Fable
DREAM SEQUENCE
Dream Sequence SFS 2 Dream Two: Anansi, the spider and the Dreamcatcher A voice from the speaker spoke calmly but firm. “Cheyenne Lightfoot your dream story. Please.” The voice came from the moderator of the Dream Study she and seven other participants signed up for in anticipation of receiving a generous monetary award. Cheyenne had just gulped the entire bottle of spring water after gobbling down a slice of decadent ‘to die for’ chocolate cake off the refreshment table. Her mouth was full as she pleaded for more time with the voice which appeared to be quite annoyed. “Miss Lightfoot, you are late and unprepared. Should I call on someone else?” With a muffled voice, Cheyenne begged for forgiveness. “I'm so sorry. I'm ready now. That chocolate cake was soooo delicious.” Cheyenne smacked her lips, wiped her mouth with the soiled napkin and plunged into the details of her dream. “At the beginning of my dream, I sat in the center of a circle of ten toddlers with my legs crossed like a fried chicken wing.” She cleared her throat and continued when no one laughed. “I was telling them the legend of the dreamcatcher. Once upon a time, a grandmother was sewing and doing cross stitching or maybe it was needlepoint.” Cheyenne shrugged her shoulders. “Her grandson stopped by with some food. He noticed a spider and was about to squash him when his grandmother stopped him. In turn for saving his life, the spider wove a web which would catch all the good and bad dreams, but only the good ones would come through the web and drop down through the feathers. From that point on, the tribes made dreamcatchers to protect the sleeping children. I held up a dream catcher to show the children how powerfully crafted it was. Can you see? Here, the spider’s web catches all the dreams both good and bad. The beads represented the seven directions called upon them to bless you. Good dreams flowed through the webbing and reach the feathers down to all of you while you're sleeping. Are we ready to make dream catchers?” I asked them. In my dream I sat them down in the art room and provided them with all the materials they needed to make dreamcatchers. I gave them colorful beads, feathers, strings, one wide circle which represents Mother Earth, four smaller ones used to enhance the largest circle. I walked around the tables helping out any child who needed assistance. They were having a lot of fun. So was I. Until everything went south. Suddenly, a loud booming crash was heard outside of the room. All the lights went out. ‘Hello, I think that's dumb. Who turned out the lights? You’re scaring us! I mean, the children.’ The children stopped their crafts and began running in circles. I calmed them down. Some pulled at my clothes, some hid behind me, and others cried out, mommy I need you. I think I was the one yelling mommy. I said to the children, don’t worry I'll protect you. I turned the lights on and said, ‘Everybody, follow me to the back door’. I gathered and herded all the children to the back door where all their parents and guardians were miraculously waiting. As soon as I turned back around, the intense stare of two red eyes from the back of the art room pierced my very being. I still had the dreamcatcher in my hand, and it surprised me when I heard a small voice. I looked down at the center of the dreamcatcher and noticed a spider. It was not just any old spider; it was Anansi the spider of African folklore fame. Anansi is a great trickster who professes than no matter how small you are, you can think to outwit your greatest enemy. Anansi whispered, ‘don't move. Any sudden moves will be seen as a threat.’ In my dream, a bad dream surfaced and escaped from the center of the dreamcatcher. The sun’s rays were overcome from the tremendous number of bad dreams the night before and a demon slipped through the vortex and now it was after me. Anansi told me that no weapon would be strong enough to defeat the demon. He also told me that I had to find a way to fool him. ‘How do I fool a demon?’ I asked him. ‘I don't know’, Anansi said with a gleam in his eye, ‘How do you?’ Anansi chuckled and continued, ‘I would offer him a reason for not destroying me.’ I asked him, ‘what do I have to offer?’ ‘Hmmm’, Anansi said, ‘you really don't have to offer him anything. You have to make him think that you're offering him something that he desires.’ ‘Umm, I know what I can offer him…my soul.’ Well, Anansi said, ‘that's quite a valuable commodity. Are you sure you want to offer it?’ ‘It's just an offer.’ I said. ‘I intend to keep my soul forever.’ I approached the demon ready for the negotiations of a lifetime. My lifetime at least. I gathered up my courage and marched toward the demon holding the dreamcatcher close to my chest. ‘How dare you approach me You are but a mere human.’ The demon grumbled. ‘Yes, but I know you want something from me…unbelievably valuable…my soul. I have an offer…’ Just that quickly in an instant, in a blink of a red eye, Anansi hopped from the dreamcatcher to the demon and bit him leaving a venomous toxin that devoured the insides of the demon. He imploded immediately. ‘What! Anansi, why didn’t you tell me your plan? You let me risk my life to defeat a demon when all you had to do was bite it?’ ‘Well,’ Anansi said rubbing his hind legs. ‘I needed you to distract the demon. Teamwork is the best plan. I needed you and you needed me. Your soul is intact. Check one. I remain unsquashed. Check two. One demon defeated. Checkmate.’
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