I dreamed a dream...



Ok, again the song used in this story, I dreamed a dream is NOT mine. I take NO credit for it. It is from Les Miserables. If you want to know more about the musical visit my links page. The song is also on my Lyrics page. All the characters in this story are MINE! thats right, none of them are Disney's they're ALL MINE! that means if you want to use them you have to ask first! mwuahhh!!

“The funeral is about to start, ma’am.” Cosette glanced up at Olivia, who stood in the doorway. She looked back to the large French doors, and nodded. Olivia sighed, and shut the large mahogany door to Mr. Weatherby’s study. Cosette, breathed in deeply, and glanced down at her black, dreary dress. She smoothed out the wrinkles, and tucked a wisp of hair behind her hair. She looked around the richly decorated study, with shelves and shelves of books, a large dark wooden desk that held all her uncle’s most important papers and the large French doors that led out to his small private terrace. She looked out the doors again, and cursed the glorious sun that was shining too brightly. It was spring in Connecticut, a time that used to fill her with joy, but these days nothing brought joy. Her mind raced back to the last time she had stood in this room.

She was only eight, and yet understood completely what had happened. Even now, eleven years later, she could still smell the fire, she could still feel the heat and the tears that streamed down her face when she realized that Jack was in the house. Sulking because he had sassed mom and wasn’t allowed to go to the show. She wished so many times that she could have done something, if only she had done something…. After their house was ruined, they moved in with her mother’s sister until the new house could be built. She stood in the study before the funeral, staring out of these same French doors. The room had changed little in the eleven years. When her brother died, it was fall. Connecticut in fall was even more beautiful than spring. The air was crisp and clean and the sky was blue. Cosette had been confused. How could the world look so beautiful? Shouldn’t it be crying like her?

Cosette brought her mind back to the spring morning before her, and her parents’ funeral that awaited her. She sighed at the beauty of the day, again feeling confused. The world should not be happy. She turned from the French doors, vowing to never again step foot in this room, and slowly walked towards the funeral that would be held in the large garden. As she walked she felt their looks of pity; they burned into her dress and made her want to run screaming away from this place that was so full of death. Her parents had been brought up from Santa Fe to be buried next to the small grave that held the idea of her brother, no body had ever been found.

Cosette sat through the sermon silently weeping. It took all her strength not to run away. Not to run as fast as she could, away from all this death. After the funeral she quickly stole up to her room. She changed out of her funeral attire and quickly slipped into her pajamas. She pulled the rich velvet curtains away from the window and sat down on the blue cushioned window seat. Darkness had finally settled over the house and the sky was cloudy. She flinched slightly at the sound of thunder and watched the storm begin. Soon her tears joined the rain that fell from the crying sky. She curled up with a pillow leaning against the window and let herself drift into sleep, remembering her family.

There was a time when men were kind

When their voices were soft

And their words inviting

There was a time when love was blind

And the world was a song

And the song was exciting

There was a time when it all went wrong

I dreamed a dream in time gone by…

Cosette’s memory invaded her dreams that night. She drifted back to her youth; to her first memories of her brother, her wonderful brother. She could see him standing over her crib, making faces. She felt herself smile and giggle... Her mind raced through time to her third birthday. She walked with her mother into the room, full of boxes and presents. She smiled with delight. His was the best present, a big hug from her brother. She worshipped him, adored him. Her mind continued on, she was now five. She stood in her mother’s bed room with her brother. She was dressed in one of her mother’s best dresses, with make up all over her face. Long white gloves dangled off her hands and she had a big floppy hat on her head that covered her golden hair and blue eyes. Jack stood next to her trying to stay serious. “Cosette, listen to me!!” He cried, impatiently. She stopped her giggling and looked up to her brother, the hat slipping over her eyes. “Now sing!” He commanded. She began to sing and pretend she was their mother, live on stage. She got out the first few words, before Jack doubled over laughing at her. They ended up a heap on the floor, laughing and tickling each other.

“Jack” She began.

“Yeah Cos?” He asked.

“Will you always be my brother?”

“A coise!! Nothin’ can change it. I’m stuck with ya!” Jack exclaimed. Cosette giggled.

“Promise?” She asked timidly. Jack nodded, and leaned over, fluttering his eyelashes on her cheek.

“On all tha butterfly kisses in da WORLD, I’ll never quit being ya bruddah.” Cosette looked adoringly at her brother, then hugged him fiercely.

When hope was high

And life worth living

I dreamed that love would never die

I dreamed that god would be forgiving

Then I was young and unafraid

And dreams were made and used

And wasted

There was no ransom to be paid

No song unsung

No wine untasted…

Cosette stirred slightly in her sleep. She woke suddenly at a flash of lightning and a thundering clap. She looked around groggily and got up from the window seat. She stood for a moment and stared out the window at the storm…her thoughts drifted to that night, but she quickly shoved the memory down inside. She stumbled in the dark over to her bed and flopped down on it. She pulled back the covers and burrowed inside them as sleep overcame her again and she drifted into another memory lit dream. She and Jack sat on the hill behind their house. The sun had long since set and Jack was telling her about the constellations. She marveled at the stars and wondered what it would be like to fly amongst them. She stood up and twirled herself around believing she was dancing among them. He laughed and pulled her down. The lay back in the damp grass and he began pointing out different constellations and telling her their stories. “An’ that one’s da Gemini Twins, Castor and Pollux.” He said pointing to one. He began to tell the story of the twins that were torn apart by death and how the benevolent gods pitied them and let them live together forever in the heavens. She was captivated by this story more than any of the others.

“Jack” She asked, he looked down at her.

“Yeah?”

“Would the gods do that for us? If we were torn apart?” She asked, worried.

“You don’t evah ‘ave to worry ‘bout that Cos, we ain’t ever gonna be apart.” He said reassuringly, she smiled her childish smile and laid back down.

But the tigers come at night

With their voices soft as thunder

As they tear your hope apart

As they turn your dream to shame

Cosette turned in her sleep, knowing what was coming but not able to stop it. Her dream shifted to the night when her brother broke his promise…They had been inseparable all summer, knowing when autumn came he was going to a boarding school one county over. Both were upset, but knew they would still see each other. That summer they spent sleeping in the same room, and spent every moment together…

He slept a summer by my side

He filled my days

With endless wonder

He took my childhood in his stride

But he was gone when autumn came

Cosette watched the scene as it unfolded before her. They were getting ready for the theatre, it was the night before her brother was to leave. She stood in the doorway to her mother and father’s room as they argued. Her brother didn’t want to go to the school and yelled at his father. Her father stormed out of the room, furious with him. He sulked on the bed. Her mother entered the room dressed beautifully in a deep blue dress. She knelt in front of him, trying to get him to calm down. He wouldn’t and began screaming. She stood and pointed a finger at him. “If you continue this charade, you will not be joining us tonight!” She said sternly. Silently Cosette wished that he would be quiet, she wanted him to come. But he continued to scream. Fine, she told him and she left the room, taking Cosette with her. Cosette looked over her shoulder at Jack, sulking on the bed, she smiled slightly and whispered “I love you” to him. He just turned around. She and her mother and father left the house with simple instructions to Julie the maid that Jack was not allowed to leave. After the theatre, Cosette had talked her mother and father into getting ice cream and bringing some home to Jack. Both her mother and father were not truly mad with Jack, and both regretted their actions that night. As the carriage neared the house they saw the flames. Cosette turned in her sleep and woke up quickly in a cold sweat, the scent of burning wood in her nose. She breathed deeply and lit the candle next to her bed, silently sobbing.

And still I dream he’ll come to me

That we will live the years together

But there are dreams that cannot be

And there are storms we cannot weather…

Cosette fell back into bed breathing deeply. She thought about her parents, how lost they looked when they left for Santa Fe. Losing their first born had made them grow ages in only a couple of years. She remembered the phone call, telling her they were dead, that moment when she became an orphan. That moment when her life ended, when her dream was dead. She slowly began to sing to herself, softly…

I had a dream my life would be

So different from this hell I’m living

So different now from what it seemed

Now life has killed

That dream I dreamed.

Back to the Les Mes series

Back to da Library

Back to da lodgin' house

Tell me what ya think!