Impossible Dreamers

Chapter 54 (quetwi-nay): Dreaming with Silmoa

And that is what she did. Quietly at first, she began to sing:

Seren-ila, Seren-ila

A land made from its people

Seren-ila, Seren-ila

Fashioned from love and kindness

Our mountains protect us

Ciblara, Mertinara,Anglara, Greblara

Sending ash to feed our crops

Seren-ila, Seren-ila

Fashioned from love and kindness

Between mountains are meadows

Between meadows are lakes

In the lakes swim the fish,

In meadows hop the rabbits

Who are also our people

Seren-ila, Seren-ila

Fashioned from love and kindness

Seren-ila, Seren-ila

A land made from its people

Seren-ila, Seren-ila

By now Liana was singing loudly, but she didn't care. Nobody would hear her. She launched into the last line of the chorus:

'Fashioned, fashioned, fashioned - from love and kindness.' Liana was surprised to hear another voice joining in with hers. She looked around, and there, sitting on the edge of the bed, was Silmoa. But it wasn't Silmoa. Because, as well as Silmoa, there was Silmoa. There was Silmoa who sat up, but there was also Silmoa (or was it Simek?) who was still lying down, breathing deeply. Still asleep.

'Is this a dream?' said Silmoa.

'Yes. And both of us are dreaming it,' said Liana.

'Weird,' said Silmoa. 'Why am I dreaming about you, anyway?'

'No, we're both dreaming, but this is my dream,' said Liana.

Silmoa laughed. 'Who says it's your dream?'

'Have you ever had control dreams before, Silmoa?' Liana asked.

'What's a control dream?'

'This sort of dream, where you know it's a dream, but you can control what happens?'said Liana.

'But I'm not controlling what happens,' said Silmoa.

'No, but I am,' said Liana. 'That's why it's my dream.'

'You're not controlling me,' said Silmoa.

'No, I can't control other people in the dream. They're quite separate. Herago, Selentaya, Piacho and the others. They're all allowed into my dream. But I don't know what they are going to say or do. And I don't know what you are going to do.'

'What do you mean? Herago? Herago is a long way away. And Selentaya and Piacho – who knows where they are? Oh dear. This is obviously just a normal, silly dream, where things happen that really can't happen, and people say things that nobody can believe.'

Liana thought that this was really like the old Silmoa, and for once she was pleased to hear her dismissing what Liana said in such a confident, straightforward manner. But she knew that Silmoa was wrong. How could she convince her?

'Silmoa, I understand why you would think that,' Liana said, 'but I promise, this is all true. Yes, it is a dream, but this is the real Liana talking to you in the dream, and I need you to help us.'

'Hmmm,' said Silmoa, my imagination has never before made something as ridiculous as this.'

'Silmoa, I promise you, I am not something made by your imagination. I'm the real Liana. I'm talking to you. Look, there I am sleeping, and this is me talking.'

Silmoa looked at the sleeping Liana, then at her own sleeping form on her bed. 'More and more curious,' she said.

'I really need to convince you, Silmoa,' Liana said. Then she had an idea.

'Listen, Silmoa,' Liana said, 'I know that you think this is just a weird dream. I'd feel the same if I were you, and hadn't had these dreams before. But I can prove it to you. I can prove that we are talking together – two real people right now. Tell me something to say tomorrow when we're both awake, and I'll say it.'

'How would that prove anything?'

'Because you can ask me to say something you know I wouldn't normally say. You can choose a word that can be a code. You decide.'

'All right,' said Silmoa. 'Here's something I know you wouldn't say. Tell me how glad you are that Tyro invented air for us all to breathe. I know you don't believe all that stuff. To tell you the truth, neither do I, but I can only say that in a dream.'

'Really?' said Liana. 'You want me to say that? You want me to sound grateful to Tyro for something he never did? Can't I say something else, like how beautiful the sky is today?'

'No, that wouldn't be any good. You're always saying boring things about nature. Telling me about the sky wouldn't help anything. No, like you said, you need to say something that I wouldn't expect you to say. Praising Tyro might convince me.'

'If you insist,' said Liana, 'that's what I'll say. And when I do, you'll need to help me with ...'

'It's not enough, though,' Silmoa interrupted. 'You also need to say the word "paradox".'

'Paradox?' said Liana. 'What's that?'

'It doesn't matter whether you know what it means,' Silmoa replied. 'In fact, it's better that you don't. But that's what you need to say to convince me.'

'All right,' said Liana. 'But if I don't know...'

Before Liana could finish the sentence, the dormitory faded, and Silmoa along with it. Suddenly, once again, Liana was back in old Seren-ila, standing, once again, outside the House of the Green Jewel. Herago was standing next to her.

'At last,' said Herago, 'you've got here. We need to work out how we are going to meet up to go to Tyropolis.'

'Where are the others?' asked Liana. 'Are they inside?'

'No, I don't know what has happened to them. I think we just have to go, and hope they will meet us as they said. But I still can't work out how we do that. If we can. It's beginning to look impossible.'

'Impossible is what we do,' said Liana. And she outlined the plan to Herago.