Dream World

Dream World, by Jannet Visser

A thousand balloons rose as a single bullet sped towards its target. The victim died instantaneously. And Melora Patterson was no more.

Melora Patterson dangled her feet to the soft hum of her radio. One by one, she crossed out adverts with a paintbrush, searching desperately for a good offer. Or rather, a realistic one.

Her feet stopped after a while, and , with a sigh, she rhetorically asked “Remind me again, why I slaved four years for a worthless degree?”

“Because you love art, and any fool knows you can't help what you love. ” Jason Tailor smiled, then ducked as the pillow flew towards his face.

“You are a right fool for loving me. I can't even sell a painting.” she whispered somewhat audibly.

Jason walked closer, laiyed next her, placed his hands over her eyes, and breathed

“Guess what I'm looking at right now.”

Melora smiled, and answered bitterly “ A crummy apartment, with a gas leak, junk and a good for nothing artist”.

“Nope, I'm looking at a rather good painting of a flower.”

“Really?” she smiled, familiar with the routine.

“There is something I don't get thought. Maybe you can help, there doesn't seem

to be any pedals. What do you think the artist meant by that?”

“O, its think she based it on some unimportant event in her life.”

“Really? Do tell.”

“The story goes that in elementary school, a boy told her he loved her, and that he had proof

she loved him to. A single pedal-free rosebud.”

“How strange,what did he mean by that?”

“O he was being silly, and full of him self. He said that he had won “she loves me, she loves me not” a hundred times. He said that she had no choice in the matter, she had to go out with him”

“How mean. So did the artist do?”

“She started crying, told him he was a liar , and emptied her pockets. A hundred crumbled flowers. She said lost every time. ”

/ *“Then the boy smiled and said she was being silly and should just have cheated like he did.”* /

“So , in this story, was the boy sexy?”

“Ugly as a troll. The mere sight of him could melt steel. ”

Jason grunted, and playfully whispered “And was the girl ticklish?”

“Hu?” she asked, before bursting out in laugher, which changed sooner that later into kissing.

Later,while both were scanning trough the classifieds, Melora broke the silence, intensely staring at her latest creation. “It is really that awful , isn't it?”.

Jason gave his honest opinion of the landscape with a thousand multi-colored balloons. “Its one of the most vibrant, uplifting paintings I have ever seen. I have no idea why that stupid people can't see that.”

Melora gave a depressed smile, to which Jason hugged her.

“It is like were trying to live in a dream world, but we can't seem to fall asleep.”

“Don't worry butterfly, we'll get there. I'll make sure.”

Melora felt somewhat better, and ten minutes later, circled a ad marked “Italian restaurant/cafe- Assistant Needed.”

*

Benito, the restaurant owner in question , was not having a pleasant day. Still understaffed, he had been running around to get all the morning-orders done. This was not the retirement plan he had in mind.

His worries grew, as he switched on the television awaiting the morning rush, and the daily stock report shown a significant decrees in his energy portfolio. So much for betting on the underdog.

However , images of the former mafia boss being arrested, flickered across the screen a few moments later, was a real reason for distress.

His second cellphone rung. His second cellphone never rung. Only one person had the number.

The call was abrupt, and ended before he could respond.

“Benito, I must talk quick. Aldo has been chosen. He want you dead, old friend. For Felisa. Be careful.”

The 9mm Sig Saucer had a nostalgic feel to it , and for a moment Benito was lost in a world of deceit,betrayal, and murder, only to be interrupted by the ring of the door-bell; announcing a customer.

Benito made his way to the counter, where a young , fetching woman stood.

“Hello, I'm Melora .” she said.

*

“Turn on the news. You see that Frank. That is a fucking mafia's boss going to jail. We're an energy corporation , for fuck's sake. We can't kill judges or witnesses, or break bones or FUCK! If even the mafia can't escape, what fucking chance do we stand?! IF they find find, if there is a trial... If you fuck up that fucking audit report , you'll be there with us. I'll fucking make sure of it!”

“Calm the fuck down Ted. I'm the senior auditor of this case,I've got in under control . Everything, that has to do with this, has to go trough me. It's under control.“

“That report is better be so fucking clean-”

“It will be Ted. Just remember the money.”

Frank slammed the telephone down, cursing loudly in his mind.

“ If it wasn't for the payoff... With that kind of capital, one could... Perhaps somewhere tropical . Away for this crappy office and all these mindless shitheads.” he thought.

Frank truly despised , hated and loathed each an very person at the auditing firm he worked, and regard them all as intellectual as a dead amoeba .Except one.

“Good Morning” Jason voice echoed as he greeted the sectary down the hall.

“That brown-nosed twerp, why the fuck do I have to get `captain auditing`, the only fuck besides me that has clue. Why ,o why couldn't I get one of the standard retards.”

*

“So, how it is?” Jason asked over the phone

“Well, the manger is swell, and someone sent me chocolates, I wonder who-, but the some of these customers , well , I just can't see myself doing this long term.”

“I'm sorry Melora. I really thought I would have been promoted by now. That we would be“

“Why are you apologizing, when I can't even - , never mind. Are you coming over tonight?”

“I'm don't think I'll make it. I have ton of work , plus I still have to go the, u, broker.”

“Broker?”

“I have to fix my Life Insurance.”

“What about lunch? I know this lovely nice Italian cafe.”

“A man does needs to eat.”

*

It was to much of a coincidence, Benito thought. To good to be true.

The ad had been running for weeks now, and not as much as a query had been made.

Suddenly , out of the blue, a girl much to smart and good looking, with a much to impressive CV, starts washing the dishes , making Alfredos , taking orders from rude customers, for such a meager salary? She could easily earn ten times as a secretary.

Plus, a strange package that was delivered to her, and that one customer ,that she talked just a bit too long with.

The cold Sig-Saucer under his pillow nudged at his thoughts, and the more he thought about it, the more it made scene.

She was the new sweeper. Smart, Pretty, Effective. If he was still with the organization, he would have made sure she was recruited . Much like he was , with loaded handgun pressed against his face, and another placed squarely in his hand. “Join or die”. Not much choice in the matter.

A momentary flicker of guilt rushed thought him, not for all the corrupt officials or idiotic witnesses he had brutally slain, but for the only innocence he had known. The only innocence he killed.

The torrent of pain so carefully suppressed for so many years , suddenly flooded his being, and then, escaped slowly ,as tears.

*

Jason didn't like lying , especially to Melora, yet under the circumstances , she was sure to understand; even the debt would be easier to mange. In fact, he thought it was long overdue, mainly because of his own cowardice. In the dark of night , he began to execute his plan.

*

In the early morning due, 26 year old security guard Roger, as security guards often do, reconsidered his life.

Or rather his pursue of being . One thing was for certain, it was not mindlessly staring at a surveillance camera feed. No one in the world would rob anything in this run down building.

The high rise was a collection of companies, to poor to own their own, yet profitable and large enough to rent 5 to ten floors of office space.

“Nothing to steal, only crappy art and telephones. ” he absentmindedly thought

When on night shift Roger often spend time admiring the art in the small gallery , yet, in his amateur opinion, there was not much to admire. Once , there was a really good portfolio for a new artist on one of the mangers desks, but her request was denied. Roger thought it a shame, since he always liked balloons.

“So if I'm not preventing a robbery... I'm waiting for somebody to snap.”

The thought of an office shooting was not a pleasant one, especially since ,in all likeliness ,he was the first be shot.

A black dot moved across the screen as a cat jumped from one ledge to the next, tipping over a garbage can.

Roger sighed , after only a month the routine of it all was getting to him

“Charley, come in Charley” he spoke over the radio

“This is Charley” a crackle responded

“Movement at the back, probably the cats again.”

“roger , Roger”

“Over and out” Roger sighed.

This was not his pursue of being. He pried his eyes away from the screen, opened

his drawer, and smiled at the flier, entitled “Police academy- Deadline 26 June”

Perhaps it wasn't to late. He picked up the phone.

*

“Wake up Melora . Wake up..” Melora told herself.

“Ok, in 5 4 3 2 1” Melora thought, but her body did nothing, a a smile grew on her face.

She rolled around in her bed, snugged up her duvet, and, just before dosing off again, realized with a shock that it was neither a public holiday, nor the weekend. The clock blinked 6:45- the cafe opened at 7:30 and it was at least 20 minutes drive.

Angry, she turned to shout at Jason for not waking her, before she realized.

Her bed was single, they were still not married, and she was merely lost in the confusion of her dream.

A glorious but unrealistic dream. Broken by mundane realism she headed for the shower in a fowl mood, until here eye caught a glance of a photograph.

Jason smile echoed trough her soul and she felt a soft glow rise trough her, toped with a feeling of intense expectation.

Her mood had evaporated, replaced by the bliss she had known since her early childhood.

With a smile she set off for the rest of the day.

*

“She was late?” Benito thought puzzled. “ Maybe a ruse to throw me off her trail.”

Benito looked at Melora , whom was dicing carrots quite serenely. For a second Benito doubted her killer nature, until the knife blade accidentally came loose.

It swung loose and sped uncontrollably forward, until Melora seemingly effortlessly , reach out ,caught the blade between two fingers, subsequently smiled and just said “Ran away with the circus when I was young.”

A single thought ran through Benito head “If she's not dead , I'm am.”

“Oi! A bit of service here?!” A customer called, and Benito left the kitchen.

“Can I have a large fettuccine to go? ” the customer said

“Sure thing,-” he said, but before he open the cash register, a short melody distracted his attention.

“Roof of TW Auditing - Jason ” Benito read on the yellow cellphone that lay next to the cash register.

Without thinking it thought, he shouted to Melora “Jason is on the roof of TW Auditing.”

The rhythmic chop of carrot's abruptly abated , and before Benito , or anyone for that matter, could respond , Melora had rushed out of the shop and disappeared.

Slowly , one by one, the gears turned in his head, until finally he made it make scene.

“It must be a another hit. Or a meet with her handler. TW Auditing? I know a shortcut.“ he thought

“Sorry sir, we're closing shop for a while.” he said with a murderous smile that would receive no

argument.

His eye touched the sniper rifle's scope fifteen minutes later; even he himself had been surprised by the speed he had been able to set up. He expected to have been at least have been stopped by one unfortunate security guard as he made his way towards the rooftop of Wilson Building. It was opposite the TW Auditing firm, and had a clear shot at the man who had been pacing for the last two minutes on the roof.

Benito made a small adjustment , and as the cold familiar metal brushed against his skin, the memory of his last kill entered his mind.

Benito had been with the family for most of his life. Antonio had been a kind, ruthless don.

He had been a brother to Benito, and in the same way, Benito had one to him, helping , cleaning

where and whom ever he had to.

Aldo had rose trough the ranks in a unprecedented manner, much like he himself had, gaining respect and love form all of the family. A dangerous, disproportionate amount , and soon it became obvious that he would succeed the don.

It was not Aldo , however, that Benito was interested in.

Her smile flashed trough his head, and a fresh wave of guilt plunged him into a dark state.

Felisa, Aldo's sister was innocence and grace personified, and it was not long before Benito was infatuated.

Enemies of Aldo within the family had a habit of turning up dead , yet when he started to suit Felisa , Aldo welcomed the attempt, glad Felisa had found love.

All was well until Aldo grew power hungry and planned a coup; Antonio realized that Aldo was to popular to kill , the rest of the family would be outraged, yet a message had to be send.

The hit order came once again brown envelope, yet it did not contain a photo or any of the regular info. A small note simply gave a seat number, and the opera ticket the time and place.

In the dark the bullet struck the silhouette , and it was hours before he informed. Of Felissa assassination, of Aldo's planned vengeance. Reason was not a option.

Antonio helped Benito disappear, yet, after all these years , he doubted that Aldo rage had subdued.

Benito burdened mind try to focus as Melora appeared in the scope. She seemed upset, but that did not matter. The had man approached her and they talked. He was her contact. It was a meet.

The cross-air was aligned, the wind calculated for, the silencer attached.

A few seconds later, a thousand balloons rose as a single bullet sped towards its target. The victim died instantaneously, and Melora Patterson was no more.

*

“Chop the carrot, Chop the carrot, Chop the carrot ” Melora rhythmical thought, as she concentrated on not loosing a finger.

She had been late, but the old man did not seem to be bother to much; his expression was more

of one puzzled than angry.

“Chop the carrot, Chop the carrot, Chop the carrot , I wonder if there is a good movie showing,

Chop the carrot, Chop the carrot, Chop the carrot , Stop staring at me old man,

Chop the carrot, Chop the carrot, Chop the carrot - “she thought, mildly happy.

Soon the rhythm became automatic, and he thoughts wondered to her last criticism, and her next creation.

“While the artist does display talent, the clichéd childish themes of her work does not reflect the current art movement.” The words had been singed into her, and while she could understand their point of view, she had difficulty creating the dark themes that had been recently popular.

She focused on the 'lady in red' she had forcefully envisioned, a pale girl drenched in a red dress . All she needed was a setting.

Melora thought of a ballroom party, with the lady running form it, yet it lacked originality.

A stray thought in her head indicated this could be solved by adding at least one rainbow.

Suddenly, time slowed down, and the knife blade spun forward, lose from the handle , towards the old man.

“Perhaps blonde hair- with a Chop the carror-CATCH THE BLADE ” Melora internal thoughts collided , and with talent more than luck, she did.

The old man looked at her with astonishment, and Melora opted for the truth as an explanation.

“Ran away with the circus when I was young.” she said, and quickly went back to the carrots and her thoughts, now filled with spinning blades , Jason convincing her to run away, and the three month that they had traveled with the Asian big top, before child services took them home.

Her thoughts rested on the tightrope act she had been so obsessed with, and soon the lady in red was

walking thin thread dangled over a pit of alligators.

“Jason is on the roof of TW Auditing.” Benito's call merged into Melora's fantasy world and the crocodiles and tightrope was replaced with traffic and a sky scraper.

The red dress dancing in the wind as the pale lady looked down to the tragic below.

A thought whispered at the back of her head, it echo resonating loader and loader ,carrying all away. “Life Insurance”. /*He was going to jump*/

She raced out of the shop with all the speed she could manage, sprang into her car and set off for his office without any second thought, praying all the way she would not been to late to stop

Jason.

Traffic had been frustrating and even thought she had sped all the way it took her at 20 minutes to finally get to the building, and another three to make it to the roof.

As soon as she saw Jason pacing the roof top, she thanked all the angels in the world.

“Melora, that was quick, I hope I didn't interrupt anything.” Jason said , his voice nervous.

“Jason, don't-.” Melora started, panic running thought her voice.

Jason took two steps back to the railing, filled a deep breath and smiled.

“Don't say anything Melora- Please just listen, even if it is the last time you listen to me. I've known you since I could remember. For all of that time I have deeply loved you. Perhaps its pure luck that I found the perfect person to spend my life with from the start. Or a curse since without that certainty I would have acted differently, done things I should have done a long time ago. I know we agreed that it was best to delay, that - Melora, you said earlier that is as if we are trying to life in a dream world but can't seem fall asleep. Let's not life in their dream world -“

A million multicolored balloons crept into sight, slowing drifting above Jason, budding against each other.

“Melora, will you create a dream world with me?” Jason said, his hart racing at a few extra hundred beats per second.

Melora's world exploded and imploded continuously until a single pop of a balloon bought her back to reality. A smile grew on her face as she watched a million balloons fold around the surrounding buildings, and in all aspects that mattered, she was no longer Melora Patterson, but Melora Tailor.

*

Benito knew out of experience that he should move, yet the sight was so surrealistic that, for a few moments he had thought he had lost his frail hold on sanity. The swift rise of a million colored orbs has startled the rooftop pidgins - whom in turn had made Benito miss his silenced shot.

Regardless, years of training overrode his curiosity , and soon he was packing the last of his effects into a small , stranded suitcase.

He has stayed to long- with the failed hit Melora, Aldo would soon have his revenge.

Benito, as he had done so many times before, disappeared.

*

Frank smiled as he typed the email. It was incriminating; he was black mailing Epson for more money for the bribe. It was untraceable as long as no one knew his free account details. As a force of habit, he spell checked the document, but before he could press send, a stray bullet hit his head, leaving him dead, and the computer idling.

*

“This shouldn't take very long Mr Tailor. I'm just going to repeat you statement , please verify that it is in all accuracy correct. “

“Please proceed.”

“You, Mr Jason Tailor, Jnr Auditor found Mr Frank Basset body when returning to office from an 'extended lunch' break. You subsequently notified authorities,whom found several incriminating links to the Epson group. You categorically denied any involvement in the corruption, and as senior auditor , help uncover several of Mr Basset' subterfuge. You verify that this is correct in all aspects, and that you understand that this is a legal binding matter.”

“Yes, that is correct.” Jason answered.

“Thank you, sorry to bother you with this , we are just following up on some paper work.”

“No problem.” He answered, singing the document inspector gave him.

The inspector stood up and politely smiled “That's all we need for now- I'm sorry I couldn't help noticing, that painting- ” He pointed to the portrait of a pale girl in red, falling from a rooftop , desperately grabbing for a multitude of balloons ”- I recognize the style - its not perhaps the earlier work of a artist known as Melora?”

Jason smiled “ Yes it is, are you an admirer?”

“I have an amateur interest in art, something I gained from my days as a security guard.” Rodger said.

“You do realize its worth, all of her earlier pieces are now in private collections. How on earth did you mange to get hold of one?” He continued.

“It was simple really. I married her.” Jason smiled.

*

The soft sea spray awoke Benito from his mid-day nap. This was the retirement plan he had in mind. By some luck the massive Epson group had completely collapsed, sending his underdog stocks skyrocketing. A waitress came by asking if he would like another cocktail. For the first time since his childhood, he did not consider the possibility that it would be poisoned. After all, he was simply John Bullwock, energy millionaire. He decided against is, closed his eyes , and went back to his dream world, were Felisa waited.

******