Fan Fiction

Jack's Dream
by Bren MacDonald

Someone was watching Jack's dream.

The intruder was hiding within the infinite folds of uncertainty and doubt circling around the fabric of the fantasy.

Jack was only aware of his unwanted guest because his cape was woven of this very fabric. But he wasn't about to let this shadowy figure in on his little snippet of knowledge. He just carried on smearing butter and peanuts on his feet and pouring raspberry jam into his hair.

Who the heck was this guy? He had some kind of nerve spying on peoples dreams. This was the third freaking night in a row.

The figure moved. Out of the corner of his eye, Jack saw him/it, a shadow on a shadow with a grin like a torn curtain.

What Jack also saw was the stalker's life line, the thread of consciousness that connected this projection to its origin.

Quickly, the folds of Jack's totem tightened around the figure and constricted the lifeline to stop its escape. The dream disappeared so there was only the Jack and the intruder.

"Why are you watching my dreams?"

"How did you do that? I didn't let my presence be known."

"Answer the question."

"You couldn't have known my presence."

"Answer the question."

"It's, quite simply, impossible. It can't be done."

"Answer the f*&king question!"

"My, my. We really need to watch that temper of ours."

"You're avoiding the question."

"My, aren't we observant."

The shadowed figure laughed. The darkness around them seemed to pulsate.

"Who the hell are you?"

"You can call me Mr. Chalk."

"OK, Mr. Chalk, you listen to me. I'm not a black board you can doodle on, so leave my dreams alone, or, god help me, I'll make sure you regret it for the rest of your life."

"Are you threatening me?"

"I'm in charge of my own head, understand. I am in control here."

"You are not in control."

Mr. Chalk seemed to grow in stature.

"You've never had control." He started to laugh again. His laugh was underneath his voice, kind of like Darth Vader's respirator sound when he talked.

"And if you ever threaten me again, I'm going to make you feel more pain than you've ever felt before in your life."

"Somehow, I seriously doubt that."

The laughter came from all sides of Jack, and he suddenly lost his hold on Chalk. He Shot after the receding lifeline and grabbed it directly with his hand.

And in a split second, he knew who Chalk was.

He woke up.

Images of the face of the dream stalker haunted him. It was a face he knew. The face of a man he'd last seen fall into Hell.


not to be continued...