Private The Search for Sleep

"Don't worry, you didn't disappoint at all," Kalvin said, smiling at Briar. "And yeah, you're quite different from the other dragons on the island. But that's nice too. You're unique. I sure as heck have never seen a dragon made of quilts and... cotton?"

Kalvin thought about touching the form of Briar. He wanted to know if the dragon in front of him was as soft and plush-like as he thought. However, the question about his source of unrest came and Kalvin's thought process going that direction died down. "Oh, right. The ghost," he said. "I heard that you're a student as well. And I know that you live in the dorms, but I'm not sure if you know about the ghost that's haunting the dorm halls."

He sighed and he began to push his hammock back and forth gently, glancing at the horizon again. Strange that the sky here was so clear. "I'm terrified of ghosts," he added. "And I think I encountered it once already."

"Yeah, that ghost at the dorm hallways," Kalvin said with a nod. In this dream state, he felt none of the terror that gripped him whenever he thought about the ghost. Instead, he felt warm and safe-- the warmest and safest he's felt in days. It was relaxing. He readily put his guard down, even with the large dragon sitting there on the sand in front of him. Vaguely, he wondered what'd happen if Briar stepped into the calm waters. Not good things, probably.

"I don't know if I actually ever saw anything, really. I could feel it though. And I swear on my life I heard something," Kalvin said. "I was walking to my room a few nights ago. It was already dark because I just came from work. I also had other chores to do that day, which resulted in me going back to the dorm later than usual.

"I remember looking forward to a nice, warm bath. But... you know when you feel there are eyes watching you? You're alone but you feel uneasy and not really scared but also not that brave. Unsure. Yes, that's it. You just feel unsure... and very uneasy," Kalvin said slowly, his gaze distant. "Anyway. I looked around, of course. The hallway was empty. I was still a ways away from my room. So I kept walking, and I walked faster, ready to nope it out of that freaking hallway.

"There's a part near the stairs, where the lights are broken. And I had to go past that area to get to my room. Just as I was nearing it, that feeling of being watched just got... more intense. I wanted to run or turn back. But the safe place, my room, was just past that dark place. And I had nowhere else to go anyway. So I kept walking. Just as I reached the threshold of that darkness... it moved. The darkness moved. And I heard shuffling behind me again. Closer, this time..."

Kalvin bit his lip. He remembered sleepless nights as a young boy, after watching horror movies with friends. This fear felt a lot like it, but more... tangible. He didn't know if being in the dream world had something to do with it. what if this dream became a nightmare? "Well, I didn't look to see," he started, swallowing heavily. "I closed my eyes and ran as quickly as I can, straight ahead. It was worse that I felt like I was subjecting myself to complete blindness. But this was my darkness, at least.

"Later, when I opened my eyes, I was a few steps past my door. I turned around and thankfully saw nothing except for the normal darkness of that area. I thought that I somehow made it. That I was safe. It was quiet as I pulled out my key from my pocket. The unlocking of my door sounded as loud as a gun in that silence. It made me jump, but it wasn't because I was surprised by how loud it was. That was because I heard another scraping sound right after that. And it wasn't the same. That sound felt like it was coming down the hall I came from faster than I ran. I quickly swung open the door and locked myself in my room. My blessedly bright room," he said. He sighed, feeling a lot of the tension slowly falling away now.

"I'm... I don't know if I've got a trauma of ghosts. I mean I definitely am scared of them. Nothing traumatic has ever happened to me regarding them, at least I don't think so." He turned to glance at the quilten dragon again, feeling better knowing that he wasn't alone here, dreaming--or rather, having a nightmare again.

"Yeah... maybe you're right," Kalvin said quietly. He didn't want his fears to be rational in any way. He had no trauma of ghosts, just the fear. He didn't want there to be any at all either. He glanced at the quilt dragon lying on the hammock next to him and smiled a little at the sight. The silver lining was that he finally got to see a real dragon, fluffy and cuddly it may be.

"Oh, I have talked to some people about it. I'm pretty sure I'm not the only one experiencing these things. I did hear rumors about the ghost at the dorms before my encounter. Even when I heard new rumors after that night, I haven't talked to anyone else about the... experience. So, I'm sure other people know about it, too." Plus, Kalvin doubted he's the only one "sensitive" enough to experience that. He's pretty sure there are those who have a closer connection to other-worldly realms. "Oh, I'm not sure about... Actually, yeah. That's a great idea. Thanks for that," Kalvin said, mind already shooting to the very few people he could ask. "Wow, you're really good at this. You can be a therapist if you wanted."

Kalvin's eyebrows went up at Briar's question. "Sort of. You can say that a school counselor is a type of therapist," he said, drawing it out a little bit. He thought about his answer for a few seconds before he explained. "Therapists are people like you who help others with problems regarding their emotions and, I guess, their brains. Therapists help other people get past their traumas and get back on their feet by talking to them but mostly by listening to them a lot. It's a lot like what you're doing.

"If you're a therapist, you can work in the school as a counselor or at the hospital as a... well, certified therapist. You'll need a license first though, but I guess the rules are different for dream dragons?"

Kalvin laughed a little to himself with an unsure shake of his head and a loud shrug. "Anyway, can I ask you one thing?" he said, glancing at Briar again and once more marveling at the large creature in front of him.


((btw omg it completely evaded my mind that Kalvin was one-handed this whole friggin time. So, if I ever mentioned him being two-handed in the story, please ignore that ))