There was once a cheerful and lively girl, who lived only in the dreams of others. No one knew for sure when she was born, and who were his parents: some claimed that she existed before the invention of the telephone or electric light, while others were convinced that she was born even before the discovery of fire. But in the end, this was not the important thing: Paprika (this was his name) has always existed, since there was memory, and his only pleasure was to travel through the dreams of people sad, to give them a small but precious moment of joy.
If a child falls asleep with tears in their eyes, simply because he wanted to stay up late to finish to see the favorite cartoon, Paprika came deep in his dream, he took him by the hand and led him through a fantastic adventure, full fantastic animals, elves and fairies. If, however, Paprika crept in his sleep of a boy in love, but unpaid, could transform into a young East, with big eyes and deep: sitting in front of the Taj at sunset Mahal, she whispered sweet words in his right ear, stroking her hair and holding his hand. Every so often the little Paprika also loved to take care of the sleep of some sweet little man, who was now alone: \u200b\u200bit was to live again all the past adventures, meet young love, savor moments now sunk into oblivion.
There was once a boy named Orpheus. He too was not a child like any other, even though he had special powers like those of Paprika. Orpheus was a lonely child, preferring to immerse themselves in a fantasy world he created, rather than play ball with their friends in the park. He knew perfectly by heart the names of the seven kingdoms that made up Helroch, his empire imaginary: he was the absolute king, all his subjects loved him and were grateful for his wisdom and greatness. Often a school was mocked and teased by classmates for his bizarre dress, but he did not care. He was shy with the girls: If a girl looks into his eyes, he was forced by a vise in the stomach to plunge the look in the book on which he drew views of small Helroch.
He had never been a big problem, and until they fell in love with Sofia. Sofia was a girl who attended his class, and sat a few benches behind. Orpheus did not have many friends, so often during the interval he was sitting in class, leaning against the window, watching out. One day Sophie had approached him and asked him what to watch. She was beautiful: it grew so close to his body temperature; words, usually have few, were all locked in my heart. He knew he had to say something clever, but had not left anything. He had been petrified, looking out, saying nothing. She, after a few moments, she was gone, with a subtle but very significant shrug.
He could not get that scene from head all day, after not having touched almost nothing for dinner, it was put to bed. Knew he had to get his subjects to Helroch, but that night, for the first time, he had fallen asleep with the thought harrowing Sofia laughing at him behind his back, with the other girls in the school.
And it was that night that he met for the first time Paprika.
Paprika could not understand what was wrong with that kid, but he felt it was really sad. Something big had to be his success, he decided to enter his dream, to put things right and make them forget their troubles, making adventure ever.
But to his surprise, just entered the dream of Orpheus, it was realized that there was surprise: in the mind of that kid there was a beautiful world inhabited by hundreds of people different from each other. On top of a grassy hill you stood a huge castle with walls as white as ivory and the doors and windows were completely brown. Paprika had approached with enormous caution drawbridge, almost on tiptoe on the fresh grass. Two guards stood smiling in front of the entrance, but had grown by a bow for it to enter.
He walked the long corridors looking around in amazement: but how could this be the fruit of the imagination of one child? After several minutes, she managed to get to the main hall of the castle: the white marble floor was covered with a huge red carpet and hung on the columns and the walls were tapestries embroidered with gold, silver and precious stones. At the center of the huge room, sitting on a throne carved with battle scenes and mythological battles between gods, there was Orpheus, wrapped in a purple robe and a huge crown on her head round. He had a sad expression, eyes down, and had not even noticed the presence of Paprika before him.
"Majesty", or often had her, mimicking a bow, "I have traveled hundreds of miles to come here to speak with you, I hope you have the courtesy to receive it." Paprika was not sure what to do: she was usually to hold the ranks of the game, to create situations in which set the right situations to revive the wounded hearts of its guests. Instead, in the mind this little boy with sad eyes, everything was solidly built, nothing could be changed.
She stayed for a few seconds in silence, then, given that the King did not answer, he shouted: "Hey !!!!"
Orpheus had literally jumped on his throne: Who was this funny and sassy girl who presented his presence, in Herloch? It was certainly not one of his usual subjects, as he knew them all, one by one. He did not even have time to rearrange the ideas, which she had approached, had given him a slap on the head, making him drop the ring on the eye, and had screamed: "Sire Alarm, alarm! The village is on fire! "And
Thus began his relationship with Paprika: put out the fire in the village, with the help of the royal cavalry, but it was only the beginning. After that first night, in fact, there were many others, during which Orpheus and Paprika lived the most dangerous adventures, fascinating and wonderful that you can imagine: Dragons defeated, they built aqueducts, saved the nymph that inhabits the lake and rejected several times the armies of the Witch Onirika dangerous.
Orpheus was feeling better, not only in his dreams. Day after day, in fact, had been bought with the help of Paprika, a lot of confidence in himself, even in everyday life. He became a boy less and less so; had even begun to have some friends with a classmate, and no longer had to look the other way when a girl's turns.
The years went by, and Paprika continued to attend her dreams: she was the best thing that could happen. But why
Paprika, who rarely attended the dreams of someone for more than two or three times, had settled a long time now in Herloch with Orpheus? The answer lies in the depths of the heart of the girl who travels in dreams of the people: it was falling in love for the first time in his long life. At first, it seemed funny, this little boy with a ring bigger than her head, then over of days, the endless fascination of the empire created by the imagination of an ordinary human being had intoxicated the senses, while growing interest in a child that turned slowly into a man.
Their games had become more intense, until, one night, they had kissed in the light of the three moons in the sky to chase Herloch.
Paprika For the first time he had heard what people call "heartbeat."
In a short time had become the queen of the realm of Orpheus, and things went well for some time. He felt happy, and had neglected the dreams of other people sad, to enjoy this unexpected happiness, which was interrupted only when, in the morning, Orpheus had to wake up to return to his real life. Everything seemed perfect.
Then one night, everything was over.
It had been years now since they first met. Orpheus was no longer a little kid and so: with the help of Paprika had overcome many of the complex. Now, when a girl's turn our gaze, no longer felt the urge to escape, but replied with a smile safely decided. The classmates had stopped teasing him, and some had even written dedications romantic diary.
Orpheus knew that this was about Paprika, but how often these things go, gratitude is a very, very rare to detect. He had stopped attending
Herloch every night, but his relationship with Paprika was changing slowly.
One day, finally was able to find the courage to invite outside Sofia, his old classmate, as well as his first true love. Sofia had agreed, and before long the two were engaged. Paprika
wept, she had never cried before, and for the first time that someone wanted to visit his dreams, to make them more beautiful. But she herself was a dream, and his desire could not be fulfilled.
He stopped attending the dreams of Orpheus, but not all. From that day forward he never went out visiting people's sad, to cheer them up, but began to transform nightmares in the dreams of people happy and in love. Dream, Paprika had turned into a nightmare, a nightmare with little heart broken. Paprika
For a long time had not heard of Orpheus. One night
that melancholy had become too strong, however, had decided to return to Herloch.
The landscape was very different from how he remembered it: the castle walls were crumbling and covered with weeds and bushes, the village was deserted, the fields were burned.
Not a soul was around. Paprika had crossed the entrance, walked the corridors that once were covered with rich and opulent, but now they were devastated by fire and neglect. When he finally had reached
the central room of the castle, with tears in his eyes, he saw a small figure that was sitting on the throne, his head resting on hands.
had dried her eyes with a movement of the hand, then he shyly asked who he was.
was Orpheus. But it was not sure if the same guy and happy that she remembered: it was back to being that shy child and a sad time, what she had known years earlier.
Orpheus had raised his head, jumped down from the throne, and great was the way in against bursting into sobs. They had remained there, motionless, for hours that had the flavor of minutes.
Orfeo had had an accident, after Sophia had left him. For two years he was in a coma, in a hospital bed, during which he had always lived in Herloch, hoping to return his queen. But she had not made more alive. Without Paprika Orpheus was unable to rule, now: he had neglected his subjects and had even allowed the witch Onirika to conquer a large part of the realms. Now living alone in the cold walls of the castle, which had lost its former glory.
"Stay with me, Paprika, ricostruiamolo together. And this time will be forever, "he told her, her cheeks streaked with tears from the first that was able to cry, after a long time.
"Only if really forever."
Then, they had kissed. Orpheus in his hospital bed, for a fraction of a second, smiled.
