The Empty World | The Empty World Sequence [complete | rewriting]

Eighteen

Ceyx!  Morpheus went on a tear, Ovid hears a story from someone and writes it down and gets credit for inventing Morpheus, the worst thing was anyone who didn't read comic books would immediately mention appearing as the drown Ceyx if they mentioned anything at all.  "Nobody writes about me," Morpheus said sadly.

Daniel went back to his earlier point, "But you were Joey?"

"Yes," Morpheus felt he had to admit it.  He saw then that Daniel did know about the other time he had been Joey. 

Morpheus knew about Daniel too, realized this boy had been at that  concert, so long ago now in New York.  All three of Dream's creations had been in that city on the same night.  The Vampyres really did complicate things.  With Blade having known Daniel in one of his lifetimes and having known Mandy, and with Joy now holding memories from much longer than the ten years she was designed to it was fairly obvious how very important it was to keep watch.  They had to keep Joy and Blade away from Misery and Daniel.

Morpheus lay across the Futon with River crawling over him.  Mother said she felt Morpheus would tell a story soon.  Morpheus just said as he looked at the lizard that if he hadn't been reading the wrong sort of comics at the time River might have ended up a raven, and then Morpheus could have him fly to the kitchen and carry back the biscuits.

They looked toward the kitchen and Mother stood with her hands on her hips saying not to expect she would just blink and then the biscuits would be there because she smelled like cinnamon.

Morpheus ignored her complaint and went on to explain about the comic books and movies that he liked.  Daniel said that he'd seen and read some of the same things, been to the same theaters.  Morpheus smiled.

They looked at Mother.  She was still looking annoyed, refusing to fetch another thing, she was too tired.  Morpheus explained that Mother couldn't go to Arabia without someone trying to trap her in a bottle.  He asked if Daniel really wanted the biscuits badly.

Daniel said that he was a bit hungry. 

Morpheus decided that if Daniel had heard the story it wouldn't hurt to let Daniel see his Djinn.  He sat up, felt his eyes go black to the corners - they changed involuntarily when he accessed some powers - and he called to them quietly.  It would be bad if Daniel could hear the secret names he used to call them.  "Come Lauren, come Hepburn, come Evangelista."  Of course they were just names he'd given them, taught them to respond to.  Only he and future-Julien knew the names, and as they were invisible until Morpheus decided what shape they would be that day, no one should learn their names from their faces.  Tonight, he called them to take the shapes of the triumvirate of cosmic muses from the Robotech cartoons. 

Daniel stared as Morpheus ordered them to fetch the biscuits and help Mother pack their belongings.  "A triumvirate," he said.

Morpheus could like Daniel if he tried.

He explained to Daniel that the reason he liked Robotech and Japanese Anime so much was that the characters all seemed to be like him, strangely colored hair, and big, bright beautiful eyes. He thought the characters pretty. 

The Djinn dressed as Musica brought Daniel the biscuits. Morpheus snatched one up and ate it before settling down on the futon again.   He told Daniel his story, meeting Julien, and the times he'd been Joey, the way he could use his abilities to lead people toward the truth or just show them illusions. 

Before Morpheus got to Julien's name Daniel had guessed it.  Someone who knew Julien had definitely told Daniel the story.  And it seemed Daniel brightened when Morpheus mentioned this friend John that Julien had.  It made sense to Morpheus that if both men knew Joey they would know each other.  It also occurred to him that during some relatively recent year Daniel must have been found by Misery. Dreams plan was working, they chased, Daniel ran.  They caught him, but he always got away.