This message is a placeholder for the latest thread of Krillis, GMed by Tadeusz.  :)

Socks made of pressed tinfoil.  An old steam iron ringing like a cellphone. A shuddering senseof fear, and a quiet voice that says.

"Relax, my friend, I'm here."  And then you realize the small, softvoiceis real.

You open your eyes to a weed-strewn lot late in the day. And standing on your chest is a teddy bear, all of eight inches from furry toe to fuzzy ears. He has a wooden sword in hand.

Is this bear...looking at me?

And did the sound come from his rough direction, or did it feel more like it was in my head?

Either way, I suddenly remember what I just went through, and scream once as I raise my arm up to check it for injury. At the moment, I'm disregarding the bear with the wooden sword on top of my chest in favor of physical well-being.

It comes from the bear, and his mouth seemed to move.

You jerk upright, and fling him into the air.

"Whoa!"  He does a double flip, and lands on his back a few feet away.  "Oof." He gets up, and picks up his sword.

Your arm is totally fine.  There is no sign of damage.

I watch the teddy bear fly through the air and I hear his reaction to it. Then, when he picks up the sword and clearly moves, I'm convinced. This must be a dream...and a lucid one at that, so I relax a little.

"I'm sorry for surprising you, little friend." I look around my environment. I've found that in dreams it's easiest to keep them lucid if you can prove to yourself logical inconsistencies occurring, like time standing still or moving abnormally or physics being violated in any clear ways, so I have my eyes out for those.

You see suburban houses to your left, and a country road, and a farm across it, and to your right about eight or so miles are towers like a downtown, but more circular than you are used to.  You're in a five acre abandoned lot, with a sign on it that says 'BellBook Realty. Buy Property.' up near the road.

Its a weedy, trashy mess.

The temp is in the low eighties.

"Quite understandable.  Actually you did surprise me.  You did not show the usual signs of waking from your very intense and strange dreams.  Otherwise, I would have hidden myself."

He pauses, and puts up his sword.

"Now go to sleep. This was all a dream.'

His voice has your eyelids dragging, and a yawn creeping up your throat.

Wait...my eyes start to feel heavy? For a second there, I thought that this was surely a dream. But the sign didn't change. It still said "BellBook Realty" like before.

I bite the inside of my cheek to try to stay awake.

"Hold on!" I point at him. "I am definitely not dreaming right now, and you're talking! I hope you don't mind, but I need to check something out." I walk toward the bear calmly and suddenly reach down to pick him up.

If I get him off the ground, I'm going to be feeling around the plush for any sort of devices. A voice box, any sort of skeleton that could be controlling him remotely. I smile, baffled, "How are you possible, little friend."

You scoop him up, and he sighs, but then he starts to giggle.

"Stop tickling me!"

There are no signs of devices inside him.

"Three questions, and you let me go?"

He asks, sighing again.  You're wide awake by now.

No devices, so this thing must be sentient. Or something close. Or, more likely, someone's making a fool of me right now. But for the time being, it's probably best to play along and figure out what's going on.

"Make it five questions and you have yourself a deal."

If he doesn't go for five questions, I'll settle for three and ask my first:

"In as much detail as possible, where are we right now?"

He agrees.

"Second Universe, Material Plane, Near Universal Center, Milky Way Galaxy, Perseus Arm, Sol System, Earth, England, Northamshire, Wibbelton Downs suburb of Northahmshire, Abandoned Lot, in the grass."

He chuckles.

"My name is Casey, what's yours?"

When he chuckles, I start to feel bad for holding him hostage like this. Every motion and comment he makes, I get more of a gut feeling that I really am talking to a sentient teddy bear. It may be crazy, but it could be worse.

"I'm sorry for scooping you up like that." I put the bear down, offering my hand to shake instead. "I'm Kurt, it's nice to meet you, Casey. I tell you what-you're off the hook, but I am still a little lost. I don't know how I ended up here or how I can get home, back to America."

"America? Its easy enough to get to the Colonies.  Just hike on over to the city center over there, find the docks, and either get a job as a Seaman's Assistant, or if you have money, you can buy a cabin for a cruise ship."

He pauses.

"Has anyone told you that you have very intense dreams?"  He shrugs a little.  "Just curious, thats me."

Did Casey shake my hand, or have some other reaction to the handshake offer?

I sit down cross-legged with him. "Actually, I have. I try to practice controlling my dreams while I'm in them as well, but sometimes they're too terrifying. What are your dreams like, Casey, and how would you know about mine?"

He gravely shook your hand.  you get the feeling of him being polite.  Its not a teddy bear thing, but he's willing to accomodate you.""

"I have no dreams.  But I can sense the dreams of others, and yours were extraordinarily intense.  I thought  you were a child who was napping who needed protection such was the intensity."

He pauses.

"And before we go further, you must know that certain knowledges cannot be unlearned.  Once the dart is thrown, it cannot be unthrown.  There are dangers in this world, dangers that few realize, and while I can answer some questions, some will lead you into a dangerous place."

"I appreciate your help, then. If you hadn't woken me up, I might have been in for a much less pleasant dream."

My mind goes back to some of the fiction I've read, and I can't help but think back to Joseph Campbell's The Hero with a Thousand Faces. In front of me, I have a bona fide call to adventure from a mysterious magical guide. Albeit that guide happens to be eight inches tall.

How could I possibly say no?

"I'm not afraid of knowledge, Casey, but thank you for your warning. I'm willing to face the consequences of what you have to say to me." I unconsciously lean in to listen to what the teddy bear has to say.

(This is just a friendly reminder. No rush; I just wanted to make sure that you saw the post.)

Sorry, I'll try to get it tommorrow.

(Absolutely no problem. I just wanted to make sure that my post didn't get lost in updates. Thanks for your help and for running me.)

"Have you ever wondered why seemingly good children grow up, and turn into monsters?"  He pauses, and looks at you, giving you a chance to answer.

"There are many reasons, abuse, chemical problems in the brain, bullying, and in all this the child has their own choices to make.  Bullying might turn once child into a thug, and another into a saint"

He pauses again.

"But there are others, the Delpins and their kindred. They live in the shadows, flee from light or courage or honesty or love.  They exist on the boundary between Madness and Sanity, between Dream and Awkaening.  They feed on Innocence, and leave behind Soul Poison.  They are ghost almost."

"I fight the Delpins.'

I've done a lot of wondering about children lately in my Educational Psychology classes, but they've been focused on their needs-all of their needs, rather than just the ones belonging to the non-monsters out there.

Still, I nod silently and focus on listening to Casey.

I look at Casey's sword almost in response when he talks about fighting the Delphins, but instead ask, "Did you think that the Delphins were after me before I woke? Does that mean that they attack adults as well as children?"

"Oh, yes. I saw one coming toward you, drawn by the intensity of your dream, but then you awoke, and he was banished.  Some adults, some have very intense dreams, but many of those have great strength of mind, and a Delpin is wise to avoid such a one as the human mind can chew a Delpin up if its strong enough, warded enough.  Others seem to have such purity that a Delpin is destroyed merely by being in their presence.

This is why Delpins leave infants alone.  An infant is so strong, so pure, that even a Great One of the Delpins would avoid them.

But some humans have mental problems, and others, some artists have such visions, but not good boundaries....and others, are like you.  I don't know why you had such ferociously intense dreams.  But you did, and you don't have significant mental barriers.  Although, you seem to have been touched by a shadow, recently.  Something dark and disturbing like a cloud lays across your mind."

And for a second you hear a whisper.  "Krillis..."

And then you see Casey standing there, fear struck, with his sword out, and  he slams you in the chest with his blade.  It tickles.  And the whisper is gone.