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ceasefiretoday.com decolonizepalestine.com

this is for @hyucksie ‘s collab based around the word “almost” ! feel free to send me an ask or a message to be added to “star cross’d”’s taglist ! things will be added and changed as i write this one shot.

GIF by dovounq

• you’ve heard stories about the infamous “dreamer” who resides in the depths of the forest
• people say he’s the creator of dreams, the one responsible for the visual images that occur during deep slumber
• many residents in your village, mostly the elderly, claimed that the dreamer was an immortal being who lived to provide dreams for mortals
• others have claimed that they’ve physically seen the dreamer and described him as a young boy adorned in ragged fabric, hair as dark as the night sky and facial features which looked to be carved from smooth marble
• it was also said that if you were to stumble upon the dreamer, you would have the opportunity to ask him to create a dream specifically for you
• it could be anything from your wildest fantasies to your simplest desires, he would provide that for you
• your mother first told you this story when you were just a child, curious as to why you were experiencing these images while you were asleep
• as a child, you were intrigued by the idea and sought out more stories about the dreamer
• other children in your village, however, weren’t as intrigued and quite honestly found the story to be nothing but a mindless fantasy
• because of this, you were often the subject of teasing and it became hard for you to make friends
• so you often found yourself wandering around the village all alone
• sometimes, you’d wander as far as the edge of the village, the border which separated your cozy little town from the vast forest that lay on the other side
• a few times you were tempted to cross over, to venture thru the trees and see for yourself if the myth was true, however you were always stopped by a villager who warned you to never explore the forest on your own
• for the next few years, you adhered to the villager’s warning, but the same time, your curiosity continued to cultivate and eventually, you couldn’t wait anymore
• you had to know if the myth was actually true or not…so one night when the entire village succumbed to a deep slumber, you carefully snuck out of your home
• you left a note for your mother saying you went for a walk in case you didn’t return by daybreak
• you were adorned in a black cape, completely invisible even underneath the light of the full moon
• armed with only a small torch and a pick axe, you pushed past the dense thicket and ventured into the heart of the forest
• from the stories you’ve been told, the dreamer’s cottage was supposedly located at the other end of the forest, past the river and at the bottom of the mountain
• you continued your journey for a few more minutes, but when you finally reached the other side of the forest, all you were met w was the steep, rocky slope of the mountain…..no cottage and no dreamer in sight
• feeling defeated, you plopped down on a nearby stone, deciding to rest your feet for a moment before you made the joir ey back home
• “guess it was just a myth after all” you muttered to yourself, leaning back on the tree
• once you saw the sky changing from a midnight blue to a warm orange, you stood back up and grabbed your stuff, getting ready to trudge back home
• however, as soon as you turned around, you noticed a faint cloud of white smoke billowing out from behind a ridge in the mountain
• the logical side of you screamed to just keep walking, but ofc the curious side if you told you to check it out…and of course….you did
• you gingerly walked closer to where the smoke was coming from and peeked around the ridge
• and there, settled comfortably at the base of the mountain, was a small stone cottage, the source of the smoke coming from the tiny chimney at the side of the roof
• you let out a small gasp, heart pounding in your chest……this couldn’t be it, right?? there’s no way you actually managed to find it—
• your thoughts were interrupted by the door to the cottage suddenly flying open, and a hooded figure stepped out, carrying a small woven basket
• the figure looked to be a young boy around the same age as you, with glowing cheeks and soft strands of obsidian hair
• his description matched the stories, but you didn’t want to assume anything just yet, so you kept watching silently…….or at least you tried to
• leaning forward to get a better look, you quickly lost your balance and stumbled forward, falling flat on your face
• the figure jumped at the sound and he quickly stepped back, looking at your fallen form w wide eyes
• you immediately scrambled to get up and were about to leave when a quiet, but firm voice stopped you in your tracks
• “wait! who are you? what are you doing here?” you reluctantly looked over your shoulder, making eye contact w the hooded figure
• you slowly put your hands up to show that you meant no harm “i’m sorry, i was just wandering around the forest, i didn’t mean to scare you”
• at your words, the boy scoffed and rolled his eyes before setting the basket down on a nearby tree trunk “i’ve heard that excuse before, let me guess…you’re a villager? from the small town just north of here?”
• you nodded, not sure where he was going w all of this
• “i should’ve known…you people just don’t know when to quit don’t you?” you furrowed eyebrows at him, asking him what he meant by that
• the boy sighed and picked up his basket again, walking past you and gesturing for you to follow him…which you obliged
• he led you into the forest once again, stopping occasionally to pick a few leaves, twigs, mushrooms, and flowers from the ground
• as you quietly trailed behind him, he began to speak again
• “i’m sure your people have told you stories about me, the one who creates dreams, the ‘dreamer’ if you will…and i’m sure your reason for finding me was to obtain a dream from me, yes?”
• you opened your mouth to protest, but he cut you off again
• “well, let me tell you what those stories have wrong, a minor detail they forgot to put in. i do sell dreams to people who find me, yes, but it comes at a price. in order to—“
• “actually…i didn’t come for that reason” you interjected softly
• the boy froze and looked over his shoulder at you, raising his eyebrows skeptically “oh? then why have you sought me out then, my dear? why risk your life?”
• you hung your head sheepishly, rubbing your boots against the damp soil “i…just wanted to see if the stories about you were true..that’s all”
• there was a beat of silence, the only sound you could hear was the chirping of the songbirds as the morning star made it’s ascent in the sky…and then a burst of laughter
• you looked up in shock to see the boy w his hood down, bent over a field of grass, hands on his knees, and melodies of laughter coming out of his mouth, probably the most beautiful sound you’ve ever heard in your life
• “so..you mean to tell me that you risked your life wandering through the forest, searching for me just so you could see if i was real?” he burst out laughing again, and you could only blush w embarrassment
• after he calmed down a bit, the young boy straightened back up again, reaching out towards you and placing his hand on your shoulder “i like you, you’re funny” was all he said before he walked past you again back to his cottage
• you were frozen in your spot, brain still in the process of registering what just happened
• “hey, are you coming inside or what?” he called out to you
• you shook yourself out of your stupor and turned around, following the boy inside
• the inside of his cottage felt very warm and homey, he had a small hearth in the corner of the room, a kitchen, a dining table, and a wooden bench
• it all looked very normal to you…..except for the fact that there was a huge cauldron sitting in the middle of the room, which you assumed to be where he creates his dreams
• “by the way, i never got your name” he said, taking off his hood and hanging it on the back of a nearby chair “my name’s renjun….and before you say anything yes i have an actual name, i don’t refer to myself as ‘the dreamer’ or however your people say it”
• “oh..my name’s y/n….” renjun took a second to process your name, then he nodded and pressed his lips together in a thin line “nice to meet you, y/n. i have a feeling i’ll be seeing you around often”
• and…he was right
• after your initial meeting, you would venture into the forest late at night and arrive at renjun’s cottage early in the morning
• it became a routine for you: sneak out after everyone’s gone to bed, travel through the forest, arrive at renjun’s for breakfast, and then return home before noon
• your mother questioned you on your whereabouts, asking why you were never there in the morning
• you didn’t want to lie to her, but you also made a promise to renjun the first day you two met: that you would never tell anyone you saw him or know where he was
• you didn’t ask him why and didn’t dare to, you figured it was something he’d rather keep to himself
• but during your visits to renjun’s humble abode, he would show you how dreams are made and how he distributes them
• he mixes the ingredients he collects from the forest in the cauldron, turning them into a liquid and placing them into small vials
• each liquid had a different color, and those colors indicated what kind of dream a person would have
• red indicates a dream about love, green for adventure, yellow for happiness, blue for sadness
• when the dreams were ready to be sent out, renjun takes the vials he needs and places them over a small fire outside, the liquids evaporate, turn into a gas, and drift off to find their person
• “how do the dreams know where to go?” you asked one day, renjun just smiled softly as he watched the rainbow of gases flow thru the air “they know…”
• as you watched him concoct different kinds of dreams, you noticed that there were small vials filled w a black liquid resting on a shelf
• “hey renjun?” “mm?” “why do you never use those dreams?”
• his eyes followed your hand, and when they landed on what you were pointing at, he froze
• “those…those aren’t dreams y/n….they’re nightmares” “…..oh”
• renjun sighed and set down the vials he was working on “i..don’t use those very often. i did once and…it didn’t end very well. after that experience, i vowed to never use a nightmare ever again”
• you nodded silently, listening and never prying further, renjun would explain the rest to you when he was ready
• for the next few weeks, you made your daily visits to renjun’s cottage, watching him make dreams, or occasionally you two would walk over to the river and talk about random things
• thru these talks you learned three things: 1) renjun was, in fact, immortal, he would sometimes tell you stories from past history and 2) the dreams he made had the capacity to come true, but very rarely and 3) renjun never stayed in the same place for very long, he usually moved once he felt that his time was spent
• after hearing the last one, you tried very hard not to show your disappointment, but renjun saw right thru you
• he scoffed and leaned over, poking your cheeks “stop pouting dummy, i’m not leaving this place for a long time”
• you swatted his hand away, but couldn’t help the small smile from tugging at the corner of your mouth “really? why? is there something you like about this place?”
• renjun coughs and turns away from you, but you swore you saw a faint dusting of pink on his cheeks, and his next words made your stomach do a flip “…yes…there is”
• after that day, your visits to renjun’s cottage started to become less frequent, mostly due to the fact that your mother fell ill and you had to work the shop while simultaneously taking care of her at the same time
• you were worried bc you didn’t have the chance to tell renjun why you haven’t been showing up anymore and hoped that he’d understand the next time you saw him
• however…one night, as you were sleeping soundly next to your mother, you started seeing these horrid images flash before your eyes, images that would forever haunt your memory
• you shuffled around the bed, arms flailing every which way, soft whimpers leaving your lips and tears streaming down the side of your face
• your suffering only lasted for a moment bc you woke up to see your mother’s concerned face hovering above yours
• you laid in bed, chest heaving rapidly, eyes blinking away the tears
• was that…a nightmare? no, it couldn’t be..renjun said he never used nightmares, so why did i..?
• you flew out of bed and, without even explaining anything to your mother, you ran out the door and straight into the forest
• you had to get to renjun, you didn’t what it was, but you just felt that something was off
• you ran and ran, not even taking a break, you practically sprinted thru the forest, but…when you reached the bottom of the mountain and went around the ridge…
• renjun’s cottage was nowhere to be seen