Slumber Space pt 3

Part three friends! I hope you like it. I've been thinking more and more about this story and this world, and hopefully I can polish it up some more. But here is part three!

Gold held his maroon badge up to the beast. “Nightmare you are in direct violation of the Articles of Dreams: Code 3: Section 2.1: Attempt to use a dreamer's power to give yourself physical shape. Just turn yourself in and there won't be any trouble.”

“You're asking it to turn itself in!?” Justin shouted from down the street. The Nightmare shot a baby out of it's stomach at Gold, he waved his blue energy stick, which Justin later learned is called a Dream Stylus, and created a force field around him, the exploding baby bounced off and landed in the street melting away and leaving only darkness. It had no plans to come quietly.

“Has that ever worked?” Justin asked.

“Once” Gold replied, and started his offensive against the Nightmare. He waved his Dream Stylus around in the air and a giant blue energy circle appeared over the Nightmare.

“What is that?” Justin yelled.

“A Nightmare Regulator, it will force it to take it's original shape.” The circle enclosed on the Nightmare and it's skin started to melt away, and shape it had seemed to disappear and everything it was evaporated into a mist, the regulator circle was now surrounding a small purple cloud. Gold waved his hand again and a second ring appeared surrounding the cloud, the two circles rotating against each other trapping it.

“You are under arrest anything you attempt to transform into or assimilate with will be held against you in a court of dreams.”

“That's my nightmare?”

“No, this is A Nightmare, two completely different things, a nightmare as you know it describes a bad dream, those are caused by the dreamer. A Nightmare, with a capital N, is a Slumber Space criminal that breaks one of the many Codes of the Articles of Dreams. This guy was using your dream potential to make himself stronger. We see this sort of thing a lot with Dreamers from Generic Springs. Now, we need to get back to Slumber Space Main City. So you have to wake up. Thank you for all of your assistance and maybe someday we'll see each other again.”

“Wait, you're leaving just like that?”

“Well not exactly, you still have to wake up to send us back to Main City”

“Do I get to see you ever again?”

“Not unless there is more criminal activity in your dreams, and even then I might not be assigned to you. But truth be told your dreams are pretty vivid, I will miss it a bit.”

“Did I make all this up? Can you tell me that? Nightmare Detectives and capital N Nightmares? Where is all this coming from?”

“What? No, you didn't make all of this up, you know there's so much more than your small government controlled town, there are whole worlds, and universes that exist out there, and if your tiny human brain even saw a quarter of it, it would explode from the sheer brilliance of it all!”

“ok jeeze...”

“You want to see it? It's brilliant.”

“You just said-”

“I was just kidding, you're head won't explode... probably.”

“Probably!?”

“Most likely it won't, but you never know, sometimes in Slumber Space people's heads just explode, for the fun of it, hopefully your head is not one of those.”

“Well that is reassuring.”

“Right, well come with me then.” Gold waved his hand and a wooden door appeared with the word “Exit” written over it, he snapped his fingers and it opened, inside was just dark emptiness.

“Where does that go? I thought you said I needed to wake up for you to get back to the city?”

“Right, well that was the quickest way, but now you want to come with so we have to take a Backdoor.” Gold saw the look on Justin's face, “Backdoors are how we get in and out of people's dreams, they are all connected to the Dream Collective, think of it as a giant web that connects all the dreams and at the center lies Main City.”

“Sure... So, is it safe?”

“Sure... probably... maybe? I've never taken a dreamer back to Main City before, but I'm sure I've seen them there. You see in Slumber Space all the dreams of people happen in certain zones, Inner, outer, and Individual. We are in an Individual Zone, you made this place out of your memories, you are a very powerful creator. But some people cannot make their own environments for dreams, in the Inner Zone we have things like Main City, a city where people can be anything a normal human would want to be in a city. Have you ever had a dream where you weren't in a building you recognized, but knew that it was your house? That's the Inner Zone. And in Outer Zone we have large landscapes, plains, mountains, jungles etc.”

“Right, sure... that all strangely makes some amount of sense. So why would you need to go to Main City then? You're not a dreamer, or are you?”

“No, I'm not a Dreamer, I'm a Figment, a being made up by someone who then gained it's own life. I started as someone's dream, or a part of their dream, but now I'm my own person, and I arrest Nightmares. So...?”

“So?”

“So, would you like to join me in Main City?”

Justin was still very unsure of everything, This could just be a dream... Well, it IS a dream but what kind of dream is it? He didn't have time to give his answer, because while he was thinking the Nightmare had broken through one of the circles, with a loud screech it smashed into Justin and sent him flying through the door, he looked up and saw Gold and the door disappear into the darkness.

Slumber Space Pt 2

Hello friends! See I'm back again, I'm semi serious this time! I have been watching a lot of Doctor Who, when I say a lot, I mean A LOT. Like not too long ago I'd never seen an episode, and (maybe) a month or two later and I've watched all of the revival seasons. But anyway, I think watching that helped me create the idea for this story and this world. Of course I was inspired by all sorts of other things, and had my own ideas, but there is a character who definitely feels Doctor-ish. I don't know if that's a good thing or a bad thing. I don't want him to be a cheap imitation, but there he is. I hope you like this next part, I'm trying not to make it as epic as my last story so that I will actually finish this one. My goal right now is to introduce the world of the story, and get you interested and wrapped up in five parts. And if people like it, then maybe I can write more short serials about Justin Harper Slumber Space Detective. (Also I'm not entirely sold on the name Justin, thinking of changing it, but we'll see.) here is part two!

It was a Sunday in the little town of West Generic Springs, and Justin Harper, not yet in coma, was bored out of his mind. “I hate sundays” He was on break from work. “Why did I have to come in today? Stupid pregnant Brenda didn't even have her stupid baby with it's stupid baby face... I hate pregnant Brenda.” So smug he thought, as he sat at a table outside the restaurant he worked at, whose name is rather generic as well. He finished his food and sat in his chair thinking about how miserable he was, and how he wished he was somewhere else. Then he started picturing it, he wanted to be at the beach, near the ocean, it's waves crashing over each other, the sun, not too hot, hanging out overhead somewhere in the sky. He could hear the sea gulls fighting over some food they found. And then he saw him, the man from his dreams. About 6”4' broad shoulders, possibly Latino, black hair, with a neatly trimmed, yet thick, beard, with a strange goatee colored gold. He wore sunglasses, an orange Hawaii shirt, with red shorts and some sandals, and wore what appeared to be a large wrist watch with a blue glowing face. No matter when or where in his dreams he saw the man he was always wearing that large watch. Who was he? Did Justin meet him somewhere and just couldn't remember? “Hey! Get out of the road!” the Man shouted at Justin. “What? Did you just-” before he could finish his thought the Man ran up to him and pushed him out of the street as an eighteen wheeler drove past. Justin was up in a flash looking around “What the hell just happened?” how did he end up in the street? Did the guy from his day dream just save his life? Is that even possible? “I think I need to take the rest of the day off... yup, pretty sure this is a sign.”

Back home Justin took off his work clothes and threw on some shorts and a shirt. “What is going on with you today? Hey you know what would be great? Getting yourself killed while day dreaming.” He had a habit of talking to himself. “But I don't even remember moving, I was on the beach...” He started to see it all again, the sand, the sunset, the beach goers, all waving at him, calling out to him, he accepted a drink from a very attractive surfer, then threw a ball for someone's dog, soaking up the atmosphere, the relaxation, the breeze.

“Stop! Don't move!” It was a familiar voice. Justin turned around, and there he was, the Bearded Guy.

“I said to stop moving, that includes turning around! It's dangerous. And really? Red and Orange? At the beach? Come on, if your going to dream about me at least be honest about what you want to see me in.”

“I uh... sorry what?” Justin tripped over his words. His dream was... uh talking to him? Berating would be a better word. Right, berating him, over the choice of clothes?

“If I remember your dream about that guy you met at the store, you like dark colors, even on men of color. What about this?” The Bearded Man tapped on his blue lit watch and was now in a pair of dark blue and black board shorts and sunglasses, “I'm keeping the sunglasses though, they look good on me, ya?” “uh- yeah, yeah of course” Justin fumbled, staring at the attractive shirtless bear of a man now standing in front of him, no longer berating him. “I knew you'd like me like this, natural. Been a while since I've been able to look like this.” The man winked. “I uh... wait, what is going on here?”

“Well, you're dreaming, that's obvious right?”

“Yes, I was at home, trying to remember what happened today. I was at the beach, just like right now, and then you were there, or, here. And you pushed me, and I really fell-”

“Because I really pushed you.”

“But, you're a dream, this is a dream, I am in a dream and I am controlling it, see?” Justin snapped his fingers and put the Man back into the clothes from before, but then changed his mind and took his shirt off with another snap.

“Knew you'd like it” The Man gloated.

“oh shut up.” Justin did enjoy it, but he was too focused on how much sense everything did not make. “How could you push me in the real world? You don't exist in the real world.”

“No I don't but, being in your dream gave me the power to.”

“How?”

“I don't really have time to go into it, just know that your dreams are very powerful, and that is why you are in so much danger right now, so listen to me and stop moving!” Justin hadn't even noticed it, he was moving again. He was walking backwards, he stopped himself, then his legs started moving again, and he stopped himself.

“Concentrate, stop moving, think only of stopping and nothing else, forget the beach, forget sunset, and the waves, and my current state of undress.” Justin looked up, “I said forget about it! Concentrate!”

He did, he forgot bout the beach, the sun, the waves, the hot shirtless man in front of him, he just focused on his legs. Stop moving, why are you moving? He stopped moving, and no sooner had he stopped he looked up and saw that he was on the roof of his apartment building. “Holy shit!” he yelled out, freezing in his shorts and shirt. “How the hell did I get up here?” Well you didn't fly dumbass.”Shut up.” He was now arguing with himself. Oh joy.

He rushed back inside, ran down five stories and back into his apartment. What was that? He had way too many questions, and not a single answer. Well he did have one answer “Everything has to do with my dreams, so I just won't dream, I won't sleep, I won't day dream, I will only exist in the here and now...” He then realized there wasn't really much in the here and now and that's why he took to day dreaming in the first place. He heard something in the kitchen and remembered his sister Judith's stupid cat that he was watching while she visited her boyfriend in france, Or whatever... stupid European traveler... I could travel in Europe if I wanted to... Suddenly he found himself thinking about it. “Stop! Nope!” he had to remind himself. Something was going on in his dreams. Or, you're just crazy that is a complete possibility. In fact, that's the only thing that makes sense... Being crazy makes sense... god I really am having a day... Your dreams are just dreams, nothing more, maybe you're still day dreaming, maybe you fell asleep and they are waiting for you at work to finish your lunch shift. I'm sure stupid Brenda is complaining because her contractions are two minutes apart. Well just have the damn baby already, also BRENDA how have your contractions been two minutes apart for eight weeks and you haven't given birth? I call bullshit. Oh shit. He was clearly at work, but in a dream, he knew it was a dream because sitting there at one of the tables was the guy from the beach, dressed in a black suit, and blue tie.

“Really? Already back? Stop, whatever you are doing stop.” He got up and walked over to Justin.

“I don't know what I'm doing!” he replied. “I was in my apartment, and then I started thinking how bat shit crazy this all was, and then I thought about work- and just who the hell are you by the way?”

“I'm Gold, Slumber Space Detective Level Maroon. Here's my badge” The man flashes him a maroon colored index card with nothing written on it.

“What?” Justin had a million questions, but the lights flickered, there was a low boom, and the room shook slightly. “What was that?” Justin asked.

“Justin, what was the last thing you were thinking about?”

“How do you know my name?”

“Just answer me!” The room shook again, this time harder and there was a louder boom, a few of the lights just fell directly off the ceiling.

“I was in my apartment thinking of work and-” One of the walls crumbled as the large figure of Pregnant Brenda slammed through, roaring and smashing anything in her way. She was five times her normal size, her stomach was huge and full of what Justin assumed to be babies trying to force their way out, she was some kind of monster now.

“What the hell is that Justin!?” Gold shouted.

“Stupid Pregnant Brenda?” Gold grabbed his hand, “Run!” They ran out on to the street and Pregnant Brenda followed them, she seemed to squeeze a baby out of her large belly button, shooting it like a canon ball at Justin and Gold. It exploded on impact taking everything it touched out, leaving empty black space, as if that part of the dream had been erased.

“What is going on!?” Justin demanded.

“It's a Nightmare, it's using you to give it strength and power. It created that monster from your thoughts about Stupid Pregnant Brenda. Now just stand back, this is my job. After I arrest it I'll explain everything.” Gold put his hand over his watch face, and the blue light seemed to form a stick in his hand, a blue stick of energy, with light trailing out from the tip.

“Arrest?” Justin blurted out, but it was too late, Gold had run off after the Nightmare Pregnant Brenda, leaving Justin to stand there and wonder what the hell was going on.

Oh My God I Am That Stereotypical Black Father Who Left For Cigarettes And Never Came Back

I'm home... hello? Son? Daughter? Husband? No? They're all dead from drug overdoses and lives of crime because I was an absent father? Well fine! I'll just get a new family! or something.. anyway, drawn out metaphor over.

Hi guys! I know I'm terrible at doing this, but I was just looking over my blog for writing samples for something, and I was like "Well dammit, I need to stop BSing and just start writing stuff." Hopefully I will keep it up this time. I am going to try!(?) Now here's the thing, here is where I get upset at work when kids do this. (For those of you not in the know I work at an after school program) but I have not said explicitly that I WILL be doing this, I said I am going to TRY. when I say this, the kids think I mean "I promise, I swear to the great sky god jesus harold christ that we will be playing handball today! And if we don't may I be stricken with diseases upon diseases so say I!" No, it means I have the best intentions of doing this, but sometimes it doesn't happen, and I'm really super sorry if it doesn't work out, sort of... (That last part is for the kids, I actually am really super sorry with you guys). So here is when it starts, I am going to try and write, maybe not a story or a script, but something, at the very least weekly, I've got to be able to do that at least. I can do it, and more, I just get distracted. But no longer! I will write dammit, my future depends on it (in a sense) I want to be a writer, so I must write I must build a mountain of things I have written and so shal it be that I will have... a mountain of stuff I have written which is pretty cool to say the least. Here is the beginning of a new story for you to tide you over.

Slumber Space.

He sat in the waiting room, the smell of cigarettes and old wall paper glue filled the air. It's almost real, it feels real, it seems real, he thought. But it wasn't real, this waiting room didn't exist, at least not in the sense that you or I exist, it was a room in-

“Justin Harper?” A voice rang out from behind the counter. Justin walked over and handed the strange purple woman sitting behind the counter his sheet of paper, to him it looked blank, but she just sat there looking it over, as if she could see what was written on the paper that he could not. The longer it took the more nervous he got, as if he was being judged, he was, he just didn't know that. “Right, well we don't usually take your kind here, but in your circumstance you don't really have a lot of options, and you were a great help to Gold.” there was a long silence before either spoke, a woman sneezed and a welsh corgie blessed her. Justin spoke first, “So...?” “So welcome aboard, here's your badge, and your gun.” She handed him a blue piece of paper that was blank. Is nothing written in this place? He stared intently at it and saw words appear, fading into view, and a picture, his picture, it said “Slumber Space Nightmare Detective Level Blue: Justin Harper” He picked up his gun, which looked like a piece of wood. “It'll change once you get some more experience.” The Purple Woman said when she noticed Justin's wary look. “Right...” She pointed him to the hallway and said that his office was all the way down on the right.

Justin walked down the hall passing all sorts of sights that (what, twelve hours ago?) would have seemed impossible. Dogs drinking coffee while interviewing Lizard women. Worm Secretaries, rooms marked “Smoke Clouds Anonymous” and what appeared to be an Angel handcuffed to a heater while a demon interrogated her about the whereabouts of Angel Island. Then he reached his office, it was closed, the door said “Slumber Space Nightmare Detective Level Aubergine: Sally Slender: No Relation” he tried opening the door, but it was locked. “Excuse me? Miss? The door's locked.” Justin called down the hall. The Purple Woman yelled back “Talk to it.” Talk to it?

“Uh hello?” Justin said, unsure if that was right.

“What do you want?” The door seemed to say. “Oh jesus h christ you're her replacement aren't you? Sally Slender, she's gone ain't she? God dammit, I knew it, I knew I shouldn'ta let her go after that god damned Crimson Nightmare! I said Wallace, this one feels different, this is the one, you're gonna lose your freakin Aubergine status and they're gonna send in some Blue bastard. And there she went out the door, and here you are, with your god damned Blue card. Jesus christ, I might as well be a doggie door for the dog down the hall, HE is at least at Orange!” The door started shouting, “Hey! Candice!” Apparently the Purple Woman's name was Candice, the door continued. “I want to put in for a transfer! I'm not starting all the way back at god damned blue for chrissakes! What kinda shit is that?”

Candice yelled back, “Look Bill, you're a door, this kinda thing happens all the time, do you know how much effort it takes to get you guys out of the frames? It ain't happenin, we don't have the budget for something like that. Now be nice to Justin, he's Human and doesn't know how half the shit here works.”

“Oh no, you ain't stickin me with some Human! Of all the lousy things to do to a door Candice! Candice, why you gotta do this to me? Candice baby! Hey, don't pretend like you can't hear me! Candice!” He went on for a bit, until Justin decided he'd had enough.

“Hey! Open up!”

“Oh, we got a tough guy ova here! Well come on, you wanna get inside? Turn the handle!”

Justin wasn't sure why, but he felt uncertain about following the doors advice. Oh god, I'm arguing with a door. He slowly started to reach to the knob.

“I wouldn't do that if I were you.” Justin stopped and turned, it was him. Gold, “Bill can be a real asshole. On her first day he did the same thing to Sally, passed out from an electrical shock.”

“It wasn't even that big of a shock!” Bill whined.

“Open up ya big brute.”

“Hey! I just got a wide frame!”

“Be nice to Justin, or you'll have to answer to me, understood?”

“Oh, and what are you gonna do?”

“I'll draw on you. With permanent marker.”

“You wouldn't dare!”

“Wouldn't I?”

Gold and Bill were in a stare down, which was difficult for Justin to pick up on seeing as how the door had no eyes. “Fine, fine, come in, jeez, look at this guy, play a little joke and he starts threatenin to mark a guy up!” Bill opened and Justin finally got to see his new office. It had a desk and a chair, and a little lamp, even had his name on a little blue sphere that looked like a hologram.

“Feel free to decorate it when you have the chance, it can look however you want. Just use your imagination.” Gold informed him.

“Right, my imagination. That's what got me here in the first place...”

“Hey, it won't be so bad, I'll be here to help you get used to the place. Trust me in a few days you won't even realize you're in a coma!” The reassuring smile on Gold's handsome face disappeared at the realization of the stupid thing he said, “I- uh... Dammit, wasn't gonna bring that up.”

What a long day Justin had had. The last thing he wanted to think about was how he got here, but there it was the ever looming fact. Justin Harper was now stuck in the world of the dreamers that it's inhabitants called Slumber Space, he was now a Nightmare Detective, a person who hunts Nightmares, and he had no idea when the fuck he was going back to the real world. How the fuck did I get here? He had to replay it all in his head just to make sure he wasn't dreaming it all up, well he WAS in fact dreaming, he just wasn't the one in charge of it all.