Dream Spinner
“There’s nothing in my heard,” I said. But I wondered if she was right. Now that she mentioned it, it did feel like tiny things were moving around in there. Or was that just my imagination? I scratched my beard.
“See, it itches! I knew it. You’ve got lice in there, or something worse.” She shuddered.
I shrugged. “But I’m still keeping it. And that’s final.”
“We’ll see,” Geldra said. “Anyway, I’ll visit the healer today and see what I can get for those dreams of yours. And I’m going to ask him about that beard, too, and see if he has something that will kill whatever might be crawling around in there. For now, just try to stay awake. Maybe if you get up and move around a bit, it would help. And here’s your medicine.”
She pushed a tin cup full of some dark liquid to my lips. I hated the medicine, which tasted like bitter syrup, but it did make me feel better and allowed me to walk. Finally, I forced my mouth open and allowed her to pour the stuff down my throat. I coughed and gagged.
“I’ll be back in an hour or so,” Geldra said, frowning. “Stay awake, Mouse. I don’t want you dying of fright.” With that, she shuffled out of the house.
Groaning, I stood up. The medicine hadn’t yet taken affect, but I wasn’t going to sit in that chair and risk another nightmare. I paced around the house, looking things over and trying to remember my past. I had been a miner most of my life, and had been married to Geldra for more than forty years. I’d never really done anything exciting. My life had been nothing but backbreaking work and a sullen, nagging wife. Was it any wonder my spirit was all but broken?
My house was a bland reflection of my life — simple and plain, just how Geldra liked it. Nothing really stood out, and most of the yellow walls were bare. If I would’ve had a say in anything, I would have livened up the place a bit. But my opinion was worthless.
I scratched my beard and gazed out a window along the road that wound down the mountain, watching for Geldra and praying she would bring me something to end the nightmares. I couldn’t understand how, if my life had been so boring, I was now having strange dreams that seemed completely unconnected to anything from my past. The nightmares had popped out of nowhere, for no apparent reason.
At last Geldra returned empty handed, slamming the door shut behind her. She glared at me with an I-told-you-so look. “The healer says you’ve been infected by a weird type of mite. It gets in a man’s beard and causes him to have terrible dreams where he can actually see the creature attacking him.”
“That’s not possible,” I protested. “I’ve caught enough glimpses of the monster to know it’s huge — bigger than a man.”
Geldra rolled her eyes impatiently. “Yes, yes, I know. That’s how you see the mite in your dreams — much bigger than it actually is. Anyway, this ailment has been going around among men with beards. The mites probably got on my clothes when I was in town, and I brought them back to you.”
“How can I get rid of them?” I asked, already suspecting what her answer would be.
“The healer said there’s only one way,” she explained. “You have to lop off that beard and keep it off for a while.”
I clutched my beard, my hand trembling. “I won’t do it.”
“It’s only temporary, Mouse. Then you can grow it back. Although why you’d want to is beyond me!”
She grabbed a pair of scissors and a straight razor and approached me. “Won’t take me long, and then you’ll be free of those nightmares.”
“Get back!” I cried. “Don’t you touch my beard!” For some reason, rage was building inside me.
Her eyes widened. “Don’t give me orders, Mouse. I’m the one that runs this household, remember?”
I lowered my gaze, my spirit weakening.
Seeing that I was faltering, Geldra pressed on. “I take care of your sorry hide. What kind of shape would you be in if it wasn’t for me? You’d be homeless or dead. Not only am I the brains of this marriage, but I also do all the work.”
“I used to work,” I said. “Pretty hard, too. Harder than you do.”
She grabbed my shoulder and shook me, glowering down at me. I was a short man — not even five feet tall, and she outweighed me by a hundred pounds. “You’ve never worked harder than me, you little scab. And you never will. And anyway, you’re damaged goods now. You can’t even stand up without that medicine I make you drink each night.”
Again, I lowered my gaze. “Nevertheless, I worked hard.”
“I don’t care,” Geldra said. “The point I’m making is that you’re nothing without me. You’ve led a pathetic life, and you’ll die a poor excuse for a man. The only thing you have to boast about is that you have a wonderful wife who takes care of you. Got it?”
I nodded. “Yes, dear.”
“Say it louder!” she bellowed.
“Yes, dear.”
She slapped my face. “Better never backtalk me again, or I’ll knock you silly. Now let’s get that ugly beard off your face so you can get some decent sleep for a change and quit whining about your scary nightmares.”