Chapter 3 - Dream Boy

Rupert woke up a second time from what seemed like waking from a dream within a dream. On the radio was Dizzy Dee who was interviewing a couple of characters from Powder Poof and Polar Pal cartoons. Rupert couldn’t stand to hear the same interview for the third time this week. He sat up from his bed and turned off the radio alarm clock after a few missed tries.

Rupert rubbed his eyes and looked into his room, checking for anything different.

“Oww –“ Rupert said sourly as he pinched himself to ensure he was truly awake this time.

Rupert let out a long yawn, not ready to wake up since it was a Saturday and like any kid, Rupert wanted to sleep in. This Saturday was a bit different than others, and poor Rupert had to endure the early wake up for his little sister’s extra special day. Her birthday happened to fall on a Saturday this year, and she wanted to spend it at the Big Blue Sea Park with her friends.

He knew his sister was going to show off her recent classroom knowledge of the sea animals. He'd have to endure listening to his sister give MANY lectures today. Mother didn’t put up much of a fight when her little girl wanted to go somewhere. Rupert thought it was a girl-bonding thing or it was because his sister was the youngest. Being the oldest, Rupert was naturally given less complaining rights than his sister.

Rupert looked over and saw that Raja was up at her window gazing outside at the early blue birds. The birds loved to tease Raja by sitting on a close tree branch next to Rupert’s bedroom window. Raja knew better than to pounce at the window this time. She had learned ten times over that she couldn’t jump through the mysterious hard substance between her and the yummy birds.

Raja glanced over at Rupert and jumped away from the window to his bed, purring as she approached him. When she reached Rupert she made a quarter turn and dropped down in between his legs, waiting for her beautiful caramel fur to be finally rubbed after the long night of playing without Rupert.

She was one of the most beautiful cats he had ever seen and one of the most expensive. It was a good thing that his grandmother, Granny Archim was able to get this kitten for free from a neighbor friend. He would have never gotten an animal if his parents had to pay for one.

Rupert picked Raja up and held her up so that both of their noses touched.

‘Sorry, Raja I can’t let you outside. If I did, mom would never let me bring you back in’, he said while looking into Raja’s big green eyes.

Without warning, Rupert’s mother, quickly opened his bedroom door.

‘You aren’t putting that filthy thing next to your face are you?’ she said looking anxious.

‘I don’t understand why you keep that cat inside -- you should leave it outside with the other animals.’

As Rupert placed Raja on the floor, she looked up and turned away from Mrs. Thatcher pretending not to care what Mrs. Thatcher had to say.

‘That cat can’t stay in here if it’s going to cause trouble. That cat is a bad!’ Mrs. Thatcher said staring at the kitten.

‘Did you know that cat was up early this morning bouncing a rubber-bouncing ball keeping your dad and I awake? You know your father has had it extremely hard lately with work and he needs his rest....’ Mrs. Thatcher said quietly.

Raja continued licking her fur ignoring Mrs. Thatcher’s. She was busy doing acrobatic tricks lifting her leg and twisting around trying to reach every section of her beautiful fur.

‘I'm sorry, but are you sure?...I would have heard…’ Rupert answered while looking back over to his mom.

‘Don't argue, Your father almost broke his back trying to figure out where that noise was coming from. And then…we heard that loud crash the other night downstairs…that I had to clean up. I think that cat got loose last night and broke my favorite vase.’ Rupert’s mom said while glaring at the kitten.

This time Raja stopped what she was doing and cocked her ear to the side to listen carefully. Raja disliked being accused of something she had no involvement in.

‘Vase…Vase…’ Rupert said softly as if he was trying to remember something.

‘Yes, honey…vase. You know the one that was holding my beautiful white and pink stargazers?’

‘Oh…’ Rupert said…staring blankly. ‘But…but how could that have happened. The door is closed shut and Raja can't leave the room..’ he drifted off saying while being lost in another thought.

‘Well, it happened. And I can’t get a NEW one. That particular one is sold out from the Queen Gallery. Humph…you better just watch that cat. I don’t want to lose any more sleep worrying if something else is going to break.’ Mrs. Thatcher turned around and was just about to leave the room when she had one more thing to add.

“Oh, and you better get ready soon. Since your dad can’t join us today because of work, your grandmother is coming on our trip to the Big Blue Sea Park and we need to pick her up. I need another adult with us or I’ll go nuts!”

Rupert was ecstatic that his grandmother, who everyone called Granny Archim, would be coming along to the park. She knew a whole lot of everything, anything and nothing. It didn’t matter if it was odd, usual or recent; Granny knew it all and had an answer for anything.

Rupert’s thoughts drifted back to the vase and his dream, noting to himself that he would need to speak with Granny Archim about what happened to him last night. She always loved listening to his stories and found them interesting to share, which helped Rupert since his mom was not interesting in divulging his stories and never took the time to listen.

As Rupert turned over to climb out of bed, something smarted on his legs. He sat up and touched his thigh to only cry out in pain. What was wrong with his legs? It wasn’t until now that he remembered a dream he had last night that included a strange gold vase. In fact, Rupert could now recall more details of the dream.

Rupert tossed off his blankets to observe his legs. The memory of his dream of the black dragon reminded him of the burning sensation he had on his legs. He didn’t expect anything to be there but was curious to look at the all too real burn he felt in his dream.

Rupert slowly pulled up his pant leg while Raja peered out from under the blanket covers looking annoyed at the abrupt change in her surroundings. As Rupert pulled up his leg he saw something strange. On the inside of his leg was a purple looking bruise about the size of small plate. Rupert quickly pulled up his other pant leg and saw the same thing on the other.

‘What?…’ Rupert whispered to himself.

How could this have happened in his dream? The marks were not burns but they were still odd and looked disgustingly purple.

Rupert stood up and walked over to his closet to look into his hanging mirror. In the mirror were the same two bruises right above his skinny knees on his inner thighs.

Rupert immediately looked down at his hands to see if they were also bruised. He couldn’t remember if he touched the black dragon with his hands. Nothing was on the palm or the back of his hands.

“Why would I have bruises on my leg…?” Rupert whispered as he stood back from the mirror still in awe as to what was on his body.

“Rupert?” a sleepy voice said around the doorway, startling Rupert. He quickly dropped his pant legs.

Rupert looked up to see his little sister stumbling around the corner with her eyes half open. She was rubbing her eyes and holding a small book under one of her tiny arms. She was about one half the size of Rupert and growing pretty fast. She looked like Rupert but different, if that makes sense. Rupert had dark brown hair and hazel green eyes that would change color depending on what color shirt he wore, while she had short bright blonde hair, dark brown eyes and the cutest smile when she wasn’t throwing a tantrum. If it weren’t for those differences Rupert and his sister Myra would look like twins.

‘Happy Birthday, sis,’ Rupert struggled to say with enthusiasm but couldn’t muster up enough since he was still a bit tired.

‘Thank you, thank you!’ his sister smiled and then frowned again.

‘Mommy, told me that you could help me with this’, said Myra while plopping herself onto Rupert’s unmade bed.

Rupert turned the book over and saw that it wasn’t a schoolbook.

‘Day mares and Night mares – The Understanding of Dreams’, Rupert read out loud. From looking at the front cover anyone could tell it was a children’s book. There was a white and black horse dancing in a white cloud over a sleeping child. Rupert had read this book before and knew the white and black horse symbolized dreams. The white horse or day ‘mare’ had an angel’s halo above its head and represented the good dreams. The dark horse or night ‘mare’ had flaring red nostrils and red eyes, which symbolized the dreams that were bad.

‘Did you have a mare, I mean a nightmare?’ Rupert said stumbling over his words. All that thinking of mares and horses mixed him up a bit even though they were the same thing.

‘Yes, it was really scaree’, Myra replied while she picked up sleeping Raja from the bed. Raja looked annoyed that she was moved.

‘Why, what happened this time?’

Quickly she rattled off, ‘Well…I was helping my friends escape this dungeon. My stuffed animals were alive and needed my help so I naturally went back for them. But when I went back I couldn’t find them and was lost in a dark dark dirty dungeon…. And …And…. This…’ Myra looked down and hugged Raja tighter.

Raja was about to bite Myra for holding her too tight when Myra released a little as she began to talk again. Raja took her chance and made a run for it jumping out of Myra’s confining arms and darted out of the room to escape the chance of recapture.

‘And, what…?’, Rupert said, sounding impatient as he wanted to examine his bruised legs again.

‘A red monster with horns came up to me. I wasn’t afraid, but then…he placed his face right up to mine.’ Myra held up her hand to her nose to demonstrate.

‘He asked me what my name was. But I wouldn’t tell him. He then told me his name…but I…I forgot. I think it was…Vvv…Vla…,’ she paused and attempted the pronounce the name again.

‘It’s okay sis forget the name. What did he do?’

‘Well, he told me that I wouldn’t be able to rescue my friends. He said that I belonged there, with the bad people’, Myra finished and started to tear up.

“Oh sis, you aren’t bad. No need to worry he’s not real” Rupert reassured her. Lately, she was having a lot more monster dreams.

“Rupert…” Myra quietly mumbled. ‘What should I do?’

“Do what I’ve told you before. Fight back, tell him he is a meany and that you don’t want him to play in your dreams anymore”, Rupert quickly answered as if it was easy for her to do.

“Well I’m not as experienced as you are, Mr. Dream boy. I need HELP…” Myra tried to clarify to Rupert.

“Yes, I know you need helpppp”, Rupert said while smiling at his sister.

“Mommy, Rupert’s not being nice!!” Myra shouted and cocked her head to side to hear her mom’s response better and thought this would help.

She heard nothing. “Humph”, Myra said while crossing her arms.

“And what do you mean by Mr. Dream Boy? I can’t be, I’m your older brother…you’re going to have to find someone else to like.”

“I didn’t mean that silly.” Myra replied. “That thing in my dream called you that.”

“What are you talking about?”

“Well...That thing…in my dreams. He knows you.”

“Of course he knows me. YOU know me so therefore HE knows me. It’s all in your head”, he said while rubbing her already messy bed hair.

‘Well…I guess you’re right. But he said that he had a message for me to tell you.’ She paused and bit her lip.

‘And that message is….’ Rupert asked impatiently while looking through the children’s dream book.

‘Well, he didn’t want you meddling in his business.'

'You're speaking nonsense. Ugh, just get out of my room.’

‘AND, he said that you needed give me my present right away or something bad will happen to you!’ she quickly said as she knew she was being thrown out of Rupert's room.

Rupert was about to say something when both Myra and Rupert heard their mom yelling at them.

‘You guys better be ready in 15 minutes. I’m not going up there to get you!’

‘Well, we should get ready little bear.’ Rupert said while looking at Myra’s little blue pajamas with teddy bears of all sizes printed all over it. ‘We don’t want Mom to get mad at the both of us’.

Rupert raced his sis into the bathroom. He naturally got there first, but let his sister use the bathroom first. He knew if he didn’t, she would say something to mom, and he didn’t want to start the morning bad. He didn’t mind waiting. It would give him more time to examine his bruises again. He couldn’t get it out of his head. How did they get there?