text: of familiar grey eyes.
  
  "I'm Selena Grey," she said. "Jasper's mum. Recently, I've found out that my son had an interesting dream, and... well, I could not help but find the man responsible. As for the whole dreamtruder thing, I really don't care. Whoever you are, whatever you did, it all meant that my son was able to get a... mediocre dream, but it was a better dream than he had in a long time. It has really helped him loads. I know that I should not be doing this, but I would like to give you a gift."
  
  She reached out her palm, and her eyes began to sparkle. They turned blue. Her voice was clear and commanding when she spoke again. "You had instances of potential power, where you nearly gained several dreampowers. With the abilities bestowed to me as a dreamcaster, I'll let you receive one dreampower. While attaining them, you would be experiencing strange memories which we call 'alternate realities'. Those don't really matter - take the dreampowers and may the powers of the dreamworld be with you!" With that, she held out her hand. Mysterious orbs were suspended in the air. I felt drawn to them, and reached out to touch one.
  
  > The one with blue dust shaped like wings
  Somehow, I knew waking up would not have worked. Because it requires 8 consciousness points, which I did not have... how on Earth did I know that? Yet, I dismissed it as nonsense, and focused on trying to fly.
  
  So I flew. I had no feathery wings, no jetpacks, but just by the sheer power of my imagination, I flew. Perhaps this was becoming like the old days, where I was able to control my dreams. What was that phrase, lucid dreaming? Maybe I just had to relearn that. Then my mind turned to the countless other things I could do - shoot fire out of my hands, transform the world into a galaxy... unfortunately, none of that worked. Regardless, I could fly. The light seemed to blind me and I wondered if the monster had wings, yet flying was clearly an advantage.
  
  #Gained a new dreampower: Flying
  
  I flew higher and higher, and when I came into contact with the light, I felt myself waking. The I saw something strange behind the light.
  
  Apparently, the light was caused by a huge flashlight. A tall man in pale blue pyjamas stood on a much taller ladder, adjusting a knob which seemed to control the light source. Another person stood below the ladder, also dressed in the same pale blue uniform, reading out from a piece of paper titled '75836846's dream'. Then she shouted something to the man, who turned the knob. It all became dark.
  
  Slowly, I woke up from the dream. For the first time in ages, I did not feel relieved to be awake.
  
  > Awake
  I sat up in my comfy bed, trying to regather my thoughts. As far as I knew, I had not forgotten anything. Except, perhaps, what I ate for breakfast and lunch yesterday. That must have meant that they did not tamper with my memories...yet. It relieved me slightly, knowing that the dreamworld, despite its chaotic and ever-shifting atmosphere, was still a place governed by rules and regulations. While I never wanted to place my future in their hands, it was a comforting thought to know that I would at least get to try my luck in the Jungle.
  
  What was it, anyway? A normal jungle? A magical one? Anyhow, I was currently in the real world, and I certainly should not allow the dream happenings to mess up my real life. The dreamworld should not have that much control over me. It was almost like a tiny act of rebellion - by living my real life freely, I was essentially getting back at the dreamworld. No amount of trouble they put me through would let them gain the upper hand.
  
  My decision had been made, and I went straight to work. What day was it? Yes, Wednesday. Good, I still remembered the days of the week. Weekend would be in two days... I gave up. I could not recreate the normalcy of my old life. It was hard to accept the lack of logic in this new life. I went to work, and when Reeter took a long smoke in front of my face, I realized that this was the closest I would ever get to having the life I once had. So I conjured a little mind funeral for my old life, which effectively helped me zone out of the conversation with Reeter, and left that old me behind.
  
  As I worked on the Dream Garden, a little maze was created. No one seemed to be able to reach the end. It felt good to be doing something other than worry about The Jungle, so I tried to beat the maze. Surely maze-navigating skills were useful in the Jungle? Eventually, an hour later, I made it to the end. It was beautiful, with a statue of little girl lying on the moon and the gentle spray of the fountain. Serenity smiled down on the little dome of solitude... until a familiar face popped out of the hedge.
  
  "Dramer, we need to talk."
  
  > The dark side of the moon
  Looking at Mrs. Lunar, I immediately recognized the exhaustion on her face. "Nightmares?" I asked.
  
  She shook her head. "WORSE, IT'S LIKE I'M ACTUALLY LIVING IN ONE." She paced back and forward a few times before continuing on. "I DIDN'T KNOW WHO TO TELL, SO I CAME TO YOU. YOU'RE A BIT INSANE, BUT YOU CAN KEEP A SECRET. IT'S... Reeter."
  
  "What about him?" I asked. Then it hit me - her whispering his name in her nightmare, the blackmailing... "Reeter's blackmailing your son?"
  
  A shadow flickered over her face, and she seemed almost... scary. She continued. "I WAS HELPING SORT OUT SOME ACCOUNTING DOCUMENTS, YOU KNOW, THE BALANCE SHEETS AND INCOME STATEMENTS. I NOTICED THAT THE FIGURES DID NOT ADD UP, AND WHEN I INVESTIGATED, HE... he..."
  
  "Blackmailed your son?"
  
  Her lip quivered as she went on. The trepidation made her voice tremble and she spoke a lot more softly. "He knew that my son would lose his scholarship and that his whole future would be ruined. And that foul beast, he said that if I were to continue snooping - that's the way he put it - he would fire me and inform the police. I think that Reeter is... is involved in illegal activities."
  
  That certainly came as a surprise. Not that Reeter was capable of such an evil deed, but rather that we could actually get evidence. However, it was going to be difficult if we had to ensure that Mrs. Lunar was protected.
  
  A thread of an idea came to mind. "Suppose we... or rather, someone anonymous... were to do something to Mr. Reeter's office. Something that would result in him having to do his work elsewhere tomorrow. This gives us the chance to sneak in and find any incriminating evidence."
  
  That fierce look returned on Mrs. Lunar's face, making her look years older. "OR WE THREATEN HIM AND GET HIM TO CONFESS. ALL WE NEED WOULD BE A KNIFE, A GUN... WHAT ELSE? A LOCK ON THE DOOR? WE HAVE TO GET RID OF HIS PANIC BUTTON AND PHONE - OR WE'LL PUT HIS PHONE IN COFFEE!"
  
  That was certainly unexpected. Remind me not to get on her bad side. After some fine tuning to her plan (we would borrow Ms. Midnight's office since it was far away from the common areas and she hated Reeter too), we had two options: remove Reeter from his office or pressurize him. Neither was ethical, but we had to break a few rules to be whistleblowers.
  
  > Ruin his office
  Mrs. Lunar went off to grab some supplies before we met up at Reeter's office. She brought along with her an enormous bag with a putrid stench.
  
  "I'VE BROUGHT IT!" she gleefully called out. "LIVE MAGGOTS, A BEEHIVE, A FEW FROGS, CENTIPEDES FROM THE DREAM GARDEN... ROTTEN FRUITS TO ATTRACT FLIES, MY SON'S SOCKS HE HASN'T WASHED FOR A YEAR, MUD FROM THE SWAMP... WHAT DID YOU BRING?"
  
  I hardly felt like telling her that all I brought was a few matches - I thought that we ought to set fire to the room. Then again, I had hardly thought that through. For all I know, we might have burnt the incriminating evidence we so desperately needed.
  
  "Let's get to work," I said. "The best thing about Reeter is his numerous enemies - any of them could do this."
  
  She nodded. "WITH THE CCTVs OFF, WE HAVE NOTHING TO FEAR! I LOOK FORWARD TO TOMORROW."
  
  I had never seen Mrs. Lunar so excited about anything before. It was a little intimidating, considering that I was alone with the woman. However, we had a blast, wrecking the office which contained some of our unhappiest moments.
  
  "IT WAS THERE HE BLACKMAILED ME!" Mrs. Lunar stated, chucking a pile of mashed up oranges to the corner of the room.
  
  "I was nearly fired there," I said, letting a handful of mud sail through the air.
  
  "I REMEBERED THAT," she said. " IT HAD BEEN A LONG TIME SINCE I EVER FELT SO SCARED FOR SOMEONE OTHER THAN MY SON." Then, in a quieter voice no louder than a whisper, she said, "You're like a better version of him. I'm glad you persuaded me to do this."
  
  Coming from an old lady who had shamelessly insulted me for years for the sake of being honest, it certainly felt good to be complimented. In fact, I question whether I had actually heard it from time to time. In the dark of the night, overwhelmed by the exciting activity of ruining a perfectly good office, could that be a figment of my imagination? Did my mind, exhausted from the day's (and night's) work, conjure up a deep and emotional conversation? Whatever the case, I left the room feeling a lot warmer inside. Revenge was sweet, but exacting it for someone else? It gave me a feel-good moment. Ironic, but true.
  
  > The J in Jungle
  I braced myself for the impact. Would I arrive crashing headfirst into the ground? Or will I be gulped up by a tiger the very second I materialised in the forest? My imagination tended to get the better of me in such situations, and worst case scenarios started to flood my mind. What if my memories were wiped? Would this erase the very essence of my personality, and everything about who I am? What power did these people even possess? Fortunately, most of these questions were answered as I arrived in Dreams HQ.
  
  "Today, you would be entering the Jungle. As you probably are already aware of, waking up requires 8 consciousness points, and by which I do not mean the dreampower. To attain these consciousness points, you would have to search the Jungle and possibly place yourself in mortal danger. Since this is the first stage, you would be starting with 4 consciousness points already in hand. For realistic purposes, to mimic a real jungle, you would also have to have possession of a food source and water source of considerable volume to exit. Having any type of poisonous food or unsanitary water means death, and death leads to the memory wipe. This would occur due to you being deemed unworthy of joining the dreamworld and thus, you are an unreliable keeper of secrets."
  
  On the dreamworld official went, without sparing me so much as a glance or smile. He had a businesslike manner, not unlike that of Ms. Midnight's. "Now, on to the memory wipe. We would only erase all the information concerning every dream you have ever dreamt. Conversations and moments in which you have thought about the dreamworld count as this. Unless they pose a threat, the Unknowing would not be involved in all this. Since you have already talked to the Unknowing about this, we would be forced to relocate you - or rather, Dream Corps would. In an isolated branch of the company on the other side of the world, your new, dreamless life would commence. All ties with the people you currently know would be severed for practical problem prevention purposes. The only memories you would retain are the traumatizing nightmares of the Jungle - those would remain to haunt you forever."
  
  As if not realizing the ominous threat, he went on in an indifferent voice, not caring to pause for the drama. "Now, you are hereby sworn to secrecy. Any information you reveal about the dreamworld from this point onwards - intentional or unintentional, new or old - would result in the memory wipe. Understood?"
  
  I held back my gulp, and forced myself to nod.
  
  Without a speck of pity or worry in his voice, the man asked the final question. "Ready?"
  
  I forced myself to choke out the lie I so badly wanted to believe. "I'm ready."
  
  > talk to the pirate
  I went over to my 'guide'. Hopefully, he would provide some tips for successfully surviving the Jungle. Unfortunately, he did not even seem to remember me.
  
  "Who arrr you?"
  
  "Aren't you supposed to be my guide? Do you have any hints for me?"
  
  "Hints? The treasure, matey, is always where the X is. And sailing the ship to the rising sun, you're more likely tha' find the chest. Common superstitions with pirates."
  
  "Umm... I mean, for the Jungle challenge."
  
  "The Jungle? Why arr you goin' there?"
  
  "I am going- Don't you even rememb- That's not important. Tell me about the first stage of the Jungle."
  
  He looked as if he was deep in thought. "Don't fall in th' water. You'll feed the fish."
  
  "And?" I prompted. For all I cared, we could take the whole night. I was in no hurry to visit the Jungle.
  
  "In th' dreamworld, purple berries are always poisonous. No treasure there, only death. And dead men tell no tales."
  
  "Go on..."
  
  "Deal with th' lion last. Not necessary, just better. That brute's nasty, show no mercy."
  
  "Anything else?"
  
  "...Naw. Unless ya wanna make a fishin' net - spiderweb's good. Hard ta get, but good. Get past th' spider first."
  
  "Right... and all these are all in the first stage?"
  
  "I've been there. Lost ma mind... who arrr ya again? Hey, arn't ya that rascal that escaped me? Wanna walk the plank, boy? Teach ya not ta escape me and my one eye!"
  
  Out from the side of his belt, the pirate brandished an extremely sharp, gleaming sword and pointed it to my neck. I backed away. I didn't want to risk death before I had even attempted to brave the Jungle. With those extremely vague pieces of advice, I headed off to face the first stage - Justice.
  
  > enter the Jungle
  The lush green canopy stretched upwards for miles, and various shades and hues of green stretched as far as the eye could see. A cacophony of birds sang in the distance, and the filtered rays of golden sunshine streaked down, bathing the jungle in a shiny gold light. The earthy smell found its way to my nose, and the scent was like a familiar stranger - something I felt I knew well but could not quite place. Playfully, the breeze tugged at my hair and whistled as it passed through the branches of the trees. Waving, the leaves rustled. 'Welcome to the Jungle,' they seemed to say. Despite my initial worries, I involuntarily felt myself relax. This place, famed for its dangers, was beautiful. Like the beating heart of the forest, a large oak tree stood tall and majestic. A half asleep sloth lazily reclined on it, and it beckoned me over. "Comeee.........here......"
  
  I went over. "Do you want to tell me something?"
  
  "Well...." It fell asleep once more.
  
  Pacing around, I asked the question again. "Anything important to tell me?"
  
  "Come...."
  
  "I'm here?" I positioned myself directly in front of the sleepy sloth.
  
  With a start, it woke up. "To..." it said, only to fall asleep. In the dreamworld. Was that possible?
  
  "To, two or too? The number, preposition, or... the word that means also? Hello?"
  
  "The..."
  
  I sighed. Rude. If only I could fall asleep that way every time I conversed with Reeter. "Again, more clarification would be helpful. 'The' as in the common word 'the', or the old English 'thee'?" Honestly, I needed to know. For all I knew, this could have been a death threat of some sort.
  
  "Jungle...zzz...zzz..." With a poof, the sloth disappeared. What did it say? My curiosity was satisfied as a low hanging branch nearly crashed onto my head, with a wooden sign bearing the words 'Welcome to the Jungle' on it. Ah, guess that would have been the welcome committee. I felt stupid to have been spending so long goading out a welcome message from the sloth, but at least I wasn't dead yet. Surely that meant I was doing something right?
  
  Ok, time to find the 8 consciousness points. Here, under the shade of the large tree, I felt myself compelled to sleep... just for a minute. Or an hour. It was just so peaceful... that was it! The forest was trying to lull me into complacency and get me to put down my guard. Nu-uh, Jungle, not today. For a second, I felt mad with myself. Did I have to look at every one of life's lemons with such utter cynicism? Or was this just the Jungle, pitting me against myself so I lost my mind? Arrgh! It was frustrating! I had to do something, anything to get out of here. For now, it was easier to antagonize the Jungle and return to that later. I was not about to be distracted from my mission - finding the consciousness points.
  
  > The swamp
  Squish. Squish. The grass became muddier, pulling my shoes deeper and deeper into the squelchy earth. Every step was a struggle. Lifting my foot became more of a chore each time, and I began to feel grateful for everytime I walked on normal ground. When would I reach a stage where the soil would be firm under my feet? It almost felt like an unimaginable novelty, a life so long ago...
  
  A quick motion snapped me out of my dramatic self-pitying. A crocodile... that could only mean one thing - I had finally reached the swamp. Beneath the murky, green waters, several crocodiles swam and frolicked about. I immediately grabbed a curved, hollow rock and collected some water. This could curb dehydration... or dreamhydration. But this was no time for jokes. The crocodiles' wide jaws snapped at me, as if daring me to make a run for it. And for what, you may ask? Just below the surface of the water, gleaming in the dull muddy swamp, was a consciousness point. The slimy, seaweed-infested rocks did not seem to be much of a path - it cried out 'slipping hazard' the instance I saw it. Other than courageously jumping over crocodiles to reach the consciousness point, which I was sure signalled immediate death, I doubt I would have made it. I could return when I had found something to help me with this seemingly impossible situation... or I could just try my luck.
  
  > return to the giant sleep-inducing oak tree
  I had returned to the oak tree, defeated. Apparently, I was not well equipped enough to face the beast in my way. Sitting down at the base of the tree, I began to feel less frustrated. Perhaps all all I needed was a little rest and relaxation...No! I couldn't. Not unless I wanted to fall asleep forever. It was tempting, but I forced the rational part of my mind to keep me on track.
  
  Busying myself, I collected a pile of wood and stacked it. A campfire, if I ever needed one.
  
  Maybe I just had to go somewhere different. As far as I could see, there were three main locations which seemed to stand out a lot more than others. Going back and forth may help me gain the materials I needed to attain the consciousness points I so badly needed.
  
  Another thing I might need to do is carve and create weapons. Here, I could set up a little work station to create what I needed from the materials I gathered.
  
  Or I could just give up, and succumb to the sweet sensation of sleep. A sleep so peaceful, I would never want to wake... No. I couldn't just give up. But then again, this whole situation was driving me insane.
  
  > go to the tall tree with a long, green snake
  The closer I got to the tree, the taller the grass grew. The pleasant, tickling sensation soon began to turn to sharp pricks in my calf, and... was that a leech? Before long, the calming, gentle aura of the forest was gone, leaving behind unpleasantness in its wake. I had to constantly remain vigilant to fight off hoards of insects and the spiny, thorny plants that were becoming increasingly common. Gone was the sweet smell of wildflowers, replaces with the atrocious stench of decay. I really did not want to know what carcass lay in the distance.
  
  Soon, I had reached my destination. The tallest tree...with a large snake that could be seen from quite a distance away. Green scales glinted and shone, little knives in and of themselves. The snake basked in the warm glow of the sunlight, guzzling up blue berries but avoiding the purple ones. Could there be a reason for this? Regardless, it's beady eyes shifted around the tree, and its gaze rested upon me. Forked tongue out, it looked at me hungrily, eyeing what could be its potential next meal. 'Delectable', it seemed to say. 'Just in time for breakfast'. Yet, why did it not lunge for me? The answer lay deep in the branches of the tree, neatly camouflaged between the lanky branches. A consciousness point. High up in the leafy greens. If I played my cards right, I would be able to get that, while avoiding becoming breakfast.
  
  > climb the tree
  My old childhood hobby of tree climbing seemed to come in handy. Grabbing hold of the sturdiest branches close to the ground, I maintained what my friends used to call the 'treehugger' posture and pulled myself upward - making sure to use my feet and my arms. Up, and up I went, into the skies, into the clouds... actually, I had barely climbed a fifth of the tree. Guess it was more tiring than I thought. It had been a long time, after all.
  
  Concentrating, I continued to climb at a snail's pace. My arms were dotted with droplets of perspiration and I inched closer and closer to the consciousness point... and the snake.
  
  Its forked tongue farted round my sweaty palms. Was it trying to make me lose my grip? But if it hadn't eaten me, why would it now? That did not make sense, did it? A sharp pain shot through my foot, and in that moment of realisation, it hit me. The poison rushing through my veins told me that the snake was simply waiting, luring me towards it with the consciousness point it tried to protect. Stupidly, I fell to its trap. I went for the bait... and would end up, miserably, dead.
  
  > The price of knowledge is knowledge itself
  "You died." It was not a question, simply a statement of the truth that I had refused to acknowledge. The voice went on, but the darkness around me remained. "The memory wipe would begin."
  
  Then the darkness lifted, and in white lab coats, with stethoscopes draped over their shoulders, several doctors lifted me on a white, metal carrier. I was in some sort of lab, and barely had seconds to glimpse the many bottles of liquid and the scientific equipment before a thin blindfold was placed on me. I was still able to see shadows and lights. Into a dark machine I went, with several flashing lights, and a mysterious sound I could not place.
  
  "The sound waves would alter the memories. When he awakes, it would be forgotten."
  
  "Yes, it appears that the price of knowledge is the knowledge itself."
  
  "Quiet down. The process would begin."
  
  Memories of the last few dreams flooded my mind. It was like watching several televisions screens at once, experiencing the joy, turmoil, grief, hopelessness... a strange experience, to be sure. Then, after several seconds or days, it was over. Try as I might, no memories of the dreamworld ever resurfaced again. I looked through my notes, my stories, but they all seemed so foreign, and I would have believed that they were all written by some other author if it were not for my characteristic writing style. My mind was as blank as a sheet, but if what I had written were true, the worst was yet to come.
  
  I woke up, drank my morning cup of tea, and a taxi started honking outside. "Morning, dear. I've got your suitcase. Let's go celebrate!"
  
  "Mum? What's happening?"
  
  "Hey, don't ignore your old man, son."
  
  "Dad? Please, can someone explain what's going on?"
  
  "You've got a promotion, haven't you? That stingy boss of yours finally promoted you! We're going off to a city - it's in the middle of nowhere - but the pay's a lot higher and it's a beautiful, scenic spot. Now, hop on to the taxi - we're going to the airport!"
  
  On the ride to the airport, I tried dialing all my friends' numbers - Mrs. Lunar, Rick, and Ms. Midnight. None of them responded. I also found out that all their social media accounts were virtually undiscoverable. What was that about? Then we settled down for the flight, and hours later, arrived. After two days of vacationing had passed, I began my first job.
  
  A man with a long, crescent moon beard stood in front of me. "Hi. I'm your boss, Mr. Reule T. Ruthe. Author of the bestselling satirical book 'Adventures in dreamcourt'."
  
  Somehow, something about what he said stuck to my mind. I could not place it, and that made me rather frustrated. Was it something that went away as my memories were wiped? I could not be sure.
  
  "Here's your office. You'll be taken to a briefing shortly."
  
  "Ok. I just have one question - why was I transferred? Did Reeter say?"
  
  "Well, he just decided that you're the best fit for this company! No reason at all."
  
  I nodded, and waited for the briefing to start.
  
  That was where my new life began. It was nothing eventful, but I eventually came to appreciate the simplicity. The routine was boring for the first few days, and I missed my old life, but I managed to get used to it. Now and then, I would wistfully think of the past, and sudden glimpses of strange memories about a place known as the Jungle would pop up. That was strange, considering I never dreamt for... I guessed it was ever since I was born. Some people said I missed out, but from what I heard about nightmares, I did not mind too much. Guess life was life, and what you get is what you have to make do with.