Origin

"What do dream agents do?"

I asked as I dry Leigh's hair while I'm sitting on one of the lounge beach chairs and he's sitting on the floor.

"Dream agents are like housekeepers and dreamcatchers. We take care of the dream world of the person that our agency assigned to us and we make sure that the person only have good dreams and serenity in this dream world until they've healed."

Answered Leigh to my question as I continue to dry his hair. 'Housekeepers' and 'dreamcatchers'. I want to be healed like the others as well.

"My seniors often tell us, their juniors, about our origin. The Native Americans, especially the Ojibwe people, also known as the 'Chippewa' people, have this mythology known as Asibikaashi or 'the Spider Woman', the mother-figure who's a protector of the people, especially children. Dreamcatchers became a proxy for Asibikaashi as the Ojibwe nation spread it over to a larger geographical region, as a tool that's hung-over children's beds to capture any nightmares or evil things before it could cause harm. And that is when the first fourteen nightmares were caught and the Fourteen Protectors of Dreams were born."

"So, you're saying that you, the dream agents or Protectors of Dreams, were came from the nightmares that the dreamcatchers caught?"

I asked Leigh while I'm still drying his hair. He just nods as an answer to my question.

"The first Fourteen Protectors of Dreams and other Protectors of Dreams that followed them often appear in front of the person who always have nightmares. They accompany the person until they fell asleep and stay with them to protect them from nightmares and other evil things until the sun comes up."

Continued Leigh then suddenly turns around and looks at me while smiling, making me stop from drying his hair.

"Why aren't you doing that now?"

I asked Leigh as I continue to dry his hair while he's still looking at me, smiling and sitting on the floor. He slowly looked down, sighed then looks back at me.

"Well… this part of our origin is the only thing that reminds us of the cruelty of humans whenever one of us, dream agents or Protectors of Dreams, wants to appear in front of the person whom the agency assigned to us in the real world."

Answered Leigh to my question then pouts his lips. Well, he's not wrong about the cruelty of humans. Wait… if he thinks that they're not one of us humans… then… what does he think they are?

"Hmm… how should I tell it to you?"

"Wait. Before you begin, I have another question to ask you."

I said to Leigh while I'm still drying his hair. Why can't he just snap dry his hair? It's annoying but… refreshing… at the same time.

"What is it, Ella?"

"Do you not think that you're one of us, humans?"

I asked Leigh as I stopped from drying his hair and look straight in his eyes. Leigh looked straight into my eyes as well then smiled at me.

"No, Ella. We're not humans. We're bad dreams that the dreamcatchers caught and helped by bringing us to life with the purpose of helping humans have a goodnight sleep and help them heal from the wounds that the real world has given them."

Answered Leigh as he continues to smile at me. I just nod at him then continues to dry his hair. I should've searched for the myths, legends and origin of the dreamcatcher when I found out about it years ago. Why didn't you do it, Ella?

"Can I start now, Ella?"

"Yeah."

I answered to Leigh's question while I'm still drying his hair with a smile on my face. This is the very first time I dried someone's hair.

"The Ojibwe people became friends with the Protectors of Dreams because they believe that we protect them from the nightmares and evil things that appears through the night. They're not wrong though. The Protectors of Dreams were introduced to other Native American Tribes through trade and intermarriage by the Ojibwe people. And because of that, the Protectors of Dreams visits not only the Ojibwe people, but other Native American Tribes as well."

Began Leigh as he continues to look at me. I now stopped from drying his hair then touched it to feel whether it's now dry or not.

"All done."

I said to Leigh as I now fix his hair with a smile on my lips, making him smile back at me.

"Thank you Ella."

Thanked Leigh as he gets up from sitting on the floor then takes a sit beside me on the lounge beach chair.

"What happened next?"

"Native Americans and Protectors of Dreams live in peace and harmony throughout the years. Until one fateful night… one of the leaders of the Native American Tribes told the leader of the first Fourteen Protectors of Dreams that there are other people beyond their lands who needs their protection at night. Hearing that made the leader of the first Fourteen Protectors of Dreams worry for almost the whole night and these thoughts of visiting people beyond the Native Americans' lands at night to protect them from nightmares keeps popping up on her mind."

Continued Leigh as he looks at the sky then sighed. I just stared at him as I wait for him to continue.

"The leader's emotions got the best of her and asked the thirteen Protectors of Dreams who wants to go with her to check other people beyond the Native Americans land. Six of them wanted to go with the leader, while the other seven decided to stay behind. The leader and the six others who volunteered to go with her transformed into smoke and left the other seven quietly."

Said Leigh as he continues to look at the sky. I'm pretty sure that this part of their origin will be horrifying because humans are involved. I feel so sorry to the seven of the very first Fourteen Protectors of Dreams on behalf of the humans who were cruel to them.