New Dream Adventures of Raven Knight

2017, 05-03

Forbidden Pool

I wake up in a bed that is not my own. It doesn’t feel right at all, so I roll over and look around to see if I can figure out where I am and what I’m doing here. It is dark in the room, but my eyes are well adjusted to the dark and I can make out a bit of the area. There are two other beds and I see a man standing over one of the beds, and I hear him whispering to the person in the bed. The person gets up and I see he is small, about hobbit sized. I get the idea that must be Frodo, and I am also thinking I should follow him. I get up at about the same time as the other hobbit, Sam, gets up, and we both follow the man and Frodo. They disappear from the room and we follow them down a path, up some stairs, and out onto a ledge overlooking a waterfall. Sam seems to want to stay back from the edge, but I am not afraid so I go out with them. Sam says something about it being too cold to be out here just to look at the moon. The man, Faramir, says Sam can go back to bed if he desires, the only one he meant to bring was Frodo, although he has no problem with Sam and me coming along as well.

I go over beside Faramir and Frodo as Faramir is asking Frodo what exactly they are looking at. Could it be a black squirrel from Mirkwood? If it is, it is awfully large and it has no tail. Maybe it is a kingfisher? If it is, then it is a black one… A man that was already on the ledge says it is no bird, it dives and swims like a human and does quite well at it. Faramir asks Frodo if his archers should shoot it. I look down and I see Gollum climb out of the pool with a shiny fish in his hands. Even though he can’t see what we’re looking at, Sam must have figured it out, so he says, “Yes!” and I say, “No!” at the exact same time. Faramir looks at Sam, then at me, and says everyone who was not asked has answered, but he is still waiting for Frodo’s answer. Sam tells me if I knew more about Gollum then I wouldn’t say ‘no’ to shooting him. I tell Sam that I say ‘no’ BECAUSE I know a lot more about SMEAGOL than he does, but I am not angry at his saying ‘yes’ because I know he just wants to protect Frodo. Faramir asks Frodo again if his archers should shoot it. I tell Faramir that Smeagol really has no idea that this hidden place exists, he is only after fish, thus is not a threat because even if he took the information straight to the enemy, he could tell nothing more than, “There is a nice pool there with tasty fish,” which would not interest the enemy in the slightest. Faramir says that merely gazing upon the pool carries a penalty of death, then he turns back to Frodo, who has gotten a bit distracted. The idea of killing someone for just looking on a pool of water seems so absurd to me that it is making me angry, and I say, “You’ve got to be kidding…” a bit too loud.

Faramir either doesn’t hear my comment or chooses not to respond as Frodo finally answers the question originally meant only for him. He says no, he does not want Faramir’s archers to shoot Smeagol. Sam looks disappointed, but not surprised. Faramir says he can’t just let that creature go free, but how are they to capture the slippery thing with anything other than a well-aimed arrow? Frodo says he will go down and bring Smeagol back. Frodo quietly follows one of the archers down to the level of the pool, then he starts talking to Smeagol and saying he needs Smeagol to go with him. I am thinking if this goes on it will look like a betrayal and make healing Smeagol harder, so I will just have to keep the people here from being a bunch of assholes. I focus on creating a shield around Smeagol so they can escort him back to the hideout but can’t actually touch or harm him. The archer that led Frodo down there looms up over Smeagle as if to grab him, but finds he can get no closer. He instead looks rather goofy as if he was just trying to intimidate Smeagol with his larger size. The man looks perplexed, and two other men who try to grab Smeagol have the same results. So Frodo just leads Smeagol the rest of the way back up to the ledge. A couple other men try to approach Smeagol and also can’t get close. Since all the men keep their distance, Smeagol seems to be beginning to believe that they mean him no harm.

The man who led Frodo down to the pool goes over to Faramir and tells him of the strange thing that wouldn’t let him get close to the creature Frodo calls Smeagol. Faramir hesitates, then looks over at me. He says it would seem I am a sorceress after all then. He asks what I have done to his archers. I say I did nothing to them, just a shield of protection around Smeagol in case they were thinking to use excessive force on someone who is already coming along willingly. He gives me a dirty look but says no more, and we all go inside. Once inside, Faramir says that he has decided on his own doom, Frodo can go free along with whatever companions he chooses. He asks if Frodo takes Smeagol under his protection, and Frodo say he does. Faramir gives me a dirty look again and says they don’t think too highly of sorceresses around here. I blurt out that I don’t think too highly of people who would murder someone who is no threat to them simply for fishing in the wrong pool, so that makes us even there. I return his dirty look. Faramir looks at Sam, then at Smeagol. Smeagol has resumed eating his fish.

After Faramir talks to Frodo for a bit more, counsels Frodo not to take the path Smeagol has planned but can’t offer a better idea. Faramir says he has added food to Sam’s and Frodo’s packs to help them out in spite of the company they choose to keep. I am thinking I can use the Penticon computer chip to replicate more food for them if they are in need. Frodo says they were also companions with Gandalf, he’s a wizard, so how am I so different? I tell Frodo, it’s ok if Faramir doesn’t like me, there will always be plenty of people who don’t. As long as he isn’t holding it against Frodo, I’m ok with it. Faramir says he and his people will have to be moving out, so Frodo and the rest of us also have to move out. We walk out of the hidden cave, and I again give no objection to being blindfolded. Faramir mutters that I can probably see anyways… We get to a place a ways away from the hidden cave and they take the blindfolds off. Then our paths part. Frodo thanks Faramir for his assistance, and Sam does as well, then we part ways. We haven’t gone far down our separate path before everything fades to black and I wake up.

Ocean Life Museum
I am with my mother and my grandmother, we are going through a place that seems very familiar to me, it is a small museum / zoo dedicated to the animals and fish of the sea. There are many aquariums filled with exotic fish, but the largest area is dedicated to a pair of dolphins. The dolphin enclosure makes up the major part of the museum, the owners of the museum have taken extensive effort to make the enclosure emulate the dolphins' natural habitat. Transparent tunnels cross the enclosure where people can walk through and observe the dolphins in their daily lives, the effect is that it looks almost like being underwater with them. Of course the dolphins aren't there alone, there is also a wide variety of fish, some of which are sources of food for the dolphins. A smaller area of the museum is devoted to the 'sea of stars' above us. There is a virtual reality ride that goes through deep space on a thrilling journey through space, or that's what the advertisement says. My mom buys me a ticket for that, but the ride turns out to be quite disappointing. The video is pretty good, but it is in no way virtual reality. When I get out I can't seem to find my mother, but I end up in a room with several sea lions that want to play.


Gollum and the Pervert
I am in a swamp somewhere, the place is dreary and wet and pretty unpleasant. I don't feel like myself, in fact I know I'm not myself… I have absolutely no awareness of my waking life self. I am Gollum from Lord of the Rings… and that seems perfectly normal. I look around the area of swamp I am in and see a pair of hobbits lying in one of the few dry (relatively dry) places, sleeping uneasily. Frodo and Sam. Frodo has the ring, the ring that I both want to have and am afraid of at the same time, it's like an addict's drug when the addict is trying to go sober… it offers both salvation and doom at the same time. I decide I am too close to the ring, I had better get farther away, take a break from its presence. I move off into the swamp, looking to put a bit of distance between myself and the cursed item. I hear someone following me. It's Sam. He asks me where I'm sneaking off to. I am tired of him always being suspicious, so I come up with a reasonable excuse to be going off on my own. I say I have to take a crap. He says he's going to watch. I just look at him for a bit… you want to watch me take a crap? He says yes. Err… I feign taking a crap, and he does watch… he watches closely and asks why I didn't go. I say I can't go with an audience. We go back to the clearing where Frodo has just woken up. Frodo asks where Sam and I have been. Sam says I am a dirty sneak, and he saw me going off to do something suspicious. I say being a sneak is better than being a pervert who likes to watch other dudes take a crap… maybe Sam needs to come out of the closet?


Schoolyard Bullies
I am in the playground area of a school I don't recognize. It is a Jr. High School, and I am the appropriate age to be a student there. One thing makes this better than my original Jr. High School years, this time I am fully aware of some cool powers I have, psychic powers… telekinetic powers… pyrokinetic powers… I am playing with my telekinetic powers by moving rocks around using my mind. Most of the other students in the school seem to sense something weird about me so they avoid me. I am rather lonely, I keep my mind occupied with my powers. I see a few large boys chasing after a much smaller boy, the group of them run across the playground over towards the school where the smaller boy finds himself cornered by the school. I hate bullies, having been the target of teasing and verbal bullying most of my life, so I go over to interfere. I have no fear of becoming their target and getting hurt because I have my psychic powers. I go over and start making fun of the bullies. Wow, it sure takes a brave group of guys, grouping up five against one to push the smaller boy around… The bullies aren't pleased with my interference. I recognize the people… the smaller boy is Harry Potter, one of the larger ones is Duddley Dursley. Of course I recognize them… they are classmates! Duddley tells me to stay out of it, he's not opposed to hitting a girl. I say he should waddle on over and do it, then, fatso. He looks at Harry, then at me, then starts walking towards me. I use my TK to make him walk in place then make fun of the fact he can't even walk properly. I tie his shoe laces together with TK… he face plants right in front of me, I add he apparently can't tie his shoes properly, either. He is mad, Harry laughs a bit. Duddley threatens Harry and tries to get up. Too bad his feet don't move from the ground… he face plants again. He is confused, he gets up and his pants fall down. He tries to walk before realizing that… and face plants for a third time. Duddley's friends just stare. Duddley tells them to grab Harry. All of their pants fall down, now the rest of them face plant beside Duddley. The school bell rings, and a bunch of students rush out. A crowd gathers around us, everyone points and laughs at the big guys on the ground with their pants around their ankles.