#43 Chalice of Dreams

Chalice of Dreams

     We live in a very fortunate or unfortunate time, depending on how you look at things. The good part about living in this era is that we all posses the ability to control our dreams, and some people are even lucky enough to visit other people’s dream worlds. That's great, I mean, who doesn't want to be able to do whatever they want, but the bad part is that you can't just go jumping off of building to “see what is feels like,” because the catch of this amazing gift is that if you die in the dream world, you die in real life too.
     Unfortunately my little sister, Hannah, is one of those people that figured how to go into other people’s dreams. She’s only ten, yet she is already accomplished more in life my lazy, seventeen-year-old self. The only reason I know that she can do this is because she keeps popping up in my world, right when I'm about to do something cool and says every single time, “Ross! You don't want to do that, what if you [insert some dumb way to die here]?” God, why is it frowned upon to strangle a minor? Don't get me wrong I love my sister, but I'm just your average high schooler who can't really do anything right, and just wants to be left alone. My dream world is the only place I can really be by myself, except for my sister on occasion.
     One night, in my preferred dream world, I was exploring this crazy ancient looking temple, it's all dusty and full of spiders and other creepy crawly things. I'm going to Indiana Jones it up in here. I was just wandering around the place when I come across a strange door with a bunch of carvings and a large, strange shaped hole on it. Since this is my world, I can just make it open, right? Wrong. Why won't it open? If I got anything from my extensive video game knowledge, I know is that when you find a magic door, it's hiding something important. Okay gamer brain, I need your help to open this door.
     Finally, I found something that looks like it could fit into the hole in the door. It's a pole that's about three feet long that I had to go all the way to neighboring temple to find. I'm back at the other temple and as I got closer to the door, the pole started to heat up. I'm guessing that's someway to discourage people to continue forwards to the door, but I melted going. I wrapped the end of shirt around a section of the pole so I could keep hanging on to it. When I got to the door the pole started shaking violently. Naturally, it was a bit awkward trying to get the pole into the door. With the he pole still wrapped up, I tried to turn sideways and fit the pole in. This is a very hard thing to do when you are shaking like a junkie trying to find his next fix.
     After what felt like ages, more like five minutes but who’s counting, I finally got the stupid pole in the stupid door. At first nothing happened, but then the whole place started to shake and the door started to open very slowly. Inside was a large room that looked way too modern for the ancient temple was in. The whole place had that very sterile feeling, everything was clean and pure white, the only thing in the room is a little pedestal with an old, dusty chalice sitting on it. Obviously I have to take it. Now it's really time to get my Indiana Jones on. I know how these things work.
     I went back out into the main room and took a rock that looked about the same weight as the chalice. Back in the room, I walked as cautiously as a lanky nerd can, which is not very stealthy by the way. There didn't seem to be any hidden traps along the way to the pedestal. I got up to the chalice, holding my rock and my her hand right next to it, ready to make the switch. I wiggled my fingers and said aloud to myself, “okay Ross you can do this. On three. One, two, three!” I quickly grabbed the chalice with my right hand and placed the rock in it’s place. Well, I tried to put the rock in it's place, but it rolled off and crashed to the floor. I held my breath, but nothing happened. I started to breathe again and made my way out the door. Apparently me taking this thing did trigger something, because right outside was a semi-circle of six guys dressed in all black just staring at me.

     “I think you have something that is our’s,” said one guy who stepped toward me a little. Okay, so this one must the leader.
     “And what would that be?” Might as well try to get some information out of them. “The chalice, kid.”
     “I don't seem to know what you are talking about, sir. Describe it, please?” Be the good kid and play ignorant, that's how you get what you want. Life lesson right there.
     “Don't get smart with me, kid,” okay, maybe not, “it's the old one, kinda dusty? It's the key to staying in the dream world forever without consequences.” Never mind, that's all I needed to know.
     “Oh, I know what you're talking about now, yeah. You mean this thing?” I held up the chalice and half the guy's eyes got larger.
     “Give that to me!” Yelled the leader guy.
     “Okay, first of all, chill dude. I will,” I started to walk towards him, “and second,” then I dodged around them and ran. I was hurdling over large rocks and jumped down the stairs. It was like parkour, I felt so cool, but in reality I probably look like a flailing baby bird that just jumped out of the nest for the first time.
     “What are you doing?” I heard the man yell, along with the sound of thudding footsteps behind me.
     “I don't really know, it seemed like this is what the main protagonist would do,” I called back to them. As I was running I thought about what the bandit-like man had said, the key to staying in the dream world forever. That doesn't sound so bad, except I wouldn't seeing all three of the people I actually talk to, and my family. I could use this chalice to be happily living in here forever. Then I started to think about my little sister. I would miss her so much, how would she survive, because God knows I'm the only one that actually loves and takes care of her. Nope, I decided right then and there that I'm going to destroy the chalice.
     Why am I still running? This is my dream world, I can create whatever I want with minimal effort. I looked back and the bandits were pretty far behind me, so I pictured my second favorite place, Volcano Valley. Suddenly, I was running up the side of a volcano. Since I am a very unathletic person who happens to be sick on leg day, I slowed way down. The bandits were catching up to me. I tried to push myself, but it wasn't enough. The bandits caught up to me at the opening of the volcano. The leader grabbed at my right arm. I held the chalice in my left over the opening.

     “Stop, don't get any closer or I will drop it,” I said with all the confidence could.
     “No you won't kid,” with that the bandits started closing in on me. I fought them as hard as I could. I got four of the guys to fall in, so it was just me, the leader and one the smaller bandits left.
     “Kid, give me the chalice and I'll forgive you for killing my men. Come on kid you aren’t going to drop it” said the leader. He got closer, I looked behind him and saw a small figure a few feet behind the men.
     I just held my arm out over the opening and looked him straight in the eye and said, “watch me.” I dropped the chalice, and grabbed the leader’s arm and with all my might dragged him over the edge after it, while the small figure pushed the other bandit. The other one caught my shirt sleeve and almost pulled me in with him, but I got pulled back to safety and ripped my arm out of his grasp.
     “What are you doing at a volcano? You could get yourself killed,” said Hannah, my little sister.
     “It's a long story, lil sis. Come on let's wake up, safe and sound at home and I'll tell you all about it,” I put my arm around her as we walked down the side volcano.
     “You have to admit, we make a good team, Ross,” she said with a little smirk. 
     “Yes we do.”

The End.