"Who are you? What do you want?" I demanded of the voice as I sharply twirled myself around. I was rather alarmed because I could not see anyone around me.
"What I want," The voice replied in a smooth, silky tone, "Is simply…your happiness."
At that exact moment, I saw a man appear out of thin air in front of me. The man was impeccably dressed completely in white from head to foot, his suit being a style most modern of which I had never seen before. His hair was black as a raven, his skin fair as ivory. He was also incredibly handsome, possessing two extremely piercing gray eyes. Though he stood in a relaxed pose, he still held a very commanding presence.
"I am the sovereign of all that you see here, which is the Realm of Dreams. But you, my friend, may simply call me Morpheus.
"The Realm of Dreams?" I repeated stupidly, not quite sure what to make of it.
"Yes…this is the land where dreams come true, Erik."
His voice was very calm and friendly, but something still sent a shiver down my spine, making a feeling of uneasiness run through my veins.
He then slowly started to walk towards me, circling around me, which made me feel somewhat as if I were his prey. He then began to tell me all he was capable of…
"I have the power," he said, "To make all that you have ever dreamed of and desired for to become reality. Here in this land, you can have the home you always wanted, the normal life you always wished for, the perfect face you always dreamed of…" Then he stepped close to me and I could feel the heat from his breath hit my neck, as he whispered in my ear, "What you always desired…Christine." That last word echoed in my ear… "Christine, Christine."
"How do you know about Christine?" I demanded.
He gave a bit of a chuckle and replied. "I know everything there is to know about you, Erik. I know what you desire; I know what you crave. Stay with me and I promise that it all, plus more, will come true."
"I don't believe you." I told him coldly. "It is impossible for dreams to come true, unless you can prove to me otherwise." I said, sure that he was simply some madman playing a cruel joke.
"If you insist." He said pleasantly.
I watched him for several moments, expecting him to do some special movement with his hands, or speak some incantation. But he simply stood there with a very bored expression on his face, his arms crossed.
Growing impatient with his charade, I finally asked him in a sarcastic tone. "So, when are all my wildest dreams going to come true?"
He gave me a pitying look and said, "One of them already has come true…if you hadn't been wasting time waiting, you could have enjoyed this dream for, oh…" He looked at his gold watch that resided on his wrist and was not removed from a pocket, "Nearly five minutes now."
"This is idiotic!" I yelled at him. "You really expect me to believe that you did something miraculous when I saw you do absolutely nothing."
"Yes." He said simply. "Since you still don't believe me, why don't you go and take a look at yourself in the lake over there." He pointed me to one of the most beautiful and bluest lakes I had ever seen.
I wasted no further time in getting there. I wanted to prove that he was nothing but a fake and a fraud. I knelt down by the lake, laughing to myself that I was actually partaking in his games, and looked at my reflection in the crystal blue water.
I expected to see the reflection of the hideous monster I knew so well peer back at me. But what I saw Instead was a face with no disfigurement what so ever, a perfect face.
"You are a pretty good looking guy, really." Said Morpheus who was now standing next to me.
I couldn't speak for several moments, simply from the utter shock of what I saw in the water. My face was no longer the twisted thing of horror stories. I was healed. I was finally handsome.
Thinking that maybe it was a trick of the eyes, I lifted my hands to my face to feel and examine it. What I felt was smooth and soft, not the mangled mass of flesh that had always been there! My dream had come true.
"My face!" I shouted with joy. "Is this real? Is this possible?" I cried out in amazement. With disbelief I lightly touched my hands to my face repeatedly. Tears streamed down my now faultless cheeks. "You have taken from me the greatest of miseries," I said, "You have broken the chains that have held me so long. I never believed such a miracle would happen to me."
"Yes. Just like you dreamt isn't it? Now have I convinced you that what I say is true? This is a wondrous place where dreams become reality." He said. "If you wish to maintain your new features, stay here in my land, where even greater things await you."
Smiling, Morpheus offered me a friendly handshake. I was still somehow apprehensive…although his manner, and what he had done for me now told me to trust him. I could still not completely suppress the feeling of unease that he produced within me.
I momentarily hesitated putting out my own hand to his. Suddenly I felt once again that enticing light breeze that had so captivated me as I first entered this place. It drifted through the air, almost seeming to scold me for my useless fears. Chanting again to me its peace and tranquility, the strange, sweet melody once again engulfed me, throwing me into a pleasurable peace. I felt flow over and through my body more powerful than before.
The wind's song seemed to give me back all my courage, and so deciding that I had nothing to loose, I grabbed Morpheus' hand in a firm handshake, looking into the depths of those intense gray eyes.
A/N: Thanks again to all who reviewed! Hoped you enjoyed!
