Perchance to Dream

Leaving the Chinese vampire safely standing in the corner with the lampshade over its head, the slightly shaken guests helped bomoh Clark to set the chairs upright again, wipe the remains of water buffalo curry from the table, chairs and floor, and wash and put away the dishes before retiring to the room Clark had set aside for them.

It was a simple room, no bed just three thin mattresses on the floor, an electric fan, a constantly flickering light bulb sending off its own version of Morse’s famous code, and tendrils of gently curling smoke from three green mosquito coils. The room smelled a little stuffy, as if cockroaches had nominated it as their burial ground some centuries ago, but had finally moved out because of the stink. After the busy day they all had the room, though stuffy was a welcome haven, and each traveller relished the opportunity to lay their aching bones in orderly heaps and get some sleep. Tomorrow Melvyn had to tell Clark about Aisah and her abduction, and he wasn’t looking forward to that.

To be on the safe side Melvyn insisted that Just-Abangah sleep nearer the door, for Melvyn had no intention of being gassed again during the night. The Geek, who now seemed very attached to the boy Just-Abangah, volunteered to sleep by his side, Melvyn took the spot furthest from them as he could, sometimes it paid to keep your distance. Like a scene from the TV series The Waltons Just-Abangah started to say “Good night Geek, good night Melvyn” when a heavy object hit him squarely on the head, Just-Abangah stopped and a well pleased Melvyn turned over and went straight to sleep. The heavy object turned out to be a psychoanalysis book, which lay opened at page twenty-five.

A weary Melvyn closed his eyes and shut out his two fellow travellers, the room, his troubles and consensus reality and fell almost immediately into a deep sleep.
For Melvyn to dream was like having a free seat in a cinema to watch a movie which felt familiar but which, nevertheless, had been chosen by someone else. He was always thrilled to have dreamed, and sometimes spent hours trying to dissect the meanings behind the dream symbols, at other times brushed them aside as meaningless, he was fickle that way.

The curtains to Melvyn’s personal cinema opened, he skipped the adverts and the woman with the choc ices and went straight into the main feature. Melvyn dreamed that there was a tree deep in the forest, perhaps a mangostein tree, with thirteen wolves sitting in the tree, but when he looks again the wolves appeared as cats, each cat has its tail hanging down straight. Melvyn couldn’t tell which sort of cats they were, for as soon as he tried to observe one properly it changed to another type of cat, this irked Melvyn. Dreams should be precise he felt, otherwise how were you going to unravel their innate message. Melvyn was a great one for dream messages, and thought they were better than SMS.

The cats’ tails turned in to furry snakes, and each snake spat one mangostein seed onto the floor of the forest, each mangostein seed sprouted and became a ghost which appeared seated at a long wooden dining table. The thirteen ghosts were waiting for supper, but also waiting for a guest who never seems to appear, there is the name Todog in Melvyn’s head, but he doesn’t know why. Nevertheless the thirteen, now hungry, ghosts wait before they can begin their supper. No one talks at the supper, there is no sound at all, each ghost mimes to the others in an obscure sign language, to Melvyn it feels like they are all drowning in silence. As the dream progresses all the ghosts grow old and die, still waiting for Todog at the dining table, their bodies turn to dust as does the table. The collective dust is blown together by a mysterious wind and becomes a singular mangostein tree on which there are thirteen cats with their tails hanging down. Melvyn, in the dream, says to himself “this is where I came in”, throws imaginary popcorn to the floor, drains his imaginary waxed paper cup of liquid carbonated caffeine, family size, and wakes up.

Melvyn wakes to the urgent sound of tap, tap, tapping and fears it’s the Chinese vampires returning again, this time coming from the roof. Melvyn quickly wakes Just-Abangah and the Geek “Quick, wake up, the vampires are back we have to get ready”“It’s Clark, Melvyn, he’s mending the roof”, says a bleary eyed and still sleepy Just-Abangah “He told me he was going to, last night” “He did” replies a doubting Melvyn, doubting that is until he listens properly to the rat, tat tapping in the rhythm of hammer on nails. “Ah” says Melvyn “Always pays to be cautious, just thought I’d test you, ok go back to sleep” “Sleep” says the Geek, “he’s been asleep most of the morning, its time he got up”. “Ah, such is family life” replies Melvyn giving Just-Abangah a gentle but meaningful kick in the ribs, to which Just –Abangah gave a hurt look in reply, then realising no one was noticing gave a tiny smile, practically to himself.

“It’s gone” shouted Melvyn to the others, while looking at the corner of the room where the Chinese vampire should be standing, its absence highlighted by strong sunlight casting a white glow in the vampire’s place. Melvyn prodded a heap of dust with his foot and gradually uncovered the yellow paper with Taoists writing on, and a staple. “Seems I was a little wrong about sunlight and vampires, though I thought they only turned to dust in the movies” confessed a slightly confused Melvyn. “I’ll have to re-think my lamp-stand idea now” moaned Just-Abangah. The Geek raised one eyebrow, decided it was the wrong one and raised the other, higher, for effect.

“I’ll sweep that up in a minute” mentions a nonchalant Clark as he re-enters the house after mending the hole in the attap roof made by the vampire, the previous night, “how about some breakfast I’ve got some frozen roti cannai somewhere” says Clark moving towards the kitchen.

Over breakfast a hesitant Melvyn tells Clark about the events concerning his surgery, his strawberry jam and Aisah, in that order. Clark gives his condolences, lacking surprise, and mentions that he already knew “Narayan, my spirit guide, had been gossiping with friends of the two bind sisters, in the kampung, on the spirit-net, a little like the internet but in the spirit world - and not using a computer.” “The two blind sisters, what, do you mean they are spirits” ejects a surprised Melvyn, “No dear boy but they are spirit mediums, I’m surprised you didn’t know, them being in your kampung and all” Melvyn looked a little shame-faced and went to give an excuse, looked around the inside of his mind, opened a draw here and a cupboard there but couldn’t find one to hand, so stayed uncustomary quiet.

Clark continued to tell of news from spirit-net “Melvyn you remember the ruckus between Djinba and his former friend Nrawa, and that Nrawa was imprisoned and escaped” “Er, yes but that was ages ago, practically history these days, or myth depending upon your view” “Well some say that Nrawa is back, or at the very least trying to make a come-back, and that Djinba is marshalling his forces to stop a take-over.” “Oh come on Clark, man, you don’t believe those fairy stories do you””Oh but I do Melvyn”, Clark continued “And some people say that those bomohs, spirits, ghosts and wizards who are not with Djinba are naturally held to be against him, like you and I Melvyn and a few others. Why do you think there are more than usual Chinese ghosts and vampires about, why do you really think old Ali has run off with your wife – because he’s taken a fancy to her, I don’t think so Melvyn, I really don’t, honestly, do you” this last was said with such a force and conviction that Melvyn was shocked into seriously thinking about the things Clark had said.

“But, come-back, how, how would Nrawa make a come-back””Melvyn it seems that Nrawa has been far from idle in his absence, and in fact has been making secret visits to some very important people, gaining support, maybe even enough to challenge Djinba outright and take his power base from him.””But Clark what would that mean, a war””I’m not too sure Melvyn, but it ain’t going to be pleasant, there’s going to be some upsets, and we are all going to have to finally decide which side we are on, especially us on the fringe as it were, those of us who have never sought to concern ourselves with these wizardly politicking.” “Damn” says Melvyn.

“My sole concern, at present, is to get my wife back, what happens after that, happens” replies Melvyn, “Melvyn it may not be as simple as that, not now.””We’ll see” says an unconvinced Melvyn “We’ll see.”