Hal’s Halloween

 On this Halloween morning, Hal woke up feeling uncomfortable. He’d had the same old dream again. He was sitting at his desk in school, taking a history exam, and not a thing came into his head. Hal had looked at the history book, but he’d forgotten everything he read! He decided to be honest and tell the teacher. Mrs. Framingham was understanding, and told Hal to study the lesson again, and she would give him a special test after school. 

“What a relief,” thought Hal. “It wasn’t too bad a dream, after all.”

Since it was Sunday, Hal’s parents were still asleep. He went into the kitchen and prepared himself some cereal. After he ate, he decided to play with his dog, Sandy, in the garden.

“Come on, Sandy girl, come and help me carve the best jack o lanterns on the block! Two will be enough.”

This being October, few flowers remained in the garden and there was plenty of room for Hal and Sandy to have a good run before settling down to the serious business of carving pumpkins. Hal’s favourite tree was a maple.  He’d once carved his initials into its trunk. This morning, as he headed for the tree, he spied a silhouette lurking. Hal was a strong boy and tall for his eleven years. He didn’t fear strangers, and assumed someone must have wandered into the garden out of curiosity or maybe to rest.

His parents were proud of the garden, which was the largest on their street in the small city of Comstock. He watched the shadow leaning against the tree, as if it were tired.

“Who are you?” he asked the figure. Hal could only see a man’s face and some of his graying hair; a cloak covered the rest.

“It's too early for trick or treat,” Hal told the figure. “Come back in the evening.” The figure step forward and came closer to Hal.

“I’m your dream, Hal.”

Hal stared.

“What do you mean?” he asked, looking suspicious. “Sandy, sit down and be quiet”. His dog had a habit of barking at strangers, which his parents said was a good thing because it protected the family from intruders.

“I mean I create the dreams you have at night,” the apparition said. “I invent all children’s dreams. Without me, you wouldn’t have any dreams at all.”

Hal looked thoughtful.

“You can’t know what I dreamed last night,” he said.

“Oh, yes, I can,” replied the stranger, “You dreamed you would fail your history test.”

“I did,” admitted a wide-eyed Hal. “But how could you know that? Do you read minds or something?”

“No, no,” laughed the stranger. “I gave you the dream you had.”

“How?” asked Hal.

“I told you. I’m your dream.  My name is Hava Dream.”

“Well, if that’s the case, I wish you’d leave me alone,” Hal said. “I don’t like some of your dreams at all.”

The stranger smiled. “Everybody has to have dreams. Without them you wouldn’t be able to solve your problems.”

“Problems?” asked Hal. “I don’t have any problems. Tonight I’m going trick or treating, and I will have a sack full of candies to bring home. ”

“Of course you have problems,” replied Hava Dream. “Everybody has problems. Sit down and I’ll explain.”

“Ok, ” Hal said. “But I don’t know if I’ll believe you.” He thought for a moment then looked at the stranger. “You know, all day long, at school in particular, I have to think. My brain needs a rest at night.”

Hava Dream smiled. “That’s where you’re wrong, Hal,” he said. “Your body sleeps, but your brain never does. Your brain has to work twenty-four hours a day. You see, it’s a problem-solving device. It tries to sort out your problems while your body sleeps, so you can deal with them.”

“Well, I never heard of such a thing,” said Hal with skepticism.

“It’s like this, Hal,” Hava Dream explained. You’ll always have problems in your life. Everyone does.  But dreams can point out the path to take that will solve those challenges.  When you wake up, it’s up to you to find that path or your brain can’t help you.”

“I don’t believe you,” Hal said. “Half the time, I don’t even understand my dreams, so how can they help me solve problems?”

“Ah, now you’re getting there,” Hava Dream said. “You have to learn to interpret your dreams. Then you’ll understand what they’re trying to tell you.”

“How can I do that when most of them don’t make any sense?” Hal asked, now curious, despite himself. “I mean, it’s like my kaleidoscope. The images keep changing, and I don’t even understand what anyone in the dream is saying most of the time.”

“It takes practice,” Hava Dream said. “But every image you see is there for a reason. It’s like a puzzle. If you try hard, you’ll be able to put the pieces together.”

“Look here, Mister Dream,” Hal said. “I’m old enough to know monsters and vampires don’t exist. But I dream of them anyway. And you’re trying to tell me these creatures can solve my problems. That sounds like fantasy to me, and fantastic stories like that are only for Halloween.” Hal turned to walk away.

“Wait, Hal,” Hava Dream said. “Let me give you an example. You watch too much television, so of course the ghosts, vampires and monsters on the screen will also enter your dreams.” He paused. “But don’t think they haven’t anything to say. Oh, no, they’re telling you to buckle down and get your grades up, and not to watch so much TV. I know your mother has told you time and again to turn off the television and do your lessons. The monsters are telling you to listen to her.”

Hal blushed. What Hava Dream said was true. His grades had been slipping, and he loved to watch horror shows, even when his mother told him to do his homework instead.

“Why should I listen to a bunch of TV monsters?” he asked. “Besides, I still get passing grades in school.”

“Is that good enough?” Hava Dream asked. “I know what you want. You want to become a great doctor and discover a cure for cancer because your grandfather died of cancer. Isn’t that right?”

“You think you know everything, Mr. Dream,” Hal said with disgust. “What if I told you I wanted to be a cop instead?”

“There’s no dishonor in being a policeman,” Hava Dream said. “But that isn’t what you want. Ever since your grandfather died, you’ve dreamed of becoming a great doctor, a man who can help people. I admire that, Hal.”

The two were quiet.

“So, what if I have,” Hal said, sounding defensive. “I loved my grandpa.”

“Don’t be afraid of high aspirations, Hal,” Hava Dream said. “You’d be surprised how often they come true.”

“Then give me dreams to help,” Hal said, his voice rising. “Why can’t I dream of research laboratories and people in white coats doing important work?”

“Alright,” said Hava Dream. “I can give you such dreams, but only if you promise me you’ll listen to them.”

“I’ll try,” said Hal his voice wavering at first, then strengthening. “I promise.”

“It’s a deal then,” said Hava Dream, rising. “It’s time for me to go and give dreams to other children. “You may never see me again, but remember I’ll be watching you.”

From that Sunday on, Hal’s life changed. His parents couldn´t believe it. The television no longer blared in his room, instead Hal seemed to be reading all the time. Not only did he bring home books from school, but he brought them from the library as well. His grades improved until he was at the top of his class.

“That young man will become somebody one day,” remarked Mrs. Framingham. “I wonder what brought about such a transformation? He seemed to change soon after Halloween.”

Only Hal knew the answer. His dreams had changed and he understood them better. He could see himself standing over a bench covered with beakers and flasks, wearing a white coat and talking to others like himself. Hava Dream had kept his word. Now it was up to Hal to keep his promise.

The years went by. Hal graduated from medical school with honors. His mother and father were so proud of him they cried at the ceremony.

“The world will hear about you, Harold” said his father, beaming.

“Doctor Harold Langford,” whispered his mother, tears still glistening in her eyes.

The world did indeed hear about Hal. His articles appeared often in medical journals, and while he never reached his goal of finding a cure for cancer, he came close. Together with his assistant, a Russian woman called Nadja, he developed new methods and new medicines for easing pain and for giving people with cancer many extra years to live.

He and Nadja were married. In time they had a son. Charles, followed in his father’s footsteps and became a research physician. Just as significant, he gave Hal and Nadja two grandchildren. 

Hal never did see Hava Dream again, but as he lay on his death bed, he had a vivid dream. Men and women in white lab coats bustled about, among them his son. Charles worked just as hard and with the same laboriousness as Hal himself had done. He also saw his grandchildren with children of their own.

After a long while, Charles reached Hal’s goal at last. He developed a vaccine that could ward off cancer. He became the celebrity the world had dreamed of. No longer did people fear a diagnosis of cancer. During media interviews, Charles tried to explain what had inspired him to become a doctor.

“You see, my father had a vision - to develop a vaccine for cancer. He worked all his life and almost achieved it. In doing so, he instilled in me a fascination for the workings of the human body, and I became a physician like him. My father and I worked together on this project until his death.  To finish what my father began, we must now work to make the vaccine available for everyone, to ensure another terrible disease is eradicated from the earth.”

Hal once revealed to his son his encounter with Hava Dream on a long ago Halloween morning. Charles listened with concentration, but assumed the story was a metaphor or a lesson for Charles to learn. The son, however, never forgot the look in his father’s eyes as he spoke, and it was then Charles realized his own path, the one that fulfilled Hal’s dream.

The End.

©Amy Thompson. Oct 31 2010.