Chapter 5: A dangerous game

I think it’s time to look for that missing essential, Danny thought. He decided to start at the patio. Danny entered the patio dream to look around. Then, he walked out by the rail and looked up and down the street. They weren’t here. He concentrated for a second, then shifted to another dream. This time he went back to the meadow. He walked through the meadow down to the wooded area, then he walked down the path a little way. There they were, playing by the stream.

“Sing, Song, can I talk to you for a minute?” said Danny.

“Sure, Sing said we always have time for you. We like you,” added Song.

“I’m glad to hear that,” Danny said. “Because I like you too. The last time we talked, you said an essential was missing. What can you tell me about that?”

“Not much I’m afraid,” said Sing. “The one missing is Jonathan,” Song added.

“Gary told me that he was kidnapped.” Sing said.

“What does Gary appear as?” Danny asked.

“He’s a Siamese cat,” Song said.

“Do you know where he likes to hang out?” Danny asked.

“He doesn’t hang out anywhere,” Song said.

“He’s a prowler.” Sing added. “You don’t find him, he finds you.”

“Thank you for your time,’’ Danny said.

“You’re welcome,” they both said as they flew back to the water.

He used the door to go back to his office. How would I find Gary? He thought to himself. I’ve never met him before, and he doesn’t know me. So, he had no reason to find me. He walked out to his workshop and started gathering up some tools. Making furniture helped him think. He found any kind of woodworking relaxing. If I could just clear my mind, maybe something would come to me. He thought to himself.

Right now, he was working on a vanity table for Emily. It was for her birthday, and he wanted it to be perfect. He was hand carving the face of the drawers and the knobs on the front. It was starting to look great. A little stain would bring out the pattern nicely. Wait a minute! Bring it out, he thought to himself. If he couldn’t find Gary, he would have to use something to bring him out. Not really to bait him out, but like an offering of good faith. After making a pit stop in the kitchen, Danny decided he would need a new dream. He concentrated on what he wanted and then shifted into the veil of Dreams.

He was now in an alleyway. This alleyway seemed unnaturally long. It was fairly wide, with trash cans and dumpsters lining both sides. The walls were brick, and they had shallow alcoves, and doors randomly spaced down either side. The walls here seemed extremely high. He couldn’t tell how high because they seemed to just disappear into the distance, being swallowed by the darkness above. Even with the lights above some of the doors, the alleyway still seemed pretty dark.

Suddenly, he called out into the alleyway. “I’m looking for Gary. If you can hear me, Gary, I would like to request a meeting. I also brought you a gift.” He added. He pulled a can of tuna out of his pocket, opened it with the pull tab, and set it on the ground beside a dumpster.

“Is that real tuna?” A voice asked. The voice sounded mostly curious, but he could detect a hint of genuine surprise behind it.

Moments later, a Siamese cat appeared from behind a nearby group of trash cans. “It is,” Danny said. “I brought it from the material world. It’s a gift for you. I could bring you more from time to time if you would like.” Danny offered.

“I would like that very much, thank you,” Gary said. “But you didn’t go through all this trouble to find me, just to bring me a gift.”

“You’re right,” Danny admitted. “I came here because I wanted to ask you about the disappearance of Jonathan. I heard that you said he was kidnapped.”

“That’s true,” he said. “And where did you hear this?”

“A little birdie told me,” Danny said.

“Naturally,” he replied. “You know Sing and Song are actually one essential. It’s not multiple personalities like Max. They are a twin spirit.”

“What’s a twin spirit?” Danny asked. “Is that like a spirit that has been split in half?”

“Sort of,” Gary said. “But not exactly. Maybe pulled together would be more accurate, but no one knows exactly how they came to be. However, they’re not the only ones. There’s also Yin and Yang, John and June, etc...”

“That’s very interesting. Thank you for telling me that.” Danny said. “ But what can you tell me about the kidnapping?”

He finished the tuna, turned around, disappeared behind the dumpster, and reappeared as he jumped on top of the dumpster. He walked to the edge and sat down.

“I didn’t witness them taking him.” He began. “However, they had been stalking him for days. Like they were studying him and waiting for an opportunity.”

“Who was stalking him?” Danny asked. “And why would they be studying him?”

“I think it’s the people from that ‘sleep clinic’ that moved into the old asylum.” He answered. “They’re a bunch of nuts if you ask me.”

“What makes you think that?” Danny asked.

“It’s more of a cult or religious sect than anything.” He replied. “They run around talking about freeing their spirits, and they worship something they call the dream Walker. I would say that they’re pathetic, but what they do isn’t possible and that makes them dangerous.”

“What do you mean that makes them dangerous?” Danny asked. “I go into dreams, and I talk to essentials. Doesn’t that make me dangerous?”

“You’re different.” He said. “You were born that way. These are ordinary humans, and they shouldn’t even know what an essential is let alone have the ability to capture one.”

“I guess that does make them dangerous. But, how do you know I’m not dangerous?” Danny asked.

“Like I said. You’re different.” He said. “You’re one of us, and you have a destiny to fulfill.”

“What do you mean I have a destiny to fulfill? And what is that destiny?” Danny asked.

“I don’t know,” Gary said, “but the medial spirits are excited. I’m guessing part of that destiny is helping us and finding Jonathan, or you wouldn’t be here.”

“I guess you’re right,” Danny said. “ I should take one step at a time. By the way, I like that you consider me one of you. I consider it a real honor.”

“You are one of us, otherwise you would have thought it ridiculous to bring a can of tuna to a dream character.” He said as he vanished.

I don’t know about Destiny, but somehow, I am part of this world. I also would like to consider these essentials, my friends. So, before I worry about other stuff, I want to try to rescue Jonathan.

By now, it was morning, so Danny exited the dream straight to his room. He was thinking about what to do next as he started his morning stretches. By the time Danny finished his morning routine and had breakfast, he still had no clue where to start. He wanted to check on this “sleep clinic,” but he didn’t even know what it was. Danny decided it was too dangerous unless he could get more information. Maybe if he tried researching this company, he could get some kind of idea of what they do. Then, when he knew enough, he could pay them a visit.