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Authors: William Joyce
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scoured the entire planet searching for Katherine with no success.
He had not searched in any conventional manner. He did not prowl about actually looking with his eyes to find her. Nor did he ask people or creatures if they had seen her or noticed anything unusual that might lead him to her. He could have asked any passing cloud about her—he had the ability to communicate to clouds and to other natural phenomena, such as wind and rainbows, but he knew they would not tellhim a thing. He’d come to realize they were under the influence of Emily Jane. Of course, they did not know her by that name. They only knew her as Mother Nature. In fact, he was sure they were watching him and reporting to her his every move.
He was not entirely surprised by this. The many tragedies of Mother Nature’s previous life had turned her into a solitary and mistrustful being. It wasn’t unexpected that she had watchers everywhere. Still, he hoped that if she were being informed of his whereabouts, their old friendship would perhaps spur her to contact him—and hopefully help—but so far no such gesture had come. This did not surprise him either, for even as a girl, she didn’t often reach out to others. There were some creatures that were willing to tell him what they knew of how Emily Jane became this nature matriarch.Sea creatures were more sympathetic to his mission. Especially seashells and mermaids. They had become familiar with Mansnoozie and his island during his long sleep and had watched over him. They saw what had happened when his island had first formed. They’d seen the explosion of his star, and the girl who had been freed by its destruction. They too did not know her as Emily Jane. To them she had no name at all. But they saw the power she had over wind and clouds and natural phenomena. They saw her use the magic she had learned from Typhan. But she remained a mysterious force to them. Always moving. Never resting. Calm one day. Stormy the next.
So Sandy searched for Katherine the best way he knew how: by listening for her dreams.
Nearly every living thing has dreams. Dogs, frogs, gazelles, centipedes, guppies, and certain plants, such as dandelions and weeping willows. Sandman could hear the dreams of every creature—and every person—on Earth. He was certain he had not heard Katherine’s. The dreams of the Guardians were distinct from any other dreams he had ever encountered. Not only were their dreams extraordinarily vivid (they had a lifelike clarity unlike any others), but he could also tell that the Guardians had the ability “to dream-share”—their minds could bond while dreaming. But in Katherine’s case, that bond had been damaged, and now, perhaps, destroyed. Even creatures as powerful and mysterious as Pitch or Mother Nature had dreams, though Sandy had noclue what those were like; they both had successfully blocked his efforts to read them. But he could still feel the distant presence of their dreams, so he knew they were somewhere.
He also knew North and the others had received a dream from Katherine while he had been searching for her. He had felt their dreams while they experienced this message from Katherine. But he had not felt this dream. How could that have been? He was suspicious of Katherine’s dream, even though it seemed to be of good intent. How had she sent it? Or had she sent it?
For with Katherine, he could feel nothing. Only one thing could stop a person from dreaming, and this was what worried Sanderson Mansnoozie as he sat drifting over the Earth on his cloud of Dreamsand. He was trying to avoid asking the question he mostdreaded, but the time had come: Was Katherine no longer alive?
The thought was so dark and sad. Though he had not met this girl, he had heard her dreams many times during his great sleep. So he knew how extraordinary she was.
Could Pitch have been so evil as to end her?
Sandy felt sadness well up inside him, and his cloud of Dreamsand began to drizzle. It was
He had not searched in any conventional manner. He did not prowl about actually looking with his eyes to find her. Nor did he ask people or creatures if they had seen her or noticed anything unusual that might lead him to her. He could have asked any passing cloud about her—he had the ability to communicate to clouds and to other natural phenomena, such as wind and rainbows, but he knew they would not tellhim a thing. He’d come to realize they were under the influence of Emily Jane. Of course, they did not know her by that name. They only knew her as Mother Nature. In fact, he was sure they were watching him and reporting to her his every move.
He was not entirely surprised by this. The many tragedies of Mother Nature’s previous life had turned her into a solitary and mistrustful being. It wasn’t unexpected that she had watchers everywhere. Still, he hoped that if she were being informed of his whereabouts, their old friendship would perhaps spur her to contact him—and hopefully help—but so far no such gesture had come. This did not surprise him either, for even as a girl, she didn’t often reach out to others. There were some creatures that were willing to tell him what they knew of how Emily Jane became this nature matriarch.Sea creatures were more sympathetic to his mission. Especially seashells and mermaids. They had become familiar with Mansnoozie and his island during his long sleep and had watched over him. They saw what had happened when his island had first formed. They’d seen the explosion of his star, and the girl who had been freed by its destruction. They too did not know her as Emily Jane. To them she had no name at all. But they saw the power she had over wind and clouds and natural phenomena. They saw her use the magic she had learned from Typhan. But she remained a mysterious force to them. Always moving. Never resting. Calm one day. Stormy the next.
So Sandy searched for Katherine the best way he knew how: by listening for her dreams.
Nearly every living thing has dreams. Dogs, frogs, gazelles, centipedes, guppies, and certain plants, such as dandelions and weeping willows. Sandman could hear the dreams of every creature—and every person—on Earth. He was certain he had not heard Katherine’s. The dreams of the Guardians were distinct from any other dreams he had ever encountered. Not only were their dreams extraordinarily vivid (they had a lifelike clarity unlike any others), but he could also tell that the Guardians had the ability “to dream-share”—their minds could bond while dreaming. But in Katherine’s case, that bond had been damaged, and now, perhaps, destroyed. Even creatures as powerful and mysterious as Pitch or Mother Nature had dreams, though Sandy had noclue what those were like; they both had successfully blocked his efforts to read them. But he could still feel the distant presence of their dreams, so he knew they were somewhere.
He also knew North and the others had received a dream from Katherine while he had been searching for her. He had felt their dreams while they experienced this message from Katherine. But he had not felt this dream. How could that have been? He was suspicious of Katherine’s dream, even though it seemed to be of good intent. How had she sent it? Or had she sent it?
For with Katherine, he could feel nothing. Only one thing could stop a person from dreaming, and this was what worried Sanderson Mansnoozie as he sat drifting over the Earth on his cloud of Dreamsand. He was trying to avoid asking the question he mostdreaded, but the time had come: Was Katherine no longer alive?
The thought was so dark and sad. Though he had not met this girl, he had heard her dreams many times during his great sleep. So he knew how extraordinary she was.
Could Pitch have been so evil as to end her?
Sandy felt sadness well up inside him, and his cloud of Dreamsand began to drizzle. It was
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