Chapter 14

Elie was sitting under a tree, facing an open swathe of grassland used for grazing, in the distance she could see a bunch of sheep following the shepherd of the village, an old man with an equally old dog that followed along, guiding the sheep towards him.

The sun grew hot in the sky making her retreat into the shade, it would be harvest time soon. The shepherd walked up to the tree and without a word sat down and watched the sheep wander along the meadow. The old shepherd dog made its way over to where Elie was sitting with her back to the trunk of the tree.

Elie was a bit nervous but lifted her hand up and tried to reach out to touch the dog's snout. The dog sniffed around her hand before pressing his wet nose against her palm. Elie had never actually touched the shepherd's dog before so it felt oddly exciting, she leaned forward with her legs crossed to pat the dog's head.

The dog seemed to enjoy it and lay his head in her lap savouring the faint brushing of her fingers against his scalp. The dog drifted off into sleep in the warm sunlight, the breeze ruffling its fur back and forth.

"I've had him for 13 years, I have. My son bought him when my wife passed. But I ain't never seen him sleep on someone else's lap like that before." said the shepherd.

"Should I wake him up?"

The shepherd shook his head, "No, let him rest."

The three of them sat quietly, the shepherd watched the sheep and Elie brushed the fur of the shepherd dog. As she ran her hands over his fur she could feel how patchy it had become, more so than it appeared from outside. The faint breathing in and out kept getting slower and slower until it stopped.

Elie thought it was weird at first but it wasn't until the dog started to grow cold that she tried waking it up. No matter how much she shook the dog it didn't move so she just rested her body on top of it, embracing it in an attempt to keep it warm.

"I'm glad it was you that sent him off." Said the shepherd as he brushed his fur. He stared up at the tree with a sad smile on his face. "This seems like a good spot. Do you want to help me?"

Elie nodded, taking the shovel that the shepherd seemed to pull out of thin air. The two of them toiled away until the sun was no longer so high in the sky and the clouds were tinted in orange. By the time they were done they were covered in dirt and took a break to catch their breath.

The old shepherd gave his dog a final hug before gently lowering him into the hole and filling it with dirt, leaving a mound that seemed awfully small and unimportant. The shepherd gathered his stuff and was about to leave when Elie asked him, "Aren't you going to write his name?"

The shepherd paused, "He doesn't have one."

"I saw them do it before, where they have the rocks with the names on them."

"Well, they only do that for people."

"Oh."

The shepherd was about to leave when Elie picked up a small stone on the ground and started to chip away at the bark of the tree. At first it wasn't obvious but it turned into a crude drawing of the dog. She wasn't able to capture the patterns of his fur, or the texture of his nose, but that poor outline of the shepherd's dog, the one that would disappear by the end of the year, was enough.

The shepherd took out a knife and chipped away just underneath the drawing. The name "Ron" was carved out with shaking hands, the face of the old man grew tearful as he named his dog after his passing. He regretted that he didn't get to say his name in life, so he whispered his name under his breath, and that would be the only time he ever uttered it.

He wiped his tears away, thanked Elie and started walking out into the meadow. To his surprise Elie followed after him. They walked together until the shepherd broke the silence, "Why did you follow me?"

"You looked lonely." replied Elie.

There was an awkward pause before the old shepherd said, "Thanks, but you should go home."

"No."

"Why not?"

"Dad said we can't. It's just me and him now."

"That sounds difficult."

They were interrupted by the bleating of the sheep as the shepherd did his best to keep the flock together.

"Dad is lying to me. Mummy isn't going to catch up to us." She spoke emotionlessly, "It was nice talking to you again. See you tomorrow night."

"You figured it out?" said the shepherd, its face twisting into a faint smile. Elie nodded.

"How do you remember me? I made sure that you would forget."

Elie paused in thought trying to figure out where she knew them from, "Did you ever turn into a goat?"

"...Yes."

Elie seemed to look up at the dream demon in realisation, "I will never forget mister goat."

The dream demon seemed stunned by her words, "That's it?"

She nodded, "Um hum."

The dream demon was at a loss for words and after a few moments it just started laughing, at first like an old man who had heard a good joke, then as the laughter continued, like the hysterical laughter of a broken human being. Its laughter rung with cruel nightmares and blissful rest, it was the laughter of one who had seen it all, and was delighted to find there was more to discover.

Once the laughter stopped, the dream demon looked at the nervous Elie. "Come now, don't be scared," It leaned in close against her ear, making her freeze in place, "I'm in a good mood."

It opened its palm to reveal what looked like a cherry pit. It held it up to her, offering it.

"It's a gift. If you swallow it, I'll save you and your father. You can both leave my domain."

Elie picked it up and inspected it, "What happens when I eat it?"

"Nothing, it just lets me know if you are alive."

Elie hesitantly raised it to her mouth but the dream demon grabbed her wrist.

"I wasn't done explaining. Just make sure that you come back when you remember me and we can dream together again. Promise?"

"...Promise." Elie stuttered, and swallowed the seed whole.

"I hope you had a good dream." Said the dream demon, smiling with the face of the old shepherd. Elie seemed to fade away as the shepherd waved her goodbye.

The dream demon was now alone in the meadow, surrounded by sheep. He looked at one of them munching away at some grass. A grin so wide and genuine spread across the dream demon's face that it looked euphoric. The sheep stopped chewing what was in its mouth and listened intently for it knew that it would be subject to unimaginable nightmares if it didn't satisfy the being in front of him.

The dream demon whispered like a child explaining a secret and yet not even the growing wind could mask the sound, "She doesn't know this shepherd's name, yet she remembers me."

"Me."

The seed had been planted and the dream demon felt assured that it would blossom beautifully under her tender care. She would nourish it with a rich life and a unique experience it had never seen before. The fruit would come out firm and red, the flesh so soft and sweet. It couldn't wait to see it in bloom.