The Dream Mage: Chapter One

Oliver’s twelfth birthday had indeed started off with a bang. He’d been fast asleep, and the sun had just crept up, when BAANG! Something or other came hurtling through his window, shattering its glass into a million glittering pieces that floated through the air. Oliver was in fact just dreaming about a pirate ship attacking his own with cannonballs, and judging by the loud THUD of whatever had come through his window, he nearly expected to find one lying there on his floor. Yet, when he finally removed the blankets from over his quivering head, he discovered something even more peculiar.

Lying stiff on the old wooden floorboards, surrounded by shards of glass, was a large, unconscious, rather ruffled looking bird, and it was wearing a strange and shining helmet. At this Oliver hurried to the edge of his bed, threw on his slippers, and carefully crept towards the small beast, taking extra care not to step on the shards of glass (or wake his sleeping intruder).

When finally he reached the creature he stopped and gave it a closer look, and saw that it was nothing more than a common barn owl. However, it appeared that the owl's helmet was made of gold; gold with little etched symbols that resembled swirling clouds and stars. Oliver then leaned in to get a closer look, and the owl’s eyes suddenly shot wide open.

“A-WHOOOO are A-YOUUUU!?” belted the little beast in a voice that reminded Oliver of an old British queen.

“Wow! You can talk!” Oliver naturally replied.

“Well don’t be stuuupid boy! Of course I can talk," hollered the owl. "Now I DEMAND you tell me A-WHOOO you are, and what wretched A-HOOOLE you have taken me to! At once!”

“Well. first off," Oliver began, "I haven’t taken you anywhere. You just came crashing through my window.” With this the owl gasped, put a wing to her chest, and looked off into the distance as if trying to remember something. “And if you really gotta know, my name’s Oliver. Oliver Greenwood.”

And with this the owl’s eyes bulged once again, and she began to screech loudly and flap her wings erratically. Then, “A-Hoh my! A-hoh me, a-hoh my!" she moaned, "I’ve insulted a dream mage! How could I have been so stuuuupid!? Please, sir, d-hoo forgive me. I’m afraid that crashing through your window must have given me a little bout of momentary amneeeesia. My apologies to you... are endless,” and she bowed.

Oliver, however, really had no idea how to feel in a situation like this.“Ummm, It’s alright?” He replied. “But what I’m most worried about is this window! Mom will be back from her nightshift soon and she’ll be furious! I’m always breaking things, so she’ll definitely think it was me”

“Soo...” replied the bird softly, “So you’re not furious at my insults to you?” Her fierce and boisterous personality had seemed to have been replaced with a shy little kitten.

“No no. I couldn’t care less about that right now. Worse things are said to me on a daily basis at school… But like I said, I would like to know what you are going to do about the window you flew through!”

“Hoh. Well. Fortunately for youu, sir, youuu won’t even be here when your mother gets home.” said the owl looking pleased with herself. “So you needn’t worry about that, sir. Now, other things, however... you might want to start worrying about.”

“Hold on! Hold on.” Oliver interjected. “Who are you, anyway? And how are you talking? And why won’t I be home when my mom gets here? And what should I be worried about, then!?”

"Gosh, I was informed that Earth children were hoh-blivious, but I had no idea you were a-this hoh-blivious," replied the owl. "But I am afraid now is not the time for long explanations. You see, now that you have come of age, someone is surely on their way to you, Mr. Greenwood. Someone who is... not good. I came as quickly as I could, but this other party could be here at any moment. So we really must be going."

"What!? Who's after me? And where will we be going!? Now I'm demanding!" Oliver protested.

"I am s-hoh sorry about what's about to happen, your majesty," said the owl, further ignoring his questions, "but I was given strict orders."

"What are you talking about? And what do you mean, your maje..." Oliver began. But before he could finish his thought, the owl had quickly strapped on her golden helmet, taken off like a missile, and smacked her head dead center into Oliver's forehead, knocking him unconscious; knocking him straight into the "other world".