Sleep Texts: Fire Demon

This happened a few weeks ago. I was saving it for a post when I didn't dream anything worth writing the night before. This is probably the most epic of all the sleep texting. It's certainly the longest. I haven't spoken much to Kane in the past few years -we knew each other in high school. But he knew from facebook that I had been sleep texting people. So he was ready when he received a text from me.

Me: Why is the snow melting so fast? I think this is a bad sign. You should turn back, its too dangerous.

Kane: The mission is too important. Why do you think it's a bad sign? We have to go on!

Me: It only just started melting. And I have a feeling I'm the one causing it. The deeper we go into this wood, the tighter his influence is on me.

Kane: Whose influence? Why haven't you told me? You know I can't do this without you.
Kane: (after a long pause in which I don't reply): Your silence is damning.

Me: I know full well you have heard the strange stories that have come forth about my parentage. He is after me now, in exchange for the safety of the village. Go back and tell my mother I forgive her for keeping the truth from me.

Kane: Your mother would never forgive me if I let you go alone. What weapons do you have?

Me: Only water from the sacred spring. There is no weapon against a demon of fire. All he demands is me. I must claim my heritage to save the village.

Kane: What makes you think you can trust him? Have you forgotten the siege?

Me: The what? Is the wood madness beginning already upon you? You must go back. He will only kill you if you come with me.

Kane: You're not ready! Please, there has to be another way!

Me: Already his influence is closing on me. The snow melts in a radius around me. I will die, or be like him. You have been a brother to me, but He may use me to hurt you.

Kane: Did you forget the amulet my father gave me? It's old but there's still magic in it. His influence is too strong for you to resist alone!

Me: I cannot take it. It will melt in my hand. My skin is growing hotter. Touch my arm, carefully. Do I burn you?

Kane: It's...warm...hot even, but I can take it.

Me: It's protecting you, then. I'm afraid my father is awakening the fire within me. He said I can burn gods. I'm afraid of what he will use me for.

Kane: If it's protecting me, surely I can help. Are you sure he can be burned.

Me: Of course not. My father is fire. I fear he means to use me against the gods

Kane: Then how will you overcome him? Or do you even want to anymore?

Me: There is no victory. I go to save the village. He wants only me in return.

Kane: If he kills the gods the people of the village will wish they were dead.

Me: What are you suggesting then? Already I grow both weaker and so much stronger.

Kane: There are other sources of magic than your father's fire. Whatever he wants you to do, you need to avoid!

Me: No.
Me: I am lost.
Me: I am lost.

Kane: I know. But it's not too late to turn back and strategize.
Kane: Think of your mother
Kane: Are you there?

Dream: After World's End

I dreamed that natural disasters had devastated the world. I survived along with about fifty others. It was a mix of people who had previously been strangers to me, and people I had known -friends, a couple acquaintances. For all we knew, we were the only survivors in the world. We had not seen anyone outside our group in over a year, and it was too dangerous to venture outside. There were horrible blizzards and volcanic eruptions -sometimes at the same time.

There were some disagreements in the group about the best place to live and the best ways to survive. We eventually split into two groups. The group I stayed with lived in a small settlement we built ourselves in a a narrow ravine out of wood and shale rock. The others lived in a series of caves about two miles away. There were people in each group that had been rivals even before the trouble started.

Eventually competition for resources coupled with old rivalries and the insanity of isolation created violence between the two groups. It escalated when a fight ended in one of ours killing one of theirs. Full war broke out between us, manifesting in secret raids and lethal sabotage. The leaders of each group grew insane in their obsession with destroying each other.

At one point, what we thought were zeppelins appeared above us, and rescue workers came down to take a few of us at a time. to where they said other humans had built a society, safe from the natural hazards. We wept in relief. WE sent first a few people that needed to reach civilization first: a pregnant woman, three young teenagers and and old man. When they reached the zeppelin, the latter was suddenly drawn up and all five of our group members were flung overboard. They fell to their deaths right in front of us. The "rescue" workers were the other group. They had somehow constructed a small zeppelin-like flying device to search for signs of civilization.

Apart from our leader, of whom we were all terrified and to whom we were all in debt for our survival, our group tried to live in peace. I lived slightly apart, not knowing everyone as well as they knew each other.

A terrible winter came. The other group was becoming more efficient at finding food than we were. Our group would not survive the winter unless something changed. These problems caused so much fighting and stress among us that I took to being by myself more and more. I was walking outside on a milder day, just along the outside of a cave nearby our settlement. I sang a song I had learned from my mother before she died in the collapse of a building. It was a beautiful lamenting art song. I heard something on the opposite ledge and stopped singing. I turned to find three other-group members watching me. One of them was their leader. I froze, terrified, knowing it was too late. But they did nothing. They watched me with expressions I couldn't read,. Eventually they simply turned and left.

Later, we were visited by a messenger from the other group. He offered enough food to last our group through the winter. The only thing they wanted in return was me. The group raged at the messenger, who just stood there watching me calmly. I thought about it. What could they want me for? If they wanted to kill me, they would have done it near the cave. Either I go with them, or my people die.

I agreed. Food was left for my protesting, crying group. I went with the messenger.
I was led down into the caves. It was cold and the hallways were lit with torches. I entered a room deep below the mountain. This room was lined with fabric and was lit by oil lamps. The Leader sat at an old piano. I marveled at it, wondering where they salvaged it from.

"You are not a guest here." he told me with unblinking eyes. "I have brought you here for one reason and one reason only."
I was terrified. My mind raced with ways I could possibly escape.
"I have brought you here," he continued. "to teach you music."
I didn't move. "...what?"
"I heard you in the cave mouth. It was the first time in years I have heard a singing voice. You see, I play," he gestured to the old piano. "But I cannot sing. Everyone else in this society is about as musical as a pile of shit."
I just gaped at him.

He explained that he had been a conductor before the world's end. He had been driven slightly mad from lack of music ever since. He told me he would teach me what he knew. I was a musical slave. I was to learn opera. He would keep me alive so long as I continued to learn and perform music.

Sleep Texts from Last Night: More Spice Merchant

This time it wasn't initiated by me! I'm amused and only a little annoyed. My roommate and a friend who was visiting (April), waited until I was asleep for about a half hour, then sent me this message:

Ashley: April wants you to sleepwalk. Can you?

Me: When is April? And who are you?

Ashley: I am a friend. I come in peace. April is after the full moon.

Me: Go away. You are strange to me, and you smell of barley.

Ashley: Why can't I come with you?

Me: I don't know you, stranger. Be gone. I wait here for the spice merchant. I have waited for ten days. I will wait another ten if necessary.

Ashley: The spice merchant is dead.

Me: Don't lie to me!

Ashley: Why would I lie about that?

Me: If the merchant is dead, then so is my Anuin. And I cannot accept that. Go back to your little life and let me be.

Ashley: You will be waiting forever then! When did you last see Anuin?



I was pretty mean to Ashley there. lol. I guess I didn't appreciate her initiation conversation with me. She was probably just a stranger in the dream who came up to me and tried to have a conversation. "You smell of barley" made me laugh a lot this morning. What does barley smell like? O_o

Dream: The Tea Drinker

Let me preface this one: I'm not sure why I keep having religious-themed dreams. This dream does not in any way reflect upon my beliefs or opinions. It's just a dream -and an interesting story.

I dreamed I was a satanist. I lived in a satanist monastery that looked like a Californian mission, but the walls were made out of obsidian. It was in a very pretty, naturesque location. Across the narrow dirt road from us was a Christian monastery with monks. There was an ancient pact between the two monasteries that we would never harm each other or go onto each other's property. We teased each other from across the road. We hated each other in a familiar, almost friendly sort of way.

I held a high position within our monastery. I was second in command, next to Satan, in our order. We all knew Satan well. He was sort of like our adopted father. He was a creepy looking man with yellowish white hair, like a long-time smoker. He was shorter than me, but had a huge, intimidating presence. His eyes were always a different color. He visited me often, because I was his next in command on this part of the earth.

One day, I went to Hell with him for a visit, which was a great honor. It was an extremely large underground cavern, lit by an eerie blue light. The floor was water, except for a scattering of stepping stones. It was extremely cold. There was noone else there, but it looked as if the cavern went on forever. I suspected that this wasn't the whole of Hell, just what he was allowing me to see at that moment.

Satan told me that he loved me, and that he wanted to officially adopt me as his child. I knew that this was only granted to one soul forever. It meant that I would sit at his right hand in Hell after I died. It meant that I would be second only to Satan in all the universe. Satan was, of course, second only to God, but we didn't talk about Him. Satan seemed touchy on the subject.

We performed the tea ceremony that would make me his child. I drank the tea that was colder than any substance on earth. I knew I was supposed to feel different afterwards, but I didn't. I certainly looked different. I wore a black cloak and my face was white and mask-like. I knew this was a permanent physical change.

After the tea ceremony, Satan suddenly grew more fierce looking. I saw him then as an extremely intense concentration of power contained within the form of a frail looking, creepy old man. As powerful as I knew he was, this felt like the first time I was ever allowed to comprehend him.

He suddenly seized me by the throat and lifted me off the ground. He said: "You are now my child. I have given you your life. None but me can take it. You shall be spared from the torments of Hell. You, my child, will be the cause of them."
The next moment I was back in my room in the monastery.

Later, I stood outside alone, watching the Christian monks go about their business across the road. They stole curious glances at my new appearance. I thought about my life.
I had never asked to be a satanist. I was chosen by him as a child, and had spent most of my life in the monastery. I thought about the honor that had been bestowed upon me. Why wasn't I happy about it. Why wasn't I proud?

A thought crossed my mind as two monks walked past me in the road.
"You! Christians!" I called.
They looked around at me in surprise. It was unusual for us to try to speak to each other, besides the odd jeer cat-called across the road.

I asked them how people became Christian -purely out of curiosity, of course. I had never thought about it before. They told me that those who accepted and loved God and His son could be saved from Hell. They told me this with a mocking, jovially-hostile tone. I asked if anyone could be saved.
"Yes."
"Even a child of the dark one?"
"...Yes."
"Even the one who has drank his tea? One who is guaranteed the right hand?"
They looked at each other, and the humor fell from their faces. I saw a glimmer of fear. They said they didn't know, that they would ask the Prior. Then they hurried away. They were only novices after all.

I thought a great deal about what they had said. Never in my life had I harbored doubts. Never had I questioned my place, or his right to rule me.

Later, my fellow satanists and I were loading ourselves into the back of our blue truck. (Ok, so up to this point the dream took place in the past, maybe late 1600s style. But now we have trucks. It's a dream. go figure.) All satanist monasteries have blue trucks, Christians drove red trucks. I saw that next to us, the Christians were loading themselves into their red truck. One shouted at me:
"Hey! We asked! Apparently even the tea drinker can be saved if he really wanted to be." Everyone in both trucks started laughing uproariously at the idea. I gave the satanists a thoughtful look, then stepped down from the blue truck, and climbed into the red truck. The laughter stopped.
"I have decided to be Christian now." I said.
Every face, satanist and Christian alike, took on a look of absolute shock.
"What?!" someone shouted.
I told the Christians to drive away, quickly.

The car was silent for a long time.
"What just happened?" one of them asked finally, as they all threw amazed looks at me. I sat silently with my elbows on my knees, head in hands.
"The dark child just stepped down from the blue truck..." another one replied in awe.
"Yes..." I said, shaking my head slowly in disbelief. "And Satan's gonna kill me."

Dream

I dreamed that the Pope decreed that we may only listen to music in C Major, because accidentals are sinful.

Classifications

I think of my own dreams and sleepwalking experiences as having classifications. I have no idea if there are such things in the sleep study world, but I doubt it.

Dreams
Category 1: Normal dreams. -these are the dreams everyone has. They usually involve things from your everyday life. You are usually yourself in this dream. They don't make very much sense, and are therefore hard to explain in words.

Category 2: Nightmares -self evident. This can be combined with either type 1 or 3, or can stand on it's own.

Category 3: Epic Dreams -These dreams are long, and extremely vivid. They usually involve an explainable plot, characters, and are set not in my own life. I often don't play myself in this kind of dream. My dream about being half-angel and visiting hell falls in this category.

It's true that there are dreams that fall somewhere between normal and epic, but usually it falls into one category more than the other.

Sleepwalking
Category 1: Normal.
This is my least coherent type of sleepwalking, and what I hear about when other people talk about their sleepwalking experiences. Usually this involves walking around in a confused nature. I often just walk around touching various objects without any apparent intentions. Often this includes just standing up, or sitting up while sleeping. This category also includes just sleeptalking too. In this type, I do not respond when spoken to (unless I'm just talking, not walking around). I don't notice other people in the room. No problem solving skills. I hardly ever remember these events.

Category 2: Motor function: No Interaction.
This type includes the ability to solve problems, such as walking around the table instead of into it. In this stage I usually build little structures/sculptures out of the things in the house, sort coins, make designs out of candles etc. This is also the stage where I text, and write. If someone speaks to me in this stage, I usually don't respond. Even if I am aware of other people being there, they don't factor into what I'm doing and there is little or no interaction. Only sometimes do I remember type 2 or 3, but whatever memories I have will be confusing and distant, like the memories of dreams.

Category 3: Walking + Talking. Interaction.
This is the rarest type for me. This is when I am walking around, interacting with my environment physically and verbally. If there are other people there, I will interact with them. They usually play some sort of role in the dream I am having. In this stage, I usually can figure things out very well in my environment, such as doorknobs/locks etc.


I read that it is impossible to sleep walk or talk while dreaming. Dreaming only occurs during REM sleep, during which time your body is paralyzed. I'm not sure, then, why I usually remember contexts when I have memory of sleepwalking. I can picture the dream I was having, often quite clearly. What I'm guessing is that I have the dream either before or after, then my brain is firing randomly when I'm out of REM sleep, causing me to do things, then my brain makes the connection after I wake up. I'm not a neurologist, and have studied only the basics in the science of sleep, so I really have no idea. But you're always hearing about the brain bridging connections like that.

Anyway. Those are my classifications. As useless and useful as any classifications are.

Dream: Red Haired Child

Fairly quiet night last night. But I dreamed I found an abandoned child near my university, and it was ruled in court that because I found him, I had to raise him. He was about four years old, and had curly red hair. He didn't say much at first, but soon I realized he was a bit of a genius. When he did speak it was extremely articulate and soon I realized that he had been abused before I had found him.
He ran away and hid from me one day. I was in a panic trying to find him. I finally found him wandering around the city. He tried to run from me when I spotted him, but I held on to him tight. I asked him why he was trying to run from me. He said it was because it was his birthday. I had no idea it was his birthday, and asked him why that would make him run. He said he didn't want his birthday beating.
He slowly began to unveil to me all the abuse he suffered at his real parents hands. I was getting the feeling that he had done something drastic to get rid of them.
I woke up feeling very unnerved and stressed.

Sleep Texts: The Spice Merchant

Me: Where is the spice merchant? I have waited for three days.

Catheryne: I don't know. Perhaps he is lost? What spices do you need?

Me: I need no spices!

Catheryne: Then why are you looking for the spice merchant?

Me: He knows where Anuin is. Who are you?

Catheryne: Who am I? I think you know the answer to that. I'm who I always am. Why are you looking for Anuin?

Me: He is my husband. Are you here to taunt me?

Catheryne: No, I am not here to taunt you. I thought you wold be in a better mood, but clearly there is something wrong. Where did he go?

Me: He was taken, you idiot! Where is the merchant!? He told me he knew how to get him back.

Catheryne: Who took him? If it's who I think it is, I may be able to help you.

Me: Gods curse you for mocking me. Only the thrice cursed merchant knows where my Anuin is. Leave me to wait for him. I have his rose.

Catheryne: I'm not mocking you. I needed to make sure you are who you say you are. Something strange is going on here. I believe the merchant was taken by the same foul creature who took your poor Anuin. I can help you. Just tell me what I need to to do to help.

Me: To help me. Find the merchant.

Catheryne: I believe I saw him follow a dwarf out of town to the west. But I think it was a trick to capture the merchant and take him to where they're hiding Anuin. Please be careful. If anything happened to you I could never forgive myself. Take this magic stone that my mother gave me before she died. It will protect you but only to the border. After that you must rely on your great skill and knowledge.

Me: You waste my time. Leave me be! You are as foolish as you look!

Haha. This shows how into it Catheryne is getting. She's almost always one of the people I sleeptext, and she is determined to make it last as long as it will. Obviously I didn't really like what she had to say this time. My sleeping self can be a little mean.
Also, I'm not sure where I got the name Anuin from. I think it's pronounced Ah-new-in. He's my husband... I guess? O_o

I also sent the first text to Ryan. This is a first, although he goes to my school and therefore knows that I sleeptext.
Me: Where is the spice merchant? I have waited for three days.
Ryan: Istanbul? ....or wait, is it Constantinople???
Me: If you only mean to mock me, leave me to wait alone. I will do what it takes to find Anuin.

Poor Ryan. I'm going to have to talk to him today, apologize for my sleeping rudeness.

Sleepwalking Poem: The Dreamseller

Apparently, I got up, went and got a notebook and pencil, and wrote this. I somewhat remember doing it, but only in that vague sleepwalker-memory way. Its not the first time I've written things in my sleep, but it is the first thing written in poem-like form. Here it is:

I will buy your dreams.
You're not using them.
I buy all kinds, what have you got?
Dreams of flying. Dreams of falling.
Black dreams, Color Dreams,
I'll take them all.
Nightmares are worth more, I'll pay half again.
I'll even buy daydreams, simple as they seem.
You wont notice they're gone.
I will buy your dreams,
I can sell them to better dreamers.
I'll sell them for high prices: the color in the dreamer's eyes, or a memory of intimacy. Their sense of direction, maybe.
I will buy your dreams. I am the dream seller.
You're better off without them.
I can carry almost an infinite number, so I will take them all. They're mostly wasted on you.
I will buy your dreams. You wont miss them.

Dream: The Devil's Favorite

I dreamed I had a normal life. Almost.
There were the occasional attacks. Every few years when I was alone, four or five people would appear out of nowhere, push me up against the wall, or down on the floor, and run their hands over my back. They would leave quickly, without a word, and without taking anything. There would be no evidence of them having been there at all. I was afraid that these were hallucinations and eventually stopped reporting it when it happened.
Then one day I was walking down an empty street when it happened again. Three men and one woman seemed to step out of the wall of a building and pushed me to the ground. They examined my back for much longer than usual, and for the first time, they spoke. "Oh..."the woman said, "oh finally. Feel right there. You can feel the change. He will be happy."
They forced me up and began to drag me along with them. I believe I was hit over the head, because the next thing I remember is waking up to voices. I was confused, because it was dark, and I seemed to be kneeling. Then the blindfold was taken off my eyes. I was in a large courtyard. It looked like an outdoor throne room of gigantic proportions. In front of me was a man unlike anyone I had ever seen. He was a giant, and His skin seemed to be made of fire, if fire could hold still. He was terrifying -all nightmares combined.
He said "I have been looking for you for a very long time. You took your time with changing."
I tried not to cower, but He was too terrifying to look at directly. After a long pause, I realized He was changing. When I dared to look at Him, He had become an average sized man of human appearance. He was fairly good looking, middle-aged, and He had an extreme intensity about Him that was nearly as intimidating as His giant form. His eyes were the same texture as His skin had been -as if fire had frozen.
He explained to me that I was half-angel, the only one of my kind. I was born into the earthly realms, where He had power, and I would eventually grow wings. The change in my bone structure had apparently already started. He thought the idea of a half angel was hilarious, and insisted that I remain in his kingdom, the kingdom of Hell, as His guest.
After leaving His presence, I wept in relief to be away from Him. I was shown around hell by some very nice demons, who eventually became my good friends. (one of them, who's name was Entia, was the woman who was sent to fetch me, and one of them was my real life friend Nathan, who's name in this dream was Vethan.). Hell was a medium sized city, rather industrial and colorless. Everyone who lived there had a job that they were assigned to do. Mostly the inhabitants were demons, who looked almost exactly like humans except tat their tongues were black or silver. I was assigned a job at a factory and began a rather boring existence. The boredom was punctuated by the occasional terrifying visit or summons from Satan. (Satan had a different name in this dream. But he told me on one of his visits that if I ever went back to the human realms, I would instantly forget that name. The name "satan" was invented by humans who had visited hell, and had tried to remember the name. Satan found the name 'Satan' extremely amusing, as if we had called him 'fluffy' or something") Satan ruled Hell like a dictator, and the demons were extremely respectful and terrified of Him. Even my demon friends would never speak badly of Him, and looked terrified by anything negative that I had to say.
Satan was seemingly all powerful, with a maliciously playful nature. I seemed to be His favorite citizen. After that first meeting with Him, I was determined never to show fear in His presence, something I think greatly amused Him. I was defiant, rude, sarcastic and refused to be intimidated, even though inwardly I would shrink in terror just thinking about Him.
One day, my friend Vethan whispered for me to follow him. We went covertly through the city, and out further than I had ever been allowed to go. He told me that most of the demons felt extremely sympathetic towards me. They, after all, can not exist outside hell without satan's permission. But I was a human, and half angel, and did not belong in hell. Vethan brought me to the edge of a cliff. He said that jumping off the cliff would lead me to the human realms again. I of course looked at him with extreme suspicion. Jumping off a cliff did not seem like a good way to solve my problems, and for all I knew, he could be satan in disguise playing another sadistic game with me.
Vethan asked me if I trusted him. I said .... well... yes... And he immediately pushed me over the cliff.
I landed on something soft, but it was a long time before I could pull myself together to open my eyes. I seemed to be laying on fabric. I looked around to find myself laying on a large awning of a building front. I sat up, and was so startled that I nearly fell over. I was looking in what appeared to be a gigantic, colorful face staring at me. When I calmed down I realized that I was looking at a paper-mache mask. I looked around this familiar place and realized that I was in the French Quarter in new Orleans. It must have been mardi gras season, because there were people, colors, masks, beads and floats everywhere.
I jumped down carefully from the awning and began to wander around. How long did I have before He came looking for me? Where could I go to get away from Him?
Suddenly I had such a blinding pain in my back, that I fell over. I crawled to a deserted alley. The noise of the street vanished suddenly and completely. It felt as though my back was splitting open.
I heard a voice. I heard His voice.
"You thought you could just leave me? You thought you could hide from me in my own City? New Orleans has always belonged to me, since the beginning." He sounded angry and throughly amused at the same time. "Your transformation is continuing, and you are not here where I can protect you from it. I am coming for you, little angel. I will find you again soon."

Sleep Texts: The Delegation

Here is the mass text that I sent to about 8 people:

"I have to get to the delegation to make my report. Do you know the way? I asked the doorknob, but she didn't know."

Out of the 8 people, only two people replied. Anjin and Chris. This was the first time they had ever been texted by me in my sleep, but I had told them about it before this.
Here are the resulting text conversations:

The conversation with Chris was pretty epic. I can't believe it carried on as long as it did. He knew I was sleeping.

Chris:"Only the elder dragon knows, and he requires a sacrifice."

Me : "Not possible. The dragons are too far east. I'd never reach the delegation if I went there. I must make my report!"

Chris: "Use a runestone to send your thoughts. You do still have one, dont you?"

Me: "My master never gave me one. Do you have one? Perhaps I can make my report that way."

Chris: "I buried mine in the cemetery in the bed of lilacs. You must be swift, the delegation waits for no one. I pray for your success."

Me: "Thank you anyway. Have you seen any figures of glass? Run, if you do. I advise you to rid yourself of all glass until the war is over."

Chris: "I thought there was talk of an alliance?!"

Me: "There can be no alliance with those who use lightning soldiers and glass spys. Such horrors. It is foolish to believe they can be peaceful."

Chris: "I should have known better. I was such a fool. Is there no way to stop them?"

Me: "we have said too much. there is glass everywhere. Even you still wear your clan beads. Convince your clan, if you can, to discard all the glass. I must go."

ChrisYou are both wise and brave. I'll do what I can. Tread lightly, friend. We cannot afford to lose you."



Anjin was slightly less successful.

Anjin:"Try asking the bookmark! He's a good source of info."

Me:If you're not going to take this seriously, then I can't take you with me, and you will be breaking your vow. I must get to the delegation."

Anjin"Are you asleep?"

Me"You always did ask foolish questions when you didnt' know the answer. Enough. We must go. And keep a wary eye out for any glass. We can't trust any of it now."

Anjin"Ok. I'm ready. But the question is, where is my steak book? I have your cactus book in hand, and will exchange it for my steak book."
(I had told her about a a theme that my sleepwalking takes on sometimes, of looking for my cactus book. More about that later.)

Me "You are a fool. It's a wonder my master put me under your protection."

Anjin"Because of my ninja skills, silly!"

Lol. Sorry, Anjin. I was being kinda mean. Nice try with the cactus book, but I guess it didn't fit in with the story.

Dream: Eden

I dreamed that my name was Eden. I did not know this, but my mother had been visited by an angel when she was pregnant, who told her to give me that name. The angel also told her that I would eventually die in the garden that I create.
My mother was terrified. She did name me Eden, but she had extremely strict rules about the time I spent outside. I was forbidden to plant anything, to play in well-cultivated parks or to pick flowers. I wasn't even allowed to draw pictures of gardens. I spent most of my childhood indoors. We moved to the city when I was very young, so as to limit the time I spent in natural settings.
One day, when I was ten or eleven, I was at a friends house. They had a pretty orchid in a pot of soil in the windowsill. It was wilting slightly. My friend left the room for a moment, and I leaned over the pot and kissed the wilting orchid. It immediately began to perk up. New buds started to grow out of the stem. I saw a tiny bud struggling to open. I breathed very gently on it, and it unfurled.
Over the next few years I noticed my effect on plants and even animals. Flowers turned their faces towards me as I walked by. Animals of all kinds always tried to touch my face wherever I went. Plants grew faster and healthier if I breathed on them.
I eventually moved int my own apartment, which was covered in vines and flowers within one year. There was a commotion one day with the landlord and tenants, as a gigantic lemon tree seemed to have grown up through the lobby floor overnight. I never told my mother about any of this because of what I thought of as her neurotic fear of botany.
As I aged into my twenties, I noticed an increase in the strange effects I had on my surroundings. For the first time, I noticed the effect I had on people. I seemed to bring out the best and the worst in them. I saved people's relationships, and even their lives just by talking to them, especially if I could somehow share breath with them by having our faces very close together.
But sometimes I would meet people who have lived good ordinary lives, and the next time I hear about them they have done something terrible -homicide, suicide, getting arrested or committed.
The first time I ever found a snake in my apartment, I was understandably shaken. Like all animals, it tried to touch my face. This felt different though. Instead of the love and even reverence that I felt from other animals, the snake's gesture felt mocking and malevolent. From that moment on, I found snakes in my city apartment every few months.
I very slowly began to realize that I carried Eden inside of me. I breathed the garden.

Sleep Texts from Last Night

I tend to text the same people over and over again. Right now I'm in a cycle of texting my friends Catheryne, Anjin, Chris, and sometimes Jake or John.

Once I even texted my professor. He had heard of my notorious sleep texting, so he wasn't completely confused when it happened. I was rather mortified. This is what I said to him:
"What are all these giant hindu butterflies doing in my house? Did you invite them in?"
He didn't respond. And I don't remember doing it, so I have no idea what the context is.

The way this usually happens is I send out a mass text, and then have different conversations with my friends who are all delighted to try to play along. I told them not to encourage me, but they say it's like a text based game. :P
This is a conversation I had with several friends last night:

me: Has the royal mage left yet? Is the garden unattended?
Catheryne: I think he left? But I don't know where he would have gone. Do you?
me: I'm sure he left on his errand the king demanded.
Catheryne: probably. Why do you need him?
Me: Haven't you been paying attention? What i need is for him to be away from the garden.
Catheryne: No. Sorry I was daydreaming. Is there anything I can do to help?
Me: Make sure I am not followed. Noone must know. It is forbidden.
Catheryne: Okay. I will guard it with my life. Where exactly are you going, though?
Me: I am going to find the blue rose of forgetfulness.

Me to Jake: Has the royal mage left yet? Is the garden unattended?
Jake: He left a few moments ago just as the rain began to fall. Shall I go after him?
Me: No. Stay at the gate until I am done. This may take some time.

Me to Anjin:Has the royal mage left yet? Is the garden unattended?
Anjin: Where are the fountains?
Me: What? Why do you not answer me?
Anjin: But I have? He has left for the day. What should I do?
Me: Make certain noone follows me. This is of utmost importance.
Anjin:I will do as you say. When should I expect your return?
Me; As soon as I find the blue rose of forgetfulness.
Anjin: But the way is too dangerous. Will you be alright? Perhaps I should accompany you...
Me: And provide me with what protection exactly? Do as I tell you and stay at the gate. Let noone in.
Anjin: I'll be your eyes and ears. What should be the sign should he return?

My friends have figured out in the past year that they have to stay within my subconscious' story, otherwise I'll stop talking to them. It also helps if they ask me questions. There always comes a point when I stop responding -I probably fall into a deeper sleep.