Dreams were now a protected action. Private security had never been a more secure job in history. In itself, an irony that the world protected the protectors out of demand, but that was also because nobody wanted the job anymore.
I used to work for the high-end clientele and the dedicated recluse. They were all crazy in their own way. I had gotten used to it, and I thought I would be prepared to be a seer guard. But seers are a whole other kind of crazy.
Today I was starting my very first shift for Marbelle Vanderjen. She was a seer that had been raised from lower class, so I had hope that her humble background would keep her grounded. I let myself into the large hidden cabin sitting by a private lake. She was definitely doing well for herself. I released Henry from his shift and took a round of the house.
It was quiet thanks to the soundproof everything. The exterior walls were triple insulated and despite the woodsy design, the construction had been hairline perfect. Not a single crack in any corner or joint. It also felt like a young girl’s bedroom with endless plush animals, carpets, and bedding. If I were less sophisticated, I would imagine dirtier roots. Luckily, the soft music and water features kept it more sen feeling.
It was a lot of work, but it was a seer’s dream house. I peeked my head around Ms. Vanderjen’s door and found her asleep once more. The sight made my blood race and I quickly pulled back out. I did not want to remind her subconscious of my presence. They say that seers have perfect dream control, but I knew better.
Eight years was not enough time to master the mind. Even for people who dreamt aware of what was going on, they were still subservient to their subconscious. That was why they slept so much. In order to create a dream that would influence reality, the seer had to fall into their REM sleep and dream of the environment they wanted to change. Then the seer could magic up whatever they wanted. But only if they could get their subconscious in the right place to start with. Otherwise, they would have to dream-travel or wake up and start again.
I calmed myself in the pool room and watched the vapors shift above the water. There was a lot I still didn’t know about seer magic. I never dreamed so there was no chance I could change reality. But I saw firsthand what they could do. It had now become normal to look outside the window and see cotton candy clouds and blue trees. Everywhere you looked, a dream was becoming reality. But it was more nightmarish than fun. A single stray thought from anyone’s dream could turn the ground to lava or give everyone hooves for hands. You just never knew.
That was why the government had evoked a curfew real fast. But instead of forcing people to bed, this one got them up. Every four hours, or two if you live in a strict city, officials turn on the tornado sirens as loud as they can go to wake everyone up before they can get to their dreams. Humanity lived off of cat naps now.
I paced the hallways and looked through all the small windows. The pink clouds only reminded me of how backward everything was now. Sleeping was the greatest luxury and seers made the future instead of simply seeing it.
I refocused on the present and pushed away my thoughts. Guard duty took constant attention to details, but the endless hours made the mind want to wander. I mumbled a song to keep me on task but couldn’t help wondering if I could have been a good seer if I was a conscious dreamer.
I sat down in front of the computer room which showed me lived coverage of the house. I felt like a god watching over everything and was reminded why I enjoyed being private security. It was a mostly peaceful job with bursts of action. And the respect was real. How could I ever think of quitting?
It must have been karma, for just then the ceiling started to rain on me. It wasn’t the strangest thing to happen to me so I prioritized and grabbed blankets to cover all the computers. It then started to snow and I grabbed another blanket for myself. I debated if it would be better for me to shut down all the power in the house to keep the electricity from causing more problems or if I should wait it out. The snow turned to hail and I ducked under the table. But a second later I remembered my job and rushed to the bedroom to shield my sleeping charge.
I was starting to get real nervous. Would there be lightning next? Or a hurricane? Should I wake Ms. Vanderjen and end this? But would waking her even stop things? I didn’t relish having to leave the house because the ceiling was stuck in storm mode. And I would likely be the one to blame. My hands were getting frosty and I saw it reflecting Ms. Vanderjen’s humor.
And why create such a storm? What could she be possibly be thinking about to cause this? Normally seers avoided thinking about things around them just in case. I watched her slow breathing and came to a realization. She wasn’t dreaming. Ms. Vanderjen’s nose always twitched when she was dreaming as if she were sniffing everything. This was the work of another seer. It began to thunder.
This was an attack. There was no other explanation for seeing such wild violent magic in a secret household. I quickly whipped out my phone and tapped through the outside cameras. I saw images of trees, vines, dirt, and more trees. But sure enough, I came to see a limousine by the far side of the lake. I couldn’t see inside it, but I was sure there was a sleeping seer with a guide who had their eyes glued to a pair of binoculars. That was the only way to encourage a seer to dream of a place they had never seen before in a moment’s notice.
I glanced at my seer who was getting wet despite my human shield and I decided to try and be a guide myself before abandoning the household. So I talked to Marbelle. I explained the situation over and over and described the limo that held our enemies. I spoke of the twisted tree hanging over the car, a small patch of weeds under the front tires, and an obvious scratch on the hood. I repeated import defining factors so that Marbelle could get a good enough image to dream of. Then I told her of my plan.
Nothing happened for a while and it seemed like an eternity while my back got pounded by tiny bits of ice. A wind picked up in the room and things began to fly. I had to yell at Marbelle for her to hear me and I was amazed she was even still asleep.
I gave up on my plan once I heard a window shatter and I bundled my charge in a blanket and dived out the closest door. I sprinted to a clearing away from the limousine and the house and kept my eyes out for further threats. Marbelle was waking at this point and I pulled my phone back out. But instead of seeing a car or even tracks, I saw a video of a chasm. A great big black hole had appeared where they had been with no trace of the enemy seer. I marveled at the deepness of the hole and shivered as I looked at Ms. Vanderjen’s sleepy face. We had won the day, but I wondered if this was a job I still wanted. Dreams were just too dangerous.
Photo by Jp Valery