From: Dry (dryad48@aol.commoner) Subject: [PW!] The Dreamless Sleepers Newsgroups: alt.games.nintendo.pokemon Date: 2000-11-05 04:06:31 PST [PW!] written by Zephyr* and Dry** * Golden rays of sun pierced the morning sky as the sole bus sped along the highway connecting Celadon City with Viridian City. Julia moved in her sleep, her spirit not at rest after all this time. The ordeal of returning to her birthplace and finding out what really happened to her family would have to wait for some other time. Halfway through her bus ride to Celadon Julia decided to transfer to another route, which to her was anywhere far from Celadon as possible. The small silver ATR crest reminded her that there were still some ex-ATR members alive, and she slightly remembered one staying near Viridian City. Whether he was alive or not Julia had to take the chance to find out, the need to know more about Drew grew stronger and stronger with every day that passed. Julia sighed, her sleep was dreamless and her life boring. Hopefully, her knowing more of ATR will bring back life into her. With every moment that passed Julia yearned to know more or die, because to her sweet dreams were made of this. The small grey bus sped along the road as the golden rays splashed light on it, making it appear as a silver bullet looking for its target. ** Dull yellow rays of light stumbled through the canopy of leaves as wind scattered torn moist newspapers and hollow flattened soda cans across the dusty pavement. Another newspaper, fresh from the morning with a crisp fold down the middle fell to the ground, in a symmetrical pyramid, and eventually slumped down until its whole base rest on the forest bed. Derrick walked in his sleep, trying to ignore headlines, and trying to remember serene dreams oppressing back the nightmare. The idea of being the only one felt too burdensome. Halfway through his cup of hot chocolate Derrick released a stressed exhale and opened his eyes, not being able to see anything farther than a tree a few yards before him. The torn yellow posters tangled in the last fine branch reminded him that there were still some ATR members alive. He knew he should visit them. He knew he shouldn't visit them, too. And he knew he didn't want to visit them. Derrick felt no need to be jumping between different parts of his life. Derrick bit his tongue and looked down. His sleep was dreamless but his life complicated. Hopefully, him being less of an ATR would seperate him more from his resentment. With every moment that lingered on Derrick yearned to know less and live, because to him reality was a splintered floor board. Yellow rays shined light into Derrick's eyes, blinding him as it reflected the rising sun off the gym window. 'But I'd like to know what a prayer is.' The last line. It was the first line Derrick read off a slippery, bent, pancake-like stone embedded in the soil. Someone had carved these words into the stone and filled in the letters with thick white paint. He read the rest of the bottom portion of the slab. 'I don't know what a prayer is. But I do know how to lie in the grass, how to bask in the sunlight, how to daydream, how to waste time.' Derrick sat down on his legs and clenched his fists in the soil. He then raised a clammy clod of dirt in his hand and crushed the ball as the wind blew the dirt on the stone, staining and hiding the letters. Derrick sighed and let the hand drop to his side. He reached into his bag and lifted out a small cup, filled it with dirt, and placed it in front of the stone. Then, he reached back in the bag and took out four incense. Just after lighting them Derrick mumbled, "oh.." to himself and looked around. He got up and walked away from the clearing. Derrick knew his way around Viridian forest well now, so without looking up, he walked around with his eyes scrolling across the roots to the ponds looking for any burst of color other than the brown of the soil or the brown of the fallen leaves. He kneeled down and picked up a daisy, but after examining its petals, tossed it aside. Finally, Derrick spotted seven bunched dandelion and tore out their roots. With the flowers in his hand, Derrick walked back to the stone and placed them at the foot of the stone. He sat down again and closed his eyes and tried to pray. Not to soon, maybe even less than a second later, he realized the incense weren't buring away slowly and relit them. Two of the flowers drifted away with the wind and Derrick stood up and watched them dissapear as they slipped between the branches. He looked back down and saw the incense weren't burning again. Then he noticed the other two dandelions were gone. Derrick sighed and sat back down again anyway. "Excuse me?" A voice spoke up from a few yards behind Derrick. He didn't say anything, hoping the intruder would leave him be. "Uh... can I ask you something?" Now that the dead silence could be noticed, Derrick also noticed the voice of the stranger was that of a young girl, and not some kooky old hobo, or another bum, waiting to rush in and steal his possessions. Derrick listened for the person to take a step forward, but she didn't. Derrick didn't move either, the stranger could only see his back. "Okay.." She seemed unsure of herself. "Look... I just needed to ask you... where the Viridian forest gym is... okay?" "If you walk on the path to your left you'll come to a crossroad splitting into five paths. The signs won't help you much so take the road left of the middle." Derrick paused for a second. "Got that?" "Sure." He heard the girl start to walk, then stop again. "Well, I'm just a little curious, but what are you doing?" "Waiting for nosy people to mind their own business.." Derrick muttered out loud to himself without realizing it until the last syllable rolled off his tongue. "What? I can't here you all the way from here.." She walked closer. She looked at the cold tiny dirt filled cup as if it was a very peculiar remedy a great-grandmother would serve her sick grandchild. Then she stared at the stone slab. "A.. grave stone?" Being the rude little prick she was acting as, the girl looked closer at it. Derrick noticed she was carrying a case for some instrument. She also seemed a little pretty as her head eclipsed the sunlight from Derrick's view point, though she looked very tired. "Oh.. there's some dirt on here," the girl said to herself. She wiped it off with her gloves and looked again. "Derrick Ta-..... he's .. dead?" "Oh, no, he's very much alive," Derrick replied nonchalantly. "What happened to him?" she asked. "Look, I have to meet him. Do you know him? You look really tired." Derrick stood up and turned to her. "Why?" "That's none of your business." "I already let you interupt me and ask me goddamn stupid questions. The least you could do is tell me why you wanna meet this guy. Or is your nose wedged too far up my ass to answer?" The girl stood speechless for a while, then came to her senses and slapped Derrick in the face, telling him to fuck off. She stormed off and stomped angrily, but stopped a few yards away. She turned back and shouted to him. "My name's Julia!" "Derrick!" Julia let out a tiny gasp then glared at him. "Look, I'm sorry I butted into your business, its just that I'm in a hurry." "No rush." "Look, don't pull my leg, okay. This Derrick is supposed to be more respectable. And I can bet he's a lot better looking than you." She added that just to get back at him for pissing her off, even if it was a little childish. Julia was too eager to find the 'real Derrick' and ask him all about Drew. This time though, answers were just around the corner. Derrick caught up with her and spoke with a 'respectable' voice. "Look, I am Derrick. I'm just not in that good a mood today." Julia kept walking and looked straight forward. "Ok, we'll see who's right when we get to the gym then," Derrick replied to her silent treatment. It wasn't really a gym anyway. There were next to no pokemon trainers hanging around the vacinity. Julia peeked her head inside each room and look at the unused walls with peeling paint and dusty chairs, tables, and window sills. The place was practically deserted aside from two friends playing cards and a little kid training his Paras against a pillow. Julia wandered around along the walls looking at the paintings of various parts of the forest. Some were also portraits of famous people who have visited. One was an outdated poster of a magician with a few weird looking Dittos. Julia did get some chills looking at a painting of a blue pikachu in the woman's restroom. When she left the restroom, Julia saw a nurse at the counter filling out forms. "Excuse me, nurse?" Julia asked. "Yes?" "May I speak to the owner of this gym? It's urgent." "Sure, he's always got time. All he does is bask in the sun and daydream," the nurse giggled as she said this. "Anyway, I'll go get him." She knocked on and opened the door behind her. Julia started humming one of her songs to herself and turned her head to watch the poker game. As Julia scrolled across the rest of the gym, Derrick came out of the door in front of her and she did a double take. "What are YOU doing here?!" she gawked. "I own this place." "....." "So yeah, I know." Derrick pulled out a chair and sat down. "What is it you wanted to speak to me about?" "It's a long story...." Julia bit her lip. "Go on..." Derrick hoped it had nothing to do with ATR. When Julia finished her story she felt as if a great weight had been lifted off her shoulders. Now someone else knew somewhat what she was going through. But throughout all her story, Julia recieved only nods from Derrick. "So..." Julia sighed. "Can you tell me about Drew? How is he? Anything?" Derrick shook his head regretfully. "I never really knew him, I'm sorry..." Julia looked at Derrick, then fell back in her chair. "You mean that I spoke to you this long," she pointed at her watch, "and you didn't know Drew?" She cringed. "Why didn't you tell me earlier?!" she snarled. "You seemed like you needed to tell me, or anyone," Derrick replied. "If I interrupted you and told you this, then maybe you would have given up." "Never." "I could still help you. There's two more ATR members who could probably help you..." Julia jumped out of her seat and shook Derrick madly. "Where!" "Pewter. Not too far from here." Julia started running for the door. "Wait!" Derrick shouted out. Julia help open the door and looked back at him. "They won't let you see them!" "Why not?" "They are the only two members of ATR left." "Yeah?" "Meaning Team Rocket will be up to something. Trying to find a way to make ATR extinct forever." Derrick put on his jacket and walked to her. "The've got police all around guarding the hospital. They aren't just gonna let anyone see James or Paty." "Who?" "The last two members!" Derrick shut the door behind them. "I'll have to come with you; James knows me." Julia had no choice but to let Derrick tag along. "Derrick?" Julia asked as they were walking on the road to Pewter city. "That grave... back in the forest... wh-" "It's a long story," Derrick sighed. "Go on.." "No." 'Well, of course there are people who make their tombstones ahead of time,' Julia thought to herself, assured that she wasn't walking with a ghost. ".....Okay, then what about the poems carved on it?" "I have a book with a lot of poems in there. I guess when they made the grave, they didn't know what to put and, um, yeah..." Ten minutes have passed by and the two passed by the time with nothing to say. "That's a nice gym you have. Back in Viridian. With the paintings and all. If you made a stage and things like that your gym would be a whole lot bet-." "Things like what?" "Nothing..." When he first saw her, Derrick assumed she didn't train any pokemon. It still looked that way. She probably was thinking of turning his gym into her own little concert hall. 'Maybe she is right though,' Derrick thought to himself. "So what instrument do you play?" Derrick asked. "I have my guitar with me...." "Would you play something, please?" "Um, ok sure." Julia took the guitar out and held it comfortably against her body as she and Derrick walked. "What kind of song?" "Any. Anything is fine." Julia smiled without noticing it as she began to strike the first tune in her song. It couldn't be helped, but something made Derrick smile for the first time since... To Be Continued