Dreaming;Steiner

Written by :
Reda Lahdilli
( Sonoshee )

Chapter 1
"Everyone upon it [Earth] will perish {26} And there will remain the Face of your Lord, Owner of
Majesty and Honor {27} So which of the favors of your God would you deny? {28}"
- Al Quran, Sourat Arahman
Human is finite.
Whoever tries to cheat this fact falls into misery.
Lifespan is determined by, and only by God.
Hoping for extra life period before death strikes is irrational.
It's funny how words written on the wall of this room kept me wondering more than anything else;
who wrote them, when was it, what motives did this person have.
My memory seems more distant than usual, amnesia I think they call it.
My name... can't recall it.
My age... I can barely tell from my look that I am in my thirties.
Been in this sinister-looking room for as long as I can remember.
I don't starve, I don't thirst, for what feels to be more than decades, all alone in this room.
After all, why eat when you know you'll get hungry again ?
Every day yet another one, watching a looping movie following the journey of some group of people
traveling towards a spherical, odd-looking object in a dark field, they called it the Moon...
The outside world sure is a funny place, how can such thing exist.
If it ever does, I'd profoundly want to go there.
The only reason why I'm thankful for having amnesia is that I enjoy music, forget I enjoyed it, and then reenjoy it, especially when it comes to a jazz album playing on vinyl turntable.
I ought to say that weak memory is a key to happiness, but what is life without recordings, I live the
moment rather than the period. Makes me wonder what kind of person was I before entering this horrible
state of mental and physical crisis.
It's deep inside that I hear someone calling me:
- "Hey !
I came to save you, you won't feel lonely, never again.
Wait for me, I am coming very shortly !"
And then something strange happened, I knew how unique this phenomenon was, it never happened
before; An earthquake of some sort shook the whole room making the ceiling collapse.
I managed to take shelter beneath the table. I saw everything starting to reduce into ashes.

Chapter 2
My eyes opened. And there I see the most terrifying figure I have ever seen, it was a creature looking down
on me.
At that point, I wished I could just return back to the old familiar place and run the jazz albums I had.
It had the body of a human and the face of a rabbit, so eccentric that anyone could fall in love or fall in
tears seeing it.
This dark and majestic creature jumped on me :
- " Master !
I finally came !
I came to save you from this place ! "
Wha... What's going on, why is he calling me "master", I couldn't refer to my memory to identify his voice.
He then resumed :
- " I know it's hard to bear all of this into your mind, but I need you to trust me.
I can't let you know who I am exactly, nor who you are.
What you need to know for now is this :
You are inside a dream. A dream you couldn't get out out from,.
I came to your dream through mind connection to make it possible for you to wake up. "
What is this guy talking about !
All of these years inside a dream ?! This is insane !
He cut my train of thoughts and said :
- " I know, I know, this might sound bad and disturbing to you, but trust me, everything is going to be just
fine !
If you make sure you follow my orders exactly to the letter, and by this I mean you do exactly as I tell you to
do, then I can guarantee you will live a happy life just as you used to.
And remember, don't you trust anyone in this dream, they're all fakes, except the two of us.
Oh and one more thing, no questions until you wake up. "
- " Whoa hold on a little, why should I trust you in the first place, I don't even know your name, and you're
expecting me to follow you. "
- " It's not like you have anything better to do in this middle of nowhere.
I promise, everything will make sense once we reach the Room of Waking Up. "
- " I guess I should at least get to know your name, right? "
- "Sure, I am Shinobu Perl Nested Zeluck Atom Under Blade.
Call me Spinoza for short. "
He then resumed :
- " We should get going, get up and let's head for Arcadia, it's the only city where waking up is possible. "

Chapter 3
I realized my room was in the middle of a road linking two cities, Arcadia and Qabol.
How did Spinoza knew I was exactly there ? How come an earthquake struck the same moment Spinoza
came ? This story is puzzling my mind...
I had no choice but to follow Spinoza anyway.
We were going by feet all the way to Arcadia, yet not feeling any fatigue. Made me recall the fact that I
don't feel hunger or thirst, it's most likely because I am inside a dream.
Spinoza had the weirdest walk of them all, as if he was a rabbit trying to mimic humans' gestures.
Yet, it was plain that he was human, a man definitely lies beneath that mask of rabbit. But why hiding it.
And there it is, a city is starting to draw near the horizon.
- " It's Arcadia ", said Spinoza.
" Unfortunately, I won't be able to enter the city from its main entrance.
As you can tell, my appearance is slightly different than yours. "
- " Okay I don't mind entering from somewhere else. "
- " Well, I can't take you with me, you'll have to access through the main entrance, find the Funduq Hotel,
and wait until I come. "
I wrote the name of the hotel on a piece of paper.
I'm sure I didn't have a pencil and paper in my pockets. Might be because I'm inside a fictional world where
desire is immediately aroused. Made me wonder how much freedom do I have inside this dream-world.
I then resumed :
- " Finding places isn't the easiest task, especially while having amnesia.
Why are you wearing this stupid rabbit mask anyways ?"
- " Why are you wearing this stupid man mask ?
Sometimes it's not up to us to decide how to look like...
And I thought I said no more questions !
Now head for the entrance, I will meet you after a day or so.
And remember, don't trust anyone. Don't stop until you reach the hotel. "
I was then left alone, in this unfamiliar hostile world.
Arcadia seemed like an exotic place, nearly everything was dusty and rusty, and most of the city was
destroyed into wreckage due to the earthquake.
You can tell how much depressed people are just by looking at their dark empty eyes.
I should ask for a hotel named... let me refer to the piece of paper. Yes, a hotel named Funduq.
According to some citizens, the hotel must be in the other end of the city.
On my way there, I saw this person who stood out from all other depressed figures.
I saw her before ! Yes I did, but my memory can't help anymore.
She surely does not belong to this world, she is from somewhere else.
As I was drawing near, I felt like my heart was racing, her beauty was sublime.
It seems like she is looking for someone or something.
Stupid me ! What am I thinking about ! I need to proceed to the hotel as fast as possible.
Just when I decided to move on, the lady looked at me, and then I heard her superfine voice :
-"Simon ! Simon, that's you ! "

Chapter 4
Simon. Just hearing this mere word, made my mind pulse faster than ever.
I felt like my past flashed before my eyes at the speed of sound.
For a short second, I remembered everything... and then I forgot.
Before I knew it, I was down on my knees, my head facing the sky, my eyes wide open.
What could I have seen during that second ? Surely something so grand I was drawn into overwhelm.
Just when I regained consciousness over the situation, the lady jumped at me, with eyes full of tears :
- " Oh thank god I finally found you ! "
The lady I was admiring a while ago seems like she found what she was looking for.
It was me, Simon.
I asked :
- " Who... Who are you ? "
- " Simon, you have lost your memories.
I came from the outside world to save you. "
- " Spinoza told me not to trust anyone... I am sorry, I need to move on, Spinoza must be waiting. "
- " There is no waking up Simon.
You can't wake up from this dream. "
- " What are you talking about ! Spinoza knows a place where waking up is possible. "
- " Listen Simon, if there's anything dangerous about this dream, it's the fact that Spinoza is inside it. "
- " Well then where is Spinoza taking me ? "
- " He's playing the same act as twenty years ago, lock you up inside a room.
And I bet he left you alone to prepare that room."
I couldn't believe my ears, I was going to witness the same fate as before; the incarceration of my mind and
body inside a room.
She then resumed :
- " This dream was supposed to be a lucid dream; meaning a dream where the dreamer knows he is
dreaming, and thus gaining full control over it.
You're still not prepared to enter this state of dream as your lack of knowledge about your identity and
past impacts your confidence over what you're doing.
- " Yes, I want to know my past ! Please tell me what happened ! "
- " I am deeply sorry but I can't reveal any more than that.
I suppose Spinoza didn't tell you as well.
Knowing what happened to you in real-life is highly dangerous, it might disturb your sanity and thus
making everything inside this dream collapse. "
- " I am ready, Aleph, I can't live another second ignoring my past. Please !"
- " I can't, Simon. I promise I will tell you everything, but first we need to expel Spinoza from the dream. You
won't be able to get into the lucid state if he still persists in this dream, he's a threat to both of us. "
- " Okay, I am ready to follow your instructions. "
- " We need to head as fast as we can to the neighboring city, Qabol.
I will explain the purpose of going there on our way."

Chapter 5
On our way out of Arcadia and heading towards Qabol, Aleph started to explain our purpose in going
there :
- " The dream you are inside is different from others, it's a dream stimulated by a device called the
Dreaming;Steiner. And one of its features is letting others connect to the same dream.
The Dreaming;Steiner exists in both the real-world and the dream-world.
The instance that exists in the dream-world have landed in the middle of a cemetery in Qabol.
We must reach the device and disconnect Spinoza's plug from the machine.
- " What happens to Spinoza after we disconnect him ? "
- " The Dreaming;Steiner is unable to wake up someone from the dream unless if the dream ends, if
someone is disconnected before that, the machine excludes him from the dream and leaves him in a state
of permanent coma in the real-world... "
- " But we can't do that to someone ! "
- " Listen Simon ! He has done more than that to you, and he is still willing to. We must stop him as soon as
possible before he finds us.
Permanent unconsciousness till the end of life... more cruel than death itself.
But when compared to being held captive in a dark room, with amnesia, and nothing but a jukebox, a
television, and a bed, then I'd say Spinoza deserves so.
We crossed that old familiar place again, reduced to junk however.
Seeing it didn't back any nostalgia. In fact, nothing brings nostalgia anymore.
Aleph knew somehow that it was the place I used to live in.
Who was Aleph ? I saw her countless times before, but it was simply impossible to recall who was she.
It was Presque Vu, and it aches my mind. I want to know who is Aleph, who is Spinoza, what is the purpose
of the Dreaming;Steiner, and most important of all, who am I.
We finally reached Qabol, and it was as depressed as Arcadia.
What is up with the world ? Everyone seems empty and has that creepy look on their faces.
It wasn't hard to ask about the city's cemetery and find it.
Once there, I saw that sophisticated machine in the middle of the cemetery.
- " It's the Dreaming;Steiner ", said Aleph.
The sorrounding ground seemed engraved, as if the machine landed in this dream-world through outer
space and stroke the ground like a meteorite.
The machine had two plugs, and ten disconnected ones. As if the machine could handle twelve outsiders
besides the original dreamer.
Each plug had a screen on top of its slot. The two plugged ones' said "Aleph" and "Spinoza".
- " Let's do it. ", said Aleph.
Before we realized it, the majestic big figure of Spinoza was behind Aleph.
His speed in catching her from the neck was instantaneous.
- " Aleph, you scum.
Don't tell me you two were planning to disconnect me from the dream.", Spinoza said.
He then resumed :
" Master, you're such a naive person, don't listen to her.
Now back away from the machine. "
- " Don't listen to him, Simon. Do what we came here for; Disconnect the plug ! "
- " Master, you don't even know who she is.
Did she tell you that she is your wife and that she is the one responsible for being in such state ?
Of course not !

Chapter 6
Aleph... is my wife ?!
Yes I remember her !
She took good care of me back in the real-world.
She didn't tell me she was my wife to reduce the probability of remembering my past.
And Spinoza... he made a mistake reminding me of that fact.
I pulled Spinoza's plug out with all my might.
Aleph managed to free herself from Spinoza.
She then said :
- " Simon, quickly, let's hide behind the machine ! "
I couldn't resist taking a look at Spinoza's final moments.
He said, looking at the sky :
" I just wanted to grant everyone a life after death, what's so wrong about it ! "
A thunderstruck from the sky blasted the beautiful Spinoza at the speed of lightning.
Spinoza died.
- " Aleph... who is Spinoza ? He reminded me of someone I think I know. Please tell me ! "
- " Simon, I will tell you what happened...
But please be strong, don't get emotional over anything I tell you.
Realize that we are finally together, that's all we wanted in the real-world. "
- " Thank you Aleph ! "
- " Friends don't thank each others, Simon. It makes me feel like a stranger when you're thanking me. "
I'm happy I met someone as great as Aleph, I felt at ease talking to her, as if we were one.
As long as Aleph is with me at this very moment, I'm ready to face whatever happened to me in the realworld.
- " So when does this story of mine begin ? Is it 20 years ago ? "
- " 20 years ?
I'd rather like to know why did you choose exactly 20 years ago. "
- " Well you said Spinoza locked me in that room 20 years ago. "
- " Well, listen Simon...
Stories don't have beginnings, nor do they have endings.
If the main events took place 20 years ago, then have you considered what lead to those events ?
Have you considered what lead to the causes of those events ?
When ascending through that line of causes, we reach a point where time has begun, therefore every given
story is as old as the universe itself.
What I can afford doing however is reanimating the main events that took place 20 years ago so that your
imagination approaches to some extent the reality of what happened at that time.
And if I ever succeed to verbally reanimate those events, that doesn't mean I have told your story.
I just told you a part of the story as I, Aleph, have witnessed it; there are as many stories as there are
characters contributing to it, each having his own point of view.
Therefore, Spinoza have witnessed a completely different story than mine, and you have witnessed a
different story than us. "
- " So that means that the part of the story you are going to narrate lacks a sense of completeness ? "
- " Exactly, and so the solution is trying to project the story through different perspectives, that is, trying to
be as omniscient as possible. "

Chapter

- " You used to work in an independent science laboratory with your intimate friend Vincent, making all sort
of mad inventions.
You two were ahead of everyone else, but your mad and revolutionary way of thinking wasn't approved by
common science.
The greatest invention of them all was a device called the Dreaming;Steiner.
This device isn't like your other inventions, it needs a dead body for it perform its tasks.
No one agreed to be a test subject after death... people fear what they don't understand, after all.
So you two ended up making a pact one to the other; whoever dies first shall grant his dead body to test
the Dreaming;Steiner.
After two years, you had a car accident, and you lost consciousness, you fell in a prolonged coma for
weeks...
Vincent, supported by the pact you made, was able to get you out from the hospital to your secret
laboratory.
Vincent tried to explain to me what the purpose of the Dreaming;Steiner was.
It was a machine that grants a dead person the ability to revive inside his dreams.
Human beings often feel they have spent days inside their dreams, while in fact those dreams take
seconds to execute in the real-world. All mechanical delays that occur in the real-world are neglected in the
dream-world; The entire dream-world is simulated inside the brain, thus the superiority when it comes to
time of execution of an action in the dream-world.
And since a human brain lasts active for about 7 minutes, then it's possible to enter a dream state in that
time period. And according to Vincent, a dream that will last 7 whole minutes in the real-world will be
simulated as 7 weeks in the dream-world.
The dream stimulated by the Dreaming;Steiner is a lucid dream, meaning a dream in which the dreamer is
conscious of himself being in a dream, and thus gaining full control over it.
But Vincent and you found a way of extending this 7 weeks time period.
The method requires the dreamer to sleep inside his dream, making the brain process more information in
the 7 minutes real-world duration.
The Dreaming;Steiner also had numerous other functions, such as the ability to connect up to 12 people to
the same dream, and monitor the emotional and physical states of the dreamers.
It was after two months that the tragedy struck our ears...
We have lost you.
Vincent had prepared the Dreaming;Steiner beforehand.
Shortly after the activation of the Dreaming;Steiner, the machine's monitor showed that you are active
inside your dream !
Once inside, you knew what had to be done, sleep inside the dream, and do the same 5 other times so that
the dream-world duration meets one hundred years...

Chapter 0
As you progressed through dream layers, and after reaching the fourth dream, your emotional state
started to get unstable. More precisely, you started losing your memory and the ability to memorize.
It was, according to Vincent, an unexpected side effect of entering nested dreams; the brain loses the
ability to memorize since it's henceforth too concentrated on processing data. Your brain, in this final
dream layer, tends to process one hundred years in 7 real-world minutes... Which justifies the damage in
your memory.
You were unable to recall the fact that you are inside a dream, and you started losing your persona;
you forgot your age and even your name, and got all depressed because of your loneliness, and started
thinking that strangling yourself to death might hurt a little bit less than the emptiness you felt.
We had to act as fast as possible since seconds of our real-world meant months in your dream-world.
Vincent then decided to connect to your dream and bring you back to your senses.
When Vincent connected to your dream, an earthquake took place in the dream-world.
He then found you and tried to befriend you.
You weren't able to recognize him because of your amnesia.
Little by little, you two started to become close to each others.
He told you about the fact that you are dreaming and that you are dead in the real-world, and told you
about the purpose of the Dreaming;Steiner. But none of that really mattered for you since Vincent, a very
dear friend, was with you.
One day, you two were in a room in the middle of nowhere.
Vincent got out and locked the door so that you couldn't get out from it.
It appeared that his eagerness to see the machine you two have been working on far exceeded his love
towards his friend.
Out of despair, you wrote words from the Holy Quran that you still memorize by heart on the walls of the
room with a piece of chalk, expressing the impossibility of an after-life chosen by someone other than God.
Vincent went to a nearby city and procured a rabbit mask.
He changed his identity since he was afraid you could recognize him if you ever get out in the future.
This is what I have concluded from your emotional and physical monitors during the real-world minute
that followed Vincent's entry to your dream.
Your emotional state wasn't getting any better during that minute. It was the longest minute I have ever
witnessed.
I knew Vincent wasn't as honest as he seemed in the real-world, so I went to his plug in the machine, which
indicated Spinoza rather than his true name, to disconnect him.
I was unfortunately unable to do so since the instance that exists in the dream-world was the only one able
to execute this function.
That's when I rushed to connect to your dream and save you from Vincent, or Spinoza as he called himself
after you got out.
Once connected, I was propulsed from outer space to strike the ground of the dream-world, which justifies
the happening of the earthquake that got you out from the room. "

Chapter +
I can't believe that I, Simon, have known such a thrilling past !
All of this happened...
All of this happened during previous minutes... Unbelievable !
Everything finally fits right in my mind !
- " I don't know how to thank you Aleph, you made it possible for me to remove this big burden.
Sometimes our pasts are so immense that it scares the hell out of us.
I am dead in the real-world, and that's perfectly fine, as long as I have you by my side.
My persona started at last gaining self-esteem and pride, and I started feeling as if my actions were filled
with a dose of confidence.
I started feeling like I am myself, my true self.
I felt as if possibilities in this world were endless.
Yes, it's a dream, nothing can stop me. Nothing can bring me down.
It was lucidity flowing through my brain cells.
Imagination takes us everywhere.
It was MY world.
A world with rules I dictate.
If I think it, then I do it.
- Aleph ! Grab my hand, we're going to the Moon !
- Are you feeling the lucidity in your actions ?
- Of course I do ! We will make this world a perfect imaginary world !
- Sure thing !
I will be your memory throughout this journey. Count on me, Simon !
For a second, I perceived my legs as a pair of coils, and I pushed the ground so hard that I found myself
hopping off the ground.
Aleph was screaming just as much as I was, exactly like children... In fact, all humans are children, we just
gradually convince ourselves that we have to act more mature.
We were aiming for the Moon.
I'm finally going to that spherical odd-looking object.
Free in the sky, and piercing through the atmospheric layer, nothing felt better than that in my life.
I had another thing to tell Aleph before we get fully involved into our journey of freedom :
- Aleph, when you return back to the real-world in 80 years, I want you to destroy the Dreaming;Steiner
and burn all of its blueprints...
Not everyone has someone who loves them as much as you love me to bring them back to their senses.
And I still believe that after-life granted by humans is impossible.
And as God said :

The worldly life is nothing but amusement and fake diversion; but the home of the
Hereafter is best for those who fear Allah, so will you not reason? {32}
- Al Quran, Sourat Al An'aam

My story about freedom was just getting started !