Gasp! I shot straight up in my bed, my breath shallow and my heart pounding wildly. It was just a nightmare.... Just a nightmare... Damn! I simply can't shake of that horrible dream! Great... Now I'm never going to get some sleep. I check my phone. 1:34. Brilliant. My eyes are scaring me, making every single shadow of night become a horrifying monster. I take in a shaking breath that rattles about in my chest and look out the window to see the orange harvest moon glaring at me like an evil eye. I shiver. I am a very superstitious girl. I gaze past the wedjat-like moon to look at the distant stars. Maybe... I rub my hands on my arms, trying to erase the goosebumps that have formed. I close my eyes and whisper a single word into the night. "Baku..." There. I did it. "Baku... Baku..." I don't even know if its real. As the superstitious girl I am, I've read up on a wide variety of spirits and entities. The Baku is one of them. Where does it come from? What does it look like? No one knows. Children in Japan were reassured by parents that they can call on him to eat their nightmares away and replace them with good luck and happy dreams. What's the harm in trying it? I sit, still shaking with fear as I continue to gaze out at the early morning street. Almost no cars go down this road in the daytime, so now the place seems so bare. Two streetlamps near my house bathe the road with light. It would be a peaceful sort of calm under any other circumstance.
Tap.
I hear a strangled gasp escape my throat. The night air has chilled my sweat, making me shake even more.
Tap.
Ohgodohgodohgodwhatamigonnado?! I press myself against the wall next to my window, still sitting on my messy bed. I continue to watch the empty street as the tapping sound continues at its slow, even pace, getting closer and closer. I start to hear the accompanying soft sound of footsteps in time with the taps. The streetlamp that is still in my sight shows a long, dark shadow approaching. I squeeze my eyes shut, preparing for my death. A very irrational reaction, but after night terrors, who is rational? The sounds continue until it just... stops. Not fading away, they just... stop. I can feel tears prick at my tired eyes. I don't wanna die!
"You called, miss?"
Huh? I slowly open my eyes to see a young man smiling up at me. He has raised my screen and now has his arms folded casually on the windowsill. I sit there, mouth agape, dumbly staring at the handsome person. He laughs softly at my reaction. I blush and try to compose myself. "Wh-Who are you...?" My voice is small and trembling.
The man nods, his smile never faltering as he turns around. I expect him to push up to worm his way into my room, but instead he floats--I kid you not, floats!--in through the large window, his form held in a relaxed form, like this is a completely normal thing for people to do.
I manage to get a good look at him. He has blonde hair that is held in a small, low ponytail at the back of his head, bound by a velvety black ribbon. A black hat accented with a gold-ish band sits atop his head in a tilted way. He seems to be dressed in clothes that is almost a modified way of dressing up to the nines. He has a black jacket that is unbuttoned in the front, has a bit of a tail in the back and the sleeves are rolled up to his elbows. Beneath it, he has on a vest that matches the band on his hat in color. I can see a white dress shirt beneath it, a yellow bow is tied around his neck. Not a Doctor Who or Oliver Kirkland bow, it actually looks fairly girly to me, but it actually suits him really well. He has on black pants that stop at his knees, only to be met by a pair of tall socks with a diamond pattern in two shades of gray. Shiny black dress shoes hide his feet. His hands are covered by black gloves that stop short at the top of his wrist. In one hand, he holds a tall cane colored in tones of simple monochrome.
I stare at him in awe as he allows his feet to touch the floor gently, returning to a standing position. He lets the cane touch the floor as he crosses one leg over the other and places his free hand on his chest. He bows to me saying, "I am a dream-eating monochrome Baku, at your service, miss." A Baku? He's a legit Baku?!
"I-I-I...." I stammer feebly. I am absolutely speechless. There is a Baku in my bedroom. A pretty goshdarn cute one at that!
The Baku stands up straight, smiling softly at me, his blue eyes shining in a boyish manner. He crosses the space between us with only two steps. He leans over to my eye level, placing his gloved hands on either side of my face. His cane is hanging back in the crook of his arm. I blush brick-red at his closeness. I can feel his warm breath hitting my face and the smooth cool feel of his gloves on my skin. He rubs his thumbs gently on my cheeks. I didn't even realize that I had been crying. I look at him meekly, my trusting nature opening up the spirit slowly. He grins, saying, "If it makes me seem more human, you can call me Len."
I blink, sniffling once. "Len..." My voice trembles as I repeat his name in a whisper. It feels strange and yet oddly familiar on my tongue. He nods, smiling a bit wider. I allow a tiny smile to touch my lips as I say, "M-My name is _-_____... You don't have t-to call me 'Miss'"
Len releases my face, standing up again, quickly shaking his cane out of his elbow and catching it mid-air skillfully. "Well then, _____..." He looks back down at me, "What is it that you desire?"
I rub my arm a bit, still scared from the terribly vivid nightmare. "Well, I-I heard that Baku's can rid a person of the fear of a bad dream..." I look up at him sheepishly, "Could you do that for me?"
He nods, his bangs bobbing, "Of course I can! After all, I did say that I am a dream-eater, didn't I?" I blush at my fail, nodding back with an embarrassed smile dorkily plastered on my face. He places a black finger to his smiling lips, lowering his voice a bit, "So how about I cast a spell for you?" I look at him nervously. A spell? Like witches and voodoo and Harry Potter? What if I get sucked into this horrible genie style contract?! Len must've seen my anxious reaction because he says, "Don't worry, I won't bite!" I blink up at him, his face in a shota smile that just melts my heart, "Here, let's make a pinky promise." He holds out his free hand, his pinky held out in the familiar gesture of the long-lost childhood contract. I look back up to his sweetly smiling face, to search for any sign of menace. He seems absolutely genuine. I raise my hand, wrapping my pale pinky around his leather-clad one. Len squeezes back in a reassuring way before slipping his pinky out of mine and sliding easily into my desk chair, "Just leave everything to me, okay?" I nod.
He instructs me to lie down and close my eyes. I start to get nervous, since the dream suddenly floods back into my mind. Len gets up and strokes my hair soothingly, reminding me that he's there and that he won't let any monster get me. I nod my head, letting him continue to pet my head like Mom used to. He whispers a few strange words and I suddenly feel lighter. He repeats the alien phrase over and over, and each time he does, I can feel myself relaxing more. The memory of the dream seems to be pulled from my mind. I no longer feel scared. I feel calm and blissfully content like never before. I sigh and roll onto my side, slowly drifting to sleep.
Len smiles down at my semi-conscious form, popping another Dream Fragment into his mouth. A fine dinner indeed. This has a delicious imagination. The spirit-boy continues to munch on his star-shaped dinner, mulling over this girl and her dreams. He finishes, wiping his face with his arm. He pauses at the open window, turning his gaze to the now peacefully sleeping human. "Rest in peace," he whispers to her before drifting out into the night, hiding all traces of his presence as he slips away. Len's smile lingers on his face as he strolls casually among the shadows, completely concealed by the average ignorant eye. He relishes the taste of his last meal, a dark glint passing over his sky-blue eyes momentarily. "I hope to dine with you again soon..._____." He licks his lips hungrily before vanishing completely into the darkness.
I wake up later that morning, fully rested and ready for the day. I sit up, looking around my sunlit room. Absolutely nothing is out of order, which leaves me dumbfounded. I recall the spirit I met last night. The handsome boy who helped me fall asleep. I can't even remember why I'd called him! He said he was a Baku, so I must've had a nightmare or something. I giggle at the memory of his sweet personality. I softly whisper, "Thank you." He probably can't hear me, but he definitely deserves it. I slept so wonderfully. He left me with absolutely fantastic dreams. I get up and stretch. I've always had sleep troubles, so feeling so well-rested is a glorious feeling. I walk out into the living room, smiling brightly. (b/n) is playing with his cars and watching Ninjago. "Good morning, (b/n/n)." He doesn't even look over. Figures. Mom suddenly skids into the living room and stares at me. I laugh, "Whoa, where's the fire?"
She simply continues to look incredulously at me and says, "_____...It's four in the afternoon!"
"WHAT?!?!?!"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I crawl into my blankets and simply lie there, my mind unrelenting in its continuous rant. That boy, that Baku! He helped me sleep. He let me have such wonderful dreams! Would he come even if I didn't have a nightmare? My mind continues to rattle about the ideas until my parents go to sleep. I grin in a giddy, excited way. There's no harm in trying, right? I sit up and quickly raise the blinds. I am instantly greeted with the artificial light of the street lamps. I look up to see the half moon. Wait... half moon? Wasn't it full last night? I shrug it off as nothing. Besides, I have much more important matters to attend to. I sit on my bed just like the night before, closing my eyes and saying the magical word three times-- "Baku...Baku...Baku..." I inwardly giggle. I can't help but be excited. I mean, how cool is it that I have spoken to a spirit?! I sit, just barely retaining any sort of patience.
I must've zoned out at some point because I jump when I suddenly hear a familiar voice before me, "You called?" My eyelids fly open to be met with the cerulean orbs that have haunted my mind all day. Len quickly levitates into my room just like he had the night before.
I smile, "Yes, I did."
Len sits on the edge of my bed, leaning back on his gloved hands casually. I notice that he's dressed exactly like the night before. Do spirits need to change? I don't really care. The Baku smiles, "What is it you want, _____?"
Okay, now I'm starting to get a little nervous. I tug on the bottom of my (f/c) shorts absentmindedly, "Um...I'm not sure if this is okay, but, um, thanks for last night. I slept wonderfully. I haven't slept like that in forever..."
Len smiles, raising a hand to me modestly, "No need to thank me. It was my pleasure!"
I smile back, feeling a bit more confident, "Well, um, could I ask you to do me a favor then?"
Something crosses his shining blue eyes. Curiosity maybe? I've never really been good at deciphering things like that. "What would you like?"
I quickly take a deep breath, "Do you think you could help me sleep like that again? I mean, I never have restful sleep and your dreams were amazing. So, I was wondering if you could...." I look up at him nervously, my cheeks getting redder as I feel more and more childish.
Len looks at me for a moment before grinning his boyish grin. He stands up, raising his arms enthusiastically, "Of course I will!" He continues on as he bows to me just like before. "I won't refuse, as this is what makes me truly happy."
I laugh a bit, delighted by his answer. "Really? That's great!"
He stands, smiling at me genuinely. "Would you like me to come every night? I'd be more than happy to help you," he asks me. I smile a goofy grin and nod. "Then just call me whenever you need me, okay?"
"Okay!"
Len grins mischievously, sitting right down beside me. "Then its settled. This means we have to make a new contract, is that alright?" I nod, eager to do anything for those spectacular dreams. He taps his bottom lip, looking up into space in deep thought. "This is a bigger contract, so we should seal it with something more substantial than a pinky promise." He looks at me, "Don't you agree?"
I shrug, "I suppose so..."
Suddenly, a big smile explodes across his face as he says excitedly, "I know!" I look at him, wanting to know what his solution is. He turns to me, his eyes sparkling with decided determination. "For this case, we should make a promise with..." He leans his face close to mine, while gently placing a hand beneath my chin. Smiling in a cat-like way, he whispers, "A kiss..." I feel the warmth of his breath puff against my face as he speaks. The spirit-boy leans in, closing the space between us. My cheeks heat up, practically glowing fire-truck red. Len presses his soft, warm lips to mine. Almost instantly, I melt into the kiss. Its a short, closed-mouth kiss, but that doesn't mean that it didn't make me basically become a puddle. Len looks at me, and smiles at my reaction, "You're so cute, _____." Wait, whaaaaa?
He gets up and pulls over my desk chair to the side of my bed. As he does this, he asks me in a calm voice, like nothing had happened, "So. You would like to dream some more?" He sits down in the chair, leaning forward with his elbows on his knees. "Leave it to me." I smile at him gratefully, watching him curiously as he shifts his cane in him palm. He keeps on smiling happily at me as he says, "I'll give you everything."
Honestly, I shiver a bit at the way he says that. It was just so...raw. How much can he do? I watch him as he takes his cane and taps the white rounded top part against his other hand. White smoke and black clouds suddenly form in his palm. I stare in fascination as the smoke dissipates, leaving a large black book in Len's hand. He glances up at me, smiling at my awed expression. He proceeds to cross one leg over the other and opening the book. He leans his cane against the chair's plastic back. He opens the book, resulting in that good cracking sound a well-loved book makes. He turns the yellowing pages slowly, skimming the page as he continues on at a relaxed pace. I see him raise his right hand without looking up from the page and flicking it quickly, bringing the suddenly manifested, steaming white teacup to his lips. I breathe out a nearly silent, "Wow..."
Len gazes up at me through his black eyelashes, his familiar smile growing on his face. "What kind of dream would you like, ______?"
I had just been burrowing back into my blankets when he asked me. I looked up at him, confused, "Huh?" I didn't know I could pick!
He smiles, amused, as he continues to turn the pages with a mild, almost nostalgic sort of interest. "I can give you absolutely any kind of dream." I pull Boris, my Cheshire Cat stuffed animal to my chest, thinking over the billions of possibilities that could be mine. Len start to tell me a few genres of dreams between sips of his tea. "Sweet stories..." He sends a teasing glance over his teacup at me as he says in a low tone, "Savory, naughty fantasies..." I feel my face grow hot. Did he really just say that?! Len takes a glance into his now-empty cup and smiles indulgently. He then changes that into a laugh at my embarrassment, "Only a suggestion!" I growl a bit at him, trying to force back my blush. He takes a sip of his now refilled cup and begins to read a fluffy story that soon becomes one of the intoxicating dreams I drift into.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Len continues to read out loud to _____'s sleeping mind. He's already prying into her subconscious. This is going a lot faster than he expected. This girl is of a very trusting nature. Not that he'd have any problems if she wasn't. He is the master of his trade. Closing the book and letting it disappear in the same smoke in which it appeared, he rises, twirling his cane once in his hand. He leans over the unconscious girl. He lifts his hand, leveling it a good few inches above her hand before moving it in a slow, swirling motion. Small star-like things start to flow from her mind and into his hand. Len is careful, only taking about a handful of them for the road. Flipping his hand over, small star-shaped cookies appear in his gloved palm. Dream fragments. The breakfast of the gods. Len licks his lips before greedily cramming the entire collection into his mouth. He gobbles them suckers down like a demon Cookie Monster would to the world's largest cookie. Somewhat regaining his composure, he rises, now only licking his hand clean, not wanting to leave even the tiniest crumb behind. She's a writer. A bit nerdy, but in a cute way. Her sweet, naive nature also adds to her wild imagination. This girl has such a wonderful imagination! He licks his lips again, trying to catch every last bit of his 'midnight snack'. Too bad it'll all go to waste.
"Eat up to your heart's content, _____."
And with that he slips into the shadows once more.
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"____! ______!!"
I snap out of my trance, "Huh? What?"
Gilbert sighs, "I've been calling your name for at least five minutes, frau. I svear, its getting harder and harder to snap you out of zhose unawesome daydreams of yours. Ze awesome me is right here, no need to fantasize, okay?"
I nod distractedly, "Y-Yeah, uh-huh..." I continue to scribble in my sketchbook. I can't help but keep daydreaming. I cling onto every dream that Len gives me. Each one is more astounding than the last! So vivid, so beautiful... Life is so bleak in comparison. It pales in comparison to his dreams. I wish I could live forever in Len's colorful kingdom.
~Le Time Skip~
I sit on the edge of my bed, anxiously waiting for Len to arrive. I'm practically shaking with anticipation. Its all I look forward to. Its all I need! Isn't he here yet?
"Good evening, _____."
I smile brilliantly down at him, "Hey, Len!"
He floats in as usual, like every night for the past month. I slide under the covers, jittery with excitement. Len stands before me, saying in his musical voice, "Hey, before we start, we have something to talk about."
I feel my heart sink. I have to wait even longer? "What is it?"
Len holds his cane in both hands, eyeing me in a fairly serious manner. He's not too serious though; his eyes give that away. "For the past month, I've upheld my end of our contract." He shrugs casually, "I mean that's fine if you have more, even more wishes. You can confess your desires to me." I look at him curiously, completely oblivious to the swirls of smoke that are starting to fill the room at a slow, but still alarming rate. She'll never again be able to escape this abysmal paradise..., he thinks maliciously. Len crosses the room to the window, where he taps his cane gently against the wooden side. "When the full moon has risen, as it has tonight, my job is finished."
At this point I shoot upright in bed, "What? Finished?! B-But we made a promise!!"
Len smiles an almost creepy grin that echoes his boyish, lovable one as he continues on, "The payment will be--....You're well aware, right?" I stare at him hopelessly, my knees feeling weak and rubbery. I vaguely realize that I'm now standing somewhere grey and black and white. An unfamiliar, bleak world. Len stands before me, still smiling. I can feel my heart pounding madly in my chest. My mind replays each and every dream that has haunted my days, making me long for the night. "I gave you everything so..." He swings his cane around one finger in an almost comical fashion before catching it in his other hand and staring me straight in the eye when he says, "Shall I take everything?...Everything you've got?"
……..
What?
I fall to my knees pathetically, shaking violently. I hold my face in my trembling hands, feeling the tears roll down my cheeks. Len takes no pity. His smile remains unaffected, "What a pitiful face. This is reality." I see him step right in front of me. "Didn't you choose this for yourself?"
No. No this isn't what I wanted at all! My voice won't work. I look up at Len meekly. He gazes down at me, saying calmly,"If you indulge yourself in 'dreams', then they'll never come true."
His words hit me like a slap to the face. All I can manage is a pathetic squeak in response. Len laughs his beautiful laugh, one that now is laced with bitter cruelty, and turns, walking off towards the black and white smoke. Before he vanishes, he pauses, looking over his shoulder to give me a wicked smile as he shrugs in way that tells me that my fate is sealed. "Welcome to the Monochrome World."
And then he left.
He left me in this bleak existence. I haven’t seen color in what feels like centuries. I cling desperately to the vague, fading memories of the dreams. Tears roll down my cheeks like a pair of ever-flowing rivers. I suppose… He was right. This is the life I doomed myself to. Forever locked in a cage of monochrome emptiness. Alone. Forgotten. I guess… One really must be careful what they wish for.