The Universe of Dreams

It wasn't a dark and stormy night, as I finally headed to bed. as I had three finals tomorrow, and I needed to be fresh and wide awake to take them. I awoke with a start as my face was being splashed with lots of water and running in rivulets down my face. The wind was tearing at my hair, and without thinking, I reached my tongue out to taste what I thought were my tears. Tasting seawater instead of tears brought me completely awake, and I found myself standing on the middle of a deck of a three-masted sailing ship. If that wasn't strange enough, I was dressed like a Venetian Doge from centuries before I was born. Before I could figure out why I was standing on a sailing ship in the middle of what had to be a full-blown typhoon, voices yelling at me in a foreign language caused me to take a quick stock of what was going on around me. What I saw scared the hell out of me, the wind whipped seas were roaring over the rail, washing across the desk trying to founder the ship.

Suddenly the foreign language made sense, and I realized that the Captain and whom I later found out was the Sailing Master were yelling at me to do something or we were all doomed. They were also pointing vigorously to starboard; I followed their arms and saw breakers only a couple of hundred yards away. Due to the horrendous wind and strong tide, the ship was being pushed near and nearer to those breakers, which were probably hiding coral reefs that could tear the bottom right out of a ship.

I took another very swift look around and saw torn sails flapping in the wind along with rigging snapped and flailing at the sailors that were trying to repair them. I had absolutely no idea what to do, or why everyone expected me to do something about the horrible situation we were in. So, I did the only thing I could think of, I raised my hands into the air and shouted,

"STOP;" at the top of my lungs. I only meant for everyone to stop shouting at me, however to my astonishment not only did the wind stop its unholy howling the sea stopped coming over the side trying to wash all of us overboard. While I stood there taking stock of what had just happened the Captain walked over to me and stood directly in front of me poking a bony finger into my chest and demanding,

"Why didn't you do something earlier? Why did you wait until the storm almost sent us to the bottom? What are you going to do to stop us from running aground?"

My thoughts were running around my brain like crazy, 'How do I explain to him, that just a few minutes ago I was sound asleep in my bed, not here wherever here was? How could I tell him that I had no idea what or how I stopped the storm?'

My thoughts were interrupted by the stinking breath of the Captain,

"We are paying you good wages Mage Armando, to keep us safe on the seas and to speed our journey. If you don't start doing your job, you'll make a large meal for the fishes! Do you understand me?"

"Yes, Captain, I am sorry for what has happened, and I will see what I can do to stop us from going aground. Just give me a minute to figure out the best way to get us back on our voyage to Carta Blanca."

Of course, I had absolutely no idea what to do, as I knew that I wasn't the Mage these folks thought I was. To buy me a bit of time, I walked over to the rail nearest the breakers, and began waving my arms around in circles, occasionally waving them towards the sails. Unfortunately, only the Fore course was capable of harnessing any wind. To my complete and utter surprise, a light breeze blew up from slightly starboard filling the Fore course just enough for the ship to begin getting some headway.

The Captain began yelling at the Sailing Master to put the helm over and then turned to whom I assumed was his First Officer and told him to get all hands aloft and get the rigging repaired, and all the sails sheeted home. And if they weren't repairable, to get them replaced. The crew swarmed up the rigging like monkeys; soon, all the rigging was repaired, and all of the ripped sails replaced and sheeted home. Soon all of the sails were drawing fully, and the ship was soon dancing across the waves leaving the breakers far behind.

As I was later washing down my meagre meal of weevily hardtack and salt pork with a vinegary substance that was supposed to pass as wine; I found out that the typhoon came out of nowhere, surprising even the Sailing Master. As soon as I finished my meal, I went back on deck and sought out the Sailing Master. I found him in his cubbyhole pouring over his charts and logbooks, muttering imprecations under his breath. I bluntly asked him,

"Do you think I have time to change out of my waterlogged clothing before we get hit with another squall or typhoon?"

"How the 'ell would I know, that storm was demon sent. If I were you, I would cast a few spells to stop any more from forming. Now get out of my way I have work to do. I have no idea where we are yet, as the demon-blasted storm blew us way off course! Now unless you can magic us back on course, get out of my sight."

Of course, since I had just saved the ship, and although I still had no idea how that happened, I smarted off,

"Just point out where we are supposed to be, and I will get us there!"

"All right, you young whippersnapper, let's put your money where your mouth is." With that Xavier unfurled another map and poked his finger to a spot on the map in the middle of nowhere. Other than a dotted line leading to that spot, there was no indication of anything special.

"I will wager my pay for the journey against yours. Now put up or shut up!"

Realizing that I had backed myself into a corner, and knowing that if I didn't take the wager, my life on the Victorious would be hell. So, I put on a very serious face, and then waved a hand over the map while chanting,

"Ipso Facto, make it so!" In English of course, so no one would understand me.

Suddenly the Victorious leaped into the air with a clap of thunder and a blindingly bright light. When the light vanished, we were nowhere near where we had been.

I then turned to Xavier and boldly stated,

"Get out your sextant and take your readings; we have arrived!"

I don't know if Xavier followed my flippant instructions because I collapsed to the deck.

I woke up lying in my own bed dressed in the foppish clothing of a Venetian Doge from centuries past, reeking, of brine, pitch, and bilge water. As I sat up and tried to clear my head of the cobwebs and stop the rolling of my bed a weight fell off my chest and landed with a loud Clink on the floor. Once I was able to lean over and look at the floor, I saw a small leather pouch. I leaned over and picked up the pouch and carefully untied the drawstrings. As I opened the pouch the glint of gold caught my eye. Once the pouch was fully opened, I saw the pouch was full of gold coins of an unknown design.

I guess it wasn't a dream, after all, I slowly got up and out of bed, and to the kitchen for a very large pot of very strong black coffee. As I headed toward the kitchen, a picture hanging on the hallway wall caught my eye. I stood there transfixed by the scene before me. There on the wall was an oil painting of a three-masted sailing ship with a person that looked a lot like me dressed in the same clothes that I was wearing.

Several days later I awoke in the hospital being treated for exhaustion. When I was finally released a few days later, I headed directly to the painting in the hallway. When I arrived in front of the painting, it was just a blank canvas. Was I crazy, or did I dream the whole thing? But, if it was a dream where, did the strange clothes come from, and the pouch of gold coins come from?

The End! Or TBC?

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Author's Note:

This story kept me awake for several nights until I got up at 4:30 AM and started writing it. While it is very short, it has all of the words and more that kept me awake. As it is my first attempt at writing anything other than emails to authors, I kept it short. I didn't want to overwork the few brain cells I have.

I also want to thank TSL aka The Story Lover for lending me his Beta Readers and Editors. They helped me make this story readable, thanks for your comments and suggestions, they were extremely helpful.

Although I intended this to be just a one-off as that was all the words I had, I have been convinced to attempt more chapters, I do have an inkling of a plot for another chapter.

Thanks for reading,

Sean

Art's Comments:

Sean, I liked this so much that I want more! Either evolve this short story into a longer tale, or what about a different person having another "impossible dream", and the next one will be another person having one. One a month, or once every year, I'll take that !!

Thanks,

Art

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