Nikolaos The Man Of Dreams ...and The Legend Of Santa Claus. Armando Lazzari

right, I don't even want to try to understand how you know these things, but I have to ask you one question: how did we get here?"

      "We are not really in this place, but I only projected our minds to it. To be precise, this place is what the captain of the ship sees in his memories while he sleeps".

      "Did we end up inside the captain's dream?" asked Pétros.

      "In a certain sense...even if this is the initial phase, in which the real world is prepared as a base, to be then remixed with the fantasy of the various memories".

      Nicholas tried to capture every single detail in search of something useful, until he spotted it.

      "Look at that red glow down there, you can bet it will turn out to be interesting!"

      The glow pulsed uninterruptedly and like a flashlight guided their steps towards the target, but when they reached the halfway point, the surrounding landscape began to oscillate forcing them to stop so as not to fall, while the source of light, slowly sinking, was sucked by the axes of the ship.

      "And now? What kind of joke is this?" claimed Pétros.

      "The captain has entered into the deepest phase of his sleep, and his memories are merging with his dreams...it will now be more difficult to discover the origin of that light.

      An imperious wind began to blow against him, becoming increasingly overbearing.

      " Boss, is it really so fundamental to know?"

      "That's one of the captain's unconscious memories, if he marked it that way it means it's certainly important."

      Despite the proximity, the deafening noise of the wind forced the two of them to scream.

      "But important for what?" Pétros wanted to know.

      "To save the ship from shipwreck," replied Nicholas with ease.

      "Shipwreck? Will you stop telling me things as if they were the stew of a stew?" the little guy complained.

      "I was referring to the shipwreck which I saw in my vision and which had nothing natural, but seemed to be a malignant work!"

      The ship was now moving more visibly, and the water splashes flooded it with every rocking, worrying Pétros.

      "So this is the storm that is going to wreck the ship?"

      "No, it's only the captain's fears that are agitating his sleep, but which prevent us from discovering the truth." reassured the Bishop.

      "So what are we going to do? Do we wait for him to take a chamomile and then try again?"

      "We must identify the captain in this place, in his human likeness, and calm him down. Only then can we talk to him and ask him for information before it is too late!"

      "I don't know about you, but I don't see a damn thing!" complained Pétros.

      "You're right...let's try to create an entrance which will give us the right visibility..."

      The Bishop began to wave his stick, describing a semicircle in the air which formed an invisible shield, unassailable by water, which allowed him to see despite the storm.

      "While you're at it, couldn't you also create a canopy? I'm soaking wet!"

      "The rain is not real, be satisfied and look around you!"

      "Yes, of course...as unreal as the golems were, I still feel like my bones are broken!"

      "It's only the unconditional reflexes of your mind, and..."

      "Found!"

      This time it was the goblin who interrupted the Bishop.

      "Over there, I glimpsed the figure of a man!"

      With a great deal of effort they tried to approach the aft cabin, on which was the captain intent on tinkering with the clavus5.