SKY FULL OF DREAMS

     A dim grey light shown through the dusty shades of Doug's


apartment, as he awoke.  The light fell upon his eyelids with a


similar hue of the morning.  Doug arose as usual and stepped to the


window, letting the light penetrate the darkness which filled the


room.  Out in the city the sky was clouded as usual, with spots of


dark grey, and black scattered across the lighter shades of grey


and white.  The buildings were grey, as was the horizon. Even the


people in the hustle and bustle of the day on the streets appeared


dull and grey below him.  Another typical morning on Eras, thought


Doug as he turned from the window with disgust.  Eras was Doug's


home planet.  Often he wondered if other planets existed, but these


thoughts were brief, and intangible.  All he had known in his life


was the dull grey that covered the planet.  At night the grey would


be deep and dark, and in the day, light, but the colors never


changed.  The sky never changed.  Doug dreaded going to work today,


for it was his twenty-first birthday.  Doug, although it was


strictly forbidden by the Icon government, likes to lie around his


apartment occasionally and imagine a place other than that which he


lived in.  But today would not be that day he sulked as he locked


the door and went to work.  


     In a room full of machines Doug could hear the distant hum of


the life water, that controlled the city. Looking around he almost


felt inhumane, as he noticed the other employees who nearly blended


into the iron, and steel of the plant.  One day we might even all


become part of one of these machines he thought with a smirk.  Over


the internet he heard the voice of Sirris, giving orders for him to


fill, more mundane tasks he thought.  Suddenly some unfamiliar


emotion over took him, and before he realized what he was doing he


left his cubicle, and the front office door shut behind him.  Out


on the street he realized that it was time to make a change in his


life.  He couldn't live in this cold, unnatural, grey world any


longer and would search for something new. He grabbed a backpack,


with some food, clothes, and drawing pad.  If Doug accomplished


nothing, at least he would have some time to himself, and to his


dreams without Sirris or the Icon looking over his shoulder. 


     This was the first time he ever approached the road by foot. 


It was made up of grey flakes of sleet and granite, and was hard


under his tender feet.  Doug walked this first day for many hours,


until he almost fell with exhaustion and then asleep. When he awoke


the sky was still dark.  He began to eat a piece of bread when he


heard footsteps over the next hill.  At first, he worried, thinking


the Icon had sent someone after him, but in a moment he saw it was


an old man.  What was he doing out here Doug wondered.  As the old


man approached, Doug offered him half of his bread.  The gentleman


accepted and sat next to him.  


     "Where are you headed, boy" he asked sternly.


     "Away from Libus III, my home town" Doug shyly remarked.


     "Well, do you have any idea of where you ,want to end up?"


asked the man.


     "I've never been away from my home, I could no longer stand


the devouring grey of this planet and wanted to search for


something new.  If anything, I will search my dreams in peace."


said Doug bitterly.


     "Ahh.. A wonderer of sorts, would you like to hear a story?"


asked The man. The man seemed old and wise and Doug enjoyed his


company so he eagerly answered with a yes.


     "My name is Daylen.  I have been on Eras for many generations,


and am saddened by its change.  Eras has not always been a grey


planet.  Many years ago it was covered with green trees, and deep


blue lakes, filled with the laughter of children playing.  The


ground was soft on the feet and homes were warm and comforting. 


The people of this time owned their lives and there destiny.  It


was a time long before the Icon, long before the droughts.  People


told stories and shared their dreams, hope was a natural thing. 


The future seemed bright.  Eras has changed much since then.  Yet


over the years of my travel, near and far I have never forsaken a


more beautiful place as the enchanted forest of Lynere.  It is far


to the East, and this is the one place left that still holds the


memories of your past.  Go there and you will find what it is your


heart searches for."  The old man rose and walked away.  In moments


he had disappeared over the hill, and had left Doug sitting in awe.


What were these green trees, laughter, and blues he had spoke of. 


Doug had never heard these words before.  With a laugh he smiled


and thought, what a nice "story" he had heard.  


     Doug began his journey again and out of pure amusement went


toward the East.  What a silly old man he thought.  Eras has been


grey for hundreds of years, he doubted it was ever any different.


Yet still the tale intrigued him and he was drawn to the East. Out


on the plains, where he was traveling, day and night were one and


Doug began to lose track of time.  He drew pictures and tried to


imagine the words Daylen had used. Doug had nearly convinced


himself that the man was telling fairy tales when he noticed a glow


over the horizon.  The hue was deep and inviting, far from the grey


he was used to.  His curiosity took over and he ran toward the


light.  Solid masses of this color mixed with browns rose from the


ground and Doug's heart told him these were the green trees.  The


glow surrounded the land and blocked out the grey once he was near


to it.  He stepped on the ground below the edge of the forest and


soft moist dirt gushed between his toes.  What a miraculous feeling


he thought.  


     A warm breeze tousled his long blonde hair and in the whispers


of the wind he knew he could hear laughter.  Drawn to these sounds


he walked through the forest, he saw birds in the branches, and


creatures beyond even his imagination.  The voices in the wind


seemed to call to him, and they grew stronger with each step.  Doug


approached a clearing and found a deep blue lake. In the water was


a woman and three small children.  They were splashing the water


upon each other and smiling.  The sounds of laughter were coming


from their mouths.  The woman looked toward him gently with a warm


smile and said "join us."  Her voice was like music, sacred and


soft.  She glowed of colors he had never seen.  


     Doug was confused and angry, he did not understand.  Water was


scarce, it was the lifeforce which ran the city.  These people were


play in it.  Wasting it.  Did they realize that this lake had


enough water to run ten cities, and they kept it to


themselves.  


     "My name is Julia, come, laugh with us, leave your worries


behind.  This is my home, my forest and I invite you to be part


of it." Confused Doug turned and ran away back to the edge of the


forest.  Once there he leaned upon a tree and fell asleep in


thought.  When he awoke their was a blue bird perched upon his


knee.  It was startled and flew away.  He watched it, as it left


the forest and approached the grey sky just beyond.  Suddenly as if


flying beyond the sky it disappeared.  Doug wondered where it had


went. But really he wondered of Julia.  He could visualize her warm


smile.  Her skin so vibrant, so alive, glowed.  Her hair


glistened in the warm light, long and soft.  Without realizing


it, Doug was walking back toward the lake, back toward Julia.  He


could not rid her image from his mind.  Tenderly she laid upon


the greenery next to the lake.  Her enchanting eyes opened as he


approached, she smiled.  


     "Hello again, I am glad you've come back.  What is your name?" 


     "Doug," he replied.  She spoke with soft kind words that


encouraged Doug to go on.  "What kind of place is this?" he asked. 





     "Why this is the forest of Lynere of course.  Why, does it


seem strange to you?"  Then Doug understood.  Just as he had never


left Libus III, she has never gone beyond this forest. 


     "yes" he answered, "it is strange.  In my home, the water is


sacred, used for work, we have no trees, the ground is hard, and


it glows of grey by night and of the day"


     "How sad, it seems like such an unhappy place, is that why you


left?"


     "Yes, it is why.  But maybe it can still change.  Their must


be more than grey to fill the planet and the sky."


     "Why of course there isn't grey in the sky, by night the sky


fills with stars."


     "I saw a bird" said Doug, "fly into the grey and it


disappeared, where did it go?"


     "Into the stars" replied Julia as if everyone should know


this.


     "Stars" asked Doug.


     "I will show you."  Julia waved her arm into the air, her


finger gliding elegantly into a pattern, and from her fingertips


appeared trails of light bright and twinkling, this light shined


with every color as did the glow that surrounded Julia.  "These


are the stars" she said.  Mesmerized by its beauty, and that of


Julia, Doug fell in love with the stars and with Julia.


     "Come with me to my home, show these stars to others, help me


to make my world like yours."  Julia agreed, and they left the


forest.  As they traveled West toward Libus III They talked, and


Doug laughed, they told stories and Julia filled him with renewed


hope.  The people of Libus III were uninterested in change.  They


scorned these "tricks" that Julia played on them, And Doug feared


that the Icon would soon become angry with the new disturbance he


was causing.  So involved in himself, Doug didn't notice The glow


around Julia, as it began to fade.  With her tender smile, she


approached him.  She seemed dark and trouble.  


     "I must leave this place.  I miss Lynere, only you keep me


filled with a little happiness, and even so we no longer laugh as


we once did.  Join me, join my world and leave your worries


behind." Doug could not abandon his newly found cause of


inspiration, and his desire to change his home was nearly as strong


as his love for Julia.


     "Return to Lynere, I will join you shortly, but before I do,


I must seek out a friend, Daylen." Saddened she left.  And Doug


began his search for the old man. Many days had gone by before Doug


found Daylen.  When he did, the old man was laying against a mound


of molten rock, weak, and barely awake.  


     "I am dying, and you must rejoin Julia before my time comes."


     "But Daylen, with your wisdom and Julia's magic we can change


Eras.  We can fill it with love, life, and laughter."


     "Foolish boy, I once envied you, but now leave you with my


pity." this was all he could utter before his eyes drifted of into


sleep.  When his eyelids closed the grey clouds thinned and Doug


could see Julia's stars just beyond them.  Soon the whole sky was


filled with the vibrant colors and they glowed strong, as Julia


once did.  In the morning Doug awoke, the sky seemed blue, and


alive.  With excitement he set of toward Lynere.  Yet as he


approached, he did not see the green glow over the horizon, and


over the hills he saw only vast emptiness.  This emptiness filled


his heart, Julia was gone.  Julia had sacrificed herself, her


love was so strong that she left Doug with the stars, they were


her gift to him, they were all he had left to hold onto.  Yet


when he listened to the soft breeze, he could still hear her soft


laughter, her laughter will fill Eras, and her stars would fill


the night sky.