Story: Oneiromancy, XVIII

(Part O , XVII , XIX)

"We have achieved some success, which is gratifying, not only because of my obvious genius but also thanks to your undoubted perseverance and powers of self-control. Let us assume for the moment that you are genuine examples of riders on the Dreamline, as Kibbel assures me, and not dilettante wackos or malicious fruitcakes. In that case, what would we do next?

A long time ago, before the wind down of Dreamline Alpha and the retirement of our research groups, we postulated many theories about why communication up and down the Line had ceased. The obvious answer was that the Line had been cut, just like telegraph poles in the old days, but how it had been cut? How?! Apparently, we now have a vital clue as to what happened.

I have Kibbel's notes of your previous dreams, and the notes I took from this last set. The 'Tweedy Woman', as you call her, is persistent and therefore either the cause of the cut in the Line or a symptom of said cause. In either case, her intentions are malign by manifest action. Even as I speak at length in this pompous style, I see your eyes glaze over a little, just as my students used to back in Greenwich. I shall do now as I did then."

Several kiwi fruits were thrown with great precision, and then Professor Goosing settled back into his monologue.

"Ah, yes, the nature of this woman seems malign indeed. How she remains within the Dreamline is the question that must be addressed, as is how we remove the problem, and by so doing guarantee your safety and sanity in the longer term. I have no wish or desire to be stuck with a pair of mental vegetables on my conscience.

So far, with the help of some fairly simple conditioning and meditative techniques we have managed to give you some small control while you are in the arms of Morpheus. Our contacts in high places have secured you both recrimination free leaves of absence from your places of work and cover for your bills. What we must do now is turn the tables on this interloper into the Dreamline, and to do that you must be... educated."

"What do you think we are now? Potted salmon?" interjected Stanley.

"A charming metaphor, but please be quiet for a few moments more. Here, at the outset of Dreamline Omega, we must be very careful and set things out with precision and without abandon. It must all be 'just so'. In order for you to stand a chance in this unprecedented life on the unconscious plane, you must be trained for more than just a few hours, and you must know more psychology than was picked up in an undergraduate degree or as a teacher in the schoolroom.

It is time to begin anew!"

Edouard Goosing was unprepared for the peach that splatted into his forehead, also with great precision.

"Barbarians!"

There shall be more...