Read Online Dream a Little Dream by Piers Anthony - Free Book Online

It looked as if it was made of glass. It was warm to the touch and there was light coming from it.
    “What do I do with it?”

    “Just think of your dreams, that only you can dream, and wish you were in them. That’s it.”
    That seemed easy enough. Nola loved thinking about her dreams. That was her problem: her dreams were so much better than the dismal real world she endured.
    Suddenly, there was light everywhere. Then a hole appeared over her and another hole over Mich. They hung in the air like a black piece of paper suspended by a string.
    “Reach up to it!” he said. “Climb in!”
    She did. Then she believed.

Meanwhile, in Kafka, Heat and Snort waited. They waited all day, then through the next day as well. They waited and waited. They waited by the river for five days, growing more and more worried. If Prince Michael didn’t return on the next day, all would be lost. And there was nothing they could do to help.
    On the sixth day, they were joined by one of the palace guardsmen. He explained to Heat that King Edward had sent him to find his son. It had been ten days since his departure from the castle and Mich should have returned on the sixth day. Strange things were going on at the castle and everyone was worried about Mich. But Heat had no answer. He feared the worst.
    They waited all through the morning. At noon the guard sent Snort downriver to do some fishing in the rapids. He brought back three large fish and cooked them for himself and the guard. Heat cropped the dry grasses. He didn’t enjoy it, but he was hungry and there wasn’t much else here to eat.
    Then the long vigil abruptly ended. Three figures emerged from the water, just before sundown, striding to the bank. Mich had arrived with Spirit and a young girl. Heat knew immediately that she was the Creator despite her ordinary appearance, while Snort was doubtful.
    Mich made introductions. Nola was afraid of Snort at first, buther curiosity overcame her fear and it seemed that they would get along quite well. Heat was very friendly toward her. She was his Creator also; that was why he had recognized her. Yet she was also a new girl who seemed very glassy-eyed and did not speak much at first.
    They spent the night camped well inside the Forest of Imagination, away from troll territory. Mich went into more detail about the Fren and Reility. He had no idea why the Fren would dam off the River of Thought, but they had to be stopped. And, gradually, Nola came to feel, if not at home, at least present in Kafka. At first she had seemed, even to herself, to be not quite real here, but now that was changing.
    Nola tried her best to understand and comprehend what Mich was telling her, but she still felt as if this weren’t really happening to her. It wasn’t until very late that evening that her belief strengthened enough to eliminate her sensation of disorientation. She had thought Mich was crazy, or a clever impostor who had somehow learned of her secret dream; now she knew that he was her real dream man.
    Nola was tired but could not fall asleep. She tossed and turned and even tried counting sheep, but nothing worked. She curled up next to Spirit and still could not drift off.
    She was surprised to see Spirit in his dream form. He was so beautiful and noble-looking. Somehow in her initial confusion she had not picked up on that. He was no longer a beautiful horse, he was a unisus—a winged unicorn. A completely magical creature, now as real as she was, in this realm.
    Is something wrong, my friend? thought Esprit in a deep resonate voice. Your mind seems troubled.
    “I’m not sure; I just can’t get to sleep,” she whispered.
    Spirit grinned in an obscure, humanlike way, bearing his large white teeth. Of course not, he thought, it is impossible to truly sleep in Kafka, for that might lead to dreaming. Unless, of course, you are in the waters of the River of Thought. Even then you don’t actually sleep. You merely relax and tune out