This is a story about a dream-giver named Littlest, a spirited wisp-like creature who
is learning how to give dreams to humans.
Her teacher, Fastidious, teaches her about the dream-giving process, a process that involves
touching objects and absorbing their memories. However, Fastidious gets frustrated with Littlest
and her playful personality.
At the Heap, the gathering place of the dream-givers, Littlest is assigned a new teacher, Thin Elderly,
an experienced dream-giver who lets Littlest develop with more freedom. He also tells her
about the Sinisteed, horse-like creatures who are responsible for giving humans nightmares.
Meanwhile, the two dream-givers are assigned to watch over a lonely and sad elderly woman
whose only companion is a dog. The woman is kind and loving and takes in a foster child
named John.
John comes from an abusive family where his father beats his mother. The father has moved
away to California and the mother is trying to get her life back together.
When John first arrives at the woman's house, he is antagonistic and aggressive, saying
violent and hurtful words to the woman. Still, the woman shrugs it off and continues to take
care of John.
Because of John's emotional state, the Sinisteeds plan a horde, an aggressive attack on a human
that involves multiple Sinisteeds producing a terrible nightmare.
Littlest and Thin Elderly try to strengthen John with good dreams and memories to combat
the nightmare. Fortunately, Littlest uses enough memory fragments to construct enough
happy memories to wade off the nightmare.
In the end, John continues to live with the old woman until his mother is ready for him,
and Littlest, who has proven herself to be a good dream-giver, takes on the name of Gossamer
and inherits a new apprentice.
First, this story has an interesting interpretation of dreams and nightmares. The author creates
a simple, yet highly metaphoric mythos on the relationship between dream creation and
people's memories. Through this, readers also identify the connection between physical objects,
memories, and dreams.
Identity is also an important theme in this story. Littlest spends most of the story trying
to figure out who and what she is. She quickly realizes she is not a dog, but when she realizes
that she is not human, something noteworthy within her changes. Perhaps the catalyst of
this change was her maturing, but it feels more like it is derived from a culmination
of self-identity, confidence, and a sense of accomplishment.
So what does "Gossamer" mean? Before Littlest inherits the name, Gossamer is mostly used
as an adjective in reference to "light touch." And because dream-givers are not supposed
to touch living things, Littlest having this ability further separates her as a special
dream-giver.
Although somewhat cryptic, Sinisteeds are discussed in this story, playing the important
role of antagonist for the dream-givers. The relationship between dream-givers and Sinisteeds
parallels the relationship between Biblical angels and demons, as Sinisteeds are derived
from dream-givers, another interpretation of how close the relationship between good
and evil truly is.