don't force it, just let it come, just let the ball dictate its own pace and style.

She could get to like this game.

[Arlina Rhys]

Arlina sighed as she perched alongside a wall in Steel Canyon. Another boring week, no real adventure to speak of other than fighting off the occasional muggers.

She carefully balanced along the wall, putting one leg in front of the other like a practiced tightrope walker, half phased into faerie to hide her presence.

"Y'now, Just because they can't see you doesn't mean you're invisible"

Arlina paused, craning her head to look, noting a small man dressed in tattered clothing, much resembling a ringmaster from a carnival. He grinned, teeth glaring like long daggers as he skipped along parking meters

"Just who are you supposed to be?" She inquired, looking curiously at the strange man.

"Call me..Jack..Jack of the Long Knives.. It isn't my real name..but then, you understand how the rules go. And its as good a name as any" Another one of those disconcerting grins flashed across his face. "You see, we've been watching you, and had quite a few laughs out of your antics. I think we chose well. But with that comes...certain responsibilities."

Arlina sighed, "Like?"

"Mmm, nothing in particular for the moment my dear, we simply like checking up on the children with the gift. It doesn't do well to keep them completely out of the loop" he grinned once more, pulling out a lollipop in the shape of an eyeball, casually licking at it with a far too long and prehensile tongue "Lolly?"

"Er...no thank you. I think I'd rather pass on that one."

He nodded, the grin staying plastered to his face as he talked "Well then. keep an eye out, dear. Things are in motion now, and in some ways perhaps they always were." One lick, two licks, three..Bite, squish?

And just like that, he disappeared into the crowd, laughter pealing on the wind and fading into the distance