Part IV: Mister Dream Lord, Bring Me A Dream
Page 1 (9 panels)
Page 1 panel 1
The Bogeyman is holding a croquet mallet, carefully aiming at balls and wire hoops which are not visible in the panel. Bogeyman is his usual convivial self, enjoying the fact that he is conquering and corrupting the entire Dream Zone as he plays his lawn game. He is wearing a casual tweed jacket and dark brown turtleneck sweater, and an Irish cap tilted a bit to one side.
Bogeyman: ...told the king "no, you can't have it!" which of course made him want it all the more. Nothing tweaks a monarch so much as a single "no," a resistance or refusal. In their eyes, such denial constitutes a crime against God, what with divine right and all that. Bit to the left, please.
Page 1 panel 2
Bogeyman (raising his croquet mallet in the air): If you tell a king, or any leader, that he cannot have or do something, he will immediately set about getting or doing that very thing, just out of petulant spite. He's really a big baby, you see, declaring wars and slaughtering peasants because someone or other has hurt his feelings. Ninety-nine percent of all human suffering results from bruised ego.
Page 1 panel 3
Bogeyman swings the mallet downward and hits the ball with a whack. The ball is still off-panel, however.
Bogeyman: Ha! Quite a strike, eh? Right down the middle--three hoops!--without scraping a flake of paint! My talent bounds like a gazelle across this field, it fairly pirouettes! I should embark on the professional circuit without delay!
Voice (from off-panel): Without a doubt, sir! Your grasp of this difficult gentleman's game is astounding!
Page 1 panel 4
Bogeyman (walking across the playing field, carrying his mallet--hoops may be visible, but no balls): I'm self-taught, as well. Quite a task it was, but no match for my expansive intellect and natural athletic prowess. Oh, I'm sorry--I was speaking of the king, wasn't I?
Voice: Yes, sir, and I for one am delirious to hear more! You had just told him "no," and he wanted it all the more strongly.
Page 1 panel 5
Bogeyman (sizing up another croquet shot and taking aim with his mallet): Ah, yes! As I indicated, my refusal to cooperate simply enflamed his majesty! He huffed and swaggered and bellowed and beat the stone walls--but to no avail! I stood firm, secure in my own power and unafraid of his pompous, slobbering, hollow wrath. Pardon me, but could you move that right a notch?
Voice (off-panel): Absolutely, sir!
Page 1 panel 6
Bogeyman (still sizing up his next shot): And so, remaining steadfast, I said good-day and let myself out of the palace. Naturally, the old pouter went mad, called his archers, commandos and wives down on me. There was a relentless hail of shafts, bullets, and hairpins flung upon me, but I swept them aside with a breath. From a window, the king hurled nasty remarks...
Page 1 panel 7
Bogeyman (crouching and squinting along the line of his shot, leaning on his croquet mallet): Tired of the affair, I responded by casting a spell of flatulence upon them all. Forever after, they would be cursed with ceaseless and overpowering gas! I showed that spoiled ninny! He could not have my lucky rabbit's foot, and that was all there was to it! Could you move that back to the left, please?
Voice (off-panel): On the double, sir!
Page 1 panel 8
Closeup of the Bogeyman's mallet swinging down and whacking the "ball," which is finally shown to be a human head, painted bright blue. The head is the source of the "voice" that has been conversing with the Bogeyman all along.
Bogeyman: Funny thing is, those scoundrels profited! They turned their new condition into a weapon, and won every war they waged thereafter! So you see, I unknowingly started the Roman Empire! Why do you think they liked those spicy Italian dishes so very much?
Page 1 panel 9
The head/ball hurtles through some hoops and comes to a rest against a croquet pole. There are other heads like it scattered around the playing lawn.
Bogeyman (off-panel): Ah, another fine shot! I am a winner, aren't I?
Head: Indubitably, sir!
Bogeyman: I must keep in practice, you know. Soon, I'll be knocking around Kubla once again.
Page 2 (1 panel)
Page 2 panel 1
Layout: This page features a full-page splash panel, with a title along the bottom, and credits. The panel is a shot of the Bogeyman and the Dream Lord. On the left side is the right half of the Bogeyman's head and shoulders. On the right side is the left half of the Dream Lord's head and shoulders. The two halves are joined together as if to form a single being, but are distinctly separated down the middle by the difference between the two sets of features. The visible setting behind Bogeyman is his quaint, twisted English croquet field and garden, and a blue sky. Behind the Dream Lord is nothing but dark, rolling, ominous clouds.
Bogeyman: I so enjoy tormenting that crotchety hobbit! He flutters and squeals so easily, at the jab of the bluntest needle. His propensity for amusing me is infinite, his ability to resist nonexistent. Really, he is somewhat like an eager, mindless puppy, who, after you swing it by the tail, poke it with sticks, and burn its fur, lovingly and stupidly returns to you for more. I had not anticipated this, but Adams has become important to me--my chief source of amusement and levity--my weepy and priceless Pagliacci. Initially, I planned merely to torture him some and destroy him...to accrue my vengeance and wipe the detestable insect from creation. Now, though, I have come to appreciate him, to look forward to his febrile antics. He provides some relief, in the midst of my grueling business. He lightens my mood, even as I go about twisting and sickening humanity! I hope he gets here soon.
Dream Lord (angrily): You see, Stacy? You see how evil one man can be? How much damage he can cause...how much death and hatred he can forge? Look what he did to me...how he tore me to shreds and desecrated every last bit of my dignity! He likes it, Stacy--it gets him off! He has no concept of decency or goodness--just perversion! I swear to you, we will stop this animal! I will grab this bastard by the throat and rip the stinking life out of him! Before he poisons another mind, before he infects another inch of the Dream Zone, I will kill him!
TITLE: Mister Dream Lord, Bring Me A Dream!
Page 3 (7 panels)
Page 3 panel 1
Closeup of the Dream Lord and Lullaby. Dream Lord is very upset, and Lullaby is still taking everything in and evaluating the situation.
Lullaby: Hey, take it easy, buddy. Don't get so worked up! We'll get that creep!
Dream Lord: I can't help it, Stacy! Don't you realize the significance of what he's done? Look around, for God's sake!
Page 3 panel 2
The Dream Lord gestures in one direction, and Lullaby looks there. In a wide, sweeping view, we see a land similar to that through which Bogeyman drove in his Model T in Part III: far into the distance, there are wide patches of land that are furrowed like farmers' fields; a wide, sparkling, golden river snakes through that land, winding over hills and past banks which slope into it on either side; at evenly-spaced intervals, there are high walls of gray cement block, stretching into the blue sky and fluffy white clouds above. It is all pristine and unspoiled, the natural condition of the Dream Zone.
Dream Lord: Back there, everything is fine, untouched. The Dream Zone as it should be--peaceful, unblemished, a haven for the troubled souls of humanity. The Fields of Sleep are undisturbed and the Dream Stream flows softly under sunlight.
Page 3 panel 3
Closeup of Lullaby as the Dream Lord points in the other direction, and she turns to look that way.
Dream Lord: But over there, Stacy...over there it's all changed!
Page 3 panel 4
Dream Lord gestures at the new landscape before them--a dark and twisted version of the purified one on the other side. The sky is full of heavy, dark storm clouds, which block out all the light and blue sky; the river goes from bright gold to oily, bubbling black; the rolling fields are obscured by tangled, black jungle vegetation--like a high, huge briar patch. Lightning flashes far in the distance. Dream Lord and Lullaby are right at the edge of the change.
Dream Lord: Look at it! Look what he's done!! Somehow, he has managed to pollute the very fabric of this place! It's all dark and sick and dying--rotting away like an abandoned carcass. The Dream Stream is sludge, the sky is gone, and the Fields are overrun with weeds!
Page 3 panel 5
Lullaby (frowning): Yeah, it doesn't look too good.
Dream Lord (still furious): I had no idea it was this bad... that he was so powerful here. Stacy, he's trying to end it--mankind, life, everything. He can do it, too.
Page 3 panel 6
Wide shot of the polluted, dark regions.
Dream Lord: That was all once dream-fertile land--the Fields of Sleep, where dreams are grown and experienced. Between each set of walls, there is the garden of a single being, his or her private corner of the Dream Zone... in which all the dreams of that person's lifetime are acted out. Once a Field is contaminated, it disintegrates into chaos, into endless, horrible nightmares that I can only imagine.
Page 3 panel 7
Dream Lord (gazing out over the destruction): Each polluted Field represents a person...a mind afflicted with unbearable visions...or madness. Look out there, Stacy. They go on and on. There are hundreds, thousands of them already. Think about it--think of the catastrophe the Bogeyman has begun!
Lullaby: Wow... (She is amazed, taken aback by the staggering thought of the disaster.)
Page 4 (6 panels)
Page 4 panel 1
Wide shot of the Dream Lord and Lullaby, standing on the border of the change, between darkness and light. The border is uneven, flowing visibly past then like a dark liquid. It is clearly moving, the shadows already covering both observers as they stand on the bank of the Stream.
Dream Lord: And it's only the start. The darkness, the decay is expanding. it's moving out into the rest of the Dream Zone! We're on the edge of it and it's already rushing past us.
Lullaby: Hey, you're right! How can we stop it? What are we gonna do?
Page 4 panel 2
Dream Lord: Only one possibility, and you know it. Kill the bastard behind all this...if we can. Then clean it up, if we can. I've got the feeling it's already too late.
Lullaby: If you kill Bogeyman, how will you find out those secrets you need? You said it yourself--he's the only one who knows the whole truth about your life.
Page 4 panel 3
Dream Lord (staring anxiously into the distance): Of course I want my answers... but this all comes first. This is important. This is my duty. I'm the Dream Lord, and this is the world that I have to protect.
Lullaby: Things are tough all over, huh?
Page 4 panel 4
Suddenly, the Dream Lord bursts into motion, walking briskly past Lullaby along the bank of the Dream Stream. The water here (it's actually energy) is black and boiling.
Dream Lord: Come on! We've got to go now, before it's impossible to break through to his territory. The wreckage and overgrowth keep getting thicker.
Lullaby: Aw, don't tell me we have to walk through all this! Dream Lord, we've got a long way to go--and this is not my idea of a fun hike through the woods! This stuff is nasty!
Page 4 panel 5
Dream Lord frowns in concentration and focuses his right hand on a point outside the panel. His arm and hand glow with a yellow aura.
Dream Lord: Of course we can't walk through this. We need to save time...move fast...and save our strength for the Bogeyman. Since I banished the Night Brigade, my power has been restoring itself...regaining control over matter and energy...
Page 4 panel 6
Dream Lord: ...so I can do this!
In a flash of bright yellow energy, a big propeller boat appears on the dark slime of the Dream Stream. The boat is the type used to travel quickly through the brush and muck of swamps.
Lullaby: Hey, hey! Nice work, buster! We're goin' on a first-class cruise!
Page 5 (7 panels)
Page 5 panel 1
Dream Lord takes his seat on the right side of the boat and starts the engine and propeller. Lullaby starts to sit down on the left.
Lullaby: I might actually enjoy this trip! Just give me the porthole, the shuffleboard, my bikini...
Page 5 panel 2
The engine starts and the boat begins moving. Medium shot of Lullaby as a pair of big, colorful sunglasses appears on her face with a flash. She leans back and lounges in her seat.
Lullaby: ...my awesome shades...
Page 5 panel 3
As the boat moves into the thick, thorny foliage, a nest of black snakes--4 or 5 of them--dangles down from the tangled branches, wriggling and baring their fangs just 2 feet from Lullaby.
Lullaby (suddenly more subdued, the novelty gone): ...and a nice, loaded shotgun...
Page 5 panel 4
Wide shot of the propeller boat carrying Dream Lord and Lullaby quickly over the polluted Dream Stream. They move fast, kicking up a spray of tar-like water/energy behind them. The gnarled, sinister groves of weeds and black, thorny vines and branches are close around them; there is only a small tunnel through which they can move, a crawlspace through the deadly, dark growth. The place is pitch-black except for the glow from a lantern which Lullaby has created, which she carries in her hand to light the way.
Quote: From Heart of Darkness, by Joseph Conrad: "Going up that river was like travelling back to the earliest beginnings of the world, when vegetation rioted on the earth and the big trees were kings. An empty stream, a great silence, an impenetrable forest. The air was warm, thick, heavy, sluggish."
Page 5 panel 5
Medium, closer shot of Dream Lord and Lullaby, from behind, gazing out into the unknown reaches of the sickened stream. The only thing they can see is an arc of light from the lantern.
Quote: "The long stretches of the waterway ran on, deserted, into the gloom of overshadowed distances."
Page 5 panel 6
Closeup of Lullaby, half-illuminated by the lantern. She stares silently ahead, scared and deep in thought.
Quote: "There were moments when one's past came back to one, as it will sometimes when you have not a moment to spare to yourself; but it came in the shape of an unrestful and noisy dream, remembered with wonder amongst the overwhelming realities of this strange world of plants, and water, and silence."
Page 5 panel 7
Closeup of the Dream Lord looking up and around himself at the thorns and black tangles. He looks determined, angry, alert.
Quote: "And this stillness of life did not in the least resemble a peace. It was the stillness of an implacable force brooding over an inscrutable intention."
Page 6 (7 panels)
Page 6 panel 1
Suddenly, a twisted, awful, insane gray face springs into the beam of Lullaby's lantern, just a few feet from her. She leaps away and shouts with surprise.
Quote: "It looked at you with a vengeful aspect."
Lullaby: Yiii! Dream Lord! Help!
Page 6 panel 2
The crazed, bestial thing leaps out of the dark, dead forest, jibbering madly. It grabs Lullaby, while the Dream Lord reacts with a split-second of panic, losing control of the boat and letting it cut in a wild circle on the black stream
Lullaby: Let go, you goon! Come on, get away! Dream Lord!
Beast: RRAAAALLL!!!
Dream Lord: Oh my God. This is terrible!
Page 6 panel 3
Lullaby tries to push the thing away with her single arm, but the creature just keeps clawing at her.
Lullaby: You're tellin' me! Will you please get rid of this goofball?
Dream Lord: We can't hurt it! Oh God...Stacy, that's a dreamer! It's been transformed by the Bogeyman's corruption, changed into some deformed, demented beast! If we injure it now, we'll damage it for life! Even if we can change it back to its original form, it will be crippled forever!
Page 6 panel 4
Lullaby: Who would you rather see crippled, dummy? Hurry up!
The creature rams a huge, hairy fist down at the girl, which she blocks by materializing a garbage can lid in the air above her body. The creature's fist drives into the lid--hard--but it doesn't break through to hurt her.
Dream Lord: Here, I'll just brush it away, right back into the Fields... (He extends a glowing hand, preparing to use his power to throw the beast off the boat.)
Page 6 panel 5
The Dream Lord releases a golden bolt of energy--but the beast grabs Lullaby by the waist and leaps away, so the bolt disappears harmlessly into the dense foliage.
Lullaby: Help! Dream Lord, you owe me, buster!
Dream Lord: No! Stacy!
Page 6 panel 6
Grabbing a vine with one arm, the beast jumps onto the shore, carrying Lullaby off into the darkness.
Dream Lord (running over the boat after them): Damn it! Stacy, I'm sorry... I'm coming!
Page 6 panel 7
The Dream Lord launches himself into the woods, flying with two whirling buzz saws chopping away the undergrowth before him. He is furious--at himself, at the beast, and at Bogeyman.
Dream Lord: Hang on, Stacy! I'm right here!
Lullaby (off-panel, racing away into the black woods with the beast): I can't...break away from it!
Page 7 (8 panels)
Page 7 panel 1
Still flying swiftly through the tangled growth, Dream Lord loses sight of Lullaby and her captor. He has no idea which direction he should go to catch up with them.
Dream Lord: Stacy? Stacy, where are you?
Lullaby (faintly, in the distance): Nooo! Let me..
Page 7 panel 2
Dream Lord pauses in mid-flight, the buzz saws whirling in front of him. He listens for any sound that will point him toward Lullaby.
Dream Lord: Stacy? Lullaby?
Page 7 panel 3
Closeup of the Dream Lord as he screams at the top of his lungs.
Dream Lord: Stacy!!!
Page 7 panel 4
Dream Lord aims both hands before him and releases a tremendous blast of energy into the dense woods. The blast sears through the black trees and undergrowth, burning a path through it, sending shards of wood flying everywhere.
Dream Lord: I am not...going to lose you.
Page 7 panel 5
Plunging feverishly into the tunnel he has just ripped out of the jungle, the Dream Lord looks straight ahead for his friend.
Dream Lord: Stacy! Lullaby, where are you?
A shriek suddenly cuts through the jungle around him--a piercing, inhuman scream: RREEEEAARRRGG!!!
Page 7 panel 6
Another shriek bursts through the foliage, surprising the Dream Lord with its sheer volume and animal quality: AAARRRRKKEEEE!!
Quote: From Heart of Darkness: "...a cry, a very loud cry, as of infinite desolation, soared slowly in the opaque air."
Page 7 panel 7
The Dream Lord continues to fly through the hole in the foliage, grim and prepared to battle whatever creature is emitting that sound. There is another loud, inhuman scream.
Quote: "A complaining clamor, modulated in savage discords, filled our ears. The sheer unexpectedness of it made my hair stir under my cap."
Page 7 panel 8
The Dream Lord continues flying, aiming at a distant light, an apparent end to the dense jungle. Yet another shriek erupts from the jungle.
Quote: "...to me it seemed as though the mist itself had screamed, so suddenly, and apparently from all sides at once, did this tumultuous and mournful uproar arise."
Page 8 (8 panels)
Page 8 panel 1
A large panel--wide shot of a massive clearing in the black, polluted jungle. The opposite edge of the clearing is not visible. The dark storm clouds hang overhead, with a bolt or two of lightning slashing downward in the distance.
The clearing contains a chaotic, suffering mass of distorted beings, gathered together around twisted stone towers. The beings are all dreamers who have been corrupted and deformed by the Bogeyman. They are the physical manifestations of people on Earth who are dreaming--and they are all warped and twisted and mutated. Some have huge boils or growths and are hunched over with fused spines; others look like infected lepers, literally dissolving where they stand; some lack certain body parts, and others have too many; some of the beings are unrecognizable as humans, looking more like bizarre, dangerous space creatures. They are all gathered around tall, crumbling stone pillars and sections of disintegrating gray block walls--the once-impenetrable walls between the Fields of Sleep. The sickened creatures are everywhere, hopping and gibbering around blazing bonfires; tearing at each other; climbing the pillars and wall remains; or just slumping on the slimy, debris-strewn ground. They are all crazed, bestial, mutilated beyond belief. The clearing looks like a vision of Hell itself.
The Dream Lord flies out of the dense jungle to confront this horrible sight and recoils in disbelief.
Dream Lord: Oh, God...
Page 8 panel 2
Stunned and horrified, the Dream Lord just settles to the ground at the edge of the clearing and looks around at the sickness. Shrieks and moans continue to weave through the air.
Dream Lord: What have I...how could I let this happen?
Page 8 panel 3
The Dream Lord walks out into the clearing, through the screams. Infested, deteriorating creatures cling to his legs, giggling.
Dream Lord: All these dreamers...all these people...mangled and mindless. He did all this...turned the Dream Zone into this hellish nightmare.
Page 8 panel 4
A man leaps up suddenly beside the Dream Lord, throwing his head back and screaming. A huge, slimy leech is stuck to his chest and a trail of blood trickles down his body.
Dream Lord (ducking away and cringing from the awful sight): Oh, Lord...
Page 8 panel 5
Wide shot of the crumbled remnants of a big gray wall, crawling with deformed beings and insects. In the distance, other wall remnants can be seen jutting from the dark jungle.
Dream Lord: The Dreamwalls! They've rotted away, crumbled to the ground! The Fields of Sleep are no longer separated! Everyone's nightmare is part of everyone else's--all combined into a single, infinite wasteland!
Page 8 panel 6
Dream Lord: What can I do? It's too much...too much to stand...
Still walking, he sees a gang of grotesque beings stuffing another being into the mouth of a massive cockroach.
Page 8 panel 7
Dream Lord: ...too much to heal.
A group of dying, mutilated creatures bundles together, sprawled around sand and rags and bones.
Quote: From Heart of Darkness: "Black shapes crouched, lay, sat between the trees, leaning against the trunks, clinging to the earth, half coming out, half effaced within the dim light, in all attitudes of pain, abandonment, and despair."
Page 8 panel 8
Closeup of the suffering, pitted faces of the creatures.
Quote: "They were dying slowly--it was very clear. They were not enemies, they were not criminals, they were nothing earthly now--nothing but black shadows of disease and starvation, lying confusedly in the greenish gloom."
Page 8 panel 9
Dream Lord (flinging his head back to scream): Stacy!!!
Page 9 (6 panels)
Page 9 panel 1
Dream Lord suddenly soars into the dark sky, glowing with brilliant golden energy, casting bright light over the huge, mad clearing. Below him, all the creatures look up, startled by the light, squinting and jabbering and staring at him.
Dream Lord: I can't find you!!!
Page 9 panel 2
The Dream Lord hears a sound like a car horn: Honk honk!!
Dream Lord (turning quickly to look in the direction of the noise): What...?
Page 9 panel 3
In the distance, a large, neon arrow points toward the ground. The arrow is lit up with the flashing word HELP.
Dream Lord: She's still alive!
Page 9 panel 4
In a blur, with a stream of bright energy crackling behind him, the Dream Lord rockets through the sky toward the arrow, a grim expression tattooed on his face.
Dream Lord (shouting): Stacy, I'm coming!
Page 9 panel 5
Swooping around the big neon arrow, the Dream Lord sees Lullaby on a pile of rocks below him--encircled by glowing cartoon characters she has created to defend herself from the horde of sick creatures trying to attack her. There are cartoon bears, and rabbits, and ducks, like Yogi Bear, Bugs Bunny, and Daffy Duck--plus a character like the Tasmanian Devil and a big coyote. The cartoon figures are wrestling with the creatures, slugging it out with them to keep them away from Lullaby.
Lullaby (looking up at Dream Lord from her hill): Dream Lord, would you please give me a lift? I'm sorry, but I'm really not having fun anymore. The novelty has worn off, y'know?
Page 9 panel 6
Lullaby (as a screaming creature plunges past her cartoon defenders, holding a spear): These dudes are buzzed! They are too freaked out! It's like Night of the Living Dead.
Dream Lord races down from behind her, clenching his fists.
Page 10 (8 panels)
Page 10 panel 1
Lullaby: Either that, or the kids at my high school.
Dream Lord grabs Lullaby around the waist with one hand and punches the creature in the face with the other. The thing's spear, already thrown, hurtles past them into the darkness. The creature screams with pain.
Page 10 panel 2
Lullaby (as the Dream Lord continues to fly up and away from the chattering beast): So where were you, buster? Did you have to make a pit stop or something?
Dream Lord: No. I was coming up with more reasons to kill the Bogeyman.
Page 10 panel 3
Lullaby: I hear you, buddy. Those people are seriously nuked! They need some heavy-duty help, and I guess we're the only ones who are gonna give it to them.
Dream Lord: That bastard will suffer for this. He is going to know more pain than all those dreamers--every one of them he's twisted and contaminated--put together.
Page 10 panel 4
Lullaby (as they both continue to fly through the stormy, black sky): So, what next? Back to that stinky black river?
Dream Lord: No, we don't have to go that way anymore. All of the Dreamwalls from here on have collapsed. There's nothing to separate the Fields of Sleep--and nothing to block us from flying through. We can get to the source of the infestation in no time at all.
Page 10 panel 5
Dream Lord and Lullaby continue to speed through the dark sky, right past a bolt of lightning.
Lullaby: We're getting down to the heavy stuff, huh? What do we do after we find him? What's the plan?
Dream Lord: Execute him.
Page 10 panel 6
Lullaby: Great, but I don't think it'll be that easy. He won't be too thrilled with the idea, you know. How are you gonna get him?
Dream Lord: I'll think of something.
Page 10 panel 7
Lullaby: What if he thinks of something better?
Dream Lord: I'll make him stop thinking.
Page 10 panel 8
Lullaby: Good strategy. Remind me to never play chess with you.
Dream Lord: Look, we're getting closer to him. See how the sky is getting darker? And below--the Fields are swarming with deformed dreamers. Everything's becoming sicker, blacker, denser.
Page 11 (6 panels)
Page 11 panel 1
Dream Lord: Stacy...oh, God...I can smell him. It's like before...when he stabbed me on the battlefield... only a thousand times worse... a thousand times stronger...
Lullaby: Hey, don't let it bother you. He's gonna be tough, right? You already knew that. You're just gonna have to be tougher.
Page 11 panel 2
Lullaby: And don't forget, you've got your secret weapon along this time--the Lullaby Special. I'll let nobody kick your bucket, buster!
Dream Lord: Neither will I.
Page 11 panel 3
Lullaby: So, what does this place look like? How will we even find it?
Dream Lord: Stacy, I don't think we'll have any trouble.
Page 11 panel 4
Wide shot of Dream Lord flying into the dark sky, carrying Lullaby. In the distance is a dim, thin tower--at first just a speck of light.
Dream Lord: Cancer always leaves a trail of corpses...
Page 11 panel 5
Dream Lord: ...lots of suffering...
Another wide shot, with the pair getting much closer to the tower. It appears to be a high, brightly lit castle tower.
Page 11 panel 6
Dream Lord: ...and a great big tumor in the middle of it all.
Large panel showing the Bogeyman's terrible fortress, with the Dream Lord and Lullaby in the foreground, flying down to it. They are dwarfed by its enormity. Once more, however, the Bogeyman's dark sense of humor has been at work. The place is a massive, exact replica of the Magic Kingdom castle in Disneyland--the one shown at the beginning of every Wonderful World of Disney program. It is beautiful and sparkling, with flags flying from the ramparts and gold trim everywhere. It is on top of a high hill, with a drawbridge extended from the gate, leading into nowhere. There is no moat and no land for the other side of the bridge to cross.
Lullaby: Whoa! This is it? No way!
Page 12 (6 panels)
Page 12 panel 1
Dream Lord and Lullaby glide to a landing on the tip of the drawbridge.
Lullaby: This might be Snow White's pad, or Sleeping Beauty's--but this is not that Bogeyman's place! Uh-uh!
Dream Lord: The wolf in sheep's clothing, Stacy. Believe me, this is it.
Page 12 panel 2
Dream Lord (pointing to a big neon sign over the huge gateway to the castle): See? The Dream Lord knows all!
The neon sign reads, in flashing letters: Bogeyman Resorts International and Elks Lodge Welcome The Dream Lord & Co.
Lullaby: Wow! He really spared no expense to disguise this place, did he? That must mean he's real scared of us.
Page 12 panel 3
Dream Lord walks briskly across the drawbridge, through the gate, and into the glittering castle hallway beyond. He gestures for Lullaby to follow him in, and she does.
Dream Lord: Let's go. We're off to meet the Wizard.
Lullaby: I guess that makes you the munchkin and me the lion, huh?
Page 12 panel 4
At the end of the entrance hallway, a butler stops the pair, holding out his hands.
Butler: Take your wrap, sir? Madam?
Dream Lord: No, thanks. We prefer to remain wrapped.
Lullaby: Yeah, we like wrapping--like the way we're gonna wrap up your boss!
Page 12 panel 5
Butler: Very good, then. Could I see your invitations, please?
Dream Lord brushes past the Butler and into the castle and Lullaby follows, poking a finger at the Butler's chest.
Lullaby: Why don't you go starch your eyelashes? We are V.I.P.'s, junior! Our faces are our invitations!
Dream Lord: Looks like we're just in time, Stacy...
Page 12 panel 6
Large panel showing the room that the Dream Lord and Lullaby have entered--a huge, elegant ballroom, complete with chandeliers, statuary, a fountain at the center of the room, and a winding marble staircase at the far end. The room is filled with people, dressed in colorful costumes like those worn in the 1600's by British and French nobility. It is a huge masquerade ball, with lots of powdered wigs and elaborate jewelry and shiny silk masks that are held before the guests' faces by rods. In a corner of the room, a man in a mask plays a harpsichord. Butlers circulate through the crowd, carrying trays of food. A long table sits along one wall, crammed with foods and desserts of all kinds.
Dream Lord: ...the party just started.
Voice (off-panel): Oh-ho! Honored guests, if I may direct your attention to the vestibule, won't you just look who we have here!
Page 13 (7 panels)
Page 13 panel 1
Bogeyman stands on a raised dais at one end of the ballroom. He is overjoyed, eager for his sport with the Dream Lord, and he stands with his arms spread wide in welcome; he is playing the role of host to the tee. He is dressed in a fancy black costume out of the 1700s, complete with a long black cape, black knickers over white stockings, a black shirt with lots of ruffles at the sleeves and neck, a black mask, and a black tri-cornered hat.
Bogeyman: What a splendid, unmitigated surprise! What a perfect coup for our
felicitous gathering! With a wistful tear at my eye, may I present to you... reverently...these most recent and auspicious of visitors...
Page 13 panel 2
Bogeyman (off-panel): ...the Little Rascals! Come on now, let's make some
noise for our celebrities!
A huge round of applause thunders through the ballroom as everyone, even the waiters, turns and claps. There are also many cheers and shouts, such as Bravo!, Hip-hip-hoorah!, and Marvelous! Dream Lord and Lullaby stand at the entrance to the room, watching the applauding crowd, both remaining wary and determined.
Lullaby: The Little Rascals? Who's been dustin' his muffins?
Dream Lord: He's a madman. He's a walking, talking virus--concealing his sickness with all this idiotic clowning. This is the same monster who made that hell outside...the same demonic bastard.
Page 13 panel 3
Bogeyman (raising his hand toward the crowd): Ahem. Will you restrain your applause for a moment, my ostentatious compatriots? Much obliged.
The loud clapping dies in mid-panel.
Page 13 panel 4
Closeup of Bogeyman bellowing at the top of his lungs at Dream Lord and Lullaby.
Bogeyman: I heard that, Alfalfa!
Page 13 panel 5
Bogeyman (suddenly calm, restrained, smiling pleasantly): And I must say, I am flattered beyond words. You wily courtier! I should have expected such magnanimous panegyrics from such a flamboyant performer as yourself! Compliments like that shall certainly earn you points in this household!
Page 13 panel 6
Bogeyman: Ladies and lords, once again--the Little Rascals!
Again, the room erupts with loud applause and a chorus of cheers and Bravos.
Lullaby: Okay. I've figured it out--this guy is a big-time loon. He's definitely a few bubbles off plumb.
Dream Lord: This is only the beginning, Stacy. Be ready for anything.
Page 13 panel 7
Bogeyman (stepping down from the dais to walk through the crowd toward the Dream Lord): Ha ha! I'm so thrilled that you could attend our soiree, you big stars! As they say, variety is the spice of life, and among the nobility--these inbred ingrates--there is so little variation. Film stars contribute just the right touch, don't you think? A dash of notoriety, a bit of the freakish.
Page 14 (8 panels)
Page 14 panel 1
Bogeyman (walking up some short steps to stand by Dream Lord and Lullaby at the entranceway): Tell me, freaks, would you consent to privilege this assembly with some of your wonderful routines? You know--a madcap chase across the dance floor--a spunky caper through the punch bowl--or perhaps a few pies in the face? Oh, we've plenty of pies!
Man in crowd: Yes, please perform for us! We adore your films so much!
Woman: Won't you do a skit or two, Rascals?
Man: We would die for a pie in the face!
Page 14 panel 2
Lullaby: How about a fist in the face, ugly?
Bogeyman (putting an arm around the Dream Lord's shoulder): You precocious little gangsters have acquired quite a following among the upper crust, as you can see. Your goofy mischief is considered the finest art, right alongside the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel and the simple tunes of Chopin. Why not grace us with a scene? Perhaps little black Buckwheat could shave your head and paint you up with chicken pox.
Page 14 panel 3
Lullaby: Hey! I resent that, you crud!
Dream Lord (tensely removing Bogeyman's arm from his shoulder): Sorry, no scenes. We're not here to amuse you.
Bogeyman: No? Then why come at all? For that matter, why exist?
Page 14 panel 4
Dream Lord: We came here to stop you.
Bogeyman: Oh, I see! Then you are here to amuse! What a ridiculous premise!
Page 14 panel 5
Dream Lord (angry, trying to force Bogeyman into a confrontation, to end the silly routine): Listen to me, you son of a bitch! You have violated thousands of minds, and I will not...
Bogeyman (cutting him off and turning to the crowd): 'Scuse me, noble merrymakers! There will be no escapades from the Rascals...not yet, anyway...but this festival shall dauntlessly continue! I implore you all to eat voraciously, quaff profusely, and dance like wild pagans!
Page 14 panel 6
Bogeyman (turning back to the Dream Lord): And as for you, silly Kubla, why not make yourself at home amidst the elegance? It is all quite the opulent manse...actually, reminiscent of your old digs. Ask and you shall receive! You can have absolutely anything you desire!
Page 14 panel 7
Dream Lord: All right. I want you dead.
Bogeyman: Sorry, we're fresh out of that. How about some Chateaubriand?
Page 14 panel 8
Dream Lord: I'd rather have some answers.
Bogeyman: Ah-ha! There, you're in luck! We just rounded some up this morning, roaming the royal preserve. How about "nine," "Ulysses," and "maranatha?" There are many more where those came from!
Page 15 (8 panels)
Page 15 panel 1
Dream Lord: No. I want the answers. I want to hear what you know about me--the truth you keep teasing me with. I'm sick of your coy crap.
Bogeyman: Well, I suppose it could be arranged...but it will hurt you a great deal. I do believe the knowledge may even induce heart failure.
Page 15 panel 2
Dream Lord (gritting his teeth, very uptight): I'm already hurt...remember? As for my heart, you already put a sword through it.
Bogeyman: Oh, did I do that? How careless of me!
Page 15 panel 3
Dream Lord: It can't get much worse.
Bogeyman: Oh, I beg to differ with that brilliant assessment. It can. Much, much worse. But if you don't mind some more unbearable agony...
Page 15 panel 4
Closeup of Bogeyman, looking eager and totally evil.
Bogeyman: ...then I certainly won't complain.
Page 15 panel 5
Suddenly, Bogeyman whirls into action, shouting commands to his servants and hustling away from the Dream Lord and Lullaby.
Bogeyman: Bentley, lower the screen! Jenkins, set up the slide projector! Carter, douse them lights! Everyone, we're going to view a slideshow!
Man: Bravo! Delightful!
Woman: What a vivacious plan!
Page 15 panel 6
Bogeyman (addressing Dream Lord as he walks to a long, marble table where a butler is setting up the slide projector): I believe you'll enjoy this, Kubla. You seem to like crippling anguish. Feel free to close your eyes at any point, if it gets to be too much for you. I did put a lot of work into this project, though--hours and hours of thankless labor just so I could make you scream like a banshee.
Page 15 panel 7
Bogeyman (as he sits down behind the slide projector and marble table): You see? I really do care. (He smiles demonically.)
Page 15 panel 8
The butler flicks a switch on the projector and it comes on, emitting a bright beam of light from its lens.
Jenkins: There we are, sir. All ready to go.
Bogeyman: Thank you much, Mr. Jenkins. We can begin as soon as Carter finishes turning down the lights.
Page 16 (8 panels)
Page 16 panel 1
Carter is standing below a chandelier full of candles. He uses a candle douser on the end of a long, gold pole to quench each one, leaving little wisps of smoke above each unlit candle. He's about halfway through with the chandelier
Carter: That'll be just a moment, sir. Almost done.
Bogeyman: Heavens! Pardon me, Carter...l thought I'd made myself fully clear. What I meant to say was...
Page 16 panel 2
Bogeyman (screaming and furious): ...lights out!!
Page 16 panel 3
Carter: As you wish, sir.
He swings the long pole at the chandelier, as if he is trying to hit a piñata, and shatters it into thousands of glass shards. The shards fly out into the crowd and everyone ducks out of their way.
Page 16 panel 4
Bogeyman (once again placid and relaxed, as if he had never shouted): Thank you. And now, without further ado, let us embark on this hypnotic, splendiferous entertainment--this unparalleled, extravagant bonanza of grins and wonders!
Page 16 panel 5
Wide shot of the ballroom. The crowd is now all seated in organized rows of chairs, as if in a movie theatre. They are all watching the screen intently, and most have boxes of popcorn in their hands. This shot is from behind the crowd, revealing the large screen on which Bogeyman is showing his slides.
The first slide is up--a title slide written awkwardly in crayon, as if by a 3-year-old. It says: The Life and Crimes of the Happy Dream Lord.
Bogeyman (off-panel): I present to you my latest cinematic achievement--destined for Academy recognition! Welcome to the premiere of The Life and Crimes of the Happy Dream Lord--or, The Story of a Mad Dog. It's the sequel to In Cold Blood.
Page 16 panel 6
Bogeyman: Our tale begins in Crandall, Ohio, where the adorable infant Dr. Adams first left the womb. At the time, of course, his Ph.D. was in its very early stages.
Chubby woman: Oh, isn't he precious? What an angel!
Other woman: Those chubby little cheeks!
Another slide is on the screen, this one a baby picture--a typical portrait of a newborn.
Page 16 panel 7
Medium shot of Dream Lord and Lullaby standing at the rear of the crowd, still by the entrance, watching the slideshow. Dream Lord is grim and humorless, his arms crossed and his eyes trained straight at the screen. A lady in the row of people in front of them turns around to talk to him.
Lady: Alfalfa, would you be disturbed if I pinched those dollbaby cheeks? Just once? I simply must!
Lullaby (Dream Lord ignores the lady): Hey, lady, he's a big star. No autographs and no cheek pinching--unless you've got a multi-picture deal for him! Buzz off.
Bogeyman (off-panel): As you can see, even in those primal years, our hero sported something of an insidious, scheming veneer.
Page 16 panel 8
Next slide: A young boy sitting in a classroom, watching a teacher. There are other students in the photo, but he is at the focus of it.
Bogeyman: Ah--"School days, school days, dear old golden fool days." There he is again, friends, ruthlessly pillaging the Crandall educational system...filching the fruits of other citizens' research in preparation for larger, later heists.
Page 17 (9 panels)
Page 17 panel 1
Next slide: A young Emmett Adams wearing a cap and gown, holding a diploma--his mother on one side of him, forcing a smile, and his father standing grumpily on the other side. It's his high school graduation.
Bogeyman: And now, the full regalia! No more high school--no more unstudious, unscrupulous nitwits to hold him back. Nowhere to go but up--the sky's the limit! There's a lad with a future, and more than enough gumption to shoot to the top.
Page 17 panel 2
Next slide: An older Emmett, at another graduation--this time from college. He wears another cap and gown, has another diploma, but looks grimmer, quieter than in the last photo. His mother is in the picture behind him, but she only looks blasé'.
Bogeyman: Will you look at this? More commencement! Without question, this was an exceptional young scholar, a veritable wunderkind! They grow up so fast, don't they? Only three slides ago, he was our bouncing baby boy.
Lady (wiping eyes with handkerchief): Sob! Oh dear...where have all the good times gone?
Page 17 panel 3
Next slide: Emmett again, still older, at his post-graduate ceremony. This time, even his mother is gone from the photo.
Bogeyman: Ho-hum. Are you all as tired of this scene as I am? More achievements, more awards, more certificates. This time, our hero has completed his Ph.D. By now, he has enough sheepskin to assemble a small lamb.
Man: You know, I'm very proud of him.
Woman: He's just so well-groomed.
Page 17 panel 4
Next slide: Emmett at the same age as the last slide, working with parts of a complex mechanism on a bench in a laboratory.
Bogeyman: Heigh-ho, heigh-ho, it's off to work he goes! Desiring to pursue new facets of the medical technology he studied in school, DR. Adams secured an appointment to a sleep research program at UCLA. Ostensibly, he wanted to tap into dreams to assist the mentally ill. Confidentially, his goals were loftier: large sums of money and lucrative corporate job offers resulting from his discoveries.
Page 17 panel 5
Slide: The heavy girl, in her early 20's, who appeared in the Dream Lord's flashbacks in Part II as Tally. The girl is wearing a light summer shirt and shorts, and is standing outside by some trees, smiling.
Bogeyman: And who, pray tell, is this? The love interest, or course! Tally Grover pined for our boy from the moment she first scrubbed his beakers. Young and impressionable, this poor urchin turned to Jell-O each and every morning she came to work as the Doctor's undergrad lab assistant. Adams's affections, naturally, ran to more exotic entrees.
Page 17 panel 6
Slide: A young, well-built man with black hair, wearing a lab coat and carrying a clipboard. He is waving good-naturedly at the camera. It is the Bogeyman, perhaps 4 or 5 years younger.
Bogeyman: Now who is that handsome devil? Hmmm... He looks a bit familiar, doesn't he, Kubla?
Page 17 panel 7
Closeup of the Dream Lord, hypnotized by the screen, staring, his mouth open with shock and sudden recognition.
Bogeyman (off-panel): But I can't seem to place him. Oh, I can't bear it when I forget a face.
Page 17 panel 8
Next slide: Another shot of the young, dark-haired man. This time, he is seated before a microscope, making notes in a notebook. He is intent on his work.
Bogeyman: Something about him appeals to me. Could it be his rugged good looks? The obvious intelligence in those piercing eyes? Perhaps his charming, wholesome, and courageous personality? I'm not quite sure...
Man: Could be any one of those, you know, or a combination. I, for one, am stunned by his dynamic and forceful charisma.
Woman: By all means! That individual is nothing short of extraordinary! Is he a president or a pontiff? A champion at anything he would undertake, most certainly!
Page 17 panel 9
Slide: The dark-haired man is standing in the lab, holding a piece of equipment. Beside him is the young Emmett Adams, looking very subdued and displeased.
Bogeyman: Here we go, now! Our boy seems to know that fellow! What uncanny luck! They must have worked together, or some such. Does it ring a bell, Kubla--maybe just jingle it a teensy bit?
Page 18 (9 panels)
Page 18 panel 1
Slide: Closeup of the dark-haired man's head and shoulders. On his lab coat is an I.D. badge, with letters large enough to be read by the audience.
Bogeyman: Wait, there's a name! How fortunate! The coincidences this afternoon continue to multiply! Let's see--it says "Dr. Thomas Paulsen." Thomas Paulsen...Thomas Paulsen. Does that engender any recognition here?
Woman: It is an impressive title, but I recall no one bearing it. I would remember such a spectacular specimen!
Woman: Paulsen...Thomas Paulsen... let me think...
Page 18 panel 2
Closeup of the Dream Lord, horrified as memories begin to return to him, triggered by the bizarre slideshow.
Bogeyman (off-panel): Oh no! Now I recollect! I knew I'd seen that splendid creature somewhere! Why, how embarrassing!
Page 18 panel 3
Closeup of the Bogeyman, behind the slide projector. The light from the top of the projector beams up at him, casting an eerie glow on his otherwise shadowy face. He has removed his small mask and holds it in his hand--his face revealed to be that of the man in the slides.
Bogeyman (smiling sinisterly): That's me!
Page 18 panel 4
Wide shot of the audience in the dark ballroom, all turned around in their chairs to get a glimpse of him. They are all gaping and pointing and ogling, popcorn and sodas in their hands.
Various exclamations from the crowd: Heavens! He's right! Incredible! I knew it! He's so much better in person, don't you think? Bra-vo! Magnificent!
Bogeyman: Why didn't I deduce that earlier? It must be my allergies. Now, I remember everything so much more clearly...like watching fish in a bowl.
Page 18 panel 5
Slide: Bogeyman and Adams working on some complex equipment in the lab, with a subject sleeping on a cot in the foreground. The subject has electrodes on his skull and body, monitoring his sleep.
Bogeyman: Dr. Adams and I were both part of that illustrious sleep project, slaving away, side-by-side, on bold, unprecedented experiments. See how dedicated we look there?
Woman: Such intensity! Positively inspirational!
Page 18 panel 6
Slide: Dr. Paulsen is elated, standing proudly before a bank of controls and monitors displaying energy patterns. He is lecturing on a new breakthrough to a group of colleagues gathered around him. Off to one side, Dr. Adams looks at him with icy disdain.
Bogeyman: Unfortunately, I had the audacity to unravel certain key discoveries before him. My success, as astonishing as it was to my colleagues, and as exciting as it was to me, nourished naught but resentment in the overzealous Dr. Kubla.
Page 18 panel 7
Slide: Adams at a lab table, slamming his fist down in frustration. He is clawing at his face with the other hand, deeply upset.
Bogeyman: Well...doesn't that just make you want to beat your breast and wail? Poor Kubla--he wasn't doing so well at the time, in his work...
Page 18 panel 8
Slide: Dr. Paulsen, outside the lab, is walking with a beautiful blonde woman. They are arm-in-arm, laughing--while Adams watches nearby in the shadows, scowling.
Bogeyman: ...or anything else. My conquests, on the other hand, continued to mount. It all spun round me, like maypole ribbons--the most bountiful, breeziest era I've known. Amazingly, it all trickled into my hands--professional success, recognition, money, job offers, women.
Page 18 panel 9
Slide: Dr. Adams and Tally in wedding photo. Adams has only a faint, forced smile.
Bogeyman: ...all those things which Kubla longed for. Bitterly, he resigned himself to being second banana, helping my research advance while the spotlight steadfastly avoided him. When all the desirable females flocked to my beacon of rising fame and wealth, he half-heartedly wedded Tally Grover.
Woman: What a lovely gown! I believe I'm going to cry!
Man: They do make a pleasing couple.
Page 19 (9 panels)
Page 19 panel 1
Slide: Adams and Tally, sitting at a table, with a lawyer on the other side. They both sign papers which are spread out in front of them.
Bogeyman: Again, we see the captivating Mr. and Mrs. Adams, signing an array of certificates...divorce papers, actually. Their connubial bliss was as long-lived as the fizz in an uncapped carbonated soda. The split was far from amicable, due mainly to the dissatisfaction and swelling jealous paranoia of the groom.
Woman: You cad!
Woman 2: Naughty, naughty!
Man: A husband should be shot for such abandonment!
Page 19 panel 2
Closeup of the Dream Lord, still watching intently as the slideshow progresses.
At his side, Lullaby also watches, frowning and puzzled.
Lullaby: Is that goon jerking your chain, Dream Lord?
Dream Lord: No. Oh God, he isn't...
Page 19 panel 3
A quick memory flashback for the Dream Lord, of the scene where Tally is sitting at a kitchen table in her bathrobe. She is crying, upset over their impending separation, holding a cup of coffee in one hand. It is the same scene that kept coming back to the Dream Lord during his ordeal in issue 2.
Tally: You didn't have to do it this way.
Page 19 panel 4
Slide: Back in the UCLA lab, Adams and Paulsen are standing before a bank of controls, operating them and watching a large monitor screen. In the foreground of the photo is a new subject, asleep on a cot and wired with electrodes and a strange, metallic headband. On the screen is the image of the man's dream; he is lounging on a luxurious velvet couch, surrounded by beautiful harem girls. Paulsen is elated at finally tapping into a dream, and smiles broadly, but Adams just stands there and watches without emotion.
Bogeyman: Ah, back to the Brothers Grimm...our heroic high-tech honchos! There we are during the first successful test of the Dream Screen, a device which permitted peeping into any person's dreams! It was a fabulous breakthrough on my part, assisted somewhat by Dr. Kubla's techniques. Of course, assisting was not quite enough for our boy.
Page 19 panel 5
Slide: Closeup of Adams, practically snarling with rage.
Bogeyman: Ha! You see before you the Mad Dog in full bloom! This is Dr. Adams at the apex of his slavering resentment, prepared to do nearly anything to expunge my jaunty genius and mast his own flag.
Woman: Oh, my! Like some frightful grizzly, isn't he?
Page 19 panel 6
Slide: Adams and Paulsen among a new collection of equipment in their lab. Paulsen is placing a helmet-like device on his own head, while Adams makes adjustments to a bank of switches.
Bogeyman: And now, the moment you've all been waiting for! The dirty deed itself! Here we are at the climax of all our research--the first test of the Dream Chute! If effective, the mechanism would allow me to enter someone's mind and shape their dreams!
Page 19 panel 7
Slide: Paulsen is clutching his skull as the helmet erupts with blue sparks and flames. He is in agony, trying to pull the device from his head. Adams has just seen the disaster and is shocked and scared.
Bogeyman: But, as is so often the case when bolting the frontiers of science, the strategy went awry! The Dream Chute exploded, blasting my brain with hundreds of searing volts! I screamed madly, knowing my end was near.
Man: How dreadful!
Woman: How could anyone stand all that?
Man 2: You know, I believe that shot is a bit out of focus.
Page 19 panel 8
Slide: A shot from some sort of pornographic film--but not showing anything graphically obscene. A woman in leather stands by a bed, and she is holding a whip. There is a guy in his boxer shorts on the bed. One of the Bogeyman's stag slides has slipped into his presentation.
Bogeyman: Luckily for me...oh, how did that get in there?
Woman: Goodness gracious!
Man: This is an unusual twist!
Page 19 panel 9
Slide: Paulsen is still writhing under the backfiring helmet, his head encircled by blue energy. He is screaming and grabbing at Adams, who has his hand on a large power cutoff switch.
Bogeyman: Ahem. As I was saying, luckily for me, my loyal and admiring friend Adams was by my side, prepared to shut off the power flow at a second's notice. He leaped to the fray...
Page 20 (9 panels)
Page 20 panel 1
Slide: His hand on the power switch, Adams's expression suddenly changes. No longer merely shocked and ready to rescue his friend, he now looks wide-eyed and thoughtful as a new idea rushes into his mind.
Bogeyman: He clutched the switch, with no thought but that he must preserve his compatriot's life!
Man: Oh, dear! Will he be in time?
Woman: I can't watch!
Page 20 panel 2
Slide: Adams looks grim and hateful and removes his hand from the power switch.
Bogeyman: But then, out of the clear blue sky, he got a cramp in his hand...
Page 20 panel 3
Dream Lord closeup (not a slide), as he becomes frantic and enraged--the memories of what he did rushing back to him, jogged by the slideshow.
Dream Lord: No. No, don't...
Lullaby: Dream Lord?
Page 20 panel 4
Slide: Adams turning to walk away from the dying Paulsen.
Bogeyman: ...something in his eye...
Page 20 panel 5
Another closeup of the Dream Lord, as he grows even more panicky and desperate.
Dream Lord: I said no more! Stop it! Stop!
Page 20 panel 6
Slide: Paulsen crumbles to the ground, in complete agony as the energy pours through his body like lightning, and he dies. Adams, now turned completely away, has his hands over his ears.
Bogeyman: ...a buzz in the eardrum...
Page 20 panel 7
Dream Lord: No more! No no no!
Someone in the audience: Will you kindly keep it down back there?
Lullaby (putting her hand on the Dream Lord's shoulder, trying to relax him): Dream Lord, Dream Lord...take it easy.
Page 20 panel 8
Slide: Paulsen is dead on the floor, smoke rising from the malfunctioned helmet. In the foreground, Adams stands perfectly still, with a mixed expression on his face, looking off to one side of the shot. He looks worried, angry, and triumphant all at once, overcome with the act he has just performed.
Bogeyman: ...and an annoying flash of selective amnesia.
Page 20 panel 9
Dream Lord (screaming insanely): Noooo! I didn't do it!!
Page 21 (8 panels)
Page 21 panel 1
Medium shot of the Bogeyman behind his slide projector, looking evil in the light it directs up at him.
Bogeyman: So you see, ladies and lords, he killed me. Isn't that the darnedest thing? Lights please, Carter.
Page 21 panel 2
Carter the butler enters behind him, lighting a huge torch mounted on the wall, and the room becomes brighter.
Bogeyman: Now, wasn't that fascinating? And I haven't even shown you the part where he creates the Dream Zone and nearly destroys the world!
Crowd: Oh, won't you? Please, do! That would be fantastic! Yes, do it!
Page 21 panel 3
Bogeyman: Now, now...we have to save a few surprises for the sequel, don't we?
Page 21 panel 4
Dream Lord (lunging forward as Lullaby tries to restrain him): What are you talking about? You bastard, what do you mean?
Bogeyman: Don't ruffle your feathers, poor rooster. Remember...
Page 21 panel 5
Bogeyman (more demonic and sinister than ever): ...curiosity killed the cat.
Page 21 panel 6
Dream Lord (raging, ready to attack--his body glowing with surging golden energy): You liar! You liar!! You won't say another word!!
Bogeyman: Quit hamming, you noisome troll! I specifically warned you that the truth would cause you an enormity of pain--and you signed on for the cruise anyway. Stop your ridiculous dither.
Page 21 panel 7
Dream Lord: I'll kill you!!
Bogeyman: Never! Lightning never strikes twice in the same spot, ignoramus!
Lullaby (grabbing at Dream Lord's shoulders, trying to hold him back): Dream Lord! Dream Lord, calm down! Don't do it buster! Don't go after him like this! Dream Lord!!
Page 21 panel 8
Dream Lord: You've tried everything to destroy me--but you can't! I'm the Dream Lord!
Lullaby: Stop it Dream Lord! He's freaking you out, so he can get you for good! Stop and think for a minute!
Page 22 (8 panels)
Page 22 panel 1
Dream Lord (pushing Lullaby violently away from him): Nooo!! No more! I'm sick of this! I came here to kill him and that's what I'm doing!
Bogeyman (smiling benignly at the Dream Lord, enjoying every moment of his rage): Well then, would you mind getting on about it? I've already tarried long enough with you imbeciles, and I have a manicure set for ten minutes from now.
Lullaby (frantically shouting at the Dream Lord as he prepares to attack): Dream Lord! I told you...
Page 22 panel 2
The Dream Lord begins to run forward. Lullaby sends a beam of energy from her glowing hand, causing a tripwire to materialize from thin air right in front of his feet.
Lullaby: ...settle down...
Page 22 panel 3
Dream Lord topples over the wire, plunging straight to the floor.
Lullaby: ...and think for a minute!
Bogeyman (clapping and laughing): Oh, bravo! Will the surprises never cease? Now, we have fighting among the ranks! Author, author!!
Page 22 panel 4
From the floor, the Dream Lord whirls around to look angrily up at Lullaby.
Dream Lord: Stacy! What the hell are you doing?!?
Lullaby: I'm stoppin' you from killing yourself! Take a good look, buster! (She points at a mirror which has just appeared in the air before his face.)
Page 22 panel 5
Dream Lord gazes into the mirror and sees his shocking image. He is disheveled, crazed, sweating, animalistic--reduced to a seething, mindless madman.
Lullaby: You see that? That isn't the Dream Lord anymore--it's some crazy nut who wants to go chargin' in after somebody who practically slaughtered him once before! It's some guy who's so upset that he doesn't realize what's really happening--that he's reacting exactly the way that old Bogeycreep wants him to!
Page 22 panel 6
Lullaby (crouching down to put her arm around the Dream Lord while he continues to stare into the mirror): Buddy, he's not your friend! I am--and I want to help you! You can't beat the Bogeyman this way--all whacked out and blinded! He will put you away before you even touch him! And he knows it! He wants it that way! He'll be able to play with you some more, flip you around like a stupid puppet, the way he's been doing since you met him!
Page 22 panel 7
Lullaby: You're angry now because he showed you something about yourself that isn't very nice--but it's true! You can't change what you did, but you have to live with it! Don't let him use it to drive you crazy! Don't let him use it to kill you!
Page 22 panel 8
Lullaby: Don't do it, Dream Lord...don't charge after him like a dumb rhino! You don't have enough power to get rid of him--yet--but you do have the power to change what he's done! Remember the dreamers, Dream Lord...remember the Dream Dimension. You have a job to do, don't you?
Page 23 (9 panels)
Page 23 panel 1
The Dream Lord, now somewhat calmer, responding to Lullaby's comments, just stares into the mirror at himself.
Page 23 panel 2
The same closeup of the Dream Lord staring at the mirror.
Dream Lord: Yes. I forgot.
Page 23 panel 3
The Dream Lord crawls to his feet, with Lullaby helping him.
Dream Lord: Bogeyman!
Bogeyman: Yes? Ha ha ha! What, oh what do you have in store for me now? May I issue my will as of yet? Shall I select pallbearers and compose my elegy?
Page 23 panel 4
Dream Lord (grim, defiant, but no longer crazed and furious): Not yet...but I recommend you do it soon. Next time, I will pull the strings.