While unconscious, Este dreamed a dream of memory.

  It was December 25, 1994, and Este was celebrating Christmas day. Este’s mom, Celeste, was brushing her hair while Madarajin and Baku observed them close to the door of Este’s bedroom. This was a room in Madarajin’s dream pace.

  The room was as big as an apartment for a single person. However, Este and Celeste visited the pace while they slept in the awake world. It was just in events like Este’s birthday that they came to visit Madarajin in their physical bodies at the dream pace. Her parents agreed it was better for Este growing up in the awake world.

  After realizing Madarajin’s and Baku’s presence at the door of her bedroom, little Este ran to Baku, stopping in front of him.

  “Uncle Baku, you’re here! Are you going to take me for a ride on a dragon?” Little Este said while bancing her body front and back over her two feet and smiling at Baku.

  “This year, I prepared a more interesting surprise for you, my little niece.”

  “What is going to be this time, Baku? You’re spoiling her too much.” Celeste said.

  “Come on, I have to do it. Madarajin here, have just scared her since forever. I must be the nicest uncle ever.” Baku said, ughing while looking sideways at Madarajin.

  “I don’t scare her, and you know it. The reason I keep my distance from her is that I don’t want to make the retionship with my daughter even worst.” Said Madarajin.

  “It’s nobody’s fault that Este has this weird power. I have never put the bme on anyone.” Celeste muttered.

  “I think it’s time to go outside. Yama and the others should be ready to see Baku’s surprise gift for Este.” Madarajin wanted to change the topic of the conversation.

  Once everyone was outside at the pace garden. Baku took something out of his coat right pocket. It was a ball like the ones used to decorate Christmas trees in the awake world. Baku created this ball, especially for Este.

  “Here you have my dear. Merry Christmas!” Baku said giving Este the ball.

  “Thanks uncle Baku. I promise to take good care of it.” Este received it and started looking with curiosity.

  The appearance of this ball from the outside was that of a painting. However, when looked closely, Este could see how there was a living space that moved and had living creatures inside it.

  There was a prairie with tall blue grass moved by the wind. Six mountains and five hills were disposed around the interior of the ball, limiting the ndscape. From the middle of the six mountains, a river flowed and went around one hill. Then, touching the prairie where some look like deer animals were around drinking water.

  In the center of the ndscape, a traditional Japanese house was built. Around this house, a garden with different bushes and bonsai trees gave a sense of serenity and an idyllic view of the space around the house. This garden was green as moss and contrasted perfectly with the bluegrass that grew beyond it.

  The river came close to the house and split to go around it. There were seven bridges that communicated the house with the rest of its surroundings.

  Opening her eyes, the little girl thought how awesome Baku’s gift was. Fascinated by the view from outside the ball, Este wanted to go inside it.

  “Uncle Baku, can I go inside this tiny ball? I want to see what is inside the tiny house.”

  “Of course, you can go inside it. Just call me when you want to come back here.”

  After saying this, Baku took Este’s hand and switched her into a tiny girl smaller than a pinky nail. Then he put her inside the ball.

  Inside the house, Este walked all around. There were all kinds of rooms.

  A room full of paintings on its walls. These paintings looked alive and possessed movement. The ndscapes that presented some wind or water moved. People in the painting’s scenes performed actions that flowed through time and space. If such scenes were painting in an exterior environment; the passing of the seasons was showed with snow, rain, a sunny day, pnts and trees changing from blooming in spring to bare trees during winter.

  Another room had a collection of sculptures. These scared Este as they moved in their positions when looked directly. She didn’t pass the door of that room.

  In some other room, a collection of alive flowers from all kinds of pnts. Purple, bck, orange, blue, white, and green flowers. Flowers that transitioned from red to orange and then yellow. These flowers were pnted directly on the walls.

  In another room, the walls were a three hundred sixty degrees aquarium with a variety of fish. Whales and big fish were reduced to the size of a koi fish.

  Este reached at a room with its walls full of windows that looked like photos. These windows showed a variety of pces in the awake world. She looked around with curiosity. People of all human races and cultures were seen through these windows. A window showed Paris, another Uganda, another Bolivia, and so forth.

  One window called Este’s attention. It was a window that showed a little boy her age. This boy had white hair and beautiful blue eyes that made Este curious. The boy was talking with an adult that didn’t look like his retive. Suddenly, he gazed toward the window. He noticed he was being observed by Este. While she stared for a short time, completely secure, he couldn’t see her. That boy looks so different from others, and he has eyes that are uncommon, just like I have eyes different from those of people from the awake world. Este thought while staring from the window.

  Este took apart her sight from the window, left the room, and continued walking around the house. Time came for Baku to take her from the Christmas ball. He just called her name and there she was, at Madarajin’s garden again.

  There was a long table full of all kinds of dishes from the awake world. Meats, like some chicken in multiple preparations, roasted pork, beef, buffalo, fish, seafood. Fruits and vegetables were present, as were cheeses and deserts. It was a colorful table that gathered something like a hundred people or even more from the point of view of little Este.

  She was sited in front of her mother and to the left side of Madarajin, who occupied the sit at the head of the table. First, everyone raised their cups with divine cedar wine and toasted for the permanence and stability of the dream realm. There were no other kids Este’s age or teenagers. It looked like it wasn’t common between the gods to have half human children. So much less to present them in public to the significant community of gods.

  Este showed little interest in anything that had to do with the world of the adults. She instead devoured some chicken and vegetables. When she was done, she ran to the other extreme of the table where Baku was sited. She arrived agitated and pulled Baku from his coat to call his attention towards her.

  “Uncle Baku, could you please let me go inside the ball now? I already ate my lunch, and I want to return to explore inside the house.” Este showed a big smile while saying this.

  “Okey, I will return you to inside the ball. This time you can just chant ‘Return to father’s dream pace.’ You will be here at the pace again.”

  “I will do, thanks uncle Baku.” Saying this, Este went happily inside the ball once again.

  From the other side of the table, Madarajin looked upset because of Baku’s actions. Celeste noticed this and comment.

  “Calm down Madarajin. We already know that Baku loves her enough to spoil her rotten.”

  “I’m calm, but ter I will give him a piece of my mind.” Madarajin muttered.

  “He doesn’t mean any harm. Rex a little. I don’t understand why you get so upset when he does these kinds of things for Este. Are you really that jealous of him?”

  “It’s nothing like that. My daughter fears and hates me since forever, and even when he shared my same appearance, Este loves him.” Madarajin said this with some rage.

  “Don’t be so childish, my love. You know, she just sees you that way because it’s difficult for her to understand what memories are of her own and what are from me.” Celeste said this while holding Madarajin’s right hand.

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  Este continued exploring inside the house in the Christmas ball for a long time. She discovered rooms with insects’ collection, mini tapestry collection, origami collection, and many other kinds of art collections. After three hours, she found her room in the house, lied down on her bed and take a nap. She slept for an hour and then woke up scare of being alone in the house. She missed her parents and uncle.

  Este remembered Baku’s chant “Return to father’s dream pace.” And then she returned, but she found out apparently everyone had already left. Suddenly, she got hit by the anguish of being lonely. She rushed through the dream pace, opening doors, looking for her family. Until she arrived at a door, she shouldn’t have opened.

  She opened the door with the rush of her anguish after hearing some noises coming from inside the room. She saw her mom, her father and Baku naked in a situation her five-year-old self couldn’t comprehend. Celeste, her mom, was acting completely different, like she was not herself. The moment Madarajin and Baku realized the door was open, Madarajin and Baku said at the same time.

  “Divine command: deep sleep, white dream.” Then, they ran towards Este, while Celeste fell asleep.

  A game of hide and seek began between Madarajin, Baku and Este. Confused and not knowing what else to do, Este instinctively called.

  “Yama! If you can hear me, come to meet me now!”

  Yama was Madarajin’s and Baku’s sibling. Este never had many interactions with them, but in that situation, she wanted to be taken away by someone. She didn’t care if that someone was like a distant retive.

  “Este Yumesaki, my only known niece. Calm down and expin to me why you are calling me?”

  “I’m scared father and uncle Baku are following me. I saw them with my mother, and they were all without their clothes.” Este said, scared and shivering.

  Those assholes are so careless. It’s not enough with this kid having her mom’s memories. Now, they are openly toying with her mom. I wonder what are they really after with all this? I’m sure they are going to seal her memory of this incident, just like they do with her mom’s memories. They continue to py with fire. These were the thoughts of Yama while talking with Este.

  “Este, do you want to come with me for some time?”

  “I want to get away from here. I don’t want to be here…”

  “Okay, let’s go to your home in the awake world.” Yama took Este’s little hand. “Gate between dream, awake world and death open and close after I left the dream.” And saying this, they went to Celeste’s home.

  Madarajin and Baku looked for Este, unable to find a single trace of her. They thought she hid in some pce in the dream realm. They went back to what they were doing with Celeste and looked ter for Este.

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  Yama and Este arrived at Celeste’s home. Yama didn’t want to lose time trying to talk with the little girl and maybe making feel her worse about what she just saw.

  “Divine command: revisit lifetime memories.” After invoking this command, Este fell in a middle state between sleeping and awareness.

  Yama visualized all of Este’s memories. After a single minute, they saw everything in the little girl's memory. Yama felt terribly disgusting and wanted to throw up. They were by Este’s side, knowing that her parents were going to seal the memory of the incident again.

  “Divine command: release.” Once Yama brought Este back to a conscious state. They asked to her.

  “What do you want to do now, Este?”

  “I want my mom and that she takes me into bed like she always does.” Este said this with sadness.

  “Your mom will take long to be here with you, but she will come eventually.”

  “I can wait for her with you here.” Este said while sitting close to Yama.

  “Este, you should know you can call me anytime you want and need. Next time, you can use just your eyes to do so. Call like today, or make a mental invocation of my presence, and you will see me, no matter where we are or the distance.”

  After saying this, Yama started reading to Este a Christmas short stories book that was over the living room table. Twenty minutes passed and the little girl was already asleep. Yama just waited in Celeste’s home for Madarajin and Baku; until it was just Madarajin who arrived early in the morning with Celeste.

  “Here you are, Madarajin.” Yama greeted Madarajin.

  “I should be the one saying that. What are you doing with my daughter here?”

  “Hey Madarajin, don’t be rude to them. After all, they brought Este home after yesterday’s party. I’m truly thankful to you. Please don’t pay attention to him.” Celeste said, acting like she normally did.

  “I’m going to wait for you outside the house. I need to talk with you about something.” Yama said, turning his back to both.

  Madarajin left the house after saying goodbye to Celeste, who was unaware of the whole incident from the day before.

  “Spit it out, Yama.”

  “You are so full of yourself and shameless. I’m hoping she finds out soon enough about what you and Baku have been doing all this time. Do you even know which one of you is Este’s father?” Yama said, very upset.

  “It’s none of your business what we do with Celeste, but anyway, thank you for taking care of Este, Yama.”

  “Are you for real? That is the best you have. So, you don’t know which one of you is her father.”

  “You can assume whatever you want because that will change nothing about the three of us, or Este being our daughter.”

  “Have it your way for now Madarajin, but sooner rather than ter Este will make her mom aware of everything you two have been doing to her… It will not be pretty, you know that, don’t you?”

  “That will never happen.”

  “Besides, what do you want to achieve by doing this? Someone is going to be hurt, and probably more than that.”

  “Again, it’s none of your business, Yama.”

  “Know this, if you hurt Este. I’m going to be by her side, no matter what she wants. I’m going to ensure she has a happy life to the extent of my abilities. Brace yourselves if you dare to manipute in any way her life.”

  “How scary you are, god of death. No wonder why you’re all alone yet.”

  After hearing those st words from Madarajin. Yama left to their realm.

  Este will regain her sealed memories after this dream, but will she awake soon?

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  Author’s Notes

  In this chapter I introduced to Yama, the Hindu god of death, guardian of the south, also known as the judge of souls, king of justice. Yama is one of the oldest deities in Hinduism and was incorporated to Buddhist mythology at some point in human history.

  I wanted to have a character like Yama to expand Este’s family by his father’s side. Probably at some point in the story I will also introduce Celeste’s family.

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