Dream Merchant Amelie [A Magical Realism Short Story] [Complete]

There isn’t a dream Amelie can’t conjure. Those wishing to forget come to Amelie for the gift of oblivion; those wanting to remember come to remember, even entire lives that they haven’t lived; those wishing for love come to love, romancing an imagined partner within dreams that Amelie creates for them. And they sell really, really well. Because she’s crafted and sold so many dreams, she finds no request too great nor daunting to undertake. The harder the challenge, the better it is – after all, it pays the most, and gives her the psychological stimulus she sorely wants. That is until one day, a mysterious client approaches her with a request for a dream that Amelie had never heard: A dream of immortality for her ailing son. Undertaking this extraordinary request will change everything that Amelie knows about herself, her client, and the truth behind her wish – and why people choose to dream of dreaming.   [Submitted as part of the 2024 January Royalroad Community Magazine contest, based on the writing prompt "Immortality is a myth."]   Update: Dream Merchant Amelie has made the Royalroad Community Magazine's Top 10 placement out of 171 story entries! The response has been phenomenal and I would like to thank the readers and community judges for their support!