"Uh, I know I like having silky, velvety dreams," Mena said, stirring the milk with her finger. "But not like this!"

Curiously, she dipped her finger into the milk sea and cautiously licked her finger. "Mmm, this taste so good! So rich and creamy just like the way D…"

"Like I used to make," a familiar voice with a country twang said.

"Ma...ma...ma...Deidre?!" Mena gasped and she spun around.

Clad in a dress as vibrant as a chartreuse banana, Deidre Love wore a golden bonnet to shield her her pale complex from the sun. Her emerald eyes, covered in all kinds of cosmetics from mascara to eyeliner batted themselves at Mena. The young witch was overwhelmed with tears. She had not seen Deidre since she passed. She ran to the belle and gave her a tender embrace, nuzzling her tight.

Deidre ran her hands through Mena's hair, and even though it was just a dream, Mena savored every brush of her thick hair.

"Why did I dream of a milk sea?!" Mena asked. "Was it because I drank warm milk before I slept?"

"No dear," Deidre said, "Your subconscious runs deeper than that. You dreamed of a milk sea because I used to serve you homemade milk before you went to bed. This dream milk is mine."

"Oh my magicaps," Mena said, crying a little. "I thought I'd never taste it again."

She broke from Deidre's grasp and dunked her face in the ocean. A loud gurgling sound filled the air and when she popped out, her slightly hairy lip bristled with milk. "Milk sea mustache!" Mena exclaimed and her and Deidre burst into giggles.

"I just want you to enjoy yourself dear," Deidre said. "There's nothing to worry about tonight."

"Right-o," Mena said, hopping to her feet and skipping over to Deidre. "I want spend my time with my other mom!"

"Well, y'all got all dream long!" Deidre exclaimed.

Beneath the singular palm tree on her island, Mena and Deidre sat in foldable chairs and sipped warm milk from large glasses. Much to Mena's relief, her pasty skin did not fry in the sun but rather baked to a golden brown when she looked in a silver mirror. Deidre too looked ravishing, finally having shed her bonnet and letting her gingery orange hair bounce in the sunlight.

This was another amazing dream, Mena thought, and it couldn't get any better until…

An interesting fish popped out of the water. Its scales were the color of perfectly flowing rainbows that glided along its filmy surface. Mena's eyes nearly popped out of her head. "The Dreamfish!"

Upon hearing its name, the Dreamfish popped beneath the surface with a loud gasp. "Come on, Deidre!" Mena cried. "The Dreamfish finally surfaced. We gotta go catch him!"

Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.

Deidre had fallen asleep and she murmured to herself as Mena shook her hand. "I can't believe I'm gonna do this," Mena said to herself. "I'm gonna catch this Dreamfish once and for all."

She removed her overcoat, and beneath it, was her two-piece swim suit stretched on her board like frame. Mena took one last look at Deidre before diving in. This time she wouldn't risk her caretaker's life.

Mena dove into the milk sea where she spotted the beautiful fish with its swirling colors. She held her breath as hard as she could and paddled harder and harder through the milky white ocean.

As she went deeper, the taste of the milk through her nostrils grew a bit more bitter, a bit more sour, but she continued to paddle deeper and deeper into the murky depths. She was slowly gaining on the Dreamfish when she heard a call from the depths.

"Mena!"

Mena looked down at the ocean floor where large clusters of seaweed grew. Trapped in one of the twisted and turning stalks was...Deidre.

"Deidre!" Mena exclaimed and tasted a full mouthful of sour milk.

As she gagged on it, the Dreamfish stopped to gaze at her with its dark eyes. It had stopped moving and was ready to be grabbed. Mena looked between Deidre and the fish. This was her only chance, but when Deidre cried for help again, Mena couldn't let her die. Not like she had done in real life.

Mena forgot the Dreamfish and breast stroked over to Deidre. "Don't worry," she cried. "You're…"

Suddenly, Deidre's body fell through her sundress and hat, leaving nothing left but her clothes. The seaweed gave a deep gutteral chuckle and wrapped its leaves around Mena squeezing her tight. "Now...you will stay here….forever!" It wheezed.

Mena struggled hard against the sea weed, but it had constricted her tightly like a snake. There was no way she could escape now. Mena began to whimper and cry as the Dreamfish swam away yet again.

"What could stop this seaweed?" she thought to herself, but nothing came to her mind.

She was ready to give up, when at last, she chanted. "Magic please, give a sword to slash through the seawee…mmph…"

Before she could finish chanting, the vile plant muffled her mouth. Magic was channelled through chanting, and without it, Mena could no longer cast spells.

Her body hung limp in frustration as she resigned herself to being trapped forever. Hours seemed to pass. Mena was ready to give up the ghost and slip into eternity, but a golden white light lowered itself down. The light reflected itself in Mena's dark brown eyes and with a great chant of "Luminescent joy!" the sphere dispelled the whole dream.

Mena woke up in a bed in a dark room, but it wasn't her own. She turned her head from side to side realizing she wasn't in her own bed, but rather the infirmary's.

"That was too close," Mena said, panting hard. "I almost ended up being lost in my dream forever."

"Mena?!" a voice cried and suddenly, a light brightened the whole room.

Her friend May shuffled in with a relieved look on her round face. "Mena…" she said, "Thank the Dream Goddess you're alright!"

"I was almost trapped forever!" Mena sighed. "But somehow a great white light saved me! Now I'm ready to start the day, the Mena way!"

"Uhh.." May said with some trepidation. She sat down beside Mena.

"About that. The days almost over. You slept so long, we were almost afraid you'd never wake up!"

Mena was silent. Her face turned pale. "Never wake up?! Is that why I'm in the…?"

"Yes!" May cried and hugged her.

As a sobbing May nearly throttled the young witch, she now knew that perhaps chasing the Dreamfish was too risky. Perhaps Anguish had truly won the battle before it started.