Dream of S
Disclaimer: Superman and Sandman are owned and copyright of DC Comics. X-men characters are owned and copyright of Marvel Comics. They are being used here for non-profit entertainment only.
The Dreaming is the place where dreams and nightmares live. The lord of this land goes by many names, but Dream is perhaps the one that describes him the best.
There is a place in the Dreaming like no other. It is a place where dreams of heroes come, where good and evil battle in an endless struggle. As time and civilizations have come and gone, the land has been inhabited by many different heroes. The strongest have always been the ones in the social consciousness, like Hercules. But there have been many more: the heroes that never made it out of the mind of there creators, the heroes that children make themselves up to be, even heroes that never were. The Dream lord enjoys visiting this place, and he does so whenever his duties allow it.
There is one hero that he particularly enjoys talking with. He is arguably the strongest hero in the land.
Today, Dream found the time to visit. He enters the strange structure and is greeted by a tall figure in red, yellow and blue.
"Hello, Dream."
"Greetings. How are you today, Superman?"
"To be honest, a little troubled."
"And why is that?"
Superman shows Dream to a window. They look out at the vast land, as battles rage on outside.
"What are we doing here, Dream? What is our purpose?"
"People, especially children, dream of being a hero. As long as they dream, this place will be here."
"But they have heroes, in the real world."
"Yes, but you are idealized versions, romanticized alternatives that reflect the times."
"What about me, then? How do I reflect the times? I hear some of them saying I'm not relevant. They point to my clothes, my "goody-two-shoes" attitude. Their newer heroes are darker, modern, a better reflection of today."
Dream smiles.
"We like some heroes because we can relate to them. We see a hero's struggle and we relate. We see the alienated outsider hero and we relate. We see the take-no-prisoners heroes and we feel empowered. But you, my friend, are different. You are too powerful to relate to. Your clothes, your manners, your attitude, are too rare to be relatable."
"If you are trying to make me feel better, I'm not sure it's working."
"Patience, my friend. Let me show you something."
They go outside and wade through the large amount of heroes. Dream walks to one man with claws.
"May I ask you a question?"
"Sure, bub."
"If you could choose one hero, just one, to be made real...only one hero to go out into the real world and do good...who would you choose?"
"That's easy, bub. Superman."
"Thank you." Dream says. The man puts a cigar in his mouth and walks away.
"...I don't understand. Why me?" Superman asks.
"Two reasons. First, because you are different than the others, Superman. You relate to our inner child, our most basic and pure understanding of good. You have no motive other than doing good. You have no desire for power. You just do the right thing all the time. We all want to believe in that. We want to believe that there is good in this world, that there is inherent good in all of us. And that hunger does not have anything to do with the times, the technology, or the modern advancements. We will always want to believe in that. And every time we look at you, Superman, we believe. You give us hope."
Dream points to a Superman flying through the air.
"You see that one over there? He is a child in a hospital bed. He read a Superman comic before going to sleep. And now he dreams and forgets the pain, or the fact that there is no cure. He rises to the air, free and triumphant. Just like you do many times, he is willing to fight in what seems to be a hopeless struggle. Just like you, he is determined to never give up. And just like you, he is defined not by the outcome of his struggles, but by the manner in which he carries himself. You give us strength, Superman, to handle whatever comes our way."
Dream turns toward the vast land in front of them.
"There are a wide variety of heroes, but they all have something in common. In their own ways, they are fighting for good. But you, Superman, you ARE good. They may mock your costume, they may call you a Boy Scout, but if you ask the inner child in any of them who they would want to see made real, there is only one answer."
"Then I have something in common with them."
"How so?" asks Dream.
"Because MY dream is to be real, to be able to do good in their world, stop tragedies, fight for truth and justice."
Dream walks to a nearby pond.
"Look" He passes his hands over the water. Images from the real world appear on the surface. Regular people, wearing an S-shield shirt or sweater.
"So many are wearing my shield..."
"Yes, but not for who you are. They wear it for WHAT you are. A symbol of hope, of strength, of good. A reminder to those who see it that we can all be like you, if we have those things inside of us. So you see, Superman, in a way, you ARE real."
Superman smiles.
"Thank you, Dream."
"No, thank you, Superman."
"For what?"
"Because I was a child once too, sort of, and you were my hero."
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For Christopher Reeve, who will always be my Superman.