Death was not like one had expected. It was soft, gentle, painless, carrying me in its arms to a place that no mortal had ever seen before. High up in the sky, at the spot where you can sometimes, on a bright day with a blue sky, see a star winking at you from the Heavens. But then you realize that it is daytime and it cannot be a star, so you think it is an illusion. That spot, that was where Aislin�s castle of Dreams was. It floated in the sky, white marble shining in the sun when you flew towards it and the gold sparkling so you had to look away because it hurt your eyes. No words could describe it; it was round and grand and beautiful, no mortal could ever create such a castle, such ethereal beauty. Big windows with satin curtains waving in the wind, ever-blooming plants and trees in the gardens around it, the soft colors radiating calmness and peace. This was truly the castle of someone who created beautiful Dreams.
I saw this all through closed eyes, being blindfolded, as no human should ever see Death. Death was something that should not be seen, something which you could not touch or smell or hear but someone ungraspable, you knew it was there but you had no way to describe it. We landed on the plateau Aislin�s castle was built on and I was set on my feet. Behind me, I could hear Death leave again, his wings making a swishing sound through the air. I removed the blindfold, looking behind me just in time to see a tiny dot fly away, and then looked down to see that I still had my body, much to my surprise. But something was different; this body looked much more mature, that of a grown woman, instead that of a girl. Clad in a blue sundress that reached till my knees, I felt horribly bare; I normally did not wear dresses.
�This body is the personification of the soul.� Said a clear voice behind me. I turned around again to see Aislin standing there, smiling and almost radiating peace and happiness. Unlike on Earth, she looked healthy and was no longer so thin and bruised. She was wearing a long sleeved, white dress that fell to her ankles and hugged her hips. Her head was adorned with a small, sparkling tiara and she had big, silver hoops in her ears. With countless bracelets dangling from her wrists and rings around her fingers that shone brightly in the sun, she truly looked like a Goddess. I could now see her true beauty and understood why people liked her so much; the air around her was one of kindness and one could impossibly not like her. �I am glad you are here, Shaylee. It took a little longer than I expected and I was beginning to worry. I hope the destruction on Earth did not scare you too much?�
�No, not at all, really! You mustn�t worry about me, Aislin. I have one question, though: where are we?�
�This is the castle of Dreams.� I blinked and then suddenly there was a man standing behind Aislin, his hands on her shoulders. He was big; at least 6�7� feet and looked about 28 years old, with messy, short brown hair and warm honey colored eyes. Wearing a short, brown vest with a black shirt underneath, and strong legs hidden in a brown pair of pants, not to mention the few deep scars that adorned his face, he looked like he could slay even the biggest dragon with ease. Aislin looked up and smiled at him, at which he smiled back. I then knew who this mystery man was.
�Kael?�
�That�s me.� He grinned.
�Ah!� I pulled off the scabbard that I still had strapped on my back. �I believe this is yours.�
�Bredon!� Kael exclaimed, taking the sword and then smiling brightly at me. �I knew you would take good care of him.�
�Why am I here? I am dead, right? Then I should be in the Land of the Dead.� I asked.
�You are here because we have a task for you, Shaylee. We need your help.� Aislin said with a smile.
�My help? What can I do, then?�
�It is like this, Shaylee, and before I start I want to stay quiet until I am done.� I nodded and the Goddess continued. �Kael and me�we are both dead. Kael is only still here because the force of his love kept him here, waiting for me. Gods and Goddesses�they return to what they are made of when they die. In my case, this was a star. Shaylee, have you heard of that? People make wishes on stars and the Gods that were there from the beginning wanted to grant some of those, but of course they could not grant them all. They took a star from the sky, took the powder that comes off stars and after they had created my body, they sprinkled the dust over me. I was born and I could grant the wishes of those people, but only for one night. In their dreams, their wishes became reality, if only for a little while. And I used the energy that came of those people to keep the world balanced. Now that I am dead, and I do not blame you for this at all, the world was no longer balanced and fell apart. That is what happened down on Earth. But I can no longer fulfill the duty of being the Goddess of the Dream, as I have to return to the stars. I will take Kael with me and we will be together, at last.� She said while touching Kael�s cheek softly with her hand. �The world needs someone to keep it balanced. And seeing as I can no longer do it, I am appointing someone I know who will be capable of doing it. I am talking about you, Shaylee. I want you to be the new Goddess of the Dream.�
�M-me? You can�t be serious! I can�t do that!� I exclaimed, shocked.
Aislin grabbed my hands with her own and smiled brightly. �I know you can do it! If I can do it, then you can for sure! What you did down there, on Earth, that was amazing, Shaylee. I really admire you and I have faith in you.�
�What do I have to do, then?�
�You would be the creator of the Dreams that people dream. I won�t say that it is easy, quite the contrary, it is pretty hard work, but after a while you will learn to love it just like I did! Please, Shaylee, accept my offer and I know you won�t regret it.� Aislin begged.
�If she would ask me like that, I would do anything for her.� Came a voice from my left. I turned my head and saw Raghnall, Teagan, Cahal and some other guy I had never seen before.
�Guys!� I yelled and then ran towards the group. They all enveloped me into a big hug and I smiled brightly. �I thought you were gone!�
�We were, but instead of going to the Land of the Dead, I came here.� Teagan explained. �Then this guy joined me,� He bonked Cahal on his head, at which the other man pouted. �and then him and him and then you. I just wish you would have killed that Keir off sooner, I thought I was going crazy with Cahal around me! Man, do you ever shut up?�
�Of course I do! Are you saying that I talk too much? Because if you are, you are just a big fat liar! I do not talk too much, okay? I do n-mmph.� Cahal started to ramble, but Teagan put his hand over the verbose man�s mouth.
�Quiet, okay? Not another word from you.� He ordered.
�Um�� I mumbled. �Who is he?� I said while pointing at the unknown man who was still standing with us. Raghnall laughed.
�You do not recognize him?�
I blinked and looked again. The man was 6�1� feet and looked about 22 years old. All black clothing with golden bracelets dangling from his wrists, a lot of necklaces around his neck, all black clothing, long, white hair tied back in a rubber band and red eyes�
�Kayne!�
�I thought you would never notice!� The boy, no, now man, laughed.
�Wow! I mean, what has happened to you?� I stuttered.
�Did I not tell you that this body represents the personification of the soul?� Aislin interrupted from behind me. She walked up to us, Kael right beside her. I thought that right now, she truly looked like a Goddess. �Kayne�s body was cursed on Earth, but his soul was that of a grown man and that is what you see here.�
�And, Kayne, does it feel weird being so big?� I asked.
�Kind of, yes. It feels funny being taller than you.� He ruffled my hair with his hand. �Little one.�
�So, Shaylee, what will you do? Will you accept my offer of being the new Goddess of the Dream?� Aislin asked.
�Will I be able to stay here?� I questioned, not really sure of what to do.
�If you want, yes.� The Goddess replied.
�What about my friends? Can they stay here, also?�
�I think that can be arranged.�
�Then I will accept the offer. I will be the new Goddess of the Dream, Aislin. I really hope you were right about me and that I will be able to do the task, but even so, I will do my best to make you proud.� I said while smiling.
�I knew you would! Now come, there is so much I need to explain to you. You need to pay attention now, all these things are so important and I had trouble remembering them at first, too, but you get used to it really quick, trust me! Where to begin��
~
Being the Goddess of the Dream was actually more complicated than one could ever imagine. There were a lot more rules to it that I had originally thought, and after Aislin was done explaining things I felt like my head was going to explode just from having to remember all those rules. She had taken me inside the castle, and we were now standing in front of the window. I looked outside, at the blue sky, contemplating if this was really what I wanted.
�I�I am not sure if I can do it, Aislin. How can I ever be as good as you once were?� I stammered, feeling terribly unsure of myself. The Goddess just smiled and grabbed my shoulders, looking into my eyes.
�Would I have given you this job if I did not know you were right for it? I am putting all my trust in you because I know you can do it, I know you have the power to create those Dreams.� Aislin said.
�Will it be just me? What about the other Gods? You were not all by yourself and I am!� I exclaimed, still not convinced.
�Silly!� The Goddess laughed. �You do not have to do it all by yourself! There will be other Gods and Goddesses to help you when you need it. I already contacted the rest and they now realize their mistake of leaving the Earth all by itself. They are really nice and I am sure you will like them and they will like you!�
�I would not be able to do it all by myself.� I sighed in relief. �But Aislin, one more thing. You said that when people dreamed, it was like their wishes were being granted for one night.�
�That is right.� Aislin nodded.
�But right now, there aren�t any people on the Earth! There is no one there to Dream and how do I create Dreams for people who are not there?� I asked.
�Did I forget to tell you? When the other Gods will arrive back on Earth, they will create humankind and the other creatures again. In the beginning of the Earth�s existence, the Gods created humans too and they will do so again, not the same people but they put the souls of people that lived on the Earth before in new bodies. Everyone who lived on the Earth at the time of its destruction will be revived and they together they will create an entire new human race, and it is for those people that you will create Dreams.� The Goddess explained.
�But the Earth is one big wasteland right now! Where will those people live?�
�Ah, that is where you come in! You will be the first to dream and you will create a whole new Earth. Forests, seas, mountains, valleys, everything you like you can place on the Earth. Everything you Dream will come true and so you will create a place for humankind to live. Do you understand what I am saying, Shaylee? You will be remembered at the new creator of the Earth.� Aislin said, smiling brightly. I swallowed.
�I am not sure if I am capable of taking that responsibility on me.� I hesitated.
�I know you can do it. I trust in you, Shaylee, remember that.� She whispered.
�I guess I just have to believe that�� I said while smiling faintly. �Aislin, how would I become a Goddess? Surely it is not a matter of just clapping your hands?�
�No, it is not.� Aislin laughed. �Only the highest God of them all, Llewelyn, can do that. I think he will arrive here- ah, there he is!�
And she was right. There, in the sky, was a tiny dot moving towards the castle. It became bigger and bigger until I could see a carriage being pulled forward through the air by two beautiful winged white horses. The carriage itself was the same white as the horses, adorned with gold and jewels and two golden wheels for riding on the ground. The person that drove the carriage was a big man with curly grey hair and an equally grey beard. The horses landed gracefully on the plateau, stopped with visible ease and folded their wings back, after which the person stepped off the carriage. Aislin ran outside fast and I followed her shyly, not sure of what to do. I saw the Goddess jump into the man�s arms, hugging him like a father.
�Aislin!� The man roared in a deep baritone. �You cannot imagine my joy to see you again. It has been too long��
�Llewelyn. I was just thinking the same. But let us not dwell on the past and just be happy to see each other again.� She then spotted me and grabbed my hand, dragging me towards the God. �Oh! Llewelyn, this is the person I had talked with you about. Shaylee, this is Llewelyn, the God of Heaven, Llewelyn, this is Shaylee, the new Goddess of the Dream.�
Before I knew it, Llewelyn enveloped me into a big hug, just like he had done to Aislin moments earlier. He then let me go, looked me over and then smiled. �I am sure you will do well.�
�See?� Aislin exclaimed while smiling brightly at me. �I told you you could do it! If even Llewelyn says so, then you should not doubt. He can see people�s powers and if he tells you that you will do well, then you will.�
�Um�thanks?� I stammered.
�Llewelyn, will you now�?�
�Yes. Aislin, Shaylee, please place your hands together.� Confused, I did so while Aislin smiled an encouraging smile. Her hands were warm and when Llewelyn mumbled some kind of incantation that I could not understand, I felt energy flowing from her hands into mine. My whole body turned warm I had to close my eyes because tears were prickling in them. With every breath I felt the energy flow through my body, getting stronger, and it hurt, almost too much for me and then it stopped. I carefully opened my eyes and then looked at my hands.
�I do not feel any different��
�I just transferred my energy to your body. You are not supposed to feel different, but you now have more power than before.� Aislin explained.
�Is it that easy for a person to become a God?� I asked.
�A person does not become a deity until there are people to believe in him or her, to pray and to worship.� Llewelyn said. �The Gods and me will create a new human race and we will become their Gods once more. For now, I will say goodbye to you, Shaylee, until I see you again. I wish you good luck.� The God of Heaven walked back to his carriage, pulling the reins and the horses spread their wings, running towards the edge of the plateau and then jumping off. �Farewell, Shaylee, and may you bring good Dreams to the humans.� He said while waving. We waved back until he was nothing more than a small dot in the sky, and then disappeared completely.
�I think it is time for me to go as well.� Aislin said. �Remember what I told you. I believe in you and I know you can do it, just have faith in yourself.� She went to stand next to Kael, who had been standing a few feet from us. Grabbing his hand, she smiled at me. �I will always be watching over you, you must know that. Farewell, Shaylee!�
�Good luck!� Kael smiled. Their bodies started to become transparent, golden glitters surrounding them. And with a flash of light, they were both gone. I looked into the sky and saw two bright stars shining, winking at me with their flickering light and then disappearing into the ethereal blue.
�Thanks for everything, Aislin.� I whispered.
�So! How does it feel to be a Goddess?� Cahal asked. �You do not look any different, that�s for sure!�
�Feels just the same as before.� I answered. �I am not sure of what to do now. What about you? What are you guys going to do?�
�If it is alright with you, I would like to stay here.� Cahal said shyly. I nodded and he yipped in joy. I moved my gaze to Kayne and smiled as he nodded.
�Of course I will stay here!� Teagan exclaimed enthusiastically. �Can�t let little Shaylee do all these things by herself.� He said while ruffling my hair and I laughed.
�What about you, Raghnall? You�ll stay, right?� I asked the Elf who was looking out at the sky, back turned to us.
�I�m not staying.�
�W-what?� I blinked.
�I�m not staying. I will be reincarnated without my memories and I am going back to Earth.�
�You can�t be serious! I thought you promised me that we would be friends forever�� I said softly.
�Then contact me when I am old enough.� Raghnall replied.
�But then you won�t be able to remember a thing!� I objected.
�I just do not want to remember all these memories that I have now.� The Elf turned around, in his eyes a cold look. �Please, Shaylee, let me do this. This is what I want and if you really care about me then you will let me go.�
It was then silent for a while and I looked at Raghnall, how completely miserable he looked and I knew I had no other choice, because it just would be egoistical of me to keep him here. I ran to him and threw my arms around his neck, face pressed against his shoulder. He clumsily hugged me back, probably not used to so much affection.
�Thank you�thank you for everything.� I whispered, not sure if he could hear me and felt him sigh.
�I will see you again sometime. I wish I could say that I�ll never forget you, but that�s impossible. Goodbye, Shaylee.� And then he was gone. And it hurt that he would never remember me, even though I could visit him when he was reborn. It almost tear my heart apart, that I had gotten so attached to him in such a short time and this was not the way I had wanted it, at all.
I fell on my knees and cried.
~
And just like Aislin had said, I dreamed. I dreamed about valleys, deep valleys with green trees and small, slow streaming rivers where the animals could drink. Big mountains surrounding it and youngsters dreamed what was behind those mountains, and when they were old enough the most daring ones really lived that dream. Mountains with snow on the top where hermits secluded themselves from humankind. Shadows in which one could hide from the burning sun and caves to hide from terrible storms that occurred when the God of Heaven was angry. Storms with pouring rain and thunder and lighting and wind that pulled the trees out of the ground.
Forests, huge forests with trees that lived for thousands of years and some of its habitants even longer. Where the most ugliest of the creatures could hide in, hide away from those that were afraid of them. The thick layer of leaves protected those that were not keen of sunlight and shielded those that did not like the rain. Open spots in the forest where Faeries lived and frolicked could run back into their hiding places when someone approached that they did not trust. The Elves guarded the forest of those that wanted to harm it and used to trees to sleep in and they roamed in it, staying away from humankind, preferring solitude.
Seas, oceans and lakes where creatures lived in that did not have the ability to walk on land. Where the mermaids and sea dragons lived and that had countless of secrets for those that did not live there. Humans sailed on it with their ships, trying to reveal those secrets, but the sea would always be a mystery for humankind. The sea that gave life and took life and that was loved by some and hated by some, but would always be there. Little streams of water that humans used to wash themselves with, cooked with, washed clothes in and drank from.
Swamps, because I had not forgotten the Faerie folk, had not forgotten Shea and the kind Faerie Aina that had been so eager to help us. Fog in which one could easily get lost when not paying attention and soggy ground and in one of those swamps was Shea, the home of the Faerie folk, ready for its inhabitants. Places where the creatures of the night could hide and paths were no human should walk upon with dangerous quicksand that will suck you in its deadly grasp the moment you step on it.
And so, I recreated Earth.
