“Who was the leader of the Goblin rebellion of 1764?” Mr. Chelten droned.

Anden was hardly listening. His mind reliving the moment when his mom had told him he was a dream shaper. He never thought it possible. None of his aunts, uncles, or cousins had the gift. But Anden did.

Anden closed his eyes. His breathing slowed and he felt himself drifting off into the dream. A small piece of his mind remained alert, the darkness of the dream palpable. Even knowing that this would happen Anden hadn’t been able to comprehend what it would be like until this moment. 

Very slowly his classroom took shape around him, everything exactly as it was. Detail was key for a shaping to work. He saw himself seated next to his best friend taking notes of what the teacher was saying.

Once everything was in place, he opened his mind and forced the change upon the scene. The phone would ring, it would be the principal calling him out of class. Confident that his new reality would come into being he closed his mind’s eye and woke. 

Exactly like he shaped in his dream, the phone rang. 

“Anden, the principal would like to see you in his office.” Mr. Chelten said. 

Anden felt his energy levels drop. His eyes blurred momentarily and his ears felt stuffed with cotton.

“Oooo!” 

“Someones in trouble,” his friend Derrick whispered loudly.

“Fat chance,” Anden replied as he stood up from his desk.

Surprised at his sudden tiredness, Anden slipped from the room. He closed the door behind him, leaned against the wall and closed his eyes once more. The image of reality came slower this time. He saw himself walking down the hall, sitting outside the principals, waiting patiently. 

Then he shaped his dream. The principal would come out, take one look at him, forget why he called and send him on his way. He felt a slight resistance to his dream. Setting the dream firmly in his mind he felt it snap into place. He woke up and started unsteadily down the hall.

When the principal came out of his office and saw Anden sitting there his brows furrowed slightly. 

“Umm,” he muttered, “sorry Anden, I can’t quite remember why I wanted to talk with you. Go back to class. If I remember what it was I’ll call you again. 

With a slight shake of his head the principal turned to head back into his office.

But Anden couldn’t stand, his legs felt like jelly. When the principal spoke his energy drained alarmingly. His eyelids began to droop and he nodded off.

Anden felt the same separation as he entered the darkness of the dream. But this time the scene began to unfold on its own. Snippets of Mr. Chelten’s lecture drifted into his dream. ‘Rebellion…. Goblin… terrible fighting…’

The door on the principals burst open and a half dozen goblins came pouring out. Shouting and yelling, wielding sharp sticks and crooked knives. 

Fear surged in his mind’s eye and he felt the shaping snap into place. 

“No, no, no!”

Anden jolted awake, his exhausted body surged with adrenaline as the door to the principal’s office smashed open, and his dream became reality.