Dreamland

By Toshiya Kamei

“Any change?” Father asked as he entered my brother Ken’s hospital room.

Mother shook her head. Worry had carved deep furrows into both of my parents’ brows. They reminded me of gargoyles guarding the gates of hell. I shifted in the stiff chair and crumpled my empty bag of vending machine cookies. Sticky crumbs stuck to my damp fingers. The smell of disinfectant clung to us like funerary incense.

Hooked to an IV line, Ken, cursed to sleep forever, lay in his hospital bed. He had only hints of wispy hair on his emaciated head. His skin was waxy, and he resembled a lifeless mannequin.

Like fat men were sometimes called “Tiny,” the doctors and nurses called him “Beauty.” Sleeping Beauty, to be precise, even though he was such an eyesore. I was far from a fair observer, however. Growing up, Ken and I weren’t very close.

As my parents whispered their fears to each other, I closed my eyes, mumbled Latin nonsense, and willed myself to merge with Ken’s subconscious. In this dreamlike state, I found myself in a cozy, green park, and Ken appeared as a woman in a red wig. He led me to a wooden bench and sat me down next to him.

“You have to break the curse if you want to come back.”

“I don’t want to, Sis. Even if I did, I don’t know how.”

I remained silent while observing Ken. To my relief, he looked happy.

“I love it here. It’s not perfect, but I’m not alone. I love being a woman and being around other folks like me. We all have access to hormone replacement therapy. I don’t want to go back.”

“What about our parents?”

“I don’t care about them.” Ken shrugged. “They never supported me when I came out as trans. They thought it was just a phase. By the way, call me ‘Lucy.’”

“I’m sorry, Lucy.” I peered up at the pristine sky, wishing I had been a better sister. “Did you get yourself cursed on purpose?”

Lucy smiled, but she had the decency to look sheepish. “I just couldn’t live that way any longer.”

I wiped a tear from my eye and embraced her. My sister. “I love you. I only want you to be happy.”

Her breath tickled my neck. “So do I.”

That night, as my parents slept, I disconnected Ken’s life support. But whenever I could, I visited my beautiful sister Lucy in her beautiful dreams.

About the Author

Toshiya Kamei writes fiction inspired by fairy tales, folklore, and mythology.

Their short stories have appeared in various magazines and anthologies, including Daily Science Fiction, Galaxy’s Edge, and the 2021 edition of Best Asian Speculative Fiction.

In 2022, they won the Apex Microfiction Contest.