Page 9 of Precipitous Nightmare's Valentine Dream

“You came for advice, so shut your toothy trap and listen.” She closed her eyes, and when she opened them again, the whites had expanded to fill the space, creating a pair of cloudy swirling orbs that mimicked the murky surface of the crystal ball at the center of the table.

Instead of a dread pronouncement, Effie sighed.

“Oh, Preci. You’re trying to be real, aren’t you?”

That clouded gaze settled upon him.

“You’ve little time. You know that, right?”

“Time?”

“If you’re trying to make this girl fall in love with you, it has to be within 14 days. Two weeks.”

Confused, Precipitous repeated her words back at her. “14 days? Two weeks?”

The clouds in Effie’s eyes dissipated, and she stared at him with a piercing gaze.

“Quit being dense, cuz. A DayDream only survives in the living world for two weeks before she has to return to the Dream Realm. If she were anything but a DayDream, she wouldn’t survive past a single morning, so at least you’re lucky in that regard.”

Precipitous fiddled with the edge of a tarot card, but Effie smacked his wrist and pulled the card away.

“I can do a full reading if you want, but it’s likely a waste of time you don’t have.” She tugged his teacup from his hand and frowned at the leaves settled along the bottom. “How long has she been up there already?”

Precipitous frowned back at her. He had no idea how long the DayDream had been in the Real. At least one night, but beyond that, things were nebulous. Did he have one day or thirteen?And would it be enough time to make her fall in love with him so he could become real?

“I don’t know,” he told Effie, and the uncertainty in her expression frightened him. She laid a soft hand on his forearm.

“Good luck,” she said, and Precipitous was unsure whether she meant it as a wish or a warning.

Chapter 8

A Bargain for Silence

Precipitous Nightmare

Precipitous caught the odd little Dream just before sunrise in the bedroom of Melanie Cross.

It had taken him most of the night to decide what, precisely, he planned to do with her. Too many of his ideas involved repeating their prior activities. Some involved additional things he might want to try. A few left him wondering what she might dream up, given the opportunity.

There had been a long internal debate about which form to take — monstrous, mortal, or something in between. He’d tried out various permutations in the elaborate silver-framed looking glass hanging at the far end of the Hall of Mirrors. It was his favorite, despite the thin crack along the top.

In the end, Precipitous chose an appearance close to mortal. With horns. He kept the horns.

But when he stepped from the shadow paths into Melanie’s bedroom, the little Dream barely glanced at him. For a few moments, Precipitous stood in silence, waiting for acknowledgement.

Instead, the DayDream continued to weave pleasant scenarios into her dreamer’s mind, singing off-key as she worked.Precipitous recognized the tune. He wasn’t quite certain if the words were correct.

“Hold me close, young Tony Danzaaaa…”

“Er,” Precipitous finally said. Not the most eloquent greeting, but he hadn’t expected to be ignored.

In Nightmare, no creature dared ignore a Night Terror. Such disrespect might mean complete destruction. Or at least a fair bit of pain. He had no idea what to do with such utter disregard.

Luminous stepped back from the sleeping form of Melanie Cross and dusted imaginary dirt from her hands.

“I’m mad at you right now.”

Panic flared up, a strange, unfamiliar emotion. “You are… angry?”

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