He found himself seated on a bench. Bare skeletal trees surrounded him and birds sang in the blue sky. Breath steamed from his mouth in the cold air, but he wore layers of warm clothes and felt cosy despite the ice on the pond nearby. A small girl on a tricycle wheeled past, stopped, reversed and looked at him solemnly.

"My shoelaces are undone," she said.

Calasta glanced at her feet and noticed two soggy strands dangling from one shoe. "May I assist you young lady?"

"You talk funny."

"I suspect I probably do. Would you like me to tie up your laces for you?"

"No need, I just fixed it."

He glanced at her foot. The shoe had changed to a boot without laces, a picture of a bumblebee painted colourfully on the front.

"I like your boots."

"Thank you. They match yours."

Calasta glanced at his feet and laughed as he realised he was wearing the same boots. The laughter stopped as there was a rumble and dark clouds appeared in the sky.

"Shall we go indoors little one, I'd hate to see you get wet."

"Okay." The world around them moved, and Calasta staggered upright as his senses tried to keep up with the changes around him. "Would you like some tea? You'll have to pour it though, as mummy says I'm too small to do hot tea."

They stood by a table in a small cosy room with many other tables all bearing flowery coverings, and dishes piled high with cakes. Calasta helped the little girl into a seat and sat opposite, offering the girl a small bun from a plate that had popped into existence by his elbow.

"Where's my mummy?"

The question caught him off guard, and he thought for a few seconds before replying.

"This is a dream little one, your mummy is fine, but can't be here because this is all in your mind."

"So you're not real."

"I'm real to me," he smiled. "Your dream has drawn me in, and now I'm sharing tea and cakes with you and wearing a lovely pair of new boots and some nice warm clothes. You seem to be looking after me very well."

The little girl smiled. "My name's Emily, what's yours?"

"You can call me Cal. Pleased to meet you Emily."

A dragon walked past the window, and Emily shrank back in her seat. "Why is there a dragon Cal, I don't like dragons?"

"Braemon," whispered Calasta. The Paladin moved smoothly to his feet, searching for a weapon. Runes glowed faintly on a butter knife on the table and he lifted it, holding it tightly in one hand.

"Emily, I'm here to protect you, but what we need to do is try and wake you up. Do you think you could end the dream for me?"

"I don't know how," she whispered. "I've been trying so hard to wake up, but nothing works."

The dragon paused outside in the snow, and lowered its massive head to look in the window, one baleful red eye peering in.

"What normally wakes you up at home with your mummy Emily?" said Calasta calmly, his grip white knuckled on the small butter knife.

"Toby, my dog."

"Can you picture Toby in your mind?"

The dragon moved away from the window and turned to face the shop, its chest swelling as it breathed in the frosty air. Steam trickled from its nostrils.

"Yes, he's small and brown."

"Good. Keep picturing your dog." He glanced round at the girl. "Emily, do you trust me?"

"Yes, I think so."

"Good, and I trust you too. Then close your eyes, picture Toby coming to you. Whatever else you hear, you must ignore. I'm here with you, and I won't leave you until we get you home. Just picture your little dog."

"Okay Cal." She closed her eyes and there was a faint bark from outside.

The dragon outside tensed and exhaled a stream of fire that enveloped the café. As the flames hit the glass Calasta brought the small knife up in front of him, the point aimed at the creature, and spoke a single word of power. Runes glowed along the blade, a shield of silvery light appeared at the point of the blade and the scorching dragon flame broke to stream either side of them, the building around them vaporising. As the scene around them began to dissolve under the onslaught, a small brown dog bounded through the rubble toward them and barked joyously. Emily opened her eyes, her gaze fixed on the hound. "Toby!" she shouted and laughed as the dog licked her face and hands.

Calasta thrust his sword back into his scabbard as the reality of the Plains crashed back into place and knelt between the two warriors to cradle the sleeping child. The dragon shrank to reveal the dark form of the Demon Lord who screamed with displeasure, hacking his own weapon through a group of wraiths who stood by his side to try and get to the Guardians. Escobar, wounds streaming with blood, roared his bitter defiance at a group of Stealers who faced him and Alendra calmly slashed her blade through the neck of a wraith and stood ready, panting with exertion.

"Ready?" Cal said.

"Yes," she said. "Nice boots."

As the last remnant of the girl's dream began to fade, Calasta reached to his belt and drew out the small pouch of sand he'd retrieved from the Mountain of Night. Dipping in a hand he threw the silvery dust high above them where it coalesced into a shining dome of Source light.

The Lady appeared in the sky above them, smiling benignly, and sprinkled them with the dust of the stars. The world around them dissolved like a bad dream, the impotent rage of a mad god fading into the all-encroaching void.

~~~

The child sobbed into her pillow as the nightmare faded, and the small dog on her bed whined in sympathy. A gentle hand rested on her shoulder and she opened her eyes in the gloom to see the smiling face of a man from a dream.

"Don't worry child, you are safe now. It was all a bad dream."

"What... what are you?"

Calasta looked at the pouch in his hand and smiled. "I am the Sandman. I keep the dream world free from sin and evil. No longer will the people of the Forgotten Realms have to sleep with one eye open, for the Sandman comes. Sleep well little one, for though the night brings darkness, the light is never far away..."

The former Paladin smiled and reached into the waistcoat pocket of his smart suit, sprinkling a pinch of silvery sand over the sleepy child.

"Exit light, enter night. Take my hand, we're off to never never land. Be well Emily, sweet dreams."

Calasta moved wraithlike through the walls of the house as the child sank into sleep and stood outside in the snow, the late evening sun dipping below the horizon.

"Well, I'm glad we got out of there in one piece." Escobar laid a massive hand on his shoulder, his new attire markedly different from the warrior clothing he'd worn previously, the long dark coat hiding his weaponry and hulking figure.

"As am I," noted Alendra. "But where are we exactly, is this any more real than where we were previously?"

Calasta smiled. "We are real, the Lady is with us, and we still have our Oath to the Source. This world may or may not be real, but whether this is just a dream or yet another Forgotten Realm, I for one think we're due a little rest. Escobar mentioned having a drink a while back. The Lady has allowed us to change to suit this new world, and I no longer appear to be Paladin here, so a glass of wine is most definitely appealing to me."

"Drinking Cal? You?" Escobar slapped the smaller man on the back and linked arms with his daughter. "It's about bloody time. We have four hundred years of hangovers to catch up on."

The End

Round Three of the Fantasy Smackdown in the Pub. Story based on the premise of a dying land, and using the four pictures in the slideshow on the right. Also the Metallica song Enter Sandman is loosely incorporated into the story.

Lyrics of Enter Sandman by Metallica

Say your prayers little one

Don't forget my son

To include everyone

I tuck you in

Warm within

Keep you free from sin

'Til the sandman he comes

Sleep with one eye open

Gripping your pillow tight

Exit light

Enter night

Take my hand

We're off to never never-land

Something's wrong, shut the light

Heavy thoughts tonight

And they aren't of snow white

Dreams of war

Dreams of lies

Dreams of dragons fire

And of things that will bite, yeah

Sleep with one eye open

Grippin' your pillow tight

Exit light

Enter night

Take my hand

We're off to never never-land

(Whisper)

Now I lay me down to sleep (x2)

Pray the lord my soul to keep (x2)

And if I die before I wake (x2)

Pray the lord my soul to take (x2)

Hush little baby don't say a word

And never mind that noise you heard

It's just the beast under your bed

In your closet in your head

Exit light

Enter night

Grain of sand

Exit light

Enter night

Take my hand

We're off to never never-land

We're off to never never-land

Take my hand

We're off to never never-land

Take my hand

We're off to never never-land

We're off to never never-land