CHRONICLES of a PC Gamer Stuck Inside an RPG (Book One: Duelist)

Chapter 64 - Enter Mister Sandman

I tried to blink away the grogginess from my mind. Finding some success in that endeavor, I then focused on seeing my immediate surroundings. Huh? I was sitting on a simple wooden bench at my bus stop. From back in fourth grade.

Bark-bark!

I turned my head toward the sound, knowing exactly what I will see—a large golden retriever. "Come here, Old Yeller!" I waved at the dog.

The large animal, easily bigger and heavier than my young self, slowly approached me. Its tail wagged furiously.

When I knelt down and held out my hand, Old Yeller sniffed it and then started licking my hand with its rough tongue. I laughed as I scratched my old friend behind both of his ears.

The dog belonged to an old man named Harvey Dressler, who owned the old white stucco house directly across the street from the bus stop. The owner enjoyed watching shows on his old black-and-white TV, and the dog would go across the street to accompany people at the bus stop until the owner feed the dog lunch.

Speaking of the bus stop, why was I here? My mind started experiencing flashbacks of all the things that happened in my life. Suddenly, I remembered everything. I should not be here! I immediately stood up and yelled, "I know you're here Morpheus! Show yourself!"

The clear blue sky overhead abruptly turned cloudy. Flashes of lightning started to erupt amongst the clouds.

Finally, someone appeared before me—but it wasn't Morpheus. "Please forgive Pheus. I know not why he chose to take us to this part of your past memory," Lady Luck said. "But I assure you that you are under my protection."

"I thought we're going to the Dream Land. Why are we here in my past?" I asked her with a quizzical expression on my face.

"Only Pheus can answer that question. But we are indeed in the Dream Land," she confirmed. The goddess knelt down before Old Yeller.

The dog gave her his paw to shake.

"Good boy," she said as she shook his paw.

Old Yeller's tail wagged as if it was ringing an alarm bell.

Lady Luck returned to her feet and said, "I think Pheus wanted to bring you to a happy moment in your life."

"For what purpose?" I folded my arms. If Morpheus can read my memories, then surely he knew of my pain in the near future. Regardless, I was unhappy with the fact that a god was toying with my cherished memories in this manner. I was perfectly willing to go along and play games with these gods and their overseer. But I drew the line at any tampering with my memories because I believed that your past is a crucial part of who you are as a person, your very identity. To me, your personal identity was as sacred as freedom. Without a strong sense of self and, by implication an innate understanding and appreciation of your wants and desires that would naturally flow from your sense of self, then how can you take advantage of the freedom to pursue what makes you happy? To have freedom without an accompanying sense of self to serve as a compass in making choices that affect your future would render the notion of freedom meaningless. Furthermore, if my memories were actually rewritten by Morpheus, then it was tantamount to brainwashing me. I would not permit either to happen to me. Thus, I was seriously considering quitting this game entirely.

"Morpheus, please come down. We're making Lawrence angry now," the goddess warned.

"I'm here, milady," the demi-god appeared in a flash next to her, down on one knee again.

"Please fix this mess," Lady Luck ordered.

Morpheus got back up. He nodded slightly to me and snapped his fingers.