I Watch My Dreams

By Sean Robin Hughes

My dreams are forgotten most of the time, but when I do remember them, they turn into other things. They are living creatures, and they come to life on the page, build connections to other stories, and create their own narratives that I am not in control of. In this collection, travel to the unknown with misfits and friends; jump into the life of witch trying to make her way in the big city; monsters and demons interacting with people in ways they never imagined; true love found in the places people rarely look; the far flung future of the human race; and many more!

• Language: English
• Publisher: Sean Robin Hughes
• Release date: Dec 1, 2020
• ISBN: 9781005727109

Sean Robin Hughes

Sean Robin Hughes was born and raised in Colorado, which among the people that live in Colorado, makes him a certified unicorn. He has four kids, two dogs, a saint for a wife, and writes in his free time when he is not at work. Ironically, he is in IT, so he is always working in a fashion, so that is not a fair assessment.Sean Robin Hughes enjoys writing, playing with his kids, eating apple pie, enjoying the mountains, and solving problems. Not necessarily in that order, but we don't need an ordered list at this point in the relationship.

Book preview

NURTURING

A soft chime, nothing more than a breath really, crossed his sense of awareness. Just the lightest touch of memory of his life before was rising up within in response. A yearning need to explain everything. A desire to find a way to say everything that was left unsaid until now.

The Vox on soft ground pinged again, and then followed with its typical voices-within-a-voice, but far more artificial than a natural speaker.

"VOICE ENCODING READY, TRANSMISSION STANDBY

PLEASE RECORD YOUR MESSAGE

TOUCH ENCODE CRYSTAL TO TRANSMIT

PROCEED."

Chase sat there, thinking it through. He wiped his hands on his pant legs, and cleared his throat.

Hey. This is Chase, he said. Chase paused and thought about the face of his... Hi Mom.

Another pause. He wiped absentmindedly at his brow, scratching at his hairline.

I am not sure you will recognize my voice. But it’s me. Your son. Sorry I kind of just disappeared on you all like that. I know you probably think I am dead. Well surprise, I'm not. Tell everyone that I miss them. I would make a list, but I need to focus. I was told it has been four years for me now? But that is more like eight years for all of you. That is what Sarah explained to me.

Chase took a deep breath, letting it pass his teeth slowly. He cleared his throat again.

Uh... Where do I start? I... I am the first? I am the first. At least that is what I was told the first time I met Sarah. Right now you may be thinking I am talking about losing my virginity or something crass like that, but that is not what this is all about. This is about the Hylx. And this is about us.

Another deep breath. He did not want to ramble.

I was mad at you guys when I left that night. Now I know that I was thirteen going on full blown adult, and I thought that I knew everything. I thought that I knew what life is, I thought I had it all figured out. But I was wrong. I am sorry for leaving you all. Especially that way. That was no way to treat you or Kevin. I am sorry about all of it. But! I am not sorry about what happened to me. I would never take that back. Me being a jerk and running off that night lead to all of this other stuff... and without that I would not have this, so...

He rambled anyway.

How do I explain this? Can I explain this?

A soft hand laid on his shoulder, and without looking, Chase laid his own hand over the top, feeling the warmth of Sarah's hand spread through his own.

I ran off into the woods. I was angry with you and Kevin. I can't even remember about what. Something stupid, like you forcing me to do my homework over because I scored below a B. I remember how strict you were, and I was fed up. Kevin was trying to preach about listening to my mom, she had my best interests at heart, blah, blah, blah. I did not want to hear it. Plus, to be honest, I did not like Kevin. I am not sure if you are still married or anything, hopefully you are happy. Hopefully...

A reassuring squeeze from Sarah. Chase sighed again.

It doesn't matter. But I ran off. I got lost in the woods. I fell down that stupid ravine you always warned me about and really hit my head. I probably would have died that night of exposure since I was so hurt. I mean I did not even have my jacket. But Sarah saved me. The Hylx are a lot like us. They knew that I was hurt, and they needed someone to study. As they would say, it was a fortunate circumstance. I was the first. Not the only... but the first. So they made the call.

Chase looked up at the purple fronds far overhead, stretching for meters far above, shielding the orange light of the two suns. Only Maka was up, Nera would be coming in about two hands. He had time to really think this through.

I know now that they saved me. Whatever brain injury I had, their medics saved me. And I met Sarah. She was the first thing that I saw when I woke up. She was the first Hylx that talked to me and helped me regain my memory and all the other things that come with an injury like that. It was a hard time, learning to walk again, and to speak, but it came back. It all came back. And Sarah was with me through all of it. She is here with me, say hello to my mom, Sarah.

Voices-within-a-voice sounded, overlaid with context and emotion and thought. The voice was as soft as her touch.

"Glad to introduce

mother of Chase

kindness extended

respect and love."

Chase grinned. I am not sure how that will sound over a speaker, but hopefully you get the gist. It’s different in person. You can hear all of it. I don't know why, but it’s all there. So much I don't understand, and that is the reason I stayed. I need you to know that I did not run away. I wanted to come back. But at the same time, I wanted to understand. I wanted to understand who they were. I wanted to know Sarah like she knew me. So first of all, I guess I can start there. Sarah is not her real name. It is something else...

"Seraphina

ixialiiale

seraahaime

shixisiina."

Yeah that. Thanks Sarah. I couldn't hear the other parts when I woke up the first time. I could only hear Seraphina. And it stuck. She did not appreciate it at first, but that changed when she started to interact with me. In our un-nurtured state, we are like children to them. They think so much faster than us, and are able to work things out. She has kind of been my mom away from home. She has done a great job too. You should know that Sarah takes great care of me. She has encouraged me to learn and exercise. She has pushed me to think like the Hylx, and while I am not as fast as them, they value what I have to offer. They say that we all have this potential. That we can grow, like children to adults. Which is funny because they have like double the amount of life stages than a human. They are really shortening the metaphor.

Chase laughed softly.

The Hylx almost look like monkeys. Imagine blue monkeys with over-sized eyes and hands, and they can move fast, like a hummingbird. But they are not stable physically like a human... they shift. They waver like they are in heat waves on a far off horizon. Something about quantum phase shifting that I don't understand yet. Their species evolved in a very dangerous world, and they evolved to manipulate energy states. It makes them look like they are moving, even when they are standing perfectly still. Sarah tells me that is why they are so smart. They leverage energy use in so many different ways, their brains are always working faster than a physical body would permit. So much I don't understand... yet.

"You will

you will

you will

you will."

You probably heard that. That is called an alignment statement. Hylx can make their states superimpose to get a point across. For the first few weeks, that is all Sarah did to communicate with me. She really took her time to help me. You would like her mom. So don't be mad, ok? Sarah took care of me. She saved me.

Chase ran his hand through his hair, feeling the pull of a few knots at the ends of his long locks.

You should see me. I haven't cut my hair since I arrived. It is so long.

"Tell your mother

about the comings

and the goings

and the warnings."

Earth is dying. The Hylx know because they have been studying us for millennia. They watched the human race rise up, and they knew we needed to be nurtured from nearly the beginning. All the killing, mom. They cry for us. They sing for us. They pray for us. We are so much better than what we think we are. We are amazing creatures and we cannot see past our small little slices of experience of reality. The Hylx have been planning on changing that for the last thousand years. As I said, I was the first.

A cough again, clearing his throat.

The Hylx have predicted that Earth will no longer support human life in about one hundred years. They say that everything that is being done now is too little, too late, to use the sentiment. They admire the human spirit, and they hope that it will serve us well in the days to come. They have established gates all over the Earth. Only one person can walk through at a time. The gates connect to other worlds. Each gate on Earth is one way. And each gate leads to a planet with another nexus of gates.

"A gift

a gift

a gift

a threat."

Sarah tells me that this is a gift for the human race, but the humans have to comply with their demands. And that is the reason I am sending this message. You and Kevin, and everyone else that you care about needs to follow the instructions. Find a gate, and find a Hylx for nurturing. Otherwise, you will die alone on a planet that has given up. And then the Hylx will be terraforming it to make is habitable again. They estimate roughly three and half thousand years to make it healthy.

The gates will gain lots of attention. When they are turned on, you will see the world light up with alarms and warnings and militaries thinking they are doing the right thing. But messages like mine are going to be broadcast around the world. They have been nurturing thousands of us.

Chase took a deep breath, focusing his thoughts on the potential of his voices.

"I was the first

not the only."

He reached out and touched Vox crystal without any hesitation. Sarah laughed with joy and hugged his shoulders, her long blue arm crossing his chest.

"MESSAGE ENCODED

TRANSMISSION SENT

VOX ONLINE."

BRANCHES AND LAMPSHADES

As you know my father was a novelist. He called me into his study one day, it was raining, the air in the house smelled of cinnamon and walnuts. I had just come home from school, a typical Tuesday for a high school student. I had ran the mile in second period, so my clothes all had the latent stink hanging about them as if I had suddenly discovered homelessness that day. My girlfriend at the time was out of town with her parents for their Thanksgiving holiday already, and my best friend had marching band practice, so I had come home immediately after sixth period. There was no reason to stay at school hanging out in my own cloud of old perspiration fighting the mutually exhaustive battles of hormones and skin bacteria.

Adam? Is that you? My father yelled from his study. His voice carried a slight edge of panic. Just enough for me to notice.

Hey, Dad. Yeah, just me.

What are you doing home?

A scramble behind a closed door, papers shuffling, a hastily closed drawer. I set my bag down, oddly paying attention to my dad when a normal day would have me focused inwards, thinking about what snack to grab or what video game I should play as I ignored my homework.

Are you ok? I called out. Walking the stairs timidly. Would I find my father having a secret girlfriend over? My mom had died years ago, and as far as I knew, my dad did not date. Or would it be something worse? Drugs? Would I find my dad tripping balls or staring at invisible dragons only he could see? He was an artist after all. An artist of words, but an artist all the same. Creative people were known to do that sort of thing. I wasn't creative myself, so I wouldn't know how that felt.

Oh, fine. Come in, come in. You just surprised me that's all. His voice was timid now, like he had made a decision that he was afraid of. Hindsight is 20/20. Now as I sit here, explaining this, I remember it so vividly. I remember the sounds, the smells, the touch of my fingers at his door, and the look on his face. It was going to be the last time I would see his face that year, and I remember every detail of it. The harsh gray of his beard against the salt and pepper long hair that he would pull into a messy ponytail. His eyes lined and creased against the tops of his cheekbones, the hidden smile lines underneath belying of a life well lived and well loved. At least before mom died. I remember the cut on his hand, at the edge of this wrist. Not an attempt at suicide, just a clumsy fumble with the cheese grater on taco night. His shirt was plaid, under a light gray coat, lined with a contrary color that made him look like he was about to hop on a motorcycle at any moment and ride off. He looked at me over his glasses, still shuffling the papers back and forth, tossing them in drawers without really looking where they were landing. In front of his desk was a duffle bag, packed. The zipper was taut against the contents fighting to be free.

Going on a trip? I asked.

Yes. You are going to stay with your Aunt Laurie for a while. I am going out of town.

Last minute book tour? I thought your agent promised not to do that anymore, I sighed. Aunt Laurie was my dad's sister and she was awesome. Some people say they had cool aunts, but I actually did. Probably what made me so accepting of my father's erratic schedule.

No... Actually... something that I have been meaning to talk to you about, he pushed his glasses up on his face and sniffed like he was about to cry. I had only seen him cry a couple times, and none of them were good.

Uh... you ok?

I already said yes to that, son, My dad said, grabbing a couple pens and a stack of moleskine field journals from his supply stash in the big folder drawer behind him.

What's going on then? I felt a sense of exasperation already, and had only been in his office thirty seconds.

So you have read my books right?

That was the strangest question he had ever asked me. Ever. Like in my entire life, the strangest by far. Of course I have. All of them. Not every kid has a bestselling fantasy author for a dad.

He waved his hand. Uh. So the first book... about Todd. The beginning with him falling into another world...

Yeah, Dad. I read it, as you know. You read it to me yourself when I was little.

What if I told you that it was all real? He stopped, as if the world had shifted sideways, and everything was on pause. I felt like the rain outside the window had stopped falling, the drops hanging in the air around this moment. All of it... all of it was real.

My face scrunched up in response, my eyebrows meeting each other over the bridge of my nose in confusion. What do you mean it’s real?

My first thought was that my dad had finally hit the brilliant artist's inevitable mental breakdown or he was having a crisis of another sort that I would not be able to understand.

I mean it's autobiographical, not fiction, my Dad let his shoulders loosen, as if a great weight had just been released. His back looked straighter.

Hold up. You are telling me that Mokokia the Wise, the greatest magician of the Esti tribes of Ux, transported YOU to their planet to counter the forces of evil that your father brought into their world accidentally? I said incredulously. Dad, I have met Pop-Pop. He is in a nursing home downtown, barely able to function since his stroke when I was little. I mean come on... What is really going on?

My dad stood straighter, appearing to gain resolve in his words and his physical form at the same time. It was all real. I came back for you and for your mom. I had to be a dad.

So Pop-Pop, my grandpa, is an evil villain? I laughed at the thought of the infirm man in a wheelchair who had a hard time not drooling being an evil magician. In my dad's bestselling debut, 'The Tides of Ux', a young man is transported to Ux to fight the Fury, a dark magician of woeful power and destruction seeking to dominate all intelligent life across the planet of Ux. The Fury is the villain of all villains, acting both in secret and in the open to control every aspect of life on the beautiful and amazing world of Ux. A world full of life, intelligent races, and magic. The magic was awe inspiring. The young hero learns this deep magic from the Esti wizard that brings him to the world, and uses it through trial and tribulation to unknowingly fight his father, and set everything right.

Yes. I did that to your Pop-Pop. I... struck him down and made him that way. I brought him back to care for him... and you, and your mom. And I have done all that. You are graduating this year, I have set aside a trust fund for you, so you are all set. I am proud of you, Adam.

Dad, where are you going?

My father sighed and shoved his journals and pens into his messenger bag. I am going back to Ux. They need me.

Bullshit! I yelled. My anger came from nowhere.

My dad grabbed his floor lamp in the corner. It was a custom made lamp that looked like his main character's staff of power, a limb of the Alltree, a branch of the cosmic force that held the universe together. In the story, the staff served as the focal point for a magician's power. A person that was trained and could harness the raw power of the Alltree could manipulate space, time, and matter as long as they had the focus, the understanding, the will, and the energy to do so. My dad curled his hand around it, and yanked the lampshade from the top, pulling the cord and light bulb assembly from it. I had never noticed but the cord did not go up through the staff, it had been cleverly taped to be hidden behind. Maybe in time, you can come visit. But you should finish your school first. Laurie will take care of you in the meantime.

Why do you think you can just leave!? I continued, ignoring the weirdness unfolding as my dad picked the sticky tape detritus that represented the real world off his staff.

A throat being cleared sounded from behind me. I turned my head in fear, coming to the realization that we were not alone. The door to the study swung shut slowly, the hinges creaking, squealing, as the door headed towards its frame. A small creature, which would not even reach my waist bowed carefully, keeping its large expressive purple eyes on me.

Adam, the creature said, its voice deeper than it should have been. I am Mokokia, and I have been sent by the Council to bring your father back.

My eyes were wider than saucers, and if my eyelids could go any higher, they would push my eyeballs clean out of their sockets. Holy shit.

Mokokia rose from his bow, placing his hands on his own diminutive Alltree staff that stood before him. I need your father's help.

Never mind. I thought at the time that this is where I suffer my mental breakdown and a crisis of a different sort myself. Mokokia approached me calmly, his bald head was the hue of a bluebird's wing, shifting from blue at his ears to white around his mouth and nose. He simultaneously was entirely contrary to what I imagined the great Mokokia to look like, yet at the same time, matched my father's description to the letter. He laid his blue three-fingered hand on my shaking arm.

Adam, you can visit. I will ensure you see your father again. Perhaps you will have his gifts for the Alltree Speech. Perhaps you can sing to the bones of the mountains and the wings of the sky, and come to know the spirit of Ux personally. Perhaps?

Your English is very good, I squeaked.

Much practice. But your father, is good teacher. Walter, are you ready to go? Mokokia asked my father.

So you were... you are... Todd the Worldbreaker? I finally understood what my dad had been telling me.

He walked around the desk, tossing his duffle over one shoulder and his messenger over that. He grabbed his Alltree staff and laid a single hand on my shoulder and looked me in the eye.

Actually, the title is Walt the Worldbreaker. Be strong. I will send for you later.

Mokokia touched his staff to the ground, said a word, and as if nothing had ever happened, I was standing alone in my dad's study, with the destroyed bits of the corner lamp strewn across his desk.

✽✽✽

Wow that is quite the story, mister, my girlfriend Amie laughed.

I shrugged, trying to keep the jest going. It was my nineteenth birthday and we were eating alone at my Aunt Laurie's place on the west side.

Your dad has been on his tour for a year now... he should be back any day, Amie continued. You should write that down and let him read it when he gets back.

Well that is why I wanted to have dinner with you actually, I paused. I pulled an Alltree seed from my pocket and set it on the table.

Amie's eyes sparkled with the light of the seed pulsing in the dim light of her dining room. "Wow. Did you get that at Comic-con? It looks just