The Dreamdispenser

By Natalie Hood

Imagine being transported to your perfect world in your sleep. Well thanks to a tiny pill, the students at Bracken High are doing exactly that. There are the negatives though, like being constantly tired and disinterested in reality. There's a few dodgy pills lurking around too. Joe, the new boy has to discover the source of the pills and with the help of his limited allies, put an end to it all. Can he resist temptation? Why does his dead best friend keep putting in appearances? Can he rescue his new friend Eddie from the clutches of the Dreamdispenser? Find out in this modern day 'Secret Seven', with lashings of supernatural thrown in.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Natalie Hood
• Release date: Nov 13, 2018
• ISBN: 9781386429777

Book preview

Table of Contents

Chapter1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Have a nice night

Chapter 15

Chapter 16

Chapter 17

Chapter 18

Chapter 19

Chapter 20

Chapter 21

Chapter 22

Chapter 23

Chapter 24

Chapter 25

Chapter 26

Chapter 27

Chapter 28

Chapter 29

Chapter 30

Chapter 31

Chapter 32

Chapter 33

Chapter 34

Chapter 35

Chapter 36

Chapter 37

Chapter 38

Chapter 39

Chapter 40

Chapter 41

Chapter 42

Chapter 43

Chapter 44

Chapter1

Saying goodbye to someone for a second time was proving to be hard work but Joe knew it had to be done. Max must have realized by now that something was going on and it was time to put him out of his misery. Joe took a deep breath and launched into it.

‘See Max, we’re moving. I wanted to tell you before. We’re going today. Some place out in the country. Dad says it’s because of work but I heard Mum talking to Nana. They think a new start will be good for me.’ He actually hadn’t thought about it properly until that moment. ‘Maybe it will. I dunno.’

There, he had told him and now he had nothing left to say. He hadn’t expected a reply but still, he didn’t like the silence that followed. Little chills ran down from the tip of each bony shoulder and collided at the top of his spine. He shrugged them away before they went any further.

‘Anyway, here’s a leaving present for you.’ He pulled the pack of guitar strings from his pocket, knelt down and shoved them into the soft earth. It didn’t matter that they would remain in the mud, the paper bag and its contents gradually rotting away. He stood up and brushed the dirt from his combats. 'I’d better go now. They’ll be waiting for me, take care mate.’

Max had always been a great sleeper. He had loved his bed to bits. Still, Joe felt bad about leaving him under a thick muddy blanket with only a hard grey headstone for a pillow. Every time he turned to go after one of his visits he imagined Max reaching out, grabbing at his arm and pleading with him to stay longer.

‘I’ll come again, just as soon as I get the chance.’ Joe had no idea when that chance might be.

He shoved open the graveyard gate and flinched as it scraped across the path. He stepped across the boundary into reality and started the walk home. He didn’t look back but he could picture Max standing behind the black iron bars watching him leave, a prisoner in his dormitory for the dead. It was a pleasant day in the land of the living and Joe felt guilty that the gloom that had clung to him evaporated under the soothing pale sunshine. He picked up his pace, a spring in his step. He bounded around a corner, nearly colliding with a few friends from school.

‘OK?’ He smiled at them. They mumbled a greeting but avoided his gaze. Joe shrugged his shoulders and carried on, knowing that if he had still been with Max it would have been a different story. At one time they had people following them up the road practically worshipping them. These days though the students weren’t bothered about him. They knew where he had been and that soon he would be leaving. He turned into his road where he could see his parents putting the final few things into the back of the van. Most of their possessions had gone on ahead in the removal lorry the day before. At least that way, there would be some sense of the familiar once they got there. He stopped on the path and watched for a while. A gulp lodged in his throat. Mum looked up.

‘There you are. We’re pretty much done here now Joe. Did you say goodbye to everyone?’

He nodded, didn’t feel like talking. He wasn’t even sure that he would be able to without crying. Through waterlogged eyes he could see Mum coming towards him, her eyes full of pity and her mouth stretched in sympathy. And then he burst into tears.

‘You’ll be fine Joe,’ Mum soothed, her arm resting gently on his shoulder. ‘Things will get easier. I promise. Here.’ She pulled a few tissues from her handbag.

‘Thanks.’ Joe sniffed.

The engine started up and the vehicle jumped noisily into action. Joe watched Mum get into the car behind before he heaved himself up onto the shuddering front seat, still clasping the soggy tissues. He sniffed again and lifted his head to inspect his red eyes in the rearview mirror while his dad struggled with the heavy gear stick. Then they were off. Pulling out of the drive and away from the house where he had lived all of his life. And all of Max’s too. Joe kept his eyes shut until they had made it onto the motorway. He didn’t want to see all the places where he had hung out with Max at one time or another. He slipped on his earphones and tried to switch off but although his eyes were heavy, his mind refused to let him drift away. Instead he was bombarded with pictures and scenes involving Max. Max at school, Max in the band, Max in the cemetery. The images were plaguing him in the same way they had after the first time he had said goodbye to Max. That was nearly one year ago now.

By the time they reached the country lane that led to their new home, the flamed red sky had been extinguished by darkness.

‘We’re here now, Joe.’

He sat up properly and squinted through the window to find a huge shadow of a house bearing down on him in the moonlight. He slid out of the van and stretched his arms up to the sky, breathing in the evening scent of flowers like an animal adapting to its new surroundings. He stared out across the vast lawn, its perimeter defined by small, evenly spaced bushes that looked like an army of hedgehogs.

‘Now then, where’s the key?’

Joe watched as Dad rummaged through his coat pockets. Mum looked over at him and rolled her eyes. Joe gave a half-hearted smile.

‘Aha, here we go. You know, you won’t recognize this place, what with all the work I’ve done. I’ve even sorted out all that fire damage downstairs.’ They shuffled into the hallway where a sudden coldness tiptoed around Joe. He shuddered.

‘Someone’s tired,’ Mum smiled at him. ‘Why don’t you have a hot drink and then call it a night Joe? It’s been a long day.’

He nodded. It was true. His ears were humming and his eyes felt sore.

After shutting the bedroom door, Joe stood for a moment amongst the cluttered silence, furniture spread out in approximate positions, bin bags and boxes piled up in the middle of the room like a funeral pyre. He forced the window open and leant out to look up at the stars. He had never seen so many. The welcome fresh air seeped through and he brought his head back inside, glancing down at the wooden floorboards. A piece of paper caught his eye, wedged in a crack. It was probably just rubbish, but worth checking anyway. He retrieved a guitar pick from his pocket and knelt down, sliding it in the gap and pushing at the paper until he was able to grab at its corner and pull it free. A photograph. It was a slightly faded passport size picture of a young woman and a cute toddler with tiny bunches in her hair. He wasn’t sure why but the picture made him feel sad, even though they were both smiling. He sensed unhappiness, a tragedy. Or perhaps that was just an interpretation of how he was feeling. He was just overtired, completely drained. He placed the picture face down on the bedside table and fell onto his bed. Mum had been right. He was exhausted, finally falling into a deep and dreamless sleep.

Joe sat up suddenly, wide awake, his eyes taking a moment to adjust to the darkness. He reached over for his mobile phone. Only two o’clock in the morning yet he felt like he had been asleep forever. He listened. The silence was unnerving. He was used to the sound of traffic, older youths with drunken mouths and stilettos heading home from a night on the town. The air felt cool on his bare shoulders. Then he remembered that the window was still open. He slid out of bed and padded over. Before he pulled it closed Joe stood for a moment, struck by the tranquility of the back garden as it bathed in the moonlight. Further away he could see the outline of Bracken forest and the hundreds of trees that edged their way up onto the surrounding hills. Everything was still. The world was at peace. And then he saw someone, standing on the edge of the lawn staring up at the house.

Chapter 2

Perhaps it was a tramp or an intruder. Maybe even a ghost.

Whoever it was, Joe didn’t feel afraid or alarmed. Instead he blinked a couple of times and looked again. He couldn’t exactly see a face but he just knew that they were looking up at him. For a few minutes they both stood watching, waiting. Time had frozen, with no one willing to make the first move and get the clock started again. Joe rubbed at the goosebumps on his arms and thought about what to do. He backed away from the window, grabbed his jeans and jumper and pulled them on. He slipped his trainers onto bare feet. Out on the landing he paused for a moment by his parents’ room. No point waking up Dad. The visitor might well be gone by now and he would be accused of having an overactive imagination. He struggled through the unfamiliar territory, reluctant to turn on a light. His hands clasped the banisters as he crept down the stairs and he cringed at every creak. At last he reached the kitchen where the moonlight penetrated the thin curtains. He saw that the key was in the lock so he twisted it and threw the door wide open. He held his breath. But he was too late. There was nobody out there. Then he saw him, more clearly this time, a lanky figure wearing jeans and a denim jacket climbing over the gate into the field that separated the house from Bracken Forest. Joe sprinted across the garden.

‘Hey, wait up,’ he shouted. The boy was already some way across the field but Joe wasn’t giving up. He scrambled over the gate and started to run, building up speed while his heart pounded in his ears. They were nearing the boundaries of the forest now and the boy slowed down. Joe grasped the opportunity and threw himself forward, grabbing at the intruder’s jacket in an attempt to pull him down. The boy twisted round, his strong, slender arms shoving Joe to the ground. Joe felt a kick to the face, a sudden searing pain. Dazed, he curled up on the ground and buried his face into his arms. He wasn’t sure how long he remained like that but when he finally managed to pull himself up, the boy had gone. Head spinning, Joe peered up at the tall trees that loomed over him. They might bend over at any minute and scoop him up. Groaning, he pulled himself to his feet and after one last look around him he turned and walked drunkenly towards the house. As he climbed unsteadily over the gate he felt oddly detached from the real world. The kitchen light was on. Mum was standing in the doorway.

‘My God Joe, what’s happened to you?’ She hurried over in slippers and dressing gown, reaching out. He brushed her away and went inside.

‘Nothing, I thought I saw someone, that’s all. I fell climbing over the fence.’ His face was aching now. It hurt to speak.

‘Oh Joe, I’ll go and get your Dad.’

‘No Mum, don’t wake him up.’ His parents were already worried about his state of mind. ‘Anyway, there wasn’t anyone there. I think I sort of dreamt it, probably being in a strange place and everything. I just want to go back to bed.’ He tore off some kitchen roll and with a shaking hand held it under the tap.

‘At least let me look at your face.’

‘Mum, please stop fussing. I’m fine. I’ll see you in the morning.’ He placed the cool wet tissue against his cheek and winced.

As he climbed back into bed Joe wondered why the boy had been at the house and where he was now. He pictured him, a lone figure weaving his way home through a vast black wood. Rather you than me, he thought, pulling the duvet up over his shoulders. He sauntered into a hazy dream where once again he was in pursuit of the boy. He glided over the field and hovered at the edge of the forest, wondering which way to go. As he looked around, a figure stepped out from behind a tree trunk, a finger raised to their lips, willing Joe to be quiet. Except this wasn’t the boy Joe had chased that night.

‘Max, what are you doing here?’ But Max didn’t answer. Instead he beckoned Joe to follow him into the darkness. ‘Max, what is it?’ Joe edged towards the trees, his feet shuffling across the ground. He took another step forward and stopped when he realized that his foot hadn’t touched solid ground. He glanced down and to his horror saw that he was in fact balancing on the edge of the field as if it was a cliff top, with one foot hanging precariously over the edge into a pit of darkness. He fell back onto the soft, crumbling soil and now he was sliding towards the edge of the cavern. His hands grabbed wildly at chunks of grass and mud in a desperate attempt to stop himself from going over the edge.

‘No!’ he screamed. But it was too late. He tumbled into the vast black void. Max looked down at him, watching as he hurtled further and further into the darkness. A cry remained lodged in Joe’s throat. ‘Max, why won’t you help me?’ He managed to croak. He braced himself for the impact that he felt sure would come.

But it didn’t.

Chapter 3

Instead Joe woke up, his body drenched in sweat. His temples pounded and his cheek throbbed. As he lay with his eyes wide open in the darkness, Joe could still feel the unpleasant sensation of falling through space. He rolled over and switched on the lamp, his hands pressing down reassuringly on his mattress. He gulped down the glass of water on the bedside table but was unable to shift the bitter, metallic taste that coated his tongue, teeth and throat. A taste of what was to come.

Blurred eyes stared up at the cream artex ceiling and traced faces amongst the thick swirling ridges. It was morning, at last. He must have finally dozed off again. A shower would sort him out. He eased out of bed and inspected his face in the mirror. It was swollen with some bruising but all in all he didn’t think it looked too bad. The water pounded down onto his shoulders and he scrolled through his nightmare wondering what it was, if anything, that Max had been trying to tell him. Downstairs he found Mum in the kitchen perched on a stool reading the local paper while munching on a slice of toast. Half empty containers of cutlery, plates and cups were strewn across work surfaces. She looked up and frowned. ‘Oh Joe, what are you like?’

‘Mum, I told you, I’m fine.’ He grabbed a cup and picked up the coffee pot.

‘Did you really see anyone Joe? If you did, we need to tell your Dad.’

He thought about it, the whole experience starting to feel like a distant memory.

‘No. Like I said, I made a mistake. It was just the shadow of a tree or something.’

She nodded, unconvinced. He reached over and plopped the picture of the little girl and the woman down on the page in front of her. ‘Look at that. I found it in my room. It was stuck between the floorboards.’

‘Ah, that’s lovely! It must have been the previous owner’s. Shame we can’t post it onto them.’

‘Why not, didn’t they leave a forwarding address, for their mail and stuff?’

‘No, I don’t think so. Anyway, from what your Father said, this place has been empty for a long time. They could be anywhere by now.’ She pushed the picture back over to him and he quickly shoved it in his pocket. ‘So what are your plans for today, Joe?’

‘I’m gonna go and sort some stuff out in my room.’

‘Well I’m heading into town later if you want to come. I need