Ever wondered where dreams came from? Everything had to come from somewhere didn't it? So where did dreams come from? In life everything was born - by birth, seeds, and hatched eggs. But what about dreams?

These were Callie's thoughts as she stared into the mirror, gazing back at herself. Looking into her emerald eyes, she wondered if she could see through them to her mind; the place where dreams were formed. If only she could just get into her head, she might have been able to tell where they had come from. She knew about the birds and the bees, that babies didn't come from stores or get delivered by a stork. Those were stories told to children, and Callie wasn't a little child to believe such nonsense.

Sitting on her bedroom floor. She ran her hand across the soft beige carpet, exhaling a breath of air in annoyance. Her red bangs blew upwards. Every night since her mother's death Callie sat in front of her mirror wondering about dreams.

"I know you are there. Nothing comes out of thin air. That's just nonsense. If any dreams can hear me, where do you come from? Do you have moms and dads? A family? Do you feel, speak, have a mind of your own?" Callie asked quietly, her voice soft and lilting, as she was supposed to be sleeping.

No answers came, only her reflection staring back at her. A pale heart-shaped face framed by long red wavy hair. Her eyes, the same as her mothers, appeared haunted and defeated. Her mother had recently died due to an illness, in spite of the doctor informing them that she still had many years left. She's told her mother left the world in the dead of night. Her father claimed that she was now in the place where dreams were born and should be happy for her, but Callie couldn't accept that. How could her mom simply be gone, and how was she supposed to be happy about it? So, if she could just find out where dreams came from then maybe she would be able to find her mom again.

"Fine, you win tonight." Resigned, Callie got off the floor. Her bare feet made soft padding sounds as she walked over to the bed. Crawling in, she pulled the lilac quilt down, snuggling deep into the soft foamed mattress. She brought the covers up as she glanced to the free standing-mirror in the corner.

"Night, I'll find you in my sleep. Maybe then I'll see where dreams are born."

Soft snores filled the quiet room as Callie slept in a sanctuary fit for a little girl. Hues of soft lilac, pinks, and sky-blue splashed along the walls in flowing strokes. Unaware to the world, a ripple started in the center of a mirror, Callie's mirror, and spread outwards to the very edges.
~

"I got another delivery."

Ky looked up at the white flying stork overhead, the wings expanding as long as she was tall, as it lowered with every wide circle coming closer to her. She stretched out her slender sea-green arms in eager anticipation.

"Another dream was born?" Ky asked, the guardian of dreams, her voice rippled along in the endless space.

"Aye, and she's a beaut too!" came the stork's echoing reply as he dropped the bundle, watching as it fell into Ky's arms.

"Goodness Lyx, she's gorgeous!"

Ky's face lit up. Her lips turned upwards in a smile as she peered down at the little bundle. She rocked the newborn dream, cherishing such a precious moment. Each one was so fragile, special. All of them were tethered to the human realm; filling people with hope, life, and compassion. They helped to give humans a reason to live, to see things they'd never imagined before, and a future with endless possibilities: they kept the humans alive.

"Aye, you'd best put her in her place, Ky. We don't want anything happening to that one," Lyx spoke kindly with a knowing look on his face.

"You're right Lyx."

Ky glanced longingly down at the gem. Her webbed fingers glided along the red unruly hair. Her slanted eyes, black orbs, showed nothing as she took in the star-white skin of the baby glowing brightly. This newborn dream had happened to take the shape of a baby girl. Each one always took a different shape. No one knows, nor did they try to understand the reasoning behind why dreams picked the shapes they choose to be. Dreams were fickle-minded things: they think and feel just as any other living thing.

She moved her tail fin, propelling herself towards the empty bassinet floating on top of still water, which had no endings. It stretched for an infinity in this realm. Darker than the blackest pearl fetched from the far reaches of the bottomless seas. Ky placed the dream in its bed, watching it sleep.

"Sleep well."

The dream lit up the darkness surrounding it. Attracting the koi fish that were emitting soft glows ranging from reds, blues, oranges, and yellow; visible along the surface.

"Sleep dreams, sleep well,
cast out your spells-
silk threads of advances-
fly over the expanses,
not weighted by mass,
through the looking glass,
this is where you dwell,
in the minds you quell."

Ky's rippling voice carried across the waters, like the rise and fall of tides, soft and musical.

"You know she won't give up, Ky. She keeps searching through the looking glass. If she keeps it up, she might find a way to pass through."

"I know Lyx, it'd cause an imbalance to the realms; a catastrophic event. The dreams would wake and our existences would end."

"Send her a dream," Lyx said softly, his voice trailing with the only solution he could think of.

In the between hours of night turning into day. Before the beginning lights of dawn where lingering dusk refused to give way. Another ripple cascaded across the mirror, starting at the outer edges and meeting in the middle where a silver mist hovered above the ground. Slowly, it drifted across the room, settling over Callie's sleeping form. The light fog gathered into a swirling cloud as it danced above her head.

Callie's eyes flickered open only to be blinded by a bright white light. She blinked, holding her hand protectively over her face, waiting for her vision to adjust. The first thing she saw were green eyes, her eyes, emerald eyes of her mother's looking back at her. The luminous light diminished, leaving a faint glowing aura around a little girl whose skin was white as the stars shining at night. Not like the soft milky complexion of hers, but of one who spent most of their lives in the protective shadows.

The child appeared like a fairy should look, if she'd ever seen a real fairy that is. Her long red hair seemed to move in stilled time as it billowed around in non-existing wind. And her flowing silver silk dress floated around her as if it was sheer fabrication.

Confused, Callie spoke. "Who are you?"

Her words carried on as if there were no boundaries, in wherever here was, causing her curiosity to get the best of her as she looked around.

"I'm a dream."

The little girl's voice sounded like chimes; soft, soothing, and angelic to Callie as she stared intently at what she happened to be standing on. It was like feathers. Soft downy-white feathers. She reached down to touch it, seeing if it was as cottony as it seemed, feeling the soft moist fluff. Pulling a handful, she watched as it dissipated into thin air like a wisp.

"Don't be silly, you can't be a dream. You're a girl!" With a hand on her hip, she glared at the little girl.

"I am as much a dream as you are human!" The child, or dream, protested. Her voice came out in a higher chime as she folded her arms over her chest.

"Do you have a name?"

"Dreams don't have names, now who's being the silly one?"

Callie ignored the jibe as she glanced over the edge of where she was standing, letting out a gasp. Below her was a picture of a fairytale come to life! Just like the ones her mother used to read her. A magical place fit for a princess! From her vantage point she saw a waterfall spilling over a majestic mountain.The peaks almost touched the clouds. Dragonflies were zooming backwards and forwards in its spray. Further below, three brown bears were wearing pink tutus, dancing in a circle on the banks in grass greener than her very own eyes. And winged horses were soaring through the air after jumping off the cliffs!

"Where are we?" Callie asked, her eyes filled of wonder.

"We are where I spelled you to be, I am a dream after all," the little girl spoke patronizingly, as if it was common knowledge and everyone should know it.

"But I thought dreams were-," she pointed below her, "were that. I thought they were places where our minds take us."

"That's what we want you to believe, Callie, for our safety depends on it. What you see before you is a spell, a dream's spell. Imagine what would happen if humans come looking for us, with the power we contain, it would not be good. We do this to keep you and ourselves safe. To keep balance."

She paused, letting Callie take in everything, before continuing.

"This is why I came to you, Callie. You must stop your searching for us. It'll only lead to disaster. Your mother is gone, Callie. Let her go, move on, let her rest in peace. She'd want that, Callie. She'd want you to be happy. Go play and allow this place to heal your heart. Heed my warning and stop searching."

The dream vanished from sight, like she was never there to begin with, along with the cloud beneath the soles of her feet. Callie felt herself falling, descending through the sky, plummeting towards the ground. She had never felt so scared in her life. With eyes closed, she wondered if this was it. If this would be when she finally gets to be with her mom again. To see her face and to finally say goodbye. She knew her dad would be sad and lonely, that they too never got to share a goodbye, but she couldn't stop fate as she had learned from her mother's death. She was not an angel, fairy, or a dream, and as such, she couldn't fly.

A sensation washed over her as if motion had stopped, and she opened her eyes, peaking. Her face lit up in a smile. Laughing, she threw her head back and arms out wide. The adrenaline rush ran through her veins, making her feel alive. Her legs were clutching hold to the sides of a grey winged horse. For the first time she truly felt free, weightless. The rules of gravity and nature no longer applied to her: her troubles no longer weighed on her. Together they glided in the air, flying among the birds; graceful creatures that knew how to ride the currents of wind.

For hours they soared the skies, diving and rising. Until the horse finally landed, kneeling down to let Callie off. Then, it trotted off to the river for a drink. Seeing the dancing bears, Callie left the flying horse to its own devices, intrigued. As she neared them they let her join in. All wore friendly smiles with beady black eyes as they took her hands in theirs. Like a merry-go-round they twirled, dipped, and curtsied around and around in a circle. There were no endings or beginnings. Everything was precise and flawless as they moved along the wild flowers. The forest animals- deer, foxes, squirrels, rabbits, and hedgehogs- all watched the show as if it were a masterpiece of angels putting on a show for God.

Time was irrelevant for Callie. Being in total bliss, she couldn't care less if she'd ever wake up from her dreamland. It was all mythical, magical even, and she'd be in heaven if she got to spend the rest of her life here, reality forgotten. How many could say they got to swim with mermaids in a river bluer than the sky on a clearest, sunniest day one could imagine? Callie could, and she loved every minute of it!

However, all good things eventually come to an end, and so did Callie's dream. Eyes opening, Callie gazed at the ceiling wishing she could go back, wanting to feel that happiness again. Didn't she deserve to be happy? A life without her mother didn't seem fair to her. It was lonely and empty. Nothing could replace the loss of a mother, and she never did get her chance to say goodbye.

Sitting up in bed, she threw the covers off, marching over to the mirror. Angry tears dripped from her chin. Kneeling on the ground she rubbed at her face, reddening her cheeks. In the mirror she saw herself: a lost girl with sad eyes. A girl with no hope for life. Her mother wasn't supposed to die on her. She was supposed to grow old with Callie. To see her marry and have babies. She was supposed to watch her babies grow and read them the same fairy tales she read to her.

"I know you're there. Please. Please, I just want to see my mom. I want to see her one last time. I want my chance at goodbye. Everyone should get to say goodbye!"

Nothing happened and furious, Callie slammed a fist against the mirror. Instead of hitting a hard surface and shattering glass, she found herself falling, dropping through the mirror. The light of the room vanished to darkness. She couldn't tell up from down as she drifted in mist. Tumbling over and over in the between place: a point of non-existence. Specks of light started to become clearer. She wondered if she had died and was now floating in a sea of stars, if she was going to heaven. Maybe she was still in her dream after all?

She felt a tug as something caught hold of her, slowing her descent into an inky well of blackness dotted by bright specks of light; guiding the lost to their demise. She didn't know if she should be happy or disappointed. She was sad to be denied the chance of seeing her mom again, but content to still be living. She wasn't suicidal, but life without her mother didn't seem possible. Her mother was her joy, her strength, everything she hoped she could be some day.

"Tsk, tsk, Callie. You're in trouble now."

Being pulled away from her inner battle, Callie glanced up to see a big white bird.

"You can talk!" Callie shouted, shocked.

"Aye, that I can."

If Callie didn't know any better she'd thought he was mocking her.

"But birds don't talk, at least not in my world they don't." Callie's voice drifted off as she spotted cradles floating on the water. Little babies - humans, puppies, kittens, ponies, and various other animals - glowing like stars.

"Love, we're not in your world now are we? Welcome to Mirror of Dreams, where dreams are born."

"You mean I did it? I've found where dreams are born!" Joy, that was the only thing Callie could feel. Complete and utter happiness. She would finally get to see her mom again! She would have her chance to say goodbye.

"Aye, you did," the bird replied, his voice sad and defeated.

"Why are you sad? I get to see my mom again!" Callie was wearing the biggest smile she bet she'd ever worn in her life. Excitement shone from her eyes.

"I'm afraid not child," came a soft musical voice rippling up to Callie.

"Looks like she found her way in Ky."

"I see that Lyx, thank you. Child your mother isn't here. She's gone. And since you couldn't heed the Dream's warning, we are all in jeopardy. Your presence in this world puts us at risk. Humans were never meant to come here, to know the mystery of their world. They could not handle knowing that their dreams were not their own. That their dreams were not actual dreams at all, just illusions granted by the dreams that rest here, in our world."

Look around you child. See all the sleeping dreams. Such precious little dreams glowing bright with hope for those lost souls who have none, showing humans limitless possibilities for their futures. Already, their light is fading. Your curiosity has cost these innocent dreams their lives."

Callie glanced around at all the sleeping babies. Watched as their glow began to grow weaker. Her heart ached. She couldn't handle being the cause of so many's demise. They were just babies!

"I can fix this! I can go back! Take me back! Please take me back!" Callie cried through her tears. It wasn't worth getting her last goodbye if it meant the end of dreams.

"I'm afraid it's too late. What's been done can't be undone."

Ky spoke as the water around her rumbled and thrashed, forming waves. Wind, that came from nowhere, ripped at Callie, building the waves higher and higher. The baby dreams, in their beds, rocked back and forth, rising and falling with the motion. The world darkened with each light that was snuffed out. Water splashed at Callie, soaking her. Shaking and terrified, she closed her eyes wanting someone to come fix this, wishing her mom was there to fix it.

"Lyx, get her out of here now!" Ky yelled over the roar and clash of water and wind.

Callie was aware of herself being turned around, but the strong winds pounded against Lxy's wings, making him struggle to stay steady. Callie peaked, seeing a mountain of blackness heading towards them. A giant wave of water. She shut her eyes tight in fear.

Jerking, Callie woke to find herself in bed. Her silver nightgown wet with sweat. Thankful that it was only a dream. That she'd get to have a second chance. She closed her eyes, falling in dreamless sleep with a smile on her face.

Through the mirror baby green eyes snapped open, staring at the dark chaos that surrounds her. At the cradles being swept away into blackness.