Chapter 3 – A Maze of Fantasies
The many dreams playing out in
front of Delilah makes it hard for her to decide which one to go through. Even
though dreams in the entertainment portion seem the easiest, the stories the
actors are playing out are actually happening, so one dream of being an actor
looks no different than a dream about being a soldier and the surrounding area
that the actor plays in keeps changing unlike how the soldier’s battlefield
stays the same. Since the world of puppets consists mostly of entertainment, it’s
hard for Delilah to choose which path to go on.
“What’s going to be your choice?” the
dark voice inside her asks.
“It doesn’t matter.”
With all the many dangerous options
in front of her, Delilah chooses to go through the horse racing dream. This isn’t
normal horse racing as the horses have to go through an obstacle course while
racing, which slows them down. Delilah runs through the racecourse after the
horses pass her. Before she knows it, she sees that the ground has opened up
and the entire scene devolves into chaos.
“What’s going on?”
“Look!”
A priest kneels and prays to God.
The ground begins to slowly close as demons start crawling out of it.
“This must be a dream for an
exorcist.”
Delilah evades the demons as she
tries to get to the other side of the dream. The hordes block her way and try
to drag her into the hole.
“This one is like us!”
“Look at this deformed monster.”
“What a selfish sacrifice you made.”
The priest’s prayers make the
demons dissipate and the hole in the ground fills up. Delilah picks herself up
and exits the dream only to find more in her way.
“Why don’t you give up already? You
couldn’t even make it through the first dream without needing help.”
“No, I won’t.”
Picking from her choices, Delilah chooses
to go through an underwater swimming performance. The water is contained within
an invisible container of water that she can go through. She swims her way through
the performance and comes across a giant squid that chases her around until it
is stopped by a knight of the sea. Once she’s out of there, she sees Onesta and
Fidato walking on the upstairs floor.
“Onesta! Fidato!” Delilah yells out
to them.
They don’t seem to hear her as they
walk into another room. She chases after them only to find more dreams let
loose on the second floor.
“Do you think they want you to get
trapped in these dreams?”
“What does it matter? I’m going to
get to them.”
Delilah charges forward through a jungle
filled with vegetation and animals that want to eat her. She swings across the
vines and branches like a jungle gym until she is caught by a plant. Soon after,
she is unintentionally rescued by two puppets who are living off the land by
hunting the wildlife. She makes it out of the dream and into the room Onesta
and Fidato are in to see them making new orbs.
“Onesta! Fidato!” Delilah says to
them.
“Why if it isn’t the best actress
in the world! We heard about what you did yesterday. I’m sorry if we didn’t hear
you calling out to us. Our security system of dreams was too loud to hear over,”
Onesta says.
“Take back your orbs. I don’t want
to achieve my dream with them.”
“Why not?” Fidato asks.
“Because of this demon that’s inside
of me! It’s hurt so many people including my parents to try to help me achieve
my dreams.”
“My dear, that’s just the new you,”
Onesta says.
“I don’t care. I want it out of me.”
“Even if it means giving up your
dream?”
“Yes! Just get it out!”
Onesta and Fidato look at each
other and softly smile.
“Okay, we’ll do it and help you,”
Onesta says as she opens Delilah’s chest.
Onesta removes the orbs from Delilah
as Fidato gets a different one.
“What’s that for?”
“This orb will repair the damage
the others did.”
Once Delilah’s chest closes with
the new orb inside, she feels constrained.
“What did you do to me?” Delilah
asks.
“We’re helping you,” Onesta says.
Fidato and Onesta start changing
into creepier looking people with grey tear marks on their faces. Fidato has an
extended neck with little hands coming out of where his hair used to be while
Onesta has a smile stuck on her face. Delilah’s body transforms into something
deformed as well. She now has two hands on one hand and a head on the other.
“We’re now family,” Fidato and
Onesta say as they connect the strings from their hands and take control of
Delilah.
“We’ve been searching for a girl
like you. One perfect enough to replace…to take the place of our dead daughter,”
Fidato says.
“She died heroically and gave up on
everything to save the life of a stranger. That’s why we opened this shop with
these dream orbs. We hoped to attract someone like her, and we have been blessed
with you,” Onesta explains.
Delilah tries to move and talk but
can’t. She can barely manage to think.
“With that orb in your chest, you
will be fulfilling our dream.”
“You will be our daughter and we’ll
live happily ever after.”
“I…I’m sorry. Mom…dad…everyone. I deserve
this,” Delilah manages to think before starting to cry.
“It’s okay.”
“You’ll be happy with us.”
Days pass as Fidato and Onesta run
the Hall of Dead Dreams in a different town and pretend to have a changed Delilah
as their mute daughter who can still barely move. All she can do is pray in her
head while trying not to cry. One day, her parents walk in asking for her.
Since she can’t talk or move, she can only hope that they recognize her somehow.
“Why do you think that we would
know where she is?” Fidato asks.
“We heard that she used to come in
here and she disappeared when you at the same time you guys did,” Delilah’s dad
says.
“Do not think that we stole her,”
Onesta comes in to say, “This is a place where dead dreams come to life. If she’s
anywhere, she’s making someone’s dream come to life.”
“I’m sure she is if she is. She
made us proud even before she became the best actress in the world.”
What Delilah’s dad says brings
tears to her face. Her mom and dad notice this. The orb inside Delilah forces
her to wipe her face and feign a smile to them. Despite her changed appearance,
Delilah’s parents can’t help but feel a familiar connection to her.
“The story of your daughter is
bringing tears to our daughter’s face. She’s such a thoughtful girl. It’s a
shame that’s she’s mute, but we couldn’t have asked for anyone better.”
“I see. Thank you for your help,”
Delilah’s dad says before leading her mom outside.
On the next day, the police come
into the hall and arrest Fidato and Onesta.
“What’s the meaning of this?!” Fidato
yells.
Delilah’s parents go up to her and
take out the orb from her chest, which changes her back to normal.
“Delilah!” they say as they hug
her.
“Mom! Dad! I’m sorry. I hurt you
and everyone else because I wanted to make my dreams come true,” she says.
“It’s okay. We forgive you.”
The Hall of Dead Dreams is closed
down, Fidato and Onesta are arrested for their crimes, and Delilah goes back
home where she practices to become the best actress in the world with the help
of others and her parents.
The
End
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