I hated waking up from that dream wondering what had happened to my beautiful dreamscape.  But the next time I opened the book it took me back to my place of beauty and peace. Still I was plagued by the nightmare I had seen in the land below me.

It was a few weeks later whan I decieded to call on Balzar again. Thinking that he was the man I had met in the nightmare I waited until I opened the book and then called his name. You can imagine my surprise when the one before was not the man from the nightmare. I opened my eyes and there sitting on the grass was, well, a gnome. I mean not with the pointy hat like in the yard but other than that I was staring down at a gnome. He was about two feet tall, with a long grey beard that all but touched the grass. He was dresses in rough brown pant with a matching vest. Under the vest he wore a a pea green chemise of some type. I looked at his face and saw twinkling big brown eyes looking back at me.

‘Well, who may you be”? He grumbled, pulling on his vest. ” Well I am Cassie and just WHO are you”?

Then he leaned in a actually sniffed me. “Ah My Lady, forgive me, you do not look yourself”, Sometime I forget the effects that things have had, Balzar here of course, just as you requested”. Then the funny little man bowed to me, well tried even though he ended up falling over. I couldn’t help it. I had to laugh. He rolled over and sat down, patting the ground next to him. So I sat, pulling my knees up to my chest.  He edged closer looking up at me and smiled, and I smiled back. We sat there for a while just looking down, watching. As we sat he got closer and closer still until finally he was leaned up against me. I didn’t mind, it just felt right.

We sat there like that for along time before he signed, petting my leg and said “I’ve missed you, we’ve been exiled to long”. With that he stood and kissed me on the cheek and I woke.