Julia was in a garden. Purple petunias, pink impatiens, orange marigolds, sweet Williams and tiny violets, filled the flower beds in neat rows. A delicate perfume wafted from a bed of white roses, tickling her nose as she strolled along the grassy path. In the distance stood a graceful Grecian-style folly, complete with intricately carved Corinthian columns made of glistening white marble. Gentle sunlight warmed her back as she wandered through the garden.

Peaceful. Everything was so beautiful and peaceful here. She smiled in her sleep and snuggled further under the quilt.

The machine attached to her head hummed almost inaudibly, a green light glowing faintly on the monitor alongside.

Two men in white coats entered the ward. Each of them carried the latest in high-tech tablets.

"Let's see what Julia has for us today," murmured the tallest, crossing over to her cot.

He picked up a helmet device attached to her monitor and put it over his head. In seconds he was transported to a pretty garden. He was strolling down a path, looking at the flowers and... nothing else happened. True, the scent of the flowers had been pervasive and the colours ever so slightly different from how he would have seen them, but...

He took the helmet off.

"Anything worth keeping?" asked the other man.

Jackson shook his head. "Nothing, I'm afraid. Just a walk in a garden."

"Totally useless," fumed Miller. "We need dreams with plenty of action and excitement. Nobody's buying sweet dreams anymore, not even little old ladies. Perhaps we should give her something a bit stronger What about that new drug the laboratory has been trialling?"

"Are you sure it's safe?" asked Jackson, surprised. "I thought they were still working out a few side effects..."

Miller studied Jackson thoughtfully for a moment. "I hope you're not getting too close to any of the subjects, Jackson. Remember, they are all here for a purpose. They—or their families—signed a contract. They are no longer citizens, they're a resource. They belong to Dream Funk, Incorporated."

"Of course," murmured Jackson uncomfortably. "I suppose... if we monitor her carefully..."

Miller smiled and clapped him on the shoulder "Don't worry, it will be fine. I'll get the lab working on that new formula for Julia as soon as possible. We'll start slow and build up, see what we get."

Miller came to work the next day eager to test the effects of the new drug regime on Julia. He dodged the usual group of protesters outside the Dream Funk building with their "Stop the Funk" signs and "Give up the Funk" chants. Troglodytes, all of them. He bet they still watched movies on flatscreens while munching popcorn. Losers, every one.

"Move with the times, dudes," he muttered under his breath. "Gotta move with the times!"

Dream Funk, Inc. had cornered the entertainment market several years ago, quickly replacing the old fashioned TVs and DVDs. With the advent of new technology and carefully crafted drugs, it was possible to record living dreams, save them electronically, and sell them to the public via Dreamcaps. All the purchaser had to do, was sit down comfortably and place the cap over their head to be transported to a new world.

Who wanted to watch a screen when you could experience a Dream as if you were living it? When you could not only see and hear what was happening but smell, touch and taste it? And people loved being scared, especially when it wasn't their own body in actual danger. Currently, Horror was Dream Funk, Inc.'s biggest seller, overtaking that perennial favourite, Adventure / Fantasy.

Miller logged in his arrival with the Receptionist, then went straight to the laboratory.

"Good morning, Heather. How's that new dose for Julia coming along?" he asked the studious young woman working at the nearest bench.

"Good morning, sir. I've got it ready for you here." She picked up a syringe lying in a small tray and handed it to him carefully. "I've added one cc of Formula 23 to her usual mix. Not too much to start with, as you requested. Let me know how it works out and I can adjust the dose if necessary."

"Thank you, Heather, I'll do that." Smiling, Miller took the tray. Then, dressed in a clean white coat, he went through the laboratory to the Dreamer's ward beyond.

Julia was sleeping, the quilt pulled snugly around her shoulders. The machine attached to her head was making its customary almost inaudible hum.

Miller smiled with a touch of malice as he inserted the syringe into the bag of chemicals connected to the port at the back of her neck. "Let's see what this does to your garden, then. Perhaps you'll find a few wicked fairies at the bottom of it," he chuckled.

Julia continued to sleep peacefully.

It would take some time before the new dose took full effect. Who knew whether it would make a difference or not? Dreaming was such a new field and there was so much they didn't yet know. He was keen to try more experiments but Jackson was always cautious—too cautious in Miller's opinion. It was good to come in here for once without Jackson tagging at his heels.

Miller walked quickly along the rest of the aisle, checking briefly that all ten Dreamer's were sleeping and their machines operating correctly. He stopped for a moment to adjust Noah's dose, keeping the SSRI level high to keep him from waking too easily, then he left the ward. He'd return in an hour or so and see what the next crop of Dreams had delivered.

~~~

Julia was in a garden, her garden—or was it? Blue delphiniums, purple monkshood, pink foxgloves, irises and azaleas, all filled the flower beds in lush profusion. A sweet scent wafted from a hedge of oleanders, irritating her nose as she strolled along the grassy path. In the distance, stood a ruined Grecian-style folly, its roof long gone. Morning glory vines wound their way up four intricately carved Corinthian columns, the marble finish crumbling.

A cold wind made her shiver as she wandered through the garden. What had gone wrong?

In her bed, Julia's fingers clenched around the quilt cover, pulling it tighter.

~~~

Miller replaced the helmet in its cradle. Still that boring garden. He'd increase the dose just a tad more... no need to tell Jackson.

~~~

Julia was in a garden. White snakeroot, yellow hellebore and purple wolfsbane ran wild. A sickly smell emanated from a cluster of snake lilies, filling her nostrils as she strode along the stone path. Nearby, the ruins of a Grecian folly thrust up into the stormy sky and she saw deadly nightshade and angel trumpets winding their way up the worn columns.

There was an archway in the furthest wall that she couldn't remember noticing before. Although it was still daylight where Julia was standing, it appeared to be night on the other side of the arch. Drawn to the darkness, she ignored the icy wind whipping her hair around her face, and approached the folly.

Then she heard a footstep behind her.

Without hesitating, Julia stepped inside the ruin. Her eyes glittered as she lay in wait. Who had dared to invade her space?

~~~

Rather warily, Miller approached Julia's cot and looked down at her sleeping form. Damn. Nothing appeared to have changed. From her calm appearance, it seemed unlikely she had produced any Dreams worthy of note; still, he'd better put on the helmet and make sure. He picked up the helmet and put it on his head.

Immediately he was transported to the garden, but what a garden this time! Weird plants covered the ground and something stank like rotten meat. He screwed up his nose. If they were going to use this one, they'd have to tamp that stink down after the initial impact. A bit too revolting to have in your nose for the whole dream.

He strolled along the stone path, careful not to brush against any of the strange plants. The folly, which had been so graceful in Julia's dream previously, was now—to him—a far more interesting ruin.

Something moved at the edge of his vision.

Miller blinked, then laughed at himself. For a moment there he'd thought he'd seen Julia disappearing into the folly. That was impossible, of course. You never saw the person who was dreaming in the Dream. After all, the whole point was that you were the Dreamer for the period of the Dream.

Curious, he approached the folly and peered inside.

~~~

Jackson looked down at the sleeper lying comatose in the bed. An alarming number of tubes connected different parts of his body to various machines, keeping him alive. The white sheet rose and fell gently with each breath.

"Any change?" Jackson asked the middle-aged nurse as she adjusted the nutrient drip.

"No. I'm sorry, Doctor Jackson. Still no response to any stimulus."

"I expected him to wake up as soon as we removed the Dream equipment."

"I did, too. I've never seen a case like this before, and I've worked with Dreamers for years." She studied the patient with clinical detachment.

"Any idea how long this state will last? Will he recover?"

The nurse shrugged infinitesimally. "We might know more after Doctor Wang sees him this afternoon. He's one of the top specialists in coma treatment." She paused, then added, "but to be honest, Doctor Jackson, I wouldn't get my hopes up. After all, it's been a month now."

Jackson shook his head, "What a tragedy. I'm due in the Dreamer's Ward now, but I'll look in again after Doctor Wang's visit."

He hesitated on his way out the door, then turned back for a moment to speak to the patient, with a self-conscious smile.

"Sweet dreams, Miller."