"Dream Harvesting" by Barbara Anne Hise

"Moping around again, Rasnov?" queried Ednik, his superior. He was one of the original founders of Dream Catchers Factory on the newly improved Dream Hover Ship, similar to a spacecraft. Ednik was very old but very wise. He saw right through Rasnov’s pretense of happiness.

Caught by surprise, Rasnov quickly spun around in his multi-functional chair, trying to block the digital screen from Ednik’s prying eyes. However, it was a useless attempt, for Ednik had already seen his subject #7, or more familiarly known to him, Rayven Anjelik Snhow.

Trying to add humor to an awkward situation, Rasnov laughed and replied, "I wouldn’t consider it ‘moping around’, just deep within the sub-region of my mind. Besides, I don’t have time to mope around." He tried to give Ednik a look to let him know that he wished to be alone, but it didn’t seem to be working. Sighing, he faced the screen again and wearily said, "If you wish to lecture me, get it over with already. I have some dreams to harvest."

Ednik gently placed his gnarled hand on Rasnov’s shoulder. Rasnov was like a son to him, even though he was technically his great-great-great-great grandson and only living relative. "Harvesting doesn’t begin until another few hours, Rasnov. What’s so special about this Earth girl that has caused you to work earlier than usual?" An elongated sigh was his only response. "I don’t blame or condemn you, son, but I’ll pretend like I have no clue what’s going on. I just want you to remember the Factory Laws. It’ll save you sorrow in the long run."

Staring at the blurred image on the screen, Rasnov laid his head on the control panel and shook with silent tears in defeat long after Ednik’s departure.

"What do you mean? You’re firing me?" Rayven incredulously asked her now ex-employer. At the click and dial tone, she stared at the phone as if it were a roach until the operator came on. She slowly placed the phone back on the cradle and dropped her head on her desk by the computer.

She had been fired and hung up on all because she had embarrassed the employer’s son by slapping him in the face. The jerk had deserved it though. He had been coming on to her in less than a gentlemanly fashion. He’d had it coming, but now what was she going to do? With no income, how was she to pay her college tuition?

Deciding not to worry about it, she went to the kitchen to brew some coffee. Coffee always helped. It never failed her, like her life had been doing the past few years since the start of college. She’d been kicked out of her dorm, not been accepted for anymore scholarships or financial aid, and now was back in her parent’s home. Not only that, her car had died last week, her semester tuition was due, and now she was fired. It was just dandy.

Rayven went back to her computer and opened a file of her personal thoughts, mainly her dreams. She skimmed through her recent dreams and then settled back in her chair to contemplate what had been happening to her throughout her life. Right there on her monitor screen, in black, typed letters, was a dream of her losing her job, funds, and car. She didn’t understand how her dreams either were remarkably similar or the same to events happening in real life.

Her Grandma Eden and Aunt Wilma both had told her she was a dream psychic, but nobody believed them since they were both in a crazy house. Not to mention that her family figured she was next to join the crazy club.

Later, she explained to her mother about being fired, but all she had to say was, "you need a man to take care of you." The only problem with that was she liked to think of herself as an independent woman, not the type to lean on a man. Besides, she’d never been in a real relationship and would most likely be taken advantage of.

Rayven laid down on her sufon bed at only four o’clock in the afternoon because of the day’s events and her mother’s form of advice. She’d rather drown in her dreams than take the stress of everyday life.

"Rasnov, wake up. Wake up!" an annoying voice intruded his sleep. He didn't want to deal with anything now.

"What do you want?" Rasnov grumbled ominously.

Red squeaked and jumped back awkwardly, landing on his rump. He was called Red because of his mop of frizzy, red hair and freckle-specked face. His brother, Sunny, was standing in the background being inconspicuous as usual. He was called Sunny because of his tangled, blond mess of hair and his odd need to only wear yellow. No one was completely sure if they were actual brothers, but they had adopted each other.

They had been found wandering the forests of the fifty-acre greenhouse as small children. Even the scientists were unsure how they had survived for seven years among the wild animals. They were more tamed than when first captured, but they still had a bit of wildness and uncivilized behavior about them. They weren’t stupid, but they weren’t intelligent, seeing as how they were only mid-teenagers. However, they were extreme troublemakers and accident-prone. They were literally a walking accident.

Jumping up, Red defended himself by stating, "Sunny and myself want to help your majesticness. You need more happys."

Rasnov groaned once he realized who was bothering him. The two of them never left him alone. Ever since the day he had ‘saved’ them from the multi-functional chair in massage mode, he’d been some sort of hero to them. Just about everyone cared for them since they livened up the dead ship, but people were also wary around them considering they have a reputation of ‘accidentally’ destroying or mucking up things.

A good example was at Rovik’s grand display of a new, genetically altered bird that could travel through space. Needless to say that when Rovik unveiled the large cage, the Galaxiformes as he called the birds, were nowhere to be seen. Instead, Red and Sunny were perched inside the cage with Rovik’s prized phoenix feathers plastered all over them. Supposedly, Sunny had wanted to touch the new creatures but accidentally let them go. The master plan was to use feathers and masquerade as birds. Unfortunately, the Galaxiformes were currently flying through space, and Rovik the scientist has never forgiven them.

Glaring at each of them, he ground out, "I don’t need help for anything. Just go, both of you."

Being brave for once, Sunny whispered, "What wrong with yourself?"

Red also asked, "How can we fix you, Majestic One?"

Standing up to his full height of six feet, two inches, Rasnov said as calmly as he could, "I’m not broke, nor do I want your help. If I need it, then I’ll ask. If you won’t leave me alone, then I’ll have to go where you can’t find me." Rasnov never could understand how they always broke the password to his office when the Elders, who were psychic, could not even do it. No matter how many times he changed it, they always managed to hack into his office.

Rasnov pressed the door button and waited until they were both through the doorway before he left and locked the door, changing his password. He strode quickly down the metal and operational hallway, unaware of the two troublemakers hiding in a cubbyhole waiting for their chance to complete their plan. If Rasnov had seen the mischievous gleam in their eyes, he would've had them locked up for their own protection. However, they very easily broke the password code to Rasnov’s office.

Once inside, they began snooping through papers but nothing seemed to be the cause of Rasnov’s moodiness and sudden depression. In his automatic drawers and on his self-cleansing and organizing desk, there was nothing but reports and harvesting percentage rates.

Red, being the smarter one, kept reprimanding Sunny every time he touched buttons. At one point, Sunny touched the big, red button, and an image appeared on the screen of a female sleeping. They watched her for a few minutes before Red spoke. "This is the girl Rasnov watches much. Who is she, Sunny?"

Sunny shrugged and replied, "Look more personally stuff."

"Bingo!" Red exclaimed and immediately began searching for personal papers.

Five minutes later, Red punched Sunny’s shoulder to wake him up. Sunny was bored so he decided to press the control buttons for the desk. The drawers automatically opened, so Sunny began his search. He was throwing out previously overlooked small, compact notebooks when Red grabbed one and flipped through the pages.

When the silence became unbearable for Sunny, he began to emit strange animal noises. That got Red’s attention and he began to explain what he had learned. "This girl, Rayven, is an Earthwoman. Rasnov thinks her special, so he cares about her. He thinks he can’t have her so he sad. Why can’t he see her or have her? Maybe he is unable to bring her up. Time no spare." He flips through the pages until he gets an idea. "Rasnov be twenty-five soon. She be a birthday present."

Sunny looked confused and asked, "We get her?"

"Yes, we do." Red sounded a bit annoyed at the question.

"How?"

The sound of a crash preceded the next question.

The meowing cat, Chubacabra or Chuba, had awakened Rayven. She was trying to get some work done at her computer, but she was still tired, even though it was nine o’clock. Her now content cat was sleeping on the right side of the desk, keeping her company.

It wasn’t much later when she heard a loud crackling and thud sound in her bedroom. At first, she figured something had fallen, but when her cat began screeching, she finally turned around and gasped in horror. Burglars!

For a minute or so, they stared at one another, and she noticed that they appeared nervous. Their nervousness gave her the courage to ask them, "What do you want? I have no money, if that’s what you’re after."

The one with red hair exclaimed. "Oh no! We do not want money or any of your values, but we be leaving with you. You be with us."

Trying to stay calm through a horrific situation, she steadily questioned, "Where will we be going?"

The one with blonde hair, who had been looking around curiously, piped in, "To the Hover Ship."

"Yes, outer space ship."

She looked at both of them like they were crazy. Outerspace? They weren’t astronauts. She would have to somehow get the message to her parents of why she would be gone and whom she would be with. If not, they were liable to believe she had run away with some no-good man. She’d just have to keep it cool.

"Before I go with you, can I do something important on the computer? I need to finish something before I can leave," she asked inconspicuously.

Knowing the importance of such matters, Red answered, "Only couple minutes."

She turned around in her chair with a sigh of relief, brought up Microsoft Word, and began typing a letter to her parents. It read as follows: "Mom, Dad; I’m sorry, but I couldn’t prevent them from abducting me. They say they’re taking me to Outerspace, so I think they’re crazy. One looks like Cousin Joe and the other is all yellow. I’ll miss you. Love you, Rayven."

Getting suspicious, Red grabbed her arm and said, "We going now. No funny stuff. Sunny, push the blue button."

Sunny pushed a blue button placed beside a red button and all three waited expectantly, breathlessly, patiently.

Suddenly, a flash of light blinded them and a loud crashing thump was audibly heard. Rayven gasped loudly as she saw what appeared to be a dead female’s body lying face first on her bedroom floor. A great fear spiraled, spread through her body, bringing up goosebumps of terror.