Collective Unconscious (short story)
Collective Unconscious was a Cwej short story released by Arcbeatle Press freely on their website.
Summary
to be added
Plot
Sara Willox meets with her new therapist, Dr. Jen Ashfield. Sara tells her that, for the last three weeks, she has been having stressful dreams involving an armoured soldier named Chris. A few nights earlier, one of these dreams told her to seek out Jen Ashfield. Jen returns home and consults her dream diary, which confirms that she herself had a dream about the same man.
Six nights earlier, Jen dreams she is in a surreal warzone. A race of hairy, insectile creatures is battling a race of elegant, scaly creatures. The man in the blue armour appears and leads her to safety. He introduces himself as Chris Cwej. He tells her that they are both dreaming, and have become trapped in the Psychosphere, a virtual world created the the scaly aliens, the Geldex. The Psychosphere has become opened to unassuming dreamers as a result of being invaded by the Hytherians, the insectile aliens. Chris has had his mind uploaded to the Psychosphere so that he can find its centre and shut it down. He leads Jen to a mountain and uses the logic of the dream to manifest an elevator to the peak. They find a castle at the centre of the Psychosphere, and, near it, a fire exit. Jen steps through it an wakes up.
Chris enters the castle, where he meets Sara Willox. They pass through a door which leads to a dark forest, where they find a glass box with a red button, which can deactivate the Psychosphere. An elderly Geldex pleads with Chris not to press the button, explaining that its homeworld is dying and the Psychosphere is the last hope of its race. Chris, unwilling to allow the Psychosphere to operate and trap innocent dreamers, instructs the Geldex to find an alternative, and presses the button.
Sara wakes up and decides to see a therapist. She googles "Dr. Jen Ashfield", a name of a friend Chris mentioned in her dream.
Characters
References
- The Psychosphere is a virtual dream world built by the Geldex.
- The Geldex and the Hytherians are at war.
- Sara searchs for "Dr. Jen Ashfield" on google.
Story notes
- James Hornby, Thomas Banks, James Wylder, and Daisy Schopmeyer are all credited with providing assistance and additional editing.
Continuity
- Cwej says that "there are some weird doctors out there". (PROSE: Original Sin, et al.)
External links
- Official Collective Unconscious page at Arcbeatle Press
