Saving the Phoenix

Sunlight spilled from the windows and onto a dark, hardwood floor. Sundust danced happily on the rays as the breeze blew in from the high windows. It was hard waiting for the doctor, especially when something so pressing was on her mind.

Being used to this office after only two weeks, the older location was haunted and she scarcely felt safe discussing her dreams with ghosts in the room, she laid down on the plush sofa and watched the sunlight. After ten minutes, it felt like hours, he came into the room, clipboard in hand.

"Thank you for seeing me today, Doctor. It's been a while since our last session, but the dream i had last night cannot be dismissed."

"Mm, hmm," he mumbled.

She had to admit he was handsome. His face was tan and radiant, she knew he was a runner and maybe that helped with the complexion. Dark hair was cut short atop his head and that complimented his dark eyebrows. Some might have called him short, but his confidence overrode any doubts of his ability.

When he sat down across from her, he took off rectangular glasses so she could see his eyes. They were brown with a warmth that offered trust.

After a moment of scribbling on a pad, he looked at her and smiled.

“Okay Kate, what’s been troubling you? Tell me about this dream.”

She nodded and began her tale.

“It’s going to sound strange. This time my dream was not in fluid scenes,” she looked down and folded her hands. “Each scene became more coherent as the dream went on,” now she was hesitating.

“It’s okay, go on,” he gently urged.

Kate took a deep breath. “We were in the water, two children and i. I was one of them, a child I mean. There was sand and a cabin next to the life guard station. It was kind of like a beach. At first we were wading in the water, but then I noticed something in the water.

“At this point, I knew I was undercover, even though I was a child. I had an adult brain.”

“What gave you that impression, Katie?” The doctor decided to go along with her child like feelings.

“I felt as if I knew more about the water than they did. That’s when I noticed the jellyfish. It seemed that they weren’t there before, so I grabbed the two children and asked them to watch out for the little jellyfish. That’s when I started to feel guilty,” as she stared at her knuckles, she noticed they were turning white from her own grip. She quickly released them and looked at the doctor.

“I felt as if I took their innocence away. They were happily playing in the water, until I ruined it with tales of these jelly monsters. They couldn’t have been more than 3 or 4 years old, but I was bigger and a little older, so I took them to safety. That didn’t rid me of that sadness though.”

“Sometimes we must be the truth bearers. Go on, what was the next scene.” His soft voice never threatened her, so she went on.

“Next, I found myself in a gymnasium. I’d regained my adult body, to go with the brain, but there was chaos everywhere. I could sense that she was in trouble…’

“Who’s in trouble?” this surprised him. Her past dreams had been of a man in need of help.

“The Phoenix. I know this sounds weird… but recently the one in trouble has been the Phoenix. You know, the one from X-Men. Everyone was looking for her, or her followers, and since I was undercover, I decided to play along.

“The gymnasium was surrounded by artifacts, as if it was a bazaar from ancient Egypt. One fellow claimed to be the master of some unknown universe, and he’d forwarded all his efforts in trying to find the Phoenix, to arrange her hand for marriage,” at this, her eyes went dull and she was reliving the dream. The doctor sat forward, a little anxious, but watching her all the same.

“I simply tapped his upper arm with the back of my hand and whispered to him… ‘She IS the queen of the universe,’ and left him before he thought to catch me.

“I knew where she was, so I navigated through the maze of tents and posters to where she was sick in bed. Marvelous in her yellow outfit, she sat in a bed, speaking to her friends. ‘You are being hunted,’ I bowed, to show my courtesy. ‘Please excuse this intrusion, but I must get you to safety.’ I picked her up in my arms, with every intention to carry her away to a safer place. So many people were after her….”

“Katie, stay with me. Katie…” the doctor rose from his chair and kneeled next to her own. By now, her eyes had slipped closed and her breathing was shallow. He checked her pulse and was happy with the results.

“Go on Katie… what happened to the Phoenix?”

“I,” she swallowed, it seemed a labor to breathe, even. “I carried her away, and her alchemist came with her. She had a, a drawer, rings. Each,” another swallow, “each had a small marble ball attached. They were used as… as medicine when swallowed.” A bead of sweat rolled down her forehead, though she was cool to the touch.

“Melandra was her name and she had many piercings. Not uncommon for an alchemist. One of her own ball rings was in her lip. Anyway, Phoenix asked for certain medicines according to the maladies she felt. She swallowed one remedy and asked Melandra to throw another away. Although she wasn’t …. “

“Katie, just a little longer, please, keep talking to me.” This time, he grasped her hands in his own, her temperature was beginning to rise and more sweat beads dotted her head like diamonds.

“The Phoenix wasn’t showing any signs of pain, except in her eyes. It was like looking into the sadness of the world, and all it’s terrible power,” a shiver ran through her then, the sweat drops evaporating one by one.

“…joked for a while, the alchemist and I, and I dared to refer to a common friend that we all shared, but the magi ignored her, she was carrying me after all….”

As a smile grew on his face, Kate’s ruddy cheeks began to drain of all blood, despite her fever.

“I simply told her that wasn’t who we spoke of and laughed. I was weak and she was there to protect me. Then I told her she was my Queen, the Queen of the Universe.”

A sharp cry rang in Kate’s ears just then. Something had gone terribly wrong. She opened her eyes and saw a horrid site before her. The seat where her doctor once sat was empty, and next to her knelt a charred figure. Kate wasn’t afraid, however. It was clear what happened.

Her dream was no dream at all. Past nightmares were only so because the person was wrong. Her duty was to protect, however those she protected were never right. She woke up screaming from those dreams, for those that were under her care would always perish. Not until this last dream, could she see clearly.

She was destined to protect herself… the Queen of the Universe.