The Enchanted Path (Book 1 of the Dreamfarers' tales)

Ch. 27.1 - Interlude III

It was Leirion's second summer. The young mare and her mother lay, as per usual, under the faithful family willow tree to seek shelter from the glorious mid-summer sun. Leirion was idly dipping the golden-tufted tip of her tail in the water of the pond, watching with mild interest the goldfish trying to peck at it. Thalia observed her in return, a relaxed smile gracing her dainty muzzle. Life was good in the Forest.

"Do you know what, Mother?" Leirion started out eventually.

"Do tell me, Leirion," Thalia's voice chimed like a silver bell through the weeping willow branches.

"I met a hippocampus last night."

"Oh, did you now?" Thalia's amused smile grew a little more. Her enthusiastic daughter would often come up with some creature she met during her oneiric strolls.

Leirion splashed her lion tail in the water, giggling when the small school of fish exploded like an underwater firework. The fish scattered for an instant before returning to peck at her tail.

"I thought him a dream creature at first: they're like half horses and half dolphin, but he had a different form in his dream," Leirion said, pensive. Then she turned to her mother. "What is a dolphin, Mother?"

Thalia blinked. "A dolphin? I've surely heard of it...your father used to tell me of his old territory, ever so often..." She smiled to herself, remembering. "You should probably ask him about it. He has seen dolphins and other water creatures many times. You'll find him by the river."

Leirion thanked her mother and trotted away to the river where she found her father indeed. He was standing still, observing, when he sensed Leirion coming much before she came into view and turned to her.

"Hello, my daughter," he greeted her.

"Hello, Father." Leirion closed the distance between them and nuzzled his neck affectionately and Chrysantos returned the gesture.

"Father, what is a dolphin? What does it look like?" she asked.

"Dolphins are sea mammals, dear. They may look like fish, although they have neither scales nor see-through fins," he explained. "Their skin is smooth and sensitive, and they need to stay in the water."

"I can picture their tail but not quite their head. Can you show me?"

"Let's see..."

Chrysantos lit his horn, and the water surface did as well; a small portion lifted itself and started changing, morphing to the unicorn magic's command. Leirion watched in awe as water and magic merged together to shape two tridimensional little dolphins. Chrysantos started to move them in and out of the river, emulating real dolphins jumping.

"Funny creatures are dolphins," he stated, making the dolphins turn tail and fly around Leirion, earning a laugh from the young mare when they splashed her with their liquid tails.

"Mother said you've seen them many times."

"I have," Chrysantos confirmed with a nod. "They are easy to spot from the cliff jutting out from my old woods."

"Oh, will you take me there? I'd love to see a dolphin...please, Father?" Leirion gave him her most cute smile and fluttered her long lashes expectantly.

Chrysantos chuckled softly and nuzzled her wheat-hued mane. "It's a long trip, my dear, but you are big enough for it. I'll talk to your mother about it."

A pang of nostalgia stung Dianthus as he watched the scene nearby the very same thing: he had just learned levitation with his mother, by the pond. That day seemed far away now, although only a few moons had passed since then.

Just a little closer, he told himself, taking a few steps in their direction. He knew it was just a vision but...

Just a little closer.

He observed his father and sister interact some more and head back to the willow, where Thalia was waiting for them.

She smiled at them.

Does Mother smile this often now?

Once more, he had the feeling of watching not his family but someone else's, even if those were his mother and father. They just looked...different somehow. More spontaneous. He knew so little about them after all. This was only his third dream about his sister's past but vision after vision, that feeling increased; instead of getting closer to them, he felt left out of something buried deep in the past, something existing only in someone's memories and not his own. Would they ever be the happy family they were once, without masks and pretenses?

Would they ever be content with just me if Leirion wasn't rescuable?

The moment he heard his own treacherous thoughts he wanted to kick himself, hard.

What was that?

He scowled.

And yet...

What would Mother and Father think if I really gave up and went home? Would they ever smile at me without regret? Like this...

He looked up to the happy unicorn family in front of him; Leirion was trying to catch the goldfish within small blobs of water but they stayed out of her reach. The scene brought back memories of his own lessons in levitation by the pond. His father was so surprised when Dianthus caught a goldfish at his first try.

Was he remembering this scene instead? Dianthus pondered. It feels so strange to think about it. Like living a second life. This is a dream, but it has happened. A long time ago...

And yet, those dreams of his could become a reality if he could find and wake up his sister.

The irony, he thought as the dream faded away in the morning. Even while still asleep he could feel the first sun rays warming his pelt. It is all about leaving a dream to step into another. If this was Leirion's reality and now is my dream, I wonder what I will see opening my eyes in the Dreamworld. Will it still be the dream of dreams if I'm able to browse it wide awake?

With this last question fluttering in his sleep-dazed mind like a moth around a flame, he woke up.