Impossible Dreamers

Chapter 14 (twil-deg): A new sort of eruption

'I learnt about volcanoes from Piacho. He has read some of the old books. Volcanoes change their behaviour every so often. It just so happens that the ones around us have been very regular for the past, I don't know, deg-twilfti years.'

'And there's something else strange,' Liana said, quickly.

'What?' There was a serious tone in Liana's voice that he had never heard before.

'Can I tell you something that really is impossible?' Liana said.

'You can tell me about anything, Liana. But whatever it is, I don't think it can really be impossible.'

Liana thought. How could she tell Herago about this? She could hardly think about it herself.

There are things that happen that can't be explained. She knew that, probably better than anyone else in Seren-ila. Was it possible for Herago to understand that too? After all, he was asking people to look at things that everyone knew were impossible, so why not? Herago was the only person Liana knew who might, just possibly, understand what she was about to say.

'Well,' Liana began. She couldn't think how to continue. 'Well,' she tried again.

'Well, what?' said Herago. He was sounding a bit impatient, and Liana didn't really blame him.

'You know how it is, when you sleep, and you dream...'

'Are you going to tell me about one of your dreams, Liana?'

'Yes. Or no, not really. It's a control dream.'

'A what?'

'I have these special dreams. I call them "control dreams". Do you have them too?'

'I don't know. What are they like? Are they nightmares? I sometimes have those. Or I used to, when I was little.'

'No, not nightmares. Not at all frightening. Well, they didn't used to be frightening...'

'What are you talking about, Liana?'

'OK. When you have a dream, do you know you're dreaming?'

'No. I'm just, just there ... in the middle of things happening. Strange things sometimes. Things that don't really make sense. Well, they make sense while I'm dreaming, but when I think back later, it all slips away from sense,' Herago said.

'So what do you dream about?'

'About being...about how there would...I don't know how to describe it all. Sometimes there are pictures, sometimes there are numbers...'

'Numbers? You dream about numbers?' Liana said. Herago didn't like the sound of surprise in her voice.

'Yes, but anyway, what's this all got to do with your dreams?'

'OK. So I have the same sort of dreams. Ones that don't make sense. Though sometimes there are things in them from the real world. People. Places...'

'Do you dream about me?' Herago wasn't sure why he had asked this.

'Sometimes, yes. Or Silmoa. And... other people. Sometimes we're all looking at Seren Lake. And then we... I don't know. Something happens. Things change. The world becomes something new. And afterwards I wake up and I've forgotten what it was all about.'

There was another gurgling sound from the mountain. Louder this time.

'They're just dreams, Liana. You shouldn't worry about them.'

'Wait, I haven't told you yet about the control dreams.'

'Well, tell me!' Herago sounded almost annoyed, which was something Liana was not used to. As if echoing his mood, Greblara let out a loud, gurgling exclamation once again. Liana looked like she was going to say something about that sound, but then she seemed to decide not to. She carried on where she had left off.