Title: Bad Dream
Author: Annie Dolnar
Language: English, Rating: Rated: T
Originally Written: 12-17-2011
AN: I'm not sure why I never posted this one. I completed it, and it wasn't bad. My best guess is that I felt that I didn't do the situation justice. Most likely this was written earlier than my computer has recorded, since it seems to be dealing with topics relative to the holocaust, which I would have studied in 2008-2010, but those hard topics stayed with me through the years. I found those things so difficult to think about. From what I remember, this story actually came from a dream I had, a painful dream that I needed to process in some way.
Bad Dream
"Goodnight everyone," Katara called before falling asleep in her warm sleeping bag.
When she awoke, she was back in her homeland, the southern watertribe. As she walked toward her village, she noticed something strange- there were walls, all around. Much stronger than the ones her brother had built. The homes were a little different, too- they were a little taller and a little sturdier looking than the ones there now. They also seemed to have been built by an older-styled architect- the style was so different from the way it was now!
She realized suddenly that she must be dreaming, since she couldn't have gotten there from the Fire Nation overnight. Deciding she couldn't deny spending time with her Gran-gran, even if it was just a dream, she walked into the village and tried to find Gran-gran's home.
Instead of finding a hut, however, she saw something else- Aang. He was zooming around on the air scooter, surrounded by a group of kids from her tribe, but they were kids she had never seen before. They all looked either her age or Aang's age, and some of them were trying to shoot him down with their waterbending. Katara didn't remember any of the kids in her tribe being waterbenders.
"Aang!" she exclaimed, running toward him, but he didn't seem to hear her. He was too busy avoiding the waterbending coming for him, she decided, smiling wryly and settling down to watch the game, which ended when one of the kids managed to get him in the chest, at which he fell backwards, pretending to die dramatically.
Suddenly an old man called his name. With a start, Katara recognized him from the air temple- he was Aang's teacher, Monk Gyatso. But didn't he live a hundred years ago?
Monk Gyatso and Aang said their goodbyes to the villagers, packed up, and rode off on Appa. Katara found herself fading from view, and woke up in her sleeping bag, sweating. Aang was sitting next to her, looking concerned.
"Katara, you're awake," he said, relieved. He took out a canteen and handed it to her.
"What are you doing over here, Aang?" she whispered after taking a few sips.
"You called my name in your sleep," he said, smiling a little. "I came over to see if there was something wrong, but you were just sleep-talking… Then you said Gyatso's name, and then something about Appa...?"
"Oh… I had a weird dream," she explained. "It was about you in the Southern watertribe, and you were playing a game with these kids. Some of them were waterbenders, and they were shooting you with globs of water, trying to knock you off your air scooter. Then Gyatso came and said it was time to leave, and you rode away on Appa. "
"Huh… That sounds like a fun game," he said thoughtfully. "We should play it sometime!"
Katara laughed. "I don't think anyone knew you were the avatar in my dream, except Gyatso, maybe. But you couldn't see me. I was invisible, I guess."
"That's strange…"
"Kinda…"
"I'll have to keep that game in mind, though. It sounds fun!"
She laughed again. "Sure, Aang. Go to sleep."
"K. Night, Katara!"
"Goodnight, Aang."
Next dream:
She was back in the Fire Nation. This time, there was no Aang, but there WAS a young Fire Nation boy crouched beside a stream. He looked sad, for some reason.
"Kuzon! It's time to come inside!"
The boy turned around and ran into his house. Katara followed.
"Kuzon, guess what? Your father has been promoted to general of the Firenation army! And, he's going to lead the attack on the airtemple! And since he's been promoted, we have the money to send you to that prominent FireNation school across town!"
The mother looked excited, but Kuzon looked afraid. "Mother," he said, "you love the airnation!"
"Nonsense!" his mother said happily. "I love the firenation! The airnation will be wiped out, along with the earth and water nations. And the firenation will rule!"
"You're copying the mantra," Kuzon exclaimed, shaking his head. "Mother, stop! You told me never to place myself above others because I could bend and they could not, or because I bend fire and another bended water, earth, or air. You told me it was important to have friends outside of the firenation! What about my friends, mother?" he asked her frantically, shaking his head.
"Watch your tongue, young man," his mother said. "Times are changing. Disobedient children are sent to the mines," she said darkly, narrowing her eyes. The boy kept shaking his head.
The dream changed. The boy was in class. He was called to the front.
"Kuzon," the teacher began, "please explain THIS!"
She held up a paper in front of his face. It was an essay, which Kuzon seemed to have written about the greatness of the other nations as well as the firenation- the balance.
"The Earth, Water, and Air nations are just as great as we are!" he said, to the entire class. He looked determined.
"The earth and water nations are barbaric," the teacher seethed, "and the air nomads throw disabled children off the side of the mountains!"
"If that were true, a few of my nomadic friends wouldn't be here!" Kuzon yelled. "My friend Orrin is nomadic, and he was born without one of his arms!"
The entire class gasped.
The boy wasn't done.
"And Rinchen," he said darkly, "she's deaf! Uma, she's paralyzed! All air nomads, all alive and well! The air nomads are just as great as the fire nation," he said.
"Go to the office, boy!" the teacher exclaimed.
"For what?" the boy yelled back, "for telling the truth? Did you know," he turned back to the class, "that the fire nation attacked one of the air temples the other day? The air nation is completely defenseless! They have no plan for war, no army, no way of defense at all except for their bending! They don't believe in sacrificing the life of anything living and breathing- they're all vegetarians, who would never hurt a single thing, not even a firebender trying to kill them! Innocent people, all completely destroyed by our own evil conquest."
The principal walked into the room.
"What is the meaning of this?" he said.
"Mr. Kuzon believes he knows more than his superiors about the air nomads," the teacher said through her teeth.
"I see," the principal said, glaring at the boy. "Well, we'll just have too straighten him out, won't we?"
"I quite agree," the teacher said.
"Come with me, boy," said the principal. The dream changed again.
This time, Kuzon was being taken away- in chains, he was being lead away by a strange man, to a tall grey wall, in the middle of nowhere.
"How- how far away are the mines?" the boy asked. Katara was surprised to hear his scratchy, whispery voice.
The man only laughed. "You think you're going to the mines, boy?"
"That's… That's where the disobedient go, right?"
The man grinned evily. Katara sensed that it was not good.
Kuzon was lined up alongside several others, some old men, some younger than he was, some teenaged girls her age, against the grey wall. Their hands were cuffed to the walls, no matter their age- Katara saw a little girl of maybe four, standing between her parents, who looked nervous. They all looked at each other, then to the firenation guards.
"Where are we?" called a strong, middle-aged man. The head guard grinned.
"Disobedient people," he said, "do not deserve to participate in the blessings of FireLord Sozin."
He paused. The people looked around at each other.
"You are here because all of you denounced our beloved firelord in favor of another nation."
"He's no firelord!" one yelled. "He's a tyrant! And he must be stopped!"
Everyone chained to the wall called out in agreement.
"SILENCE!" yelled the guard.
He turned to the other guards. "Fire on three," he said softly.
"One… two… three."
Katara barely had time to see the recognition in the eyes of the innocent before they were all murdered in cold blood. The firebending guards fired on them, and Katara was blocked by some sort of barrier, as she tried to get to them, to help them, so that she would not have to watch them struggle and scream beneath the flames-
"Katara! Katara, it's ok!"
"Kuzon!" she yelled, opening her eyes.
"Kuzon?" Aang asked, confused. She stared straight at him.
"My dream," she mumbled. "Kuzon. Oh, no… No…"
Aang looked more confused than ever. "What… What happened to Kuzon?"
"He… he looked like all of the other firenation boys we've seen… The same hair and- and eyes. His mother… she was hypnotized by propaganda… and then… and he was sent to that same school where you went, Aang… and they took him away because he said the airnation was innocent even though the firenation attacked… and they.. they… "
She went silent, only cried. The others looked worriedly at her.
"It was just a dream, Katara," Aang said reassuringly.
"No," she said. "Not this one."
She looked around. Far off, in the middle of nowhere, she could see it. The grey wall.
"It's here," she said. She got up and began walking toward the wall.
They all followed her.
It took much longer than Katara thought to get there- it was actually very, very far away. But she kept walking.
On the wall were cuffs- just like in her dream. And scorch marks. She reached out to touch the wall where the little girl had perished, and then to the place where Kuzon had passed.
"He… they murdered him… right here," she said, pointing to the wall where Kuzon had been chained. "Along with several others who had gone against the firenation… There was even a four year old girl…"
"This is creepy," Toph said.
"Let's go back," Sokka said pleadingly.
"It…" Aang touched the wall, and found himself suddenly overcome by a strong sense of anger, of injustice. Of innocent death. And suddenly he entered the spirit world.
In the spirit world, he was still touching the wall, still standing by his friends. But his body was on the ground, and his friends were crowded around it. And there was one more thing out of place.
Kuzon.
"Kuzon?"
"Aang," the boy said, smiling. "You came for me! I knew you weren't gone forever!"
"What? Kuzon?"
"You've gotta get the firelord," he said. "Go on! Go without me, okay? They're taking me to the mines, Aang, but I can do well there, I know it. But if you can stop the firelord, I can be free?"
"K-Kuzon?"
"Aang," Roku's voice said gently, "that is not Kuzon."
Kuzon looked curiously at Roku. "Avatar Roku?"
"If he's not Kuzon, who is he?"
"A shadow of Kuzon. Kuzon was so in disbelief and shock that just before he died, it manifested itself into form. The real Kuzon's spirit sent your friend her disturbing dreams so that she would be lured here and you would follow, and you could put this piece of his spirit to rest. With this spirit around, Kuzon cannot fully pass."
Aang stared at him. "Kuzon's… here? In the spirit world?"
"In a sense. It's very difficult to explain, Aang. He is actually passed on, but since this part of him is still here, he is not resting in peace. Do you see?"
"I… no, but… If it's to help Kuzon… What do I do?"
"His is not the only shadow here," Roku said sadly. He gestured toward Kuzon, and behind him Aang suddenly became aware of several more "shadow" spirits staring at him expectantly. He was heartbroken to see small children, as well as elder people, and everyone in between.
"What do I do?" he asked Roku. "I've never had to help a spirit… Pass on… before."
"It's much the same as pacifying a nature spirit," Roku said. "A shadow spirit needs only to hear the truth- no matter how much pain it will give. Kuzon hoped that you would help the others pass on as well as himself."
"Of course," said Aang.
"EVERYONE!" he yelled. They turned to look at him.
"Avatar!" they said.
"You have all had a shocking experience," Aang began nervously. "And you must except it. Every single one of you has been murdered by the firenation in cold blood."
They all looked around at each other curiously.
"But please do not hold a grudge," Aang said, "for those who murdered you are long dead. The new firenation is very, very different. There is a new firelord, and he is bringing your nation back to its former greatness, in balance with the rest of the nations. So, um… You can all rest in peace now."
They all looked around at each other, and began to disappear.
"Bye, Aang," Kuzon said, waving happily. "Maybe now I can be whole!"
"Yeah," Aang said, wiping a tear from his face. "Go play in the afterlife, Kuzon."
Kuzon laughed and disappeared.
"Go back, Aang," Roku said.
When Aang reappeared, everyone sighed with relief.
"I feel like something heavy has been lifted from this area," Katara said, shaking her head. "Somehow I feel… at peace."
Aang explained everything. "And now Kuzon can pass on fully- I guess he wasn't free to be reincarnated before…"
"He's free," Katara said, smiling. "You freed him, Aang! But I don't know why you could have been sent those dreams, instead of me."
"somehow he couldn't," Aang agreed. "Roku said he sent you the dreams so that you would lure me here."
"I feel better now," Katara said.
"Let's eat something," Sokka exclaimed.
"Yeah," Toph agreed, "before the spirit magic attacks again…"