Niquil Dreams (The call of Avalon)...

This fever has weakened me and so in my desperation I drink heartily from the cup of this Nyquil potion. I shiver as icy fingers brush gently along the length of my vertebrae. So cold… so very cold…1

I clutch my pillow to me tightly and draw comfort from its soft familiarity.2

Like a petulant child, fists clenched, on my knees, I scream my rage and sorrow unto the void.3

Whether by intention, design or blissful ignorance, it mocks and scorns me.4

I am enraged by its further unyielding cruelty, knowing my cries shall go unanswered.5

Once more I am engulfed in darkness and my very essence is fragmented and scattered unceremoniously on the chill winds of time and memory.6

My Demons come for me and I am broken…7

Sensing my weakness, they have conspired to usurp me. But which of them would be so bold as to assume that they could take my throne?8

Paranoia? Self-loathing? Obcession? All likely suspects I’m sure.9

Like foot-soldiers, they gather around me and unsheathe their swords. I raise my head, close my eyes and await the killing blow. Even in sickness, I will not show weakness to them, even if it should cost me my life. I am somewhat relieved as I hear their swords clatter to the stone floor. I risk a peek to assure myself that they are not toying with me and see them all drop to their knees and kneel before me.10

‘My Liege, I beseech thee. Lead thine army for the glory of Avalon.’11

‘Avalon?’12

‘Yes, Majesty. A great Darkness befalls us, that is not of our making’.13

‘Darkness?’14

‘Majesty? Art thou bedevilled? Thy words speak confusion, art thy brain addled?’15

‘No, I have just awokened… up?’16

A look of shock and horror pass over his features and he quickly gets to his feet.17

‘Thou art awake? Then all is lost, Avalon will fall’.18

‘Wait, it can’t be as bad as all that, surely?’19

He grips my shoulders and lifts me bodily to my feet, hands shaking in their gauntlets.20

‘Art thou an imbecile? Doth thou not understand the importance and weight of these events?’21

‘No I don’t. Why don’t you explain them to me?’ He stares me down, and I stand firm. Testosterone shimmers off us in waves as we each fight for dominance in our rival’s eyes. Eventually, he lets me go, sighs and begins his story22

‘It hath been foretold in prophecy. That one day, the king would wak’eth. And on that day, when his majesty’s other worldly soul walks in Avalon, a great darkness would be released and Avalon will fall.’23

‘Are there no other armies that will help us fight?’24

‘The spirit folk lack substance and can only observe, although, they do advise wise counsel. The fairy folk art wielding great magics and art prepared to wage cover fire for the advanced guard. The elves will mount an air assault on dragon’s wings.’25

‘Hang on, you’re telling me you have dragons here?’26

‘Do they not sail with glorious majesty through the skies of thy world?’27

‘What? They breathe fire and everything? How cool is that?’28

‘I understand not, thy words? I fear thee be fair speaking in tongues were it not for the glimpses of familiarity within. But forgive me, I digress. Surely ye now comprehend that which was lost, and the urgency of our plight?’29

‘Yes, I do. Is there no more to the prophecy?’30

‘More?’31

‘Yeah, like. Oh I don’t know, um… the darkness can be defeated by… a swift knee to the happy sack… a clip round the ear and told to bugger off home’.32

He took a concealed dagger from within his armour, gripped me, slammed me into a wall and pressed the point into that fleshy fold where your neck meets your chin. I gulped, as he glared at me with barely suppressed fury, his face mere inches from mine.33

‘Doth thou mock me? I should kill thee where thee stand. I hath bore mine soul to thee, and ye remark with flippancy and disrespect. Thou hast all the guile and cunning of a squashed apricot’34

I answered, carefully choosing my next words.35

‘I apologise most indubitably, I was being facetious and there was no need for it. It won’t happen again.’36

‘Then take care when ye speak, for there are those who would’st not be so forgiving as I.’37

He let me go and put away his dagger. The next moment it was like my transgression had never happened.38

‘We must bare arms and wage battle.’ He picked up his sword and held it above his head, the rest of this demon army got up from their still kneeling position, and held their swords aloft also.39

‘FORE THE GLORY OF AVALON!’ he shouted.40

‘FORE THE GLORY OF AVALON!’ they replied.41

‘WAIT!’ I called. They looked back at me puzzled.42

‘Wait? Time is of the essence and already much is lost. We must away!’43

‘What do you know of the darkness? Can it be killed? Is it even corporeal?’44

‘What nonsense doth thou speak now? Corporeal?’45

‘Are there no wise men, mystics or soothsayers that we can call upon, someone with insight, perhaps?’46

‘There is a man, a very ancient and powerful sorcerer. It has been said that he was there at the very birth of Avalon. His real name hath been lost to the ages, but he is called by many names. The guardian, the ancient one, the founder…’47

‘Okay, then shouldn’t we seek him out. Surely, he would make a great ally.’48

‘But he is ancient and we hold many magics.’49

‘Okay, its your call. But with names like ‘the guardian’ and ‘the founder’ I’m surprised no one has sought him out already.’50

‘Hmm… Thy words hold merit, my friend. But alas, no one has ever sought him out, never thee mind gazed upon him in flesh.’51

‘But if he’s as powerful a sorcerer as you say, maybe, just maybe, we could call him out and he’ll hear’52

Suddenly we hear a wizened chuckling from the corner of the room. All eyes turn and the demons draw their swords. With a wave of his ancient hand, time stops. The demons hold their swords like a still photo or painting by Giger or Escher. The old sorcerer strides toward me.53

‘Finally, someone with a little sense…’54

‘How?’55

‘Never thee mind about that now, there is much I must tell ye. Now listen carefully:56

‘Now ye lay thee down to sleep,57

Yon king and thee shall surely weep.58

Quell thy darkness from this land,59

Upon the pyre, hand in hand.60

If ye find thy world lives on,61

Live for dreams of Avalon.’’62

‘What the hell does that mean?’63

‘Remember. Now take'th this goblet from me, walk into thy darkness and drink heartily. It is as simple as that.’64

‘But its empty.’65

‘Think acrostically, my friend. When thy time is nigh, ye shall know what thy must do.’66

‘But what caused all this? What is the Darkness?67

‘In essence my friend, it is thee. It is contained within thee. It is the darker thoughts and dreams of men that are not acted upon. I take it that in thy realm ye are something of a bard, scribe or artist. Would I be correct in my assumption?’68

‘Yes, not a very successful one I grant you.’69

‘In the other realm, the king must walk in obscurity, he may draw upon the darkness in his works, but he may never draw attention upon himself. I’m sorry if this pains thee, but it is how it must be.’70

‘Okay… so why am I here?’71

‘Well basically, Avalon is sustained by the dreams of mortal men in the other realm, thy realm in fact. The king, thy counterpart took upon the burden of keeping the realms separate by remaining in perpetual slumber, that his mind may bridge the gap between reality and fantasy. But that said, he shalt remain a presence in each to maintain his own dream-state. All creatures of myth and legend that once existed in thy world came here to escape intolerance and extinction at the hands of a new and aggressive species.’72

‘Man?’73

‘Yes, ironic really isn’t it that man shalt forever sustain that which he would slaughter without thought.’ He chuckles.74

‘So what would happen to my world… realm if Avalon falls?’75

‘Can you truly picture a world where humanity cannot dream? No inspiration, no art, no writing, no music. And what would become of humanity without its dreams and passions?’76

‘They would die of boredom’77

‘Exactly. So now me thinks ye understand the importance of thy success.’78

‘Yes, thank you for that, no pressure there then.’79

‘Thy flippancy does not become thee.’80

‘Yes, I’ve been hearing that a lot lately, stress reaction really.’81

‘Now, ye must act swiftly. I shalt hold back time and send thee to the threshold of thy darkness. Art thou ready?’82

‘As ready as I’ll ever be’83

‘Then go, my friend, good luck and Godspeed to thee’ he said with a wave of his hand. 84

The whole room disappeared from view and I was temporarily disorientated as I found myself stood before what looked like a huge black hole that destructively and violently consumed everything in its path. I’m suddenly pulled off my feet and forced headlong into the Darkness… My Darkness.85

My counterpart king awaits me within and beckons me to him through the maelstrom. Like magnets we are drawn to each other. I hold the goblet aloft, but it is still empty.86

‘What is this? Did thee seek out ‘the Ancient’?’87

‘Yes, he gave me this and said I would know what to do when the time comes’88

‘Well?’89

‘I don’t know!’90

‘Art thou a half wit? What else did he say’eth to thee?’91

‘Hang on, there was a rhyme:92

Now ye lay thee down to sleep,93

Yon king and thee shall surely weep.94

Quell thy darkness from this land,95

Upon the pyre, hand in hand.96

If ye find thy world lives on,97

Live for dreams of Avalon.’98

‘What else did he say?’99

‘I’m thinking… think acrostically. That was it ‘think acrostically’100

‘Then do so quickly’101

‘But what does it mean?’102

‘Thou truly art an imbecile, aren’t thee? Acrostic poetry, thou take’st the first letter of each line to form a word’103

‘Well now you’ve explained it… I still don’t see how it helps’104

‘Try fool, before it become’th too late’105

‘N… Y… Q… U… I… L… Nyquil?’106

‘Nyquil? Is this some sorcery, magic or potion from whence ye came?’107

‘I guess it is.’108

‘Behold, for thy cup runn’eth over.’109

And it did, a huge dose of Nyquil filled the goblet.110

‘Kings before beggars my lord’ I said and offered it to him. He took it and drank heartily of the thick, green, pungent liquid, before passing it back to me. I drank deeply, and my head began to spin. 111

I awoke, having sweated through the bed sheets, still feeling like crap. Now, I’ve either just saved the world, two worlds in fact or I’m still delirious from flu and Nyquil. I know which is the most likely, but I also know which I’d prefer to believe. 112

Sweet dreams my friends……… 113

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