STORY STARTER
Submitted by Jesse Hall
Every night, the architects shape the dreams of mortals, but when one architect falls for a dreamer, the boundaries between their worlds begin to blur...
dreamers and lovers
_Every night, the architects shape the dreams of the mortals, but when one architect falls for a dreamer, the boundaries between their worlds begin to blur…_
…-~>^*!~-…
Landscaping is extremely intimate. Anyone who tells you otherwise is lying!
Maybe it’s because I’m young, that I don’t have enough control over my patience. But you try spiriting away into someone’s dreams—a manifestation of their vibrant, inner lives, where they _hope_ and _fear_ and _love_—and tell me it’s not personal. Tell me it doesn’t leave you _raw_… like a fresh wound exposed to the harsh winds.
For architects, this is supposed to be work. A responsibility. We are to craft dreams like potters twist clay, with precise hands and stable minds. We’re not supposed to feel them.
I wasn’t supposed to feel them—wasn’t supposed to feel **_her_**.
Her dreamscape was rough, at first: blunt at the edges and sharp enough to cut. We—she staggered through a feverish tornado, getting scraped with unimaginable pain. I could sense her fears gnawing away, desperately clawing towards her.
It took everything in me to still that storm, to guide it into a calm, light breeze. My heart had ached as I transformed the fallen trees into a beautiful golden-lit meadow. Green and heavenly and infinite. The kind of place where even our greatest fears dare not disturb.
She stood peacefully, her back facing me with her auburn hair brushed by the wind. I couldn’t quite decipher that longing gaze she held towards the aureate horizon. But I should have left then. Let her explore the peace in solitude. But I didn’t.
I _stayed_**.**
And then that one fated night, she turned to me. She **_saw_** me.
The mortals don’t know we exist. To humans, dreams are their subconcious. And it is, primarily—which is exactly why we’re not supposed to interfere. I was not supposed to interfere.
_But my soul reaches for her._
“You’re not supposed to be here,” I whispered, my voice gliding like silk, softer than my spirit. I wasn’t quite sure who I was warning—her, or myself.
A piece of art! Amazing I loved this. You should definitely write a book about this. Talk about his world. Maybe him going to see her often, I want to know what’s going to happen and I absolutely love your writing style. It’s just so poetic.
thank you SO much 💗💗💗💗 for the kind words. i’d love to extend this story! i’ll keep those ideas in mind! thank you again!!!!!
i agree with all of these comments. this is honestly beautiful. you have a way of bringing magic to life in your writings❤️❤️❤️
thank you so so so much💗. i’ve always admired the magical fantasy & surreal genres, so hearing you say i bring magic to life means a lot.
❤️❤️❤️
I feel as though I have meandered into a library and fallen into a new series… it’s that good, that immersive. Your descriptions are beautiful, especially how you weave the abstract thing that is a dream into the structure architects imbue into buildings (and nature). You truly built quarries out of wisps of thoughts.
your incredible comment has deeply touched me. i’m beyond grateful 💗💗. knowing that my writing conveyed that to you means the world to me. “quarries out of wisps of thoughts” is such a poetic and beautiful description, and i’m honored to receive it. thank you so much 😭❤️💞!
Aw thank you! I look forward to seeing you on shelves someday.
THANK YOU!! reading your comment seriously almost made me tear up. to hear that is incredibly validating and encouraging, especially from a skilled writer like you. i look forward to seeing your works on the shelves one day too!
😊 Thank you! You deserve it.
Oh my gosh this is so good! Congrats on the feature!
thank youuu so much!<3 💗💗
your descriptions and comparisons and metaphors- wow, you are truly talented! this was a joy to read, and in the few paragraphs you happened to craft, i was able to feel a waterfall of emotions! i really loved the way you described the main characters voice in the end- it was almost like i could hear it myself. immense applause!👏
wow. THANK YOU so so so so so much. i’m going to cherish this comment forever 😭💗. i am genuinely so grateful and overjoyed to hear that my writing had such an impact on you.
