Chapter 4

Dreams are realities not yet set in stone.

Before I opened my eyes, I knew I was no longer in the cave we were living in.  I had landed in a strange and foreign land filled with people who looked exactly like and at the same time nothing like me. After spending my whole life with Arthy, it was weird to see concise people (they were closer to my height, but I still considered them short) seeing as how I had spent my whole life with a giant. They tied strange fabric around their bodies, which made no sense. Leaving their stomachs bare for the ladies and the upper torso for the men. Standing near structures built out of bamboo laughing, joking and playing with one another.

Walking through their lands, I saw the women who were by the watering holes and the men who were chasing after their lower halves. They all looked like me though many had their variations, our skin colours were the same. I watched them pass by and through me, but none paid attention to me. It was then I realized that I had become one of those things Arthy had told me wondered the earth with no hope of contacting the living, a ghost. I did see that while they seemed to be brimming with joy, their surroundings were lacking.

The bushes weren't lively, and the things on display looked sad and out of colour. Even the watering holes bore little to no water. Taking a closer look, I noticed that their body structures were weird. The parts of their bodies which were meant to be hidden behind flesh were on display, and overall, they all looked like they would drop dead despite the warmth they portrayed in their movements. Watching and walking, I reached a place that just seemed to radiate power, just like the gods.

The people seemed to gravitate and run away from it at the same time. Just like a paradox, it was meant to offer a listening ear, but it seemed to send everyone away. While the clothing I saw before was strange, the people living here seemed to dress even strangely. Some of them had coverings made of animals and looked very awful. The place had a type of barrier made of stones and wood. It seemed to stretch for miles and obviously acted as a deterrent for people hoping to enter. Two men stood outside, allowed and denied people coming. There was a huge hut in the middle which flowed with an energy that just seemed to draw me in.

In the middle, there was a chair adorned with animal clothing and jewels that seemed to never lacklustre. There sat a man who radiated power despite the conditions of his body. He looked like he was going to drop dead in a second and seemed to radiate hunger more than the people outside and beside him. As I looked at him, the strange energy seemed to flow from him and called me in like a connection had been set. One that was stronger than what I felt with the others before seeing him.

Walking around him, I noticed how everyone bowed down before speaking to him or how there were guards at every corner who seemed ready for war despite the fragile conditions of their bodies. Some men entered, greeted him and seated on the stools before them. I couldn't understand a word they had said like before. So, I could only stand on the sidelines and hope their expressions gave away any and everything they could be thinking of. And that it did, about half it.

They seemed to be arguing about something severe and grave. Some seemed to agree with the king while others refused vehemently. Then they stopped talking and waited. And waited. And waited. I sat near the man in the middle, just watching and listening to their words as well as body language.

After waiting, a man who seemed to radiated even higher power though different from the king stepped in. Immediately, his eyes zoomed on me, and he made his way to me.

‘Who are you? Why are you here? What is your business with the king? Why do you bear the mark on your head’ As strangely as it was, I did understand exactly what he was saying? Though for the people standing by his side and looking confused, they had no idea what he was saying. It was good for me; I could get answers about why I was there, who they were and why I felt a deep connection with the man in the middle.

‘My name is Nuala. I don't know how I got here or why I am here. I just landed and kept on walking until I reached here or wherever here is. I don't think they can see me which begs the question, why can you?'

‘Nuala? Did you say that your name is Nuala?' After answering him positively, he broke down in tears and told the king something. Whatever it must have been caused the king to cry and send his guard to do something. He arrived with a woman who had an air of dignity just like himself. He seemed to repeat what the man had told him, and she too cried. I could only stare at her. She was just like the king, I felt a deep connection with her and her tears caused me to feel something whether sadness or happiness, I couldn't decipher it.

The king too seemed to be crying but tried to console his wife, I guess it didn't work because he soon broke into tears that washed away the things adorning her face. The people near them too cried, but soon their faces seemed to melt into one another, and I could no longer hear anything from the strange man. I knew then that I was waking up. I could only watch in silence as she seemed to scream something so painful.