Sandy
I lingered on the balcony outside of my room, staring at the horizon line where the ocean met the sky. An occasional breeze rushed by, and the mermaids were oddly quiet, leaving only the sound of the waves billowing against the side of the castle. The water was still… so still the moon reflected perfectly back at itself on the surface. I watched for a moment, almost expecting some movement, some sign that he was watching.
I leaned against the railing. My eyes slid shut, and the ocean's mist spritzed my face.
I backed away from the edge.
I scrunched up my face, closed my eyes, and waved my hands in front of me. Dreamsand poured from my palms. Slowly, the golden dust began to take up a form. Slowly, it built up, taller, taller.
I started with the long dress, up to her stomach, then her shoulders, and her arms which were covered by long, drooping sleeves. Her neck was next, and then, finally, her face, and that curly hair that was always pulled into a bun.
She was standing before me, chiseled of gold sand. She glittered in the moonlight, a poised and steady sculpture.
I hesitated a moment, seconds from grasping her fragile fingers in mine, and then I entwined our hands together. I floated to her height and gently placed a hand on her side. We began to dance.
We swayed back and forth, all alone and hidden from view on the balcony. I spun her under my arm, then dipped her. She dangled from my grasp.
We rocked to the rhythm of the sea as a wave splashed up over the balcony.
I could almost see the ballroom around us— all the flickering candle lights, the waltzing couples in frilly outfits, the orchestra swelling.
I gently guided her closer, and she followed listlessly. I pressed my cheek to the side of her head.
I dipped her one last time. There, under the cold light of the moon, I was finally forced to look at her face. Her eyes were empty, vacant.
Just like that, she disintegrated. The sand crumbled between my fingers. Her face collapsed in on itself, and the fragments were whipped away in the wind.
And suddenly, I was whipped away too. The balcony and the ocean dissolved into obscurity.
My heart began to hammer inside my chest. I was dreaming… and I knew what was next.
I was standing on a dreamsand cloud. Blurry darkness surrounded me, but it felt far away.
I heard a snap behind me. Pain pierced my back.
Sandman.
A familiar voice was calling my name.
Sandman!
I felt the darkness spread up my spine, crawl over the back of my head. I couldn't feel my arms, or my legs, or my heartbeat.
Don't fight the fear, little man.
"Sandman! Sandman!"
I jerked upright. Immediately, I grasped my chest, feeling for my heartbeat. There was something else there. I grabbed it in blind terror.
Slowly, my body stopped shaking. My breath calmed.
I crumpled back into my pillow, placing one hand on my forehead. My other hand was still holding something. When I glanced down, I was stunned to see I was gripping someone else's palm so tightly the fingers turned red.
I followed the arm, and there she was. Aila was staring down at me with concern in her green eyes.
For an instant, I was sent spiraling into a flashback. She was crouching over me. Tears filled up in her eyes. A few escaped and dripped down her cheeks.
"I can fix this," she insisted, more to herself than me.
I snapped back to the present.
"Sandman, are you alright?"
Sandman. For some reason, it felt like a shot through my heart.
I brushed myself off with a nod. I gave her a smile.
She fixed me with a suspicious look. Of course she didn't fall for it. She could see right through me.
Sure enough, she insisted, "You didn't look alright. I saw your dream. It was… horrific."
A cold chill passed through my chest. I fixed her with a fearful expression.
"It was strange… The dream was playing out above your head. In black sand."
Ice filled my veins.
Pitch.
I didn't think it was possible, but, somehow, he was rewriting my dreams.
Which meant he was probably giving nightmares to the children as well.
Aila
Sandman leaped out of bed. Before I could object, he scrambled through the door.
"Jings crivvens help ma boab," I groaned, placing a hand on my head. I hopped off my chair and hurried after him. I just caught a glimpse of him disappearing into the room with the globe, and by the time I caught up, he was hovering over the continents with dark concern in his face.
I barely had a chance to step into the room before he rushed past me, back into the foyer. He waved his hands, and the golden sand formed a cloud beneath him.
"Hey, hey," I exclaimed, rushing up to him. "Where are you going?"
He opened his mouth, then hesitated. I scrunched my brow and suddenly recalled the book I had read in his library. "You're going to give dreams, aren't you?"
He tilted his head, stunned.
"I found your library while you were asleep," I admitted. "There was a book that described how you deliver dreams."
I thought I saw him gulp.
At the thought of the book, an idea popped into my head. He was leaving to do his work now— at night. And, if the book was telling the truth, night was when the Tooth Fairy, my ticket off the Isle, also made her rounds. I demanded, "I'm going with you."
He immediately shook his head, as I thought he may.
I jutted out my jaw, fixing him with a stubborn glare. To my surprise, he returned it, floating up to my eye level and crossing his arms.
"I need to go," I insisted.
For a tense moment, the staredown continued. I watched his resolve begin to waver. He released a sigh and rubbed his eyes, suddenly looking tired.
Reluctantly, he drifted back to his cloud, then bowed, guestering for me to climb aboard.
I nodded gratefully, then gathered my skirts and climbed up. The cloud wobbled a bit. I caught my balance and delicately lowered myself down with my legs tucked at my side and hands folded on my lap. Suddenly a bit nervous, I reached down to touch the dreamsand. "Are you sure this is a safe way to travel?"
Sandman nodded confidently as he sat crisscross beside me. I began to run my hands through the gold sand. "How exactly does it wo—"
The cloud lifted off the balcony. In seconds, we were soaring over the sea. I could see the waves breaking and a mermaid leaping from the water all from miles above... I suddenly felt dizzy.
The dreamsand cloud suddenly jolted in the wind, and I fell forward onto my hands.
"No, no! Go back down!" I shouted, clamping my eyes shut and covering them.
There was a tap on my shoulder. I slowly peaked between my fingers to see Sandman's beaming face. He pointed below us. Reluctantly, I peered over the edge of the cloud.
The fear melted, and my hands dropped back into my lap.
We were somehow already back over the mainland. There was a sea-side town below, though it was nothing but twinkling lights at this height.
Sandman swooped down closer. The moon was just bright enough for me to see some of the quaint, white houses built on the bluffs. All the way at the top of the cliff stood a lighthouse. The glow of the street lamps and fishing docks reflected on the water, and the potent smell of the sea filled my nose.
A stunned laugh belted from my mouth. "Wow," I whispered.
I leaned down over the edge and stretched my arm out to run my fingers through the clouds. My heart leaped when the dreamsand jolted, nearly tipping over when I bent down too far. A gentle hand grasped my shoulder, and the Sandman pulled me back with an amused grin.
"I've never seen a view like this!" My eyes fell shut, and I felt the breeze brush my hair back.
I glanced back at Sandman, about to ask him a question which promptly faded from my tongue. He sat beside me, legs still criss crossed and hands delicately folded on his lap. His eyes were shut, and a gentle, benign smile filled his face. His entire body was glittering in the moonlight. His spiky hair ruffled in the wind.
Movement from below caught my eye. My gaze snapped down to see a streak of blue and green disappear inside a window. The Tooth Fairy!
Sandman steered his cloud right over the middle of the town. There, he slowed to a hover. I hunched over the edge, searching for any sign of the fairy. I had lost track of which house she entered, because all the houses looked exactly the same from up here, and all I could see were dark alleyways.
A light moved beside me. I gasped lightly.
There was a beautiful tendril of golden sand twisting serenely past my face, a glittering wisp that broke through the darkness. As I watched, the dreamsand spiraled down into the town, where it met several others just like it. They slipped inside the windows of every house.
"Dreams," I whispered in awe. "This is how you send them dreams?"
I turned, and Sandman was standing there with his eyes shut and arms lifted. He peered at me, and a smile lit up his face.
I relaxed beside him. I just had to watch for a moment as the dreamsand lit up the dark town. Another coil passed by me. I raised my hand, hesitated, and then brushed my fingertips through. It felt like silk. Where my hand touched, the sand parted, and out sprung a mermaid. I touched my mouth and gasped in surprise. The figure waved its tail, then dove back into the sand.
"Wow…" I whispered.
Sandman's grin grew. The dreamsand eventually stopped pouring from the cloud, leaving the tendrils to twist and twirl through the town on their own. Sandman lifted the cloud higher, bringing it right to the top of the lighthouse.
Before I could question him, he hopped off onto the balcony, then extended a hand to help me down with him. I accepted with a grateful nod, and climbed over the railing.
For a while, we just sat there, legs dangling off the ledge. We watched as the dreamsand weaved its way between houses, seeking anyone who had yet to be given a dream. It wasn't until then that I noticed dreamsand heading far off into the horizon, undoubtedly for the children in the surrounding towns.
We were silent for a while as we listened to the sound of the waves breaking. Then, I began to notice Sandman glancing up at me a few times, almost like he wanted to say something.
I finally said, "Is there something you need?"
He pursed his lips for a moment, but then nodded. A dreamsand picture of a palm tree appeared over his head.
I raised an eyebrow. "Palm tree…?"
He shook his head, then fixed the image so it was an island with a palm tree.
"Island?" I guessed again. "The Isle of Stranded Souls?"
He nodded energetically. Next, he formed a question mark and pointed to me.
"Me? Why was I on the Isle of Stranded Souls?" I paused for a moment. Against my better judgment, I found it hard not to open up. Something about his face, that expression of gentle concern and the way he benignly swung his legs over the ledge, soothed my worries and left me feeling oddly comfortable. Which was insane, of course. And yet, I found myself preparing to speak.
I pursed my lips and turned away from him to face the town. "Well… someone… someone erased most of my memories. I don't know why or how… but someone stole my memories…" I sighed and swallowed hard. "They left almost nothing behind."
I trailed off as I noticed him staring at me. His expression had changed. For just a moment, his face darkened with a strange mixture of emotions.
A bit unnerved by the reaction, I cleared my throat. "Your turn… What was with the nightmares you were having? Seems kinda strange that the person who gives good dreams could even have nightmares."
He didn't even try to answer for a long time. He just stared out over the town, eyes suddenly glazed over. I almost asked the question again, but then his hand began to move up his back. He pressed his palm against his spine and turned his face away.
My voice quieted. "Did that dream… actually happen to you?"
He folded his hands on his laps, white knuckled.
"You… you died?" I continued, dumbfounded. "And you're still alive now? You came back?"
He nodded stiffly.
I paused, wondering if perhaps my next question would cross the boundary. But I still asked. "If you died…" I guestered to the dreamsand descending over the village. "Who was doing all this?"
The color drained from his face. Other than that, it was as if he hadn't even heard what I said. He just stared.
Finally, he met my eyes. I could practically feel the pain, the anxiety… the guilt.
His expression was enough of an answer… Nobody.
Suddenly, he stiffened. His eyes fell down into the town, locking on a particular house. He shot me a concerned glance. Before I could ask, he built another dreamsand cloud. We climbed on, and then he lowered us down. We approached one of the little white houses, and we slipped off the cloud onto the roof. He used dreamsand to silently unlock the window, then heaved it open and floated inside.
Curious, I stuck my head in after him.
I was staring into the bedroom of a child. Sandman approached the bed, where a young boy was tossing and turning frantically. Above the boy's head was a figure of black sand.
I furrowed my brow and climbed inside.
Sandman's face grew grim for a moment. He reached out towards the nightmare with his eyes shut in concentration. Where his finger made contact, a tiny spot of gold began to grow. He moved his hands, and the gold sand slowly took over.
As the two colors clashed, the boy groaned and rolled. Sandman winced in what I could only guess was guilt. He glanced around the room for a moment, until something caught his eye, and he rushed off to one of the boy's shelves.
I watched with interest as he grabbed a stuffed bear, brushed it off and fluffed its fur a bit, and then returned. Ever so gently, he lifted the boy's arm. He slipped the bear underneath.
Immediately, the child pulled the teddy close, and a smile appeared on his face.
I sighed with relief. "You really love this job, don't know," I admired with a fond grin.
A grin tugged at the corner of Sandman's mouth. Without taking his eyes off the sleeping child, he nodded.
"I wish you could have been around while I was treating children." I took a few steps closer so I could see the face of the little boy. "They were always so afraid of the doctor. Maybe you could have…" I trailed off.
A strange feeling overtook my mind as my eyes found Sandman again. It was as if an image was trying to break through the surface.
Sandman did a double take when he noticed me staring. For a split second, I thought I saw fear in his face.
The boy's nightmare suddenly began to take over again, and he twisted harshly. Sandman returned his attention back to the situation. He clamped his eyes shut and willed the boy's dream to form.
Something caught my eye from the window. A flash of green. I nearly gasped out loud, but clapped my hand over my mouth before any sound could escape.
I glanced back at Sandman. He was completely buried in his work, fighting the nightmare that refused to release its hold on the child.
As quietly as I could manage, I crept back to the window and poked my head through just in time to see the Tooth Fairy flutter into the house next door. I clambered out onto the roof.
Luckily for me, the houses were built close together, so it only took a small jump for me to be standing on the other house. Moments after my feet hit the roof, the Tooth Fairy exited the window, beaming down at the tiny tooth she held in her hand.
"Tooth Fairy?" I called.
She jumped, almost dropping the tooth. When she saw me, her eyes widened. "Miss Galloway!" she exclaimed. "What are you doing here? Where's Sandy? We've been looking everywhere for you two! It's Sandy… his—"
I drew closer to her. "Listen," I pleaded. "I need your help."
The fairy's expression suddenly turned nervous. "What do you mean?"
"I read you're the Guardian of Memories. You keep everyone's memories, right? My memories have been stolen, and I need them back."
She glanced back and forth, her mouth open but with no words coming out. "I…"
"Tooth, you found her!"
I whipped around at the sound of the familiar voice. The boy with the frosty white hair and the staff was floating down from the sky, and my heart sank to see he had Queen Beckett by the hand and was carrying her downward.
The two touched down in front of us. I found myself preparing to run.
At that moment, Sandman poked his head out of the other window. He drifted over with a quizzical look on his face, and when he saw Queen Beckett, he instantly narrowed his eyes and took a large step closer to me.
Queen Beckett smoothed her dress. "Please, I simply wish to speak with Miss Galloway… alone."
I knew exactly what she had to say. And I had a few things to tell her as well.
Sandman stiffened, and I placed a hand on his shoulder. "Alright," I replied to Queen Beckett. "Let's talk."
Sandman sent me an uneasy glance, but he hesitantly stepped to the side. I brushed past him. Queen Beckett and I hurried around the bend. On the other side of the house, the two of us faced each other with equally stubborn glares.
"Aila," she dared to speak first. "Thank goodness I found you. We must return you to the Isle immediately."
I jutted out my chin. "No."
"No?" Queen Beckett repeated. She lowered her voice, "Aila, you know what will happen if you don't return? You'll disappear forever! And once you're gone, there's nothing any of us can do to bring you back."
I shook my head again. "Listen to me. I have a chance to get off that grotty island, and for all I know, it could be the only chance I'll ever get."
Queen Beckett squinted at me. "What do you mean?"
"I read one of the Sandman's books. It said there is a Guardian of Memories, the Tooth Fairy, who keeps all the memories of every person who ever lived. If I can convince her to give them to me, I will have my memories back." I leaned closer, heart thumping. "I'll be whole enough to leave the Isle."
To my surprise, Queen Beckett still fixed me with a skeptical glare. "Aila, I don't think you know what you're getting yourself into."
Anger flared in my heart. Queen Beckett, and anybody from the Isle for that matter, usually rejoiced when a soul could no longer be labeled 'stranded.' Why would it be different for me? A chilling thought appeared in my mind… she knew more than she was telling me.
"I know exactly what I'm doing. I'm going to find my memories," I growled.
Queen Beckett sighed. "Aila, you know I want what's best for you. In my opinion, this isn't worth the risk…" She finally met my eyes. "But if you truly believe there is a chance for you to be whole… I won't be the one to stop you from trying."
My heart skipped a beat. "Thank you."
"The Sandman and Jack Frost will likely be heading to the Tooth Palace very soon, judging by the conversations I overheard. You should hurry after them."
I picked off my skirts and rushed back across the roof.
"But Aila," Queen Beckett called, and I skidded to a halt. "I must warn you, it is my job to protect all on the Isle of Stranded Souls. If your time begins to run out, I will have no choice but to bring you back."
I nodded sharply. "It will not come to that."
Without waiting another second, I spun around and raced back to where Sandman, Jack Frost, and the Tooth Fairy were standing. I slowed to a stop when I noticed the distress on all three of their faces.
"I'm so sorry," the Tooth Fairy was apologizing frantically as Sandman looked on in a shocked daze. "I had no idea."
Sandman placed a hand on her shoulder, and he gave her a gracious smile. She trailed off and let out a sigh of relief.
"What's going on?" I asked. "Did something happen?"
Jack Frost and Sandman exchanged a glance, and then Frost stepped forward. "Sandy's memories have been stolen."
