Fever Dreams are moments of vivid false reality. Oftentimes bizarre, they come in our weakest and most vulnerable moments. Paired with sickness and a depleted physical state, fever dreams remain mostly unknown - yet lead to dramatic discoveries about our psyche, and the state of our mind’s well-being. Spatial distortion, moments of dramatic discovery, and deep rest are common.
Artist and photographer Kendall Hill’s publishing debut, FEVERDREAMS takes viewers on a journey of rapid self-discovery throughout one night of dreams, focusing on the flourishing and fading connections of our youth’s final frontier.
In the preludes for FEVERDREAMS, three installments set the groundwork for the 2024 release, describing how bodies of water are imbued with mystical, time-traveling powers, where we physically are in the world, the social climate, and other guideposts for the six chapters found in the book.
We begin our dive into the FD FD = feverdreams universe by learning more about Acoma, the “water city” where the entirety of the book will take place and recall memories from. The preludes pre-date the physical book by 20 years (identifiable by “Little Eon”, who is also a character in Chapter 1 and has grown up by this point).
Prelude 1: The new water & the old mesas serves as an introduction to Acoma and to understanding the larger, important plotlines of the story. We get a sense of the social climate of the city 20 years prior to the book, and immediately jump into our rising action with the disappearance of Zeeck Ferrell.
In prelude 2: Into the dreams, we will learn of the things ZF saw during his mystical water encounter over the 18 days he was missing. Somewhat a “therapy session”, Zeeck will retell what he saw in his fever dreams induced by the water. The characters of the town will hear first hand the powers of the water, as will the readers, and realize the dangers it can bring.
In prelude 3: Ripple Effect, the final prelude, the town will wrestle with what to do about the mystical waters and if they want to regulate them or allow people to use them whenever they please. Ultimately deciding to allow them to be free and open for people to use because of a compelling argument by the city’s youth.
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Prelude 2
Ripple effect
OVER THE NEXT FEW DAYS AND WEEKS, first a few, then a couple ten, then a couple hundred, visited the still pond deep behind Zeeck’s house. One by one, mothers and their children would waft into the pond, freeze in their tracks, take a few more steps, and dip backwards into the shallow water, incapable of going any further without the pond claiming them as easy and precious prey. Stories and rumors quickly circled around town, often over cafeteria talk on Thursday afternoons from the high school seniors whose parents let them wade into the water. Office chatter amongst colleagues whose husbands journeyed off into the night to test the waters, to report stories to their cautious spouses at home. And the lonely went, too, often hoping to experience a not too forgotten past; when things were less complicated, more rosy, simpler.
Acoma’s leaders were at a loss on what to do. The few that were were divided, half of them wanting to cut off all access to the pond and all others like it that may contain the same power. The other cohort refused to try and control the natural landscape of the town, and urged the other leaders that the waters remain open and sacred to all. None of them wanted responsibility of the issue, but all of them knew that it was necessary to comment on the topic and take the lead of the solution. They all talked privately and behind closed doors, and, like most societies in modern history, ultimately held a vote to let the people of Acoma decide on the fate of the waters.
The town vote, which asked the simple question “Would you like the mystical waters of Acoma to be open and available for public use and exploration,” was a monumental event. The ballots came in those petite white envelopes with the embroidered state emblem and fancy cursive for your name on that one Wednesday afternoon in early January. Everyone who was ten and above could vote, as the city saw it was important to include the voices of tomorrow on major issues that could see the consequences ripple into their collective futures. And, it was kids who discovered Old Man Zeeck Ferrell that one sunset after all. The city recognized the intuition and ability of their youth as something powerful, and to be respected.
Every vote was counted, then counted again, then triple counted. It was a clear victory for the natural waters of Acoma, with an overwhelming majority of the town voting to keep the mystical ponds open and for free use to the general public. Now in law: As a resident of Acoma, you can explore, use, and avoid the waters at your own, individual discretion!
The announcement of the vote went blaring over the Acoma airwaves, all who were alive remember where they were when it happened.
ATTENTION! ATTENTION! ATTENTION! ATTENTION! ATTENTION! ATTENTION! ATTENTION! ATTENTION! ATTENTION! ATTENTION! ATTENTION! ATTENTION!
A NEW UPDATE FOR ALL RESIDENTS OF ACOMA! A NEW UPDATE FOR ALL RESIDENTS OF ACOMA! A NEW UPDATE FOR ALL RESIDENTS OF ACOMA! A NEW UPDATE FOR ALL RESIDENTS OF ACOMA!
VOTE TEN DASH 67 DASH ONE ONE ONE THREE SEVENTY-NINE HAVE ALL BEEN TALLIED AND REVIEWED. VOTE TEN DASH 67 DASH ONE ONE ONE THREE SEVENTY-NINE HAVE ALL BEEN TALLIED AND REVIEWED.
THE YAYS HAVE HAD IT THE YAYS HAVE HAD IT THE YAYS HAVE HAD IT THE YAYS HAVE HAD IT THE YAYS HAVE HAD IT THE YAYS HAVE HAD IT
THE MYSTICAL WATERS OF ACOMA HAVE BEEN ORDERED TO REMAIN PUBLIC FOR ALL. THE MYSTICAL WATERS OF ACOMA HAVE BEEN ORDERED TO REMAIN PUBLIC FOR ALL.
ATTENTION! ATTENTION! THIS ANNOUNCEMENT IS OVER. ATTENTION! ATTENTION! THIS ANNOUNCEMENT IS OVER. ATTENTION! ATTENTION! THIS ANNOUNCEMENT IS OVER. ATTENTION! ATTENTION! THIS ANNOUNCEMENT IS OVER.
You could hear the cheers and congratulatory cries from all the homes across the mesa. As if the town quarterback scored the Hail Mary of a lifetime, bodies fell into the streets, clapping and high-fiving with anyone who was next to them. Music filled the air, and the town danced the night away; many went to the waters deep into the night and came back to tell the stories in the early morning daylight. The air still chilled from last week's snow.
Maybe surprisingly or not, the only one who was deeply against the opening of the waterways for spiritual exploration was Old Man Zeeck. He campaigned from his bedside, in front of his own home, and all on the airways… where anyone would listen. He told stories of horror for what may happen if we all fell into a complex, deep dream state, unable to get up from the waters. Stories circulated of a phenomenon called the “false reality”, where you would actually be unable to distinguish real life from a dream after spending an extended time going back and forth in your memories. But, these cases were mostly isolated and paired with other health issues from the various townspeople who experienced such things. And, for the most part, no one really cared, as the benefit seemed to far outweigh the bad.
Now, in the present day, adults and youth alike still jump in the original pond behind Zeeck’s house (later renamed CREEKZ) and others found around Acoma and the old mesas. All of the still ponds that have been found and discovered so far have proven to have the memory-grasping capabilities, and the people of Acoma have enjoyed the pond's powers with ease.
