Sandman: Take Comfort In Your Dreams
By Yona
This part of the Project was originally hosted by
Red's Resources
Disclaimer: All characters herein are the property of
DC Comics and are used without permission, but no harm is intended and
no money is being made. Please do not archive without permission
from the author. Feedback is appreciated.
I'm sitting here by his bed.
We're at Menorah Hospital of Greater Kansas City. Kind
of an appropriate place to be, considering tonight is the first night of
Chanukah.
You know, in retrospect, I can see why he did it. Downed
seven of his sister's Percoset and twelve of his mother's Phenobarbital,
that is. I mean, the holiday season gets to everyone, right?
I guess to some people more than others. God, like his life wasn't
fucked up enough as it was. His parents were, at the very least.
His sister had recently had surgery on her knee. That's how he got
hold of the Percoset.. His mother had gone off the deep end a long
time ago. They had to keep her sedated at night, otherwise she would
go on about this girl with one blue eye, one green, whose hair was constantly
changing color and length. His father had fallen for this incredibly
lean, gorgeous, perfect woman he claims to have met at work, but I swear,
I dreamt of her (or was it a him? I couldn't quite tell) the night
I decided to go after Michael.. That's his name, by the way.
Michael. The most beautiful yet amazingly unattractive, caring yet
aloof, interesting yet boring boy I ever met. I think I love him.
Not that he'd have noticed. I've been spending a lot of time at Dan's
house lately. I think Michael was getting suspicious.
I brush a lock of soft, shaggy brown hair away from his face,
and wish his eyes weren't shut. That's the most attractive part about
him. He's got the warmest, most enduring and understanding brown
eyes. I couldn't go staring into them without feeling like I was
slowly melting. I look into his eyes and I feel...I don't know...safe.
I wish his eyes were open.
I set his first Chanukah present on the nightstand beside
his bed. It's a picture frame. I made it. It's sort of
a collage, I guess, with clippings of his favorite phrases, lyrics, things
he said. I'll put the picture in it tomorrow. The picture is
why I've been over at Dan's so much. Dan is studying photography
at Kansas University, and Michael was always asking me why I had millions
of pictures of him, but he didn't have any of me. So my gift to him:
eight pictures of with eight poems transposed on top, black and white,
of me in a rose garden.
I crawl on to the bed and lay my head on his chest, so I
can hear his heart beat. This is the only sound I've ever been able
to fall asleep to.. The sound of his heartbeat. I close my
eyes and breathe in the scent of him.
"Anna?"
"Yes?" I open my eyes slowly, blinking a few times
to adjust my eyes to the light. I must have fallen asleep.
"Anna, look at me."
The voice calling me was strangely familiar. I felt...I
don't know, like I had heard it before, but...I couldn't quite place where.
I looked at my surroundings before looking at the source of the voice.
Michael's...room. But weren't we just in the hospital? And
here's Michael, laying next to me, arms around me as usual.
Pale...arms...
Very...pale...arms...
"Anna, look up at my face."
I jerk up into a sitting position, realizing that this was
not Michael, and something was heinously wrong. "Who are you?"
I demand, scared and trembling.
"You know me, Anna."
"N-n-no...I...you're..." I stutter. I slowly begin
to realize that I had seen this strange, pale fellow beside me. I
don't know where or when, but I am simply...aware...
"One of my sisters brought you and Michael together."
I look at this man's pale skin, his ghostly white hair.
"I am here because my sister toyed with you. She
did not think of the consequences of her actions when she brought you two
together -- she solely wanted amusement."
I sit and stare and tremble and know that this is only a
dream. Nothing bad happens in dreams, right?
"Now my other sister is ready for your Michael.
We are all well aware of Desire's actions against you, bringing you together
and then leaving him to Despair. I offer you a boon, whatever you
wish, for the pain you will soon face will be great."
I stare at this ghastly man, dazed.
"NO!!! YOU CAN'T HAVE HIM!!" I scream, sobbing for
what seemed to be an eternity. This is a dream, for God's
sake! Bad things don't happen in dreams. They can't!
I hug my knees to my chest, wrapping my arms around then
tightly. The pale man, dressed in white, touches my face. I
look at him through watery eyes.
"Please...don't take him from me?"
"That is not within my realm of capability."
"But...how will I remember him?" I sniffle. This
can't be happening. Michael is not dying. Why am I accepting
this as if he had?
"I am only here to grant you a boon. You wish for
a way to remember him. Henceforth, I shall place an element of him
in your dreams, something to remind you he is there. Our time here,
however, is finished."
The strange, almost albino man gazes at me with an odd twinkle
in his eye. I almost feel the urge to wave.
Abruptly, I wake up to the harsh sound of machines beeping
steadily, one loud, long screech, tolling the end of a life. I begin
to cry as I take his hand in mine and quietly whisper:
"Happy Chanukah. I love you. Goodbye."
I wait patiently for the doctors to arrive.
The End
