Dream Catcher

He stalks the darkness, searching for them. They are terrible, frightening, and worth a lot. If he can catch even one tonight, he will be provided enough food to feed someone for a week.

There it was, a lascivious black, with sparkling silver hair, yet with a menacing aura. Beautiful, if not for how aggressive it was. All around it on the ground, sparks of purple and gold, flying like electricity, but not illuminating the area. Otherworldly, the night mare. He readied his net.

The man leapt from his cover, flinging the net wide. In a flash, the nightmare was caught. It struggled and squirmed, but alas, it was caught and could not escape. He pulled out a flute, and started playing a gentle lullaby.

As he played, the mare grew calm. The dark, menacing aura weakening, and the sparks softening until they became a pale mist, dancing in the moonlight. When he had finished, he removed the dream-catcher. He no longer needed it, for this was no longer a nightmare.

He mounted the dream, and rode her to the village. When he arrived, he went to the market, selling the mare, and being offered the food they had set aside for him. He then traveled to the home of the wise man, who had preserved the practice of making the dream-catchers.

"A calm night to you, Dibikad." The hunter said to the wise man.

"I see you have returned from another hunt. Tell me, what did you see?" Dibikad answered.

"The many children who placed the sacred hoops above their beds tonight had a dream of floating on the river." He responded. The elder nodded slowly.

"They may never know the story why, but the tradition brings peace. Do you now leave to go with the spirits once more?" Dibikad asked.

"I have left the horse, and taken the offering given freely. I will move as the wind." He replied, as he turned to leave. "Look to your next vision for when I return."

So the tribe once again had honored the spirits, and their nights were pleasant and calm.

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This blog post is part of a series of stories associated with Practice makes pretense, in which a collection of writing done in response to prompts is compiled. Then, the reader should answer the following two questions: 1) What was your favorite thing about the writing? 2) What did you feel as you read it?

If you would like to view the original, please visit the Practice makes pretense book on Wattpad, and respond to the writer.