Work Text:
In My Dreams
Wirt's life had changed for the better after the adventure he and his younger brother, Greg, had in the Unknown, which had actually been their near-drowning in a lake after venturing over the cemetery’s garden wall on Halloween night. Wirt mustered the courage to confess his feelings to his love interest, Sara, and they became a couple. In time, they married and had two children. The young adult channeled his creativity into composing and performing music, which helped keep the happy family stable.
During their adventure in the Unknown, Wirt and Greg had been accompanied by Beatrice, a young woman Wirt's age who had been transformed into a bluejay by a curse. The curse was broken when the two brothers defeated the Beast and restored her to her human form. Although Wirt only saw her like that for a few minutes, the image remained etched in his mind for the rest of his life: she was a red-haired girl with tiny freckles on her cheeks, wearing an elegant blue dress and matching shoes. Beatrice's family was very large: a total of eleven children, including two sets of twins. During his adventure, Wirt had managed to gain Beatrice's trust and told her about his crush on Sara, to which the young bird encouraged him to be brave and speak to her about his feelings.
On more than one occasion, Wirt wondered if he was attracted to Beatrice, even though he was already Sara's boyfriend. He felt affection for her, but as logic dictated, it was impossible for him to become romantically involved with someone who lived on another plane, a plane accessible only in dreams or by ceasing to exist—something Wirt absolutely did not want to do. He felt happy and content with his life, and he couldn't commit a selfish act by breaking the hearts of his loved ones for a whim of his own. When Wirt once told Sara about Beatrice and how confused he felt about it, his girlfriend told him that it was normal to admire someone who had encouraged him to be brave and live his life to the fullest, and that, knowing Beatrice wasn't on this plane, she felt no jealousy or anger toward Wirt, because she knew he loved her unconditionally, and that was all that mattered. Thus, life went on, but one night, while Wirt slept, he did not expect that in his dream he would again meet that girl who had been a bird, now also grown into an adult and with her own family.
Wirt found himself back in that familiar forest, which was mostly silent, but not in an unsettling way; rather, it was a gentle silence, as if the world were holding its breath. He walked among the trees, recognizing the place, though he couldn't quite explain why. The light illuminating the area was strange, like both sunset and sunrise at once. He felt no fear, only a soft nostalgia, like that of a memory that never quite fades.
- "This place again," Wirt murmured. "Will it still remember what Greg and I did for them when we freed them from the Beast?"
Wirt then heard footsteps very close to him. He got scared and grabbed a modern battery-powered flashlight to shine the light on whatever was approaching him.
- "Wirt, is that you? Don't be scared," said a female voice that sounded familiar to him.
A figure appeared among the trees. It was a young woman with long, reddish hair, dressed in peasant clothing, with a lively gaze and a confident posture. She had no wings, but Wirt recognized her instantly, even though she no longer looked like the teenager he had seen for only a few minutes during his adventure with Greg in that place.
- “Beatrice?”
The woman smiled at him, crossing her arms.
- “Yes, the one and only me, Wirt, or did you expect me to be a bird again?
- "N-no, but I thought we'd never see each other again," Wirt said with a nervous smile. "I'm not dead, am I?"
- "No, Wirt, you're just dreaming, don't worry," Beatrice replied, placing a hand on his shoulder.
- "I see you've changed a lot," the man replied, sounding a little calmer.
- “I’d say the same about you, poet boy.”
Wirt looked at himself reflexively, confused.
- “I don't feel that different.”
Beatrice raised an eyebrow and instinctively hugged Wirt. Perhaps she didn't want to admit it, but she had missed him terribly. Wirt smiled and hugged her back, a gesture of mutual affection and respect.
There was a comfortable silence between the two, while in the background the wind gently moved the leaves of the trees.
- "I heard about you," Beatrice finally said. "That you managed to get out of here and found your way back with your brother."
- "Yes, I did it, Beatrice, and I'm a better person than I was years ago, before I knew this place, before I met you. It wasn't easy," Wirt replied.
- "I can imagine, and I know it's not the only thing. I know you managed to win Sara's heart and start a family with her, am I wrong?" the woman asked.
- "Yes, with Sara," Wirt replied warmly.
Beatrice observed him silently for a few seconds. This time there was no sarcasm like when they had interacted years before; on the contrary, with her gaze the woman gave Wirt her sincere approval.
- "It must not be easy to leave a place like this and build something real and lasting with someone you love."
- "You helped me with that, to face my fears and not run away from them, to listen to my heart which also sometimes made me think that I felt something more than friendship for you."
- "Were you... in love with me, Wirt?" Beatrice asked, somewhat astonished.
- "Sometimes I felt like that, even when I was with Sara," Wirt replied, somewhat embarrassed.
- "But you know we couldn't be together, right? And it wouldn't have been fair to Sara if you'd cheated on her with me. You wouldn't have gained anything from it except her hating you," the woman replied, in a serious tone.
- "Yes, I know, Beatrice. I would never cheat on Sara or do anything to hurt her. But why did I have those thoughts about you? Was my subconscious trying to tell me something?"
- "I suppose you missed me a lot, and maybe your hormones were all over the place too," Beatrice replied, letting out a giggle.
- "Heh, I guess that's true. But I've grown up now; I'm a responsible adult with a beautiful wife and two beautiful children. But sometimes I feel like I might get lost again in a place like this."
"But you don't, because you've already proven you're brave, Wirt," his friend replied.
- "How do you know?" Wirt asked.
- "Because you're no longer running away from yourself and you take good care of the people you love," Beatrice replied.
The red-haired woman's comment left Wirt speechless, and then he nodded slowly.
- "You have everything out there, Wirt. Enjoy it," Beatrice said.
Wirt thought about his home, his life, his family, everything.
- "Yes. I enjoy it and I'm going to continue enjoying it."
Beatrice took a step back, as if preparing to leave.
- "I'm glad to see you again, Wirt, even if it's in your dream. There's something I need to tell you."
- "What?" the man asked.
- "I want to thank you for what you and your brother did for this forest, saving us all from The Beast."
- "It was nothing, Beatrice. The Woodsman helped us with that too, by the way. Do you know anything about him? Was he able to find his daughter?" Wirt asked.
- "Yes, by the way, her daughter, named Anna, married one of my older brothers and has a baby with him. They currently have their own farm and are doing wonderfully," Beatrice replied with a big smile.
- "I'm glad to hear you're all right," said Wirt, smiling with quiet gratitude. "And by the way, what have you been doing with your life?"
- "I tailor clothes for a living; it's something I was taught since I was a little girl, and I'm a real professional."
- "Well, in our world, I write songs for other artists and practice my instruments. That has helped us a lot. By the way, did you find someone special like I found Sara?" Wirt asked.
Beatrice nodded, then sighed, but a faint smile escaped her.
- "Yes... let's just say I did something with my story too. At the clothing workshop, I met a handsome young man named Jacob, and we became very good friends. As we both grew up, well, one thing led to another, and we got married. He helps the baker at the tavern; many people like his cakes. Also, um... we have a son now."
Wirt was surprised.
- "Would you believe me if I told you that my first daughter was born when Sara and I were only 16?" he asked.
- "Seriously? Couldn't you wait until you were at least 18? Something like that would be a huge scandal around here," Beatrice replied. She found it indecent that an underage and still unmarried couple was having sex and that it resulted in a pregnancy, but she wasn't going to judge them for it since it wasn't her business.
- "Well, let's just say that what we used to prevent pregnancy failed, but far from ruining our lives, it brought us closer together, and we've never cared what people might say about us. Our daughter is beautiful and talented, and our youngest son is following the same pattern," Wirt said, his voice brimming with pride.
- "I understand. Our son is five years old and his name is Arnold. The day he was born there was a terrible storm which suddenly calmed down as soon as he cried for the first time, as if nature had welcomed him. And it was a miraculous, but very painful experience. I find it incredible that Mom went through that eleven times." Beatrice recalled – "Melanie assisted me, she's the Midwife that we saw at the tavern, remember? Her daughter, Stella, was also helping alongside her, however, she was a little more cold and even made a hurtful comment while I was giving birth".
- "Seriously? What did she say to you?"
- "Basically, she asked me, in a mocking tone, if I had also complained and screamed in pain when Jacob and I conceived Arnold. Obviously, Stella had no idea what it feels like to give birth. Fortunately, her mother told her off, and she never said another word to me," Beatrice said, still somewhat upset by the memory.
- "I know what you mean, and I can’t believe there are people who look down on something like that, especially other women. I was by Sara's side when our two children were born, and I saw how painful it was for her to bring them into the world, but it's all worth it as soon as the baby is comfortable on their mother's chest and begins their new life," Wirt said wistfully. "I've always appreciated and respected women, but witnessing that only made me appreciate and respect them even more."
- "Wow, Jacob wasn't allowed to be present while I was giving birth here. They say that's something men shouldn't witness. But when Arnold was born and Melanie told him he could come in and see us, Jacob burst into tears of pure joy and hugged us like he was the luckiest person in the world."
- "I suppose they do things differently here, and that's fine."
- "Would you like to come to my house to meet them, Wirt?" Beatrice asked.
- "I'd love to," the man replied.
Wirt and Beatrice walked for a while through the woods until they reached the house, which Wirt recognized immediately. In the yard, little Arnold was playing with his toy wheelbarrow and collecting dry leaves from the ground. The boy had slightly messy hair, a curious look in his eyes, and a restless energy that immediately reminded Wirt of Greg when he was that age. Suddenly, Arnold turned toward where his mother was standing with someone he didn't know in person, but whom his mother had already told him about, and he looked at him without any fear.
- "Are you Wirt?"
- "Yes, little one. I know your name is Arnold, nice to meet you," said the man in a kind voice.
- "Is this the boy you told me was weird, Mom?" Arnold asked innocently to his mother, who gave him a light touch on the shoulder.
- "Honey, we shouldn't be rude to people. Besides, I didn't say Wirt was weird , just peculiar ."
- "But that also means weird, Mom," the boy replied.
- "Don't worry, I've been told worse things," Wirt said with a nervous laugh.
Arnold moved a little closer, looking at him with complete curiosity.
- "Did you really get lost in this forest and survive?"
- "Of course, little one. My brother and I, who was about your age at the time, saved this place from The Beast."
The boy nodded, impressed.
- "That's great. Have you had many adventures in your life, Wirt?"
Beatrice sighed.
- "Don't encourage him, Wirt."
- "It's a complicated story," Wirt said, shrugging.
- "I like complicated stories," Arnold replied.
- "Well, Arnold, after my brother Greg and I got out of this place and helped your mother regain her human form, I got up the courage to start dating a girl named Sara, who is now my wife and the mother of our two children, Elaine and Patrick."
- "And do you like children a lot, Wirt?" Arnold asked.
- "Yes, especially my children. I wouldn't trade them for anything in the world," Wirt replied.
- "Are they like me?"
- "Elaine is calmer, while Patrick likes to ask a lot of questions," the man said.
- "So they are like me," Arnold replied happily.
Beatrice couldn't help but smile as she watched her son interact with Wirt. There was a moment of calm, where the wind gently stirred the leaves. She and Wirt gazed at each other, while Arnold plopped down onto the grass.
- "Hey... is this place real or is it a dream?" Arnold asked, looking up at the sky.
Wirt and Beatrice exchanged a glance.
- "It's both, little boy," said Wirt.
Arnold seemed satisfied with that answer.
- "Do you think I'll ever meet your children, or will they come here?"
- "I don't know, Arnold. And I hope that's a long way off."
- "There's no need to think about that, son," Beatrice told him.
At that moment, Jacob entered through the door. He was a blond-haired man, robust in build, and wearing a completely white pastry chef's uniform.
- "Hello, what a surprise. Who is this man, Beatrice?"
- "This is Wirt, the young man who saved this place from the Beast years ago. He's grown up now and has his own family, just like us, love," Beatrice replied.
- "Pleased to meet you, Mr. Jacob," said Wirt.
- "The pleasure is all mine, Wirt. My wife has told me a lot about you."
- "Really?"
- "Yes, she told me about that shy boy who managed to find his way after his adventure here, and believe me, that's admirable."
- "It took me a while, but yes, I did it," Wirt replied, very proudly.
- "Do you already have a family?" Jacob asked.
- "Yes, a wife and two precious children whom I love with all my heart. I would never have had the courage to declare my feelings to my wife if it weren't for Beatrice."
- "That's definitely how she is, and I'm glad she encouraged you at the time, Wirt."
Wirt and Beatrice's family chatted for a while about their lives, until sunset arrived, which Wirt interpreted as meaning that, in his world, a new day was beginning and he had to wake up.
- "I think it's time for me to go. I loved seeing you again and meeting your lovely family, Beatrice."
- "Thank you for your words, you beautiful mistake of nature," Beatrice said jokingly, but with sincere gratitude.
The woman hugged Wirt, and he then shook hands with Jacob and little Arnold.
- "Perhaps we'll meet again someday. Until then, stay gold," Wirt said, watching as the landscape around him slowly faded away, until everything went black.
The sound of his alarm clock brought him back to reality. It was a Saturday morning, and his wife was in the kitchen preparing breakfast for the whole family. Wirt opened his eyes as the dawn light streamed through the window. He stared at the ceiling, lost in thought after that dream. It was then that he realized his heart hadn't been wrong in choosing Sara as the person he wanted to spend the rest of his life with. He greatly admired how Beatrice had helped him step outside his comfort zone, but he couldn't mistake that for romantic feelings when there was no way he could be unfaithful to a woman who accepted him just as he was. He got out of bed, feeling a strange but comforting calm.
- “Thank you for everything you did for me, Beatrice. This is for you,” Wirt said as he opened the bedroom window and watched the birds singing outside. Many were bluebirds, just like Beatrice had been, and Wirt took it as a sign that his dream had been real, in a place where stories never truly end.
Then, Wirt went to the kitchen where, during breakfast, he told them about his dream and how Beatrice, now with her own family, was very proud of where they had come from, and couldn't ask for anything more. Wirt hugged and kissed Sara, while their children watched them with affection. Everything was fine, life was beautiful, and it was time to enjoy it.
END