01: A Unique Opportunity

I: Dreamers’ Dreams

A dream you dream alone is only a dream.
A dream you dream together is reality.

John Lennon

01: An Intriguing Opportunity

“Don’t order any of the faerie food,” said Jace,
looking at her over the top of his menu.
“It tends to make humans a little crazy.
One minute you’re munching a faerie plum,
the next minute you’re running naked
down Madison Avenue with antlers on your head.”

Cassandra Clare

His head snapped up at someone’s sillage as they passed. Theo Müller recalled Jennifer’s coconut-and-aloe shampoo scent awakening him, her hair dangled over his face as she leaned over, kissing him awake. Shaking his head, the vision faded leaving an overwhelming sense of disappointment and dread—a frequent occurrence these months. Focusing on his patient questionnaire for his next session, he couldn’t allow melancholy to overwhelm him, lest he sink into another deadly spiral.

While hardly earthshattering, his statistical study would define the links between sleep and reality. Yet Theo couldn’t shake the feeling he was somehow on the brink of a major breakthrough. Without knowing where it might originate, those two things kept him focused on his work. A simple knock interrupted him, providing a blessed distraction, as a middle-age, bearded face greeted him.

“Tom?” Theo glanced at his watch. “You’re early. The sleep clinic doesn’t start for another twenty minutes.”

“That’s ‘cause I’m here for ‘bout another matter. So why are you so jumpy today? I didn’t catch you at a bad time, did I?”

“No,” he said, glancing down as he sorted and set his papers aside. “I was ... momentarily distracted, that’s all.”

He considered her, in a painfully familiar pitying expression. “Jennifer again?” When he nodded, not able to meet his eyes, Tom sighed. “You really need to move on. You’ve been here for some time, you’re doing excellent and exciting work, and you’re slowly making friends. The faculty love you, and the students in your lectures positively adore you. She’s already screwed you over enough. It’s time to lock her memories away in a little box, throw away the key, and start rebuilding your life.”

“I know, I know,” Theo sighed, holding the folder of papers he’d been working on. “That’s the only thing keeping me going, focusing on my work so I don’t keep remembering her. But the smallest things will set me off, and unsought memories come tumbling out. But ... they’re just momentary, inconsequential lapses. As long as I keep busy, I can keep them at bay.”

Tom slowly shook his head. “Your pallid complexion and bloodshot eyes weaken your argument. You look like a wreck. You need to come climbing with me. There are some great peaks nearby, even for a newbie like you. The warm sun, the bracing wind on your face and the majestic scenery will give you something else to obsess about during your off hours. Sitting in this office all day isn’t doing anyone any good.”

“Hey, I’ve climbed before, and I’m pretty damn good at it. While not up to your caliber, I can certainly keep up.”

“Yet I keep asking, we all keep asking, and you keep waving us off. It’s time to get your head out of the clouds for a few hours so you’re fresh for the rest of the week.” Theo glanced aside, looking down. “Let me guess, the little bitch used to climb with you, didn’t she?”

“Hey, that’s the woman I planned to marry,” Theo said, his face flushing.

“Yeah, the same one who left you with nothing more than a brief note before walking out. While I understand your frustration, she ain’t coming back! Just like anyone else, you need to dust yourself off, get back on your feet and get back in the game.”

“I’m working on it, but my main focus is proving myself. I’m working in an entirely new field, at a new campus, after abandoning all my previous contacts. Once I establish myself, and ensure I’m on solid ground, then I can take time to enjoy the scenery.”

“Yeah, you’ve branched into a new field, but only after confessing to Dean Lawrence how much you hated your previous field. And you’ve blossomed in this new role, the students adore you, the other professors are constantly talking about you, and your lectures are well attended by both students and faculty. You’re on solid ground already, it’s time to take your foot off the gas and coast for a few blocks, before revving up to take a few fast turns.”

“Thanks, but while everyone likes me, I’m in a precarious professional position. I’m in a temporary position, working on an unimportant research project that won’t earn me my doctorate and I can’t afford to coast.” Theo’s voice dropped, as he glanced aside again. “Especially since my parents aren’t pleased that I flushed my careet down the tubes before I’d even started the serious work.”

“Hey, don’t focus on that,” Tom said, settling into the chair before his desk. “You’re doing great, and you’ve got time to pick a new dissertation project. You certainly have the training, which works just as well in either field. You’re destined to go far; you just can do it by spinning on a dime. These things take time, which takes bidding your time and using it efficiently.”

“Anyway, what’s this other matter? Our fields don’t often overlap.”

“I think you’re going to be excited, as it plays into all of your strengths. Not only does it draw on your expertise in the sleep and unconscious mind fields, but it capitalizes on your extensive medical knowledge.”

Theo waved his platitudes off. “I’m no physician. I took a highly specialized study of the brain, with no practical knowledge of understanding of practical medicine, to prepare for a career in research which is no longer on the table.”

“Maybe not,” he said, sitting back and pulling something from his briefcase. “But I’ve got something that not only calls on each of your specialized skills, but stands to provide an unprecedented dissertation, that will cement your career opportunities and bring you widespread fame and attention too.”

Theo glanced up, eyeing him skeptically. “So, if it’s such a hot opportunity, why aren’t you capitalizing on it yourself?”

“Because, even though I’m well-renowned in my field, I don’t have the background to do this kind of research. You, however, not only have the necessary skills and expertise, I’m guessing you also have the professional connections to call in a few favors to parlay this opportunity into something earth shattering.”

“All right, let’s play down the grandstanding. I’m not that depressed. What’s this new research proposal.”

“It’s not so much a proposal, as an exciting subject demanding an in-depth analysis.” Tom paused, refocusing his excitement into a more professional detachment.

“As the resident botanist, I often visit remote locations searching for unique specimen. I also an avid caver and spelunker, plus I dabble in the occasional recreational drug use.” He placed the plain brown box he’d been excitedly palming for the past few minutes on Theo’s desk and removed an ordinary, unexceptional small brown root. “I discovered this, which provides a delightful high, but isn’t really anything I can use in my particular field. But ... it has a highly unusual effect, which plays directly into yours.” He paused, observing Theo’s reaction. “After taking it, I’m able to visit other people’s dreams. Since you specialize in them, I figured you’d be intrigued.”

“When you say ‘high’...”

“It’s a fairly powerful natural hallucinogen, and since it’s not artificially refined, the consistency isn’t like the chemically produced LSD. I’m considering trying it during today’s session to see what it’s like with so many dreamers in the same room. I’m confident it’ll give you new insights into people’s dreams.”

“I don’t know,” Theo hesitated, holding the dried object against the light, examining it. “It sounds unbelievable. Are you sure you weren’t just ... tripping, imagining it?”

“Absolutely. After experiencing a neighbor’s dream, I asked around, and what I observed is consistent with her history, though I wasn’t about to ask her myself. If you’re doubtful, you can easily verify the results via your patients’ dream records, assuming they’re honest.”

“And you had no prior indications into what you learned while ... partaking of this?”

“Nope. It was completely out of left field, and I could tell it wasn’t some fantastic dream, but based on her personal experiences.”

“I don’t know, I know next to nothing about this type of thing. Before I try anything with it, I’ll need it analyzed to determine the active ingredient triggering the supposed telepathic ability, otherwise the results won’t be publishable. Even then, it’s doubtful anyone will touch it. Psychedelics aren’t exactly a popular research field, and no one will invest in it given the unpleasant associations.”

“Trust me, no one knows about this sort of thing. I’m guessing it activates some untapped region of the brain, unlocking abilities no one’s even experienced before. We’re not just talking about seeing new things, we’re talking about an entirely new field of research.”

Theo sat up, his eyes alight with possibilities over Tom’s phrasing, though he refused to trust it just yet. “Like mental telepathy, somehow restricted exclusively to dreams? Sorry, but I’m not buying it. There’s no way you can phrase it so it’ll make a lick of sense.”

“Fine. Try it once. If you don’t experience the same thing, you can abandon it. I’m only offering it to you, because it’s right up your alley, and you’re the only one I’d trust with it.”

“Before I try anything, I’ll need a sample to be tested, more to start a clinical trial with a variety of patients, and enough for a follow-up study to validate the first.” He held up the root, only as large as the first digit of his index finger. “I doubt this is enough to satisfy my skeptical peers, who’ll enjoy nothing more than to humiliate me for making this sort of unsustainable claim.”

“I expected you’d say that. I’ve got more, but I didn’t want to turn it over if you’re not interested. Again, try it. If you’re convinced, I can supply whatever you’ll need.”

“I’ll also have to account for where it comes from.”

Tom sighed. “Fine, I’ll draw you a map, but do me a favor, don’t publicize it. Most importantly, leave enough for me. As I said, the potency and hallucinogenic quality are exceptional. What’s more, it’s substantially shorter term than most hallucinogens, which take a full day, so it’s not as limiting. But you’d better try it first, taking a very small dose, so you won’t freak out. Then after a day or two, try seeing whether you can see other’s dreams. Otherwise, your observation notes won’t make much sense.”

“Okay, if the effects are that extreme, I’ll need more specific details: time before the onset of the effects, duration, any post-experience effects or complications I should be aware of.”

Tom chuckled. “Relax. Half the fun of poppin’ hallucinogenics is the surprise. Nothing I tell you will prepare you for what you’ll encounter, and there’s no way to evaluate time while you’re under. Timespans and durations are meaningless. Again, give yourself plenty of time, see how you respond, and then decide whether it’s for you or not. But I’ll promise, once you experience the shared dreams, you’ll be committed to the idea.”

“You’re killing me here. I’ve never tried recreational drugs before. If this isn’t legit, I’ll kill you, but ... I am intrigued. I’ll consider it. But that’s all I’m promising for now.”

“That’s all I’m asking,” Tom replied. “And I’m dying to see your own dream record after you try it the first time. I’m sure it’ll be a hoot! What’s more, it’ll give you something better to obsess over than bad memories of your ex.”

After the sleep clinic wrapped up, Theo glanced around ensuring no one could overhear them. “I need to know, have you experimented with anyone’s dreams today?”

“I sure did. It was amazing!” Tom’s eyes lit up, his pupils sparkling. “Just as I expected, I experienced their dreams as if they were my own. Most times, they featured the individual, so it’s fairly easy determining who’s dream you’re in.”

“Were you overwhelmed, did you transition between each, or did you live everyone’s dream at once?”

“That’s what I initially feared, but it wasn’t the case. Instead, their dream would play out like watching a movie. I was merely a passive observer, as the entire dream was dictated by the other person. I neverappeared in any of them. But I’d be in one person’s dream for a while, then switch over to someone else’s.”

“Just to be clear, no one ever saw you in their dreams. You just observed, never participating in them?”

“That’s correct. It’s like I was eavesdropping on their dreams, rather than actually being in them. As far as they were concerned, they were the only one’s there, aside from whomever they were dreaming about.”

Theo nodded, his brow wrinkling as he considered it. “Assuming there’s anything to these claims, that makes sense. Despite their perceived depth, most dreams don’t last long. They only occur during your REM cycle, before you fall completely asleep. However, the REM stage doesn’t last long, and most transition to a deeper sleep as the dreams end abruptly, leaving any apparent conclusions unresolved. Thus, you likely transition when they fall into a deeper sleep. Once the dream ends, you pick up the next one. Though whether they’re triggered by timing or proximity is an interesting question.” He paused, biting his lip. “So how was your sleep? Do you feel rested, or did you never get past your early REM cycle?”

“Actually, not only do I feel great, but I’m raring to go. It’s like I drank several Red Bulls while chugging expresso shots. But then, I work out so much, I normally sleep pretty soundly anyway—at least after you worked with me.”

“Alas, that’s likely just the overexposure and experiencing something for the very first time. Personally, I wouldn’t advise it, as you could easily overextend yourself. Rather than trying to visit everyone’s dream, you should stick to only one or two at a time.”

Tom clapped him on the shoulder. “I’ll tell you what, when the buzz wears off—if the buzz ever wears off, I’ll let you know. But I feel like I slept solidly all night and now I’m restless and ready to begin my day.”

“We’ll see. I expect you’ll crash in another hour or two and sleep solidly for hours. Whatever’s happening, you aren’t used to it, so it’s got to be taxing. It’s like your brain is learning a new task, but it doesn’t have any additional reserves to keep up with the increased workload.”

“Well, if I do dream, it’ll be interesting, as they gave me plenty of ammunition.”

Theo glanced back, holding his chin. “Intellectually, this is a fascinating concept, but I’m deeply troubled by what you’re doing. It’s a clear violation of their privacy. Our fantasies are our most closely-guarded secrets, for good reasons.”

“If it makes you feel any better, the majority were pure fantasy, though ... one in particular was especially troubling.”

Theo held his temples, groaning. “Geez. I wish you hadn’t told me. You’re gaining insights into someone’s hidden fantasies, things they have little control over and probably have never done. Or, they’re issues they’ve resolved and put behind them a long time ago. It’s unfair taking what you see as the literal truth. If someone witnessed something, they’d likely dream about themselves in the same scenario, even if they’d never consider acting on the impulses.”