The Way to Kymer Ellen settled down on the couch in the warmth of her terrycloth robe, a thick mystery novel in her hand. It had been a good day: Several of the group sessions she led today went very well and most of her patients were making progress. Helping people heal was what she loved about being a psychological counselor. But now, after a short jog and a relaxing shower, Ellen was ready to enjoy her evening. But did she really want to read? She looked at the half-finished book in her hand, the latest Sue Grafton tale. She still had another 150 pages to go. Suddenly feeling restless, Ellen realized that she really felt like connecting with people--in fact, the more she thought about it, the more interesting the idea became. Should she go out? That would mean getting dressed again, putting on makeup, driving...nah, too much work, she thought, stretching luxuriously like a cat lying in a sunbeam. Should she call a friend? She saw her friends pretty regularly and didn't really feel like getting caught up in a long phone call tonight. Should she visit her neighbors? Now *that's* an idea, Ellen thought sarcastically. When was the last time she'd talked to a neighbor? Heck, who *are* my neighbors, anyway? she wondered sadly. There was certainly little sense of community here in Sacramento, and it didn't seem as though anyone noticed the deficit. She checked the clock: Aaron wouldn't be home for another hour or so. His job was pretty demanding right now, so he probably wouldn't feel like going out and socializing once he came home. As her mind's eye pictured her tired beau sitting in front of the television, Ellen's eyes were drawn across the livingroom to the hallway and she knew what she wanted to do: She couldn't wait to dial up her favorite on-line service and check out the multitude of discussions. Hoisting herself from the couch cushion, she shuffled her way to the den where the computer lurked silently much of the day whilst she was at work. She sat down before it, wriggling her fingers with delight as she reached for the keyboard, flipping the switch on the "electronic octopus" (the powerstrip below the desk) with her toe. The machine's guts groaned ominously, buzzing and murmuring its groggy complaints. The modem, too, awoke, winking its lights. Finally, the interface appeared, all the colorful icons carefully grouped in their compartments on the screen. But what was *this*? The icon of an ancient Roman sailing ship shimmered on a small swath of blue ocean, which rippled and churned beneath its hull. Ellen blinked hard, wondering if the glare from the monitor was causing the illusion of motion. Nope--the water beneath the ship was still glimmering and wavering. Not only that, but the ship itself was shifting in the waters, its sails pregnant with salty winds. Ellen could see something like a crow's nest, atop which fluttered a small, colorful flag with the letter "M." Ellen checked the other icons--they were static on the monitor, stuck like postage stamps to the surface. I must be dreaming, Ellen thought pushing away from the lowered keyboard. This *must* be a dream, she insisted to herself. She tiredly rubbed her eye with her left hand. However, she couldn't let go of the mouse: Something compelled her to push the pointer over the strange icon and double-click... Suddenly, the ocean roared from the Sound Blaster. She could taste the brackish air as the ship spun before her, growing larger with every turn until Ellen thought the ship would explode through the screen and the deck would sweep beneath her feet. Once the ship filled the screen, the spinning slowed to a stop and the glistening ocean settled behind it. There on the deck stood a figure that looked like her! "Is that me?" she asked out loud, still astonished at the ship's transformation. On the left side of the screen was what looked like a ship's cabin with a note nailed to the door. The ship's deck continued off to the right of the screen. Beyond the deck was the blue sky mottled by a few gray clouds. As she examined the figure closely--its features were so detailed!--a bright green parrot with lush plumage swept down to the sky and alighted on the ship's railing beside her (uh, that is, that figure she thought was supposed to be her). "Raaaaaa!" it cried, the squawk appearing above its head in a comic strip-type balloon. "Hello! Hello! Welcome to the Argo. My name is Hermes. What is your name?" "Wow!" Ellen whooped, clapping her hands. The bird stretched its lovely wings out, forming a verdant parasol as it waddled on the railing. She wanted to talk to it, but didn't know how. Wait! At the bottom of the screen there was a small icon in the shape of a word balloon. When started typing and then clicked on the icon, her words appeared on the screen above her figure's brunette head. "Hello Hermes! My name is Ellen." "Hello Ellen! Hermes wants a cracker!" the parrot replied, still stepping side-to-side on the railing. "There's one in your pocket." Sure enough, Ellen found the cracker in her pocket (along with some strangely marked coins) and handed it to Hermes, who ate the cracker lustily, crumbs flying everywhere on the deck and over the railing. A lump briefly appeared in his feathery throat as he swallowed the treat. "Thank you, Ellen!" he said. "You must be wondering where you are! That notice posted on the cabin to the left will tell you everything you need to know!" Ellen had been scanning the scenery and already found the notice Hermes referred to. Nailed to the cabin door on the far left of the screen, it read: Greetings! Welcome to the ship Argo. You have entered the domain of Dream and are now sailing to the Island of Kymer, the ancient island of Reverie. The Argo will soon dock at the City of Phantasus, the Kymerian city of many mysterious secrets. There you will be welcomed by other avatars--that is, dreamers such as yourself--who thrive together in the city. And, because this is the domain of Dream, you will be able to change your appearance as you please. We hope that you will enjoy your new home and the many people you will befriend there. Yours truly, In the Service of Morpheus Capt. Proteus of the Argo Ellen clicked on the scroll and the scene on the deck reappeared. "So I *am* dreaming," she said to herself with a smile. She tried to remember where she had seen the name "Morpheus" before and couldn't, although she did recall the large letter "M" on the ship's flag. "Raaaaa! We're here! We're here!" Hermes chirped, flapping his wings wildly. "Follow me!" he called, ascending from the railing and flying off the right side of the screen. Ellen immediately followed after Hermes, figuring he was a wise old bird. On the screen appeared a swirling fog that parted before the prow of the ship. Like a stage curtain, the fog moved aside, revealing the breadth of a lush tropical island. In the distance, Ellen could make out a city, but on the shore was a large dock on which many people stood, jumping and clapping excitedly, waving flags and streamers. All this for me? Ellen wondered. She could no longer see her figure, but instead watched the ship approach the shore with her own eyes. This must be Phantasus! Ellen thought as she looked at the city. Above its glassy spires and sapphire towers floated a somewhat large, cloudy sphere. Puzzled, Ellen pondered the purpose of the orb-like cloud. The ship stopped moving and Ellen again saw herself, but this time at the top of a gangplank stretching out to the dock. Hermes flew alongside her, flapping his wings wildly to keep aloft. As Ellen walked down the gangplank to the dock, several people--avatars perhaps?--stood off to the right side of the screen. One of these was an elderly woman wearing monk-like robes, a great staff in one hand and a scroll in the other. Her silver hair was elaborately entwined in an exquisite labyrinth of braids around the sides of her head. In her shining green eyes and creased face, Ellen could see that the woman was kind and friendly. "My name is Esmeralda," the woman said, holding out the scroll to Ellen. "Welcome to the Island of Kymer. What is your name?" A butterfly wriggled frantically in Ellen's stomach: What should she say? Sometimes she chose alternate names in chat services. She always did love the name Athena--how about that name? "My name is Athena," she typed, the butterfly dancing even more furiously. "Greetings, Athena, our newest avatar. This is the City of Phantasus, your new home. Take this map of Kymer. You will need it as you explore the island." There were others behind the woman, including a man in a cowboy hat and boots. "Howdy, ma'am," he said, smiling. "Mah name is Jake. Welcome to Kymer! Would y'all like a guide, this bein' yer first visit?" Several others stood behind him, waving and saying "Hello! My name is Rebo" or "SalliJan" or "RedTonya" (She saw so many that she lost track.) "Thank you, Esmeralda," Ellen replied, taking the scroll. Ellen was rather impressed by all the enthusiasm over her arrival. "Yes, Jake, I would love a guide!" she typed, wondering just how big of a place this was. So far, though, it seemed quite friendly. "Well, saddle up h'yar, Ms. Athena, and Ah'll show you th' sights!" he said, his drawling words appearing above him. He turned northward and Ellen followed. Next to the dock was a stout, futuristic-looking building with a large neon sign over the doorway, which read "The NuYu." Along the outside walls of the building, Ellen could see frescoes of human beings, some kneeling with their arms outstretched while some embraced each other sweetly, eyes closed. Ellen admired the loving detail worked into these frescoes by the unknown artists. "Now, if you'd like, Ms. Athena, y'all can step in here and purchase some new looks, although," he said, smiling, "Ah think y' look mighty pretty as y'are." Ellen laughed, "Thank you. Please just call me Athena," she said. "Let's check this place out!" "Yee-hah!" he replied. "Ah'll lead the way!" Inside the store was a salon featuring all sorts of hairstyles, hats, and suits. Some items were much more enigmatic: Short wooden sticks, small metal boxes, and fantastic masks lined the walls behind glass cases. After rapturously sifting through the numerous facial features and clothes like a child in a candy store, she finally bought a new hairstyle and nose (she decided that the blue jeans and mauve T-shirt she was wearing were O.K. for now) using the unusual coins in her pocket. When she examined the money, she found the face of a gorgeous youth, his sleepy eyes half-closed as if somewhere between waking and dreaming. Then Jake led her out of the store up the Promenade into the fabulous city of Phantasus and showed her all the city sights: ancient temples, sculpture gardens, cafs. The tall cowboy demonstrated how to use the map scroll that Esmeralda gave her to locate all the major places in Phantasus. Ellen admired the architecture of the buildings. She loved the feeling of timelessness that the structures evoked. Eventually, they made their way to the Town Square, where stood the majestic Fountain of Hydra stood, bubbling with ethereal water. Ellen marvelled at the magnificent piece of artwork. Clearly it was not crafted by human hands... Ah, there was Esmeralda! Ellen noted that the elderly woman seemed to be immersed in starting some sort of competition with the avatars around her. The prize was apparently a large some of money...did she say tokens? Nearby, a man walked into what looked like a telephone booth and disappeared. "What happened to him?" Ellen asked with alarm, pointing at the booth. "Oh, he probably just went over yonder to another part of the island," Jake said, regarding the odd enclosure. "That's a teleport booth. They're all over the place." "A teleport booth?" Ellen asked, thinking of Star Trek and the transporter beams. "Yes ma'am," he replied. "Don't need none of them horseless buggies here, so sirree!" Although the teleport booths were very easy to use, Ellen was not nearly as fascinated with it as she was the gregarious residents. Almost everywhere in the city she saw people gathered together in groups or walking along in twos and threes. Many waved to Jake and he back to them; he was apparently a very popular avatar. Everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves immensely, talking to one another and exploring together. At one point she noticed a misty apparition drifting over her head. "What is that above us?" she asked Jake. "Why, that's a ghost!" he said matter-of-factly. "A ghost?" Ellen asked, a little concerned. "Yup! Whenever we want, we can turn into a spirit and fly. Ever fly in yer dreams, Athena?" I sure do!" she replied. Ellen remembered many times when she dreamed that she could fly or jump off a cliff. What a wonderful feeling! Her body would be suspended in the air of her imagination, never actually touching the ground. She also recalled times when she simply didn't seem to have a body at all, but just watched other people in her dream like a fly on the wall. Folks turn into ghosts when they jest wanna watch other folks havin' fun!" he said. "That way, they don't have to interact if'n they don't want to!" Jake showed her how to turn into a ghost, and she laughed with delight. "You can thank Morpheus for that." Oh, yes! The large letter M on the flag... "Who is Morpheus, anyway?" Ellen asked before she forgot again. Jake told her that Morpheus was the distant ruler of Kymer ("Some say he's a god") and that he lived in the big cloud above them called the Nephosphere. "He takes care of our needs by creating things like the NuYu shops," Jake assured her. "If you ever have a problem or a question, just ask one of Morpheus' Oracles, like Esmeralda, and they will take care of ya." For some reason Ellen didn't doubt it: So far, this place felt comfortable and safe, somewhere she could escape for an hour of engaging conversation and leisurely exploration. And who could ask for better scenery? Soon, the two avatars left the city and started exploring many of the natural wonders of the island, including Lake Luna, a vastshimmering body of water east of Phantasus. Jake told her about how sometimes strange objects washed up on the shore of the lake. Ellen then marveled at Mt. Argus, the island's volcano, and the Falls of Ambrosia, a cozy place where lovers could sneak into hidden alcoves and carry on more intimate conversations. During their travels--sometimes by teleport booth, sometimes on foot--Ellen prodded Jake considerably until he revealed that he was really a systems administrator from Ohio. He was one of Kymer's first residents, having only come to Phantasus a few months ago. But this place seems so old!" Ellen exclaimed, unbelievingly. "How can you be one of the first inhabitants?" "Oh, well, folks lived here long before we ever arrived," he said, "but no one knows what happened to 'em." A chill raised goosebumps on Ellen's arms as she thought about the graceful statues in the city square and the lovely faces that adorned the city's architecture. The last residents certainly invested themselves in whatever they built. Where were the other avatars now? The gentle shroud of mystery over this place intrigued her as no novel by John Grisham ever had. This was a place that she herself could explore and uncover the fabulous mysteries within at her own pace and in her own way. "But what about Esmeralda?" Ellen asked. "Doesn't she know anything?" Esmeralda is one of the Oracles, a priestess of Morpheus," Jake explained. "And those Oracles ain't sayin' nuthin' to nobody," he said with a grimace. "Though, Ah can't say Ah'm too interested in all that business. Ah'm too busy trying to build mah own place h'yar." Ellen wondered what all the secrecy was for, but realized maybe the Oracles were just being protective of the newer residents. Perhaps they didn't want the old civilization to influence how the new avatars created their own community. As they moved farther into one the remote northern groves of the tropical forest, they encountered a pathway heavily covered with horse hoofprints leading both to and from the city. Ellen knelt down and felt the ridges in the dirt: Larger than normal, the hoofprints were deeply imbedded in the ground. Her parents owned a horseranch up in Placer County, and she knew that horses didn't usually make prints this large--unless maybe they were Shires, but so far she hadn't seen any animals that big here, just squirrels and such. Now that she thought about it, she remembered seeing some hoofprints in the city streets, but didn't think anything of them at the time because she was so overwhelmed by the other sights. Those're mighty big prints, aren't they?" Jake remarked casually. "Always been here since Ah c'n remember. They stray between one of them thar dreamgates and the city." "Dreamgates?" Ellen asked, further intrigued. "What are you talking about?" Ah'll show you!" Jake said, trudging off into the foliage. Ellen followed, immensely absorbed in the mystery. Ellen sensed they were nearing some terrible site when she noticed the flora thinning to the sides of the pathway. Awestruck, she approached the monstrosity that stood in the yawning clearing, the surrounding vegetation curling away from it as if in disgust. Before the two avatars loomed a massive black iron-work gate with sharpened spikes atop each iron bar. An archway stretched over the doorway, encrusted with hideous black gargoyles and harpies. Several heavy chains wound around the lips of the gate doors, locked shut by enormous padlocks. The gate stood by itself in the clearing with no accompanying fence or any other supporting architecture. Skewered atop one of the gate's spikes was a sign that read "Closed by Order of Morpheus." Morpheus," Ellen breathed, impressed by the amount of trouble he took to close this gate. But it wasn't really much of a gate--she could see nothing through the bars except a murky mist. Walking around to the back of the gate, Ellen found nothing. Well, *this* is strange!" she exclaimed, feeling like Alice confronted by yet another curiosity in Wonderland. "This gate doesn't 'go' anywhere!" "Sure it does. It's a dreamgate just like the others," Jake replied, walking around the odd structure. "If the doors were open, y'all could walk through the gate into another world. On the other side of Phantasus, there's another gate--real purty, too--that leads to an alien galaxy where ya'll can boldly go and do whatever y'like. Then there's that swell midi-evil gate Ellen wasn't listening. Shuddering, she stood mesmerized by the hoofprints and forbidden gate, wondering what had happened here that made Morpheus close it. Maybe a horse stampede of some sort? The scene was more sinister than that. In fact, the gate looked like it led straight to Hell itself. Perhaps some things were best left unknown, Ellen thought, but she was now determined to discover this secret... When Ellen at last heard Aaron open the front door and start milling about in the living room, she decided to bid farewell to her Texan friend. "How will I find you again?" she asked. She rather liked her rugged yet convivial friend, and decided that she would enjoy meeting with him the next time she visited her new home- away-from-home. That's easy!" he said cheerfully. "Just use your ESP the next time yer in town." "ESP?" she asked, puzzled. "Extra-sensory perception" he explained. "In these here parts, ya'll can project your thoughts to anyone ya wish. That way," he said with a smile, "we can find each other easily." After Jake carefully instructed Ellen on how to use ESP upon her return, Ellen said good-bye and watched her animated body slowly fade from the screen. The rest of the world thereafter soon dissolved into a colorful mist. When the last pixel vanished from the screen, she sat back in her chair, dazed: The icon was no longer a ship, but a little island surrounded by water! She couldn't wait to tell Aaron all about the ancient city Phantasus, the dreamgates, and the mysterious hoofprints. She would definitely return, and soon. That night, she dreamed about Kymer.