The Sandman #1 through The Sandman #25

Complete listed story — includes the ending

The Sandman #1

June 6th,
Doctor John Hathaway of Scotland's Royal Museum visits the Sussex manor Fawny Rig, home of the occult magus Roderick Burgess. He explains to Burgess that his son Edmund had been killed in the war. He offers him a mystical tome called the Magdalene Grimoire and begs Burgess to use his knowledge of the occult to resurrect his son. Burgess agrees and takes possession of the book.

June 10th
At the stroke of midnight, Burgess and his fellow cultists in the Order of Ancient Mysteries begin their summoning ritual. Burgess seeks to capture the very essence of death, through which, no one need ever die again. Roderick's young son Alexander is present during the ritual. After a lengthy incantation, Burgess opens the veil between worlds and a strange being clad in a cape and an elaborate helmet spills into the middle of the circle. Roderick immediately knows that this is not Death. This is actually Morpheus - the Lord of Dreams. Burgess keeps his ethereal presence consigned to the mystic ward on the floor, while his cultists erect a crystal dome over the ward to contain the Dream King's corporeal form. Around the world, different people suffer after effects of the Sandman's imprisonment. People like Ellie Marston, Stefan Wasserman, Daniel Bustamonte and Unity Kincaid fall into a deep malaise; an unnatural comatose state from which they cannot awaken.

June,
Doctor John Hathaway, torn over Burgess' failure to reproduce his dead son, can no longer live with himself. Roderick has bled him dry through blackmail, so Hathaway decides to take his own life. He leaves behind a suicide note implicating Burgess in the theft of the Grimoire. Burgess is investigated, but cleared of all charges, having used occult magic to burn the suicide note before it was found.

August,
Young Alexander consults with the Paginarum Fulvarum and learns his prisoner's true identity. Roderick is impressed with the boy. He always knew that the being inside the glass dome was one of the Endless, but up until now he did not know which one. He tries to force Morpheus to serve up his sibling Death, but Morpheus does not respond. He merely sits silently in his prison, patiently waiting.

November - December
Ruthven Sykes, second-in-command to Burgess' Order of Ancient Mysteries decides to strike out on his own. He steals a large sum of money from Roderick as well as the artifacts found upon Dream's person. Roderick's former mistress Ethel Cripps runs away with him. Sykes knows that Roderick will hunt him down, so he barters Dream's helm with a demon named Choronzon for protection. The demon gives Ruthven an amulet. So long as he always wear it, he will be safe from Roderick's retribution.

Ethel Cripps leaves Ruthven Sykes and takes the amulet as well as the Dreamstone. Roderick Burgess uses his knowledge of the occult to take his revenge by making Sykes' head explode.

Roderick Burgess is old and dying. He goes to the cellar of his home and tries to force Morpheus to do his bidding. Once again, Morpheus refuses. He watches as the old man shouts at him before finally pitching over dead.

Alexander Burgess, now an adult, is the new leader of the Order of Ancient Mysteries. He has taken possession of his father's estate and lives there with his partner Paul McGuire. Alex goes to the cellar and makes Morpheus the same offer that his father once made him. He will free him in exchange for power and a promise that he will not retaliate. Morpheus tells him "No".

Alex Burgess has turned from a serious study of the dark arts and uses his resources to host a series of tantric sex rituals. Paul and he promote these endeavors not only for the sex, but also for the revenue they generate.

Burgess falls into a state of great despondency. He hands control of the Order completely over to Paul McGuire. He becomes obsessed with the Liber Fulvarum Paginarum and continuously from a single page in the book - a page that includes a representation of the Sandman.

Alexander Burgess tries to talk to Morpheus, but the Dream King won't respond to him.

Burgess tells his prisoner that he hasn't had a decent night's sleep in over sixty years. He blames Morpheus for his current state.

Burgess, old and infirm, makes idle threats to Morpheus. These too go unheeded.

Alexander Burgess, now confined to a wheelchair, goes to the cellar to see Morpheus one final time. Out of spite, he tells Morpheus that he is glad that his father captured him, then instructs Paul to bring him back upstairs. As the wheelchair turns, one of the tires smudges the binding circle that surrounds Morpheus. The Dream King collapses, seemingly dead. Paul McGuire unlocks the glass dome to check on him. As soon as he does so, Morpheus blows sand in his face and escapes. Across the world, those who were affected the worst by the Dream Lord's imprisonment begin to awaken. One of these victims of the "sleeping sickness", Unity Kincaid, recalls once having a baby girl.

That evening, Alexander Burgess goes to sleep. In his dreams, he is confronted by the Sandman. Unable to gain revenge against the man who first imprisoned him, he instead decides to mete out vengeance against the son. He curses Burgess with Eternal Waking - an endless nightmare wherein he experiences terrific horrors which conclude when he wakes up screaming - only to discover that he is actually still asleep, and the self-perpetuating cycle repeats itself over and over. Burgess lapses into a coma.

The Sandman #2

At the House of Mystery, Cain gives his brother Abel a gift. Before he can open it however, there is a knock at the door. It is Cain's pet gargoyle Gregory holding the weakened Dream Lord Morpheus aloft by his robes. Cain and Abel bring him inside and set Morpheus down. Dream asks them for their letters of conscription. The papers that bear his signature provide just enough power to give Dream a bit more strength. His vitality improves enough so that he can send his essence into the Dreamworld.

Meanwhile, ninety-year-old Ethel Dee visits Arkham Asylum in Gotham County. She speaks with psychiatrist Doctor Roger Huntoon regarding her son, John. John is the super-villain known as Doctor Destiny. Huntoon reluctantly allows her to visit John. Dee is in a terrible physical and mental state. He tells his mother that they "took his dreams" away from him.

In the Dreamworld, Morpheus journeys beyond the Gates of Horn and Ivory to the steps of his castle. The castle has fallen into a state of severe dilapidation since he's been gone. Lucien the librarian comes out and tells Morpheus about what has been going on in the Dreaming since he's been away.

At the House of Mystery, Abel finally opens his gift and discovers that it is a gargoyle egg. The egg hatches and a baby gargoyle spills out. Abel wants to name it Irving after an old friend of his, but Cain won't hear of it. He reminds him that all gargoyle names begin with the letter "G". He becomes so irate with his brother that he kills him, which is not an uncommon circumstance as Cain often kills his brother merely for the sport of it. Like Cain, Abel is immortal, and always regenerates. As Abel finally pulls himself back together, he consents to Cain's will and gives the gargoyle a proper name – Goldie.

Back in the Dreamworld, Morpheus visits the three witches known as the Hecateae. He needs information regarding his tools of office. The witches tell him that each one of them will answer one question, but only one per witch. These are the rules. Dream asks his questions, but the Hecateae deliberately give him misleading answers. However, he does discover where his articles may be found. His pouch of sand was last seen in the hands of a hedge mage named John Constantine. His helm was given to a demon in 1930 by Ruthven Sykes and his ruby was last seen in the presence of a League of Justice. Dream thanks these "weird sisters" and goes off to reclaim his belongings, deciding to start with Constantine.

The Sandman #3

A woman named Rachel lies in bed at her house. Her withered, bony hand reaches out from the blankets to the nightstand where it grasps at a partially opened bag of sand. This is Dream's Sand Pouch – a mystical item that was stolen from him decades ago.

In London, hedge mage John Constantine wakes up after suffering a terrible nightmare. He should be used to them by now, having suffered such visions ever since the 1978 debacle at Newcastle. He goes down to Ed's Easy Diner for breakfast. The song on the jukebox is about dreams. When he leaves, he encounters a street woman named Mad Hettie. Hettie warns him that the Sandman has returned. John scoffs and tells her that the Sandman is just a fairy tale. Hettie warns him to heed her words for she is two-hundred and seventy-three years old.

When John returns home he discovers that the Sandman really does exist. Dream stands in his doorway and inquires about his missing bag of sand. John vaguely recalls finding the item at a garage sale many years ago, but doesn't know where it could be now. He tells Dream that they should check an old storage facility that he once leased. They stop at the place, and John finds a photograph of an ex-girlfriend – Rachel. He now recalls that Rachel stole a bunch of his stuff and sold it for drugs. She is the last one that would have known where the pouch is.

John calls his friend Chas Chandler, and Chas drives John and Dream over to Rachel's father's house in the Brambles. When they enter the house they find that her father has been transformed into a living nightmare – barely alive. Dream knows that this his pouch is definitely here. John enters Rachel's room. She is sitting up in bed and looks terrible. Years of substance abuse have wasted her and she is slowly dying. Dream notices that she has the sand pouch and cites that it is the only thing that has kept her alive until now. John asks him to put her out of her misery. Dream places Rachel into a happy dream where she is young and healthy again, living with John - the love of her life. Dream collects his pouch as Rachel dies peacefully.

The pair begin to part company, but John stops Dream to ask for a favor. He describes the nightmares that he has been having, and Dream tells him that his nightmares will now cease.

The Sandman #4

Dream's next task is to reclaim his missing helm. This will prove a most dangerous endeavour, as it means that he must pass the gates of Hell itself to find it.

At the gates, Dream meets resistance from a guard named Squatterbloat. Dream warns him that he is considered a guest and that Lucifer would be very upset if Squatterbloat refused him. Fortunately, the demon Etrigan appears, and offers to take Dream to see Lucifer. He takes Dream through the Wood of Suicides, and then past a prison of souls entombed to pity. Dream has an encounter with a woman he knew long ago - Nada. Nada begs his forgiveness for a prior betrayal, but Morpheus refuses. He tells her, "It has been ten thousand years, Nada. Yes. I still love you. But I have not yet forgiven you".

They eventually arrive at Dis, the Hellcity where the palace of Lucifer Morningstar stands. At the top of his tower, Lucifer greets him. Dream is surprised to learn that Hell is no longer a monarchy, but is now a triumvirate. After the battle between Heaven and the Great Darkness, a civil war sparked in Hell which led to a change in leadership.
Lucifer now rules in equal partnership with fellow demons Azazel and Beelzebub.

The triumvirate convenes before Morpheus, and he informs them that a demon stole his helm of office many years ago, and he has come to Hell to reclaim it. They ask which demon is responsible for the offence, but Morpheus doesn't know his name. Mockingly, Lucifer decides to summon all of the demons of Hell together and asks Morpheus to point out which one has his helmet.

Using his magic sand, Dream eventually finds the one in possession of the artifact - Choronzon. Choronzon claims to have acquired the tool fairly, and has broken none of Hell's laws. If Morpheus wants it back, then he must challenge him for it. Morpheus agrees to the challenge, unsure that he has the strength to win.

As the challenged, Choronzon decides upon the rules and setting of their duel. He chooses a contest of wits, in which all of reality is their battlefield. The game involves taking on the identity of an item or animal and using the properties of that item to trump the opponent. After several turns, Dream realizes that taking a defensive approach might serve him better. He manipulates Choronzon into choosing a universe-destroying force, which he believes will leave Dream with no recourse. In response, Dream explains that he will be hope - the only thing that can remain after all is destroyed. With that, he wins the challenge.

Taking back his property, Morpheus thanks the kings of Hell and prepares to leave. Lucifer warns, however, that dreams have no power in Hell, and he has no intention of letting the Dream Lord leave. Morpheus counters that the power of dreams is very strong in Hell. Addressing the entire demon congregation he says, "What power would Hell have if those here imprisoned were not able to dream of Heaven?" With that, the sea of demons parts, and Morpheus is allowed to leave. Lucifer vows that one day he will destroy the Dream King.

Elsewhere, at Arkham Asylum, John Dee receives a gift from his dead mother.

The Sandman #5

At Arkham Asylum, John Dee makes his escape. Naked, he wanders out into the street and, with a revolver, forces a woman passing by to drive where he wants.

Scott Free wakes from a vivid nightmare of his past, growing up on Apokolips under the care of Granny Goodness. He realizes that he is safe in the Justice League Embassy, but is surprised to see Dream sitting at the foot of his bed. The pale man explains that he is seeking a certain ruby.

Rosemary Kelly turns to face John Dee, warning that if he touches her, her husband Harry - who she claims is a mafia hitman - will kill him. Dee apologizes for frightening her, and admits that he has escaped from Arkham. He explains that his mother died, and it inspired him to escape. Despite his appearance and behaviour, Rosemary begins to take pity on the man who has her at gunpoint.

Scott Free uses the embassy's computers to search their files for the ruby, and he finds that the J.L.A. had recovered it from a Doctor Destiny. They kept it in the satellite's trophy room. Unfortunately, the satellite was destroyed, and Scott doesn't know what happened to it. He racks his brain until he realizes that he knows someone who might know.

John Dee explains that he was once Doctor Destiny, and that he had been a scientist. As a nurse, Rosemary is concerned about John's appearance, and wonders if maybe he has AIDS. Dee has no knowledge of the disease, having been locked in Arkham's basement for five years. He had been placed there and forgotten by the Justice League, after he tried to pretend he was a costumed hero.

Scott Free and Dream wake up Martian Manhunter, who instantly recognizes Dream as the martian god of dreams Lord L'zoril. J'onn admits that the ruby Dream seeks is in storage since the satellite's destruction. It now lies in a warehouse in a town called Mayhew near Gotham City. Dream thanks them both and heads on his way, leaving J'onn and Scott to hit the kitchen and raid the stash of Oreos.

John Dee explains that his mother was ashamed of his plans to become a super villain, and demanded that he use a different name. Still, as a doctor of science, he had used science to render the ruby he found unusable by anyone but him. He continues to describe the ruby as Rosemary drives the car toward Mayhew.

Dream arrives at the storage facility first, but upon finding the Dreamstone, he experiences a negative reaction, and collapses. Meanwhile, John Dee and Rosemary arrive at the facility, and after killing Rosemary, Dee steals the ruby back, leaving Dream crumpled on the floor. Dee wanders into a 24 hour diner, and waits for the end of the world.

The Sandman #6

At a 24-hour diner, John Dee observes the regular patrons. Bette Munroe is a writer masquerading as a waitress - or perhaps the other way around. Judy is a young lesbian girl, of whom many locals do not approve. Garry and Kate Fletcher are rumoured to have married because he was after her money, but Bette can see that they are truly in love. Bette has been having an affair with a man named Marsh. Marsh's wife Marsha died of alcoholism. A young man named Mark doesn't yet know anybody there.

In his second hour there, Dee is forced to use the ruby he stole from Dream to prevent any of the patrons from leaving. Mark realizes he's late for a meeting, but as he gets up to leave, he suddenly changes his mind inexplicably, and orders another coffee. Judy calls her girlfriend Donna's place, but ends up getting her mother. Donna's mother doesn't approve of their relationship, and hangs up on her.

In hour four, Dee watches a children's television program, where he influences the host to tell the children that they should slash their wrists, slashing his own on camera. When the television program goes off the air, Dee bursts out laughing.

In hour five, the patrons begin to get restless. Garry realizes that they've been there for far longer than they meant to be, but he can't bring himself to leave. In hour six, Judy writes a letter to Donna, apologizing for hitting her. Meanwhile, Garry still can't fully form his thoughts.

In hour 7, Dee makes them see what they desire most. Mark wants to be an executive director, with lots of money. Garry has a twenty dollar hooker in the back of a convertible. After beating her up, he'll drive off. Kate dreams of killing Garry, knowing that he'll never have the chance to cheat on her again.

In hour 9, he sparks conflict, with Marsh fighting Judy for her sexual orientation. In hour 10, he makes them love him. In hour 11, the news reports indicate that people seem to be going mad all over the planet.

In hour 12, he has each of them reveal something about themselves. Kate tells the story of how when she was 18, she got drunk and wandered into a funeral home. She found her way into the mortuary, where the corpse of a young man was laid out on the table. Seeing him excited her, and she went over to the body, and began to play with it. Eventually, she had sex with the body. Sex with her husband Garry has never been as exciting for her as that time was.

In hour 13, Dee forces them to have an orgy. In hour 14, he demands that they tell his future. They claim that he will die soon. He demands a different future, and they claim instead that he will become all powerful, and usurp the place of the Lord of Dreams.

In hour 15, he lets them have their minds back for just a short while. In hour 16, he has one of them murdered in the dark. In hour 17, Marsh confesses that Marsha had known about his affair with Bette, and that's what drove her to alcoholism. As he confesses this, he hammers nails into his hand. Furthermore, he confesses that he met Bette's estranged son in Gotham City, where he was working as a male prostitute. Despite his relationship with the boy's mother, he hired him for sex.

In hour 18, Dee reverts them to primal beings, forcing Garry and Mark to fight for leadership. Garry tears out the younger man's throat with his teeth. By hour 20, Bette has sliced off some of her companions' limbs with a knife. He convinces Judy to attempt a religious experience by gouging out her own eyes. By hour 22, they are all dead.

In the 24th hour, Dream arrives. Dee is not convinced that the new arrival will provide him with much entertainment.

The Sandman #7

The world is in violent turmoil and chaos under the influence of John Dee and the Dreamstone. Dream finds him in a diner and demands to know what he is doing.

Dream is confused the man would use the Dreamstone to hurt and harm others. Frustrated at John Dee's lack of repentance, Dream explains that he created the stone out of his own spirit in order to manipulate the fabric of dreams. The stone was not made for evil. He offers that if Dee reverses the changes he made to the stone that prevent its maker from using it, he will take it back and right all of the wrongs that have been wrought. However, when John Dee realizes who he is speaking to, he determines to kill the Lord of Dreams, and take the Dreaming for himself.

Resigned, Dream dons his Helm, and enters the Dreaming, beckoning his adversary to follow. Dee enters the dream world with the ruby in hand. He makes himself appear as a Roman leader, though he is confused by the imagery of the dreamscape. Unchecked, Dee wreaks havoc, causing the dreams of the humans on Earth to become nightmares. The chaos shakes the inhabitants of the Dreaming into awareness. Finally, Dream approaches him, warning that Dee's actions are hurting the dreamers. In response, the madman screams that he will take all of the power of dreams and kill Dream himself. Using the ruby against Dream, he uses more and more of the power until it cracks and is destroyed in a massive explosion.

Surprised, John Dee finds himself in a blank realm of whiteness. He believes that he has killed the Lord of Dreams and gained control of the Dreaming. However, he is further surprised to discover that the whiteness is merely the pallor of the skin of Dream's massive palm, as he holds the madman within it. As it happens, destroying the ruby returned what power was trapped within it to its maker.

Complacently, Dream returns Dee to Arkham Asylum, offering some forgiveness. He does interact with Scarecrow who mentions the Asylum's poor sleeping conditions. Before leaving, Dream gives restful sleep and good dreams to all the world, including those in the Asylum.

The Sandman #8

A mortal approaches Destiny in an unknown place and asks him questions about Dream. Destiny reads from his book of Dream's capture, his escape, and his trials to regain his symbols of office. Destiny closes his book and the mortal takes their leave.

Having finally collected his tools of office, Dream takes a moment of reflection in a public park, feeding pigeons. He watches a young teen named Franklin playing soccer with a friend. Dream's older sister Death appears and sits next to him. The two begin talking and Dream tells her about his decades of imprisonment, and how unsatisfying his revenge against his captors proved to be. Death grows angry with Dream and tells him that she was extremely worried about him, and he should have called her. After a time, she gets up, stating that she has business to attend to, and that Dream is welcome to accompany her. She has a short exchange with Franklin the soccer player and tells him that she will see him soon.

Dream accompanies her and watches silently as Death visits various people across the world. As the personification of Death, it is her duty to ferry their souls to the "sunless lands". She visits an old Jewish fiddle player named Harry, then an amateur comedienne named Esmé. Dream wonders why humans fear death more than dreams, knowing that death is as truly a fact of life as birth. Later, Death receives the spirit of an infant who dies from crib death before returning to the park to visit Franklin. Franklin runs out into the street chasing his ball and is struck by a car. His spirit rises from his body and Death greets him. Dream looks on and reflects upon the differences between his sister and he.

The Sandman #9

In Africa, a boy undergoes a ceremony meant to make him a man. He is circumcised, and then his grandfather takes him out into the desert. The boy is tasked with finding a certain object, and once he has found it, he will be told a story which is only ever told once, and during this ceremony.

The boy discovers a piece of desert-glass, which the grandfather reveals is part of a glass city that was once the home of their people. That city had been ruled by a woman named Nada, who had never found love. One day, a stranger came, and when Nada laid eyes on him, she knew that he was the one she would love. That night, she didn't sleep, but when she went out to find the man the next morning, he was gone.

Nada consulted with the Bird King, and he had all of his birds report on whether they had seen the man. All but a small weaverbird said no, but the weaverbird had seen him. The bird told of how it had seen the man disappear before its eyes. The Bird King realizes what this man is, and advises Nada to seek love elsewhere.

Sadly, Nada returned home, but the weaverbird followed, and told her of a certain tree whose berries were known to bring those who consumed them to the sides of their loved ones. The bird brought Nada such a berry, and when she consumed it, she awoke in the Dreaming. She found her way to a castle, where she asked the ruler about the man she was seeking. He removed his Helm, and revealed that he, Dream, was the man she loved - and he loved her too.

However, once Nada realized that she had fallen in love with one of the Endless, she shied away. She turned herself into a gazelle, but Dream took the form of a hunter and caught her. She returned to her human form, and thinking that he would not want her if she were not a virgin, she broke her hymen with a sharp stone. When Dream caught up with her, she was surprised to hear him say that her virginity didn't matter to him. He healed her, and they made love all night. The rest of the world dreamed of love because of it. When the sun rose, it saw what they had done, and knowing it was wrong, it beat down and melted the entire city of glass. Nada watched in horror, knowing that the death of her people and the fall of her city was the result of their folly. Anguished, she threw herself from the mountain top, and died against the rocks below.

When she woke in the realm of death, Dream came to her and asked her again to join him as his queen. She refused, knowing that more pain would come as a result of their union. He asked again, warning that he would punish her with eternal damnation if she did not agree. She was forced to say no, and so was condemned to Hell for eternity.

The boy is displeased with this story, but his grandfather tells him that the story must be told just so to his own son. It is hinted, though, that there is another version of the story passed down among women - one that may have a happier ending.

The Sandman #10

In a private Threshold in the Dreaming, Desire plots against its sibling, Dream. Desire summons its twin sister Despair to a private gallery. It tells Despair about the coming of a dream vortex in the form of a young woman. The two decide to wait to see how things play out before intervening.

Meanwhile in the real world, Miranda Walker and her daughter Rose take a jet from the United States to England. At the airport, a solicitor ushers them into a limousine and drives them to the home of an apparently rich and eccentric woman, who sent them the cryptic invitation to come see her. On the way, Rose falls asleep in the back of the vehicle and has a dream.

In her dream, she sees Lucien visiting the House of Secrets, taking a census of all of the House's occupants. He is in the process of taking a census of all the inhabitants of the Dreaming for the Lord of Dreams. When complete, he reports his findings to Dream, noting that four of the major arcana are still missing from the Dreaming: Brute and Glob, the Corinthian and Fiddler's Green. Lucien adds that there have been rumours of a dream vortex floating about, and Dream reveals that he already knows that it is a girl, and points to Rose, sitting in the corner of his castle. As they look at her, she wakes up.

The dream ends as the limousine pulls up to a home for the elderly. They are greeted there by the doddering Unity Kincaid, who reveals that while she was in a coma for several decades, she gave birth to a child, and that child was Miranda Walker. She is her true birth mother. Miranda is incredulous at first, but before long, Unity convinces her of the truth. Having stepped out of the room, Rose wanders the house and has an encounter with the Hecateae. They each speak in riddles that confuse Rose, but Mordred makes a point of warning her about the Corinthian and the coming of Dream. Rose tries to press them for more information but the strange sisters suddenly disappear.

Rose returns to Unity's room, where her mother is in tears of joy as she accepts the truth about her own parentage. In the room is an intricately carved doll's house on a nightstand, one of the only keepsakes that Unity managed to maintain during her coma. A light in one of the doll house's upper windows flickers on, and Dream peers outward and smiles at the three women. None of them is aware that he is watching them. As a gift, Unity offers a ring to Rose - the same ring that Rose dreamed about. She begins to fear that her dreams are coming true.

In Amarillo, Texas, the Corinthian, a sadistic nightmare entity, captures a boy named Davy. He binds and gags him and tosses him into a bathtub at the Love Inn Motel. The Corinthian removes his sunglasses, unsheathes a large knife and tells Davy "It's playtime".

The Sandman #11

On the advice of her new-found grandmother Unity Kincaid, Rose Walker moves into an apartment in Florida with a number of eccentric housemates. In addition to Hal - her cross-dressing landlord, Barbie and Ken - a yuppie couple, Zelda and Chantal - a pair of collectors of dead spiders, and Gilbert - a so far unseen man of British descent, Rose has been frequently visited by a raven.

In a dream, Rose's long-lost brother Jed dreams of being taken flying by Hector Hall and his wife Lyta. However, the pleasant air of the dream is fouled by the appearance of Brute and Glob, and Jed falls to the ground. The boy wakes in a dark boiler room and feels his way along the wall, urinating into a corner, and then returning to sleep.

Rose writes back to her mother and grandmother, updating them on her progress in finding her brother. She has discovered that her father died, forcing Jed to live with their grandfather, Ezra Paulsen; a lighthouse keeper. Four years ago, Ezra Paulsen drowned, and she has not yet found out what happened to Jed as a result.

In the Dreaming, Dream calls his raven, Matthew to his side. Matthew has been spying on Rose for him, with the knowledge that as a vortex, she will soon attract the four errant members of the major arcana that have gone missing. Matthew reports that Rose is seeking her younger brother, and Dream takes an interest. He tasks Matthew with finding a picture of the boy so that the Lord of Dreams can find him.

Later, Rose attends one of Hal's drag revues, and thinking it would be safe, she uses the shortcut through the alley back to her apartment. Unfortunately, at midnight, it is not so safe, and a group of thugs accost her with intent to rob and then rape her. Fortunately, an imposing figure appears and pulls out a sword, scaring the thugs off. It turns out that this man is Gilbert. Congenially, the portly Brit offers to walk Rose home.

One day, Rose convinces Hal to teach her some of the dance moves from his act, but she becomes distracted when she catches the raven stealing her photo of her younger brother. Afterwards, Gilbert interrupts to inform them that the private investigators that Rose called have found her brother. She rushes out to pick up the phone as Matthew returns to Dream with the photo.

In Alabama, the Corinthian, having recently murdered two more people, makes a call to a person called Nimrod, hoping to arrange a meeting in Georgia between like-minded individuals - killers.

Meanwhile, the private investigators have determined that Jed is living somewhere in Georgia, and Rose plans to go off in search of him. Gilbert insists on accompanying her, noting that perhaps she is not prepared for the sort of situations she'll be in. Situations like the other night when he had to save her life. Reluctantly she agrees. On the road, she explains that Jed is apparently living with her second cousin Clarice on a farm. They're claiming nearly $800 per month from the state for him, so she hopes they're using it to take good care of him. Of course, Jed is actually chained to a pipe in a dark basement, trapped in a nightmare.

Dream locates the boy, and realizes that Brute and Glob have actually managed to sneak into Jed's mind to hide there. They have severed him from the Dreaming, breaking the laws of the Lord of Dreams. Dawning his helm, he prepares to resolve the situation.

The Sandman #12

Six months pregnant, Lyta Hall wakes up in the Dream Dome. Her husband Hector has been absorbed in his work, cooperating with Glob and Brute as the new Sandman. Hector becomes aware of an entity approaching. He believes that it is a nightmare, and that he must fight it. Lyta interrupts, and wonders aloud why she hasn't given birth yet, given that she was pregnant two years ago when they first came to the Dream Dome, and it has not changed since.

Meanwhile, Jed Paulsen is dragged from the cellar in which his second cousins Clarice and Barnaby keep him locked day and night. They warn that an inspector from the welfare office is coming to be sure that the money they get to support him is going to the right place, and threaten him against revealing that they are mistreating him.

While Hector believes that the coming entity is a nightmare, it is actually Dream - the Lord of Dreams. Brute and Glob are well aware of this, and they fully expect Hector to lose his battle against their former master, but they hope it will buy them time to escape.

After their rental car breaks down, Rose Walker and her companion Gilbert walk back to a hotel, which is unfortunately hosting a cereal convention, which has booked it up. They talk their way into getting a room for the night despite the lack of vacancies.

As Hector goes out to face Dream, Jed begins to realize that something is going on inside his head, and Lyta begins to notice that the Dream Dome is falling apart. Dream is amused by Hector's efforts, knowing that the man is already dead. Hector's delusion amuses Dream further, but eventually he brings the dream to an end.

Bringing everyone out of the dream, Dream, Lyta, Hector, Glob, and Brute find themselves in the cellar in which Jed has been trapped. Dream demands an explanation of the two nightmares. They had hoped to build a new Dream King of their own making in their master's prolonged imprisonment. Annoyed, Dream cleans up their mess for them and condemns them to the darkness for thousands of years.

Turning to Hector, Dream unceremoniously commands the dead man to go to the land of the dead, and Hector is ripped away from his wife. Lyta is angered, refusing to accept that her husband has been dead these last two years. Dream makes it clearer to her, but before leaving, he warns that the baby she carries belongs to him, and that he will return for it. Seething, she promises that he will only get the child over her dead body.

Meanwhile, Jed escapes to the road, and is picked up by a car. The driver turns out to be the nightmare known as the Corinthian.

The Sandman #13

In the year 1389, Dream and his elder sister Death enter a local pub with the hope of getting the former to relate more to humans in their waking lives.

In this pub is a man named Robert "Hob" Gadling, who believes that men only die because it's what they expect that they are meant to do. He feels that there is so much more life to lead than just a few decades' worth. Staunchly, he announces that he has no intention of ever dying, and that it is a mug's game. Intrigued, Dream and Death decide to allow Hob to remain alive until the day that he truly desires it. Dream approaches Hob's table, and offers that if cheating death is what he wants, the two of them will meet again in the same place in one hundred years' time. Though his companions think it a joke, Hob takes the offer seriously, and promises to be there.

One hundred years later, Hob is surprised that Dream returns, though no less surprised than he is to still be alive. Hob marvels at how much things have changed in just 100 years, with the invention of the chimney and the handkerchief revolutionizing to a small extent the way that people live. The mortal has been working as a soldier, and still has no intention of dying. With that said, Dream responds that they will meet again in another hundred years.
The next century, Hob seems to be doing well for himself. His business savvy has earned him a knighthood. After 200 years, Hob has finally taken a wife and fathered a son, and he is excited by the richness of the times. Dream is distracted when he overhears a conversation between a young William Shakespeare and Kit Marlowe discussing the former's prospects as a playwright. Will considers Kit's play Doctor Faustus a work of genius, and claims that like the titular character, he would give up his mortal soul to be able to write plays that live on in memory forever. Intrigued, Dream offers Shakespeare a deal. Hob, meanwhile still intends to go on another century.

By 1689, Hob has become a drunkard, and the pub won't allow him to enter. Fortunately, Dream steps in on his behalf. Hob's wife died during childbirth, and his son died twenty years later in a bar fight. Later, he pushed his luck by staying in the same town for too long, and they tried to burn him as a witch. Of course, he survived, but now he is always hungry, with his fortunes lost. He admits that he has hated every second of the last 80 years. Dream wonders, then, if he has finally decided to die. Pausing for a moment, Hob smiles and states that he will go on.

100 years later, Hob has taken up slave-trading, and got back onto his feet. Despite having met several times now, Hobs admits that he knows very little about his visitor, and wonders who he really is. They are interrupted by a woman, Johanna Constantine, who states that she could ask them both the same question. She introduces herself as two thugs put knives to the pair's throats. For years, there have been rumours that the Wandering Jew and the Devil have been meeting at this pub once every hundred years. She planned for two years for the day she would confront them. Both Dream and Hob deny being either of those beings, and Johanna is perplexed. She demands to know what nature of beings they are, but Dream uses some of his sand to incapacitate her, filling her mind with dreams of those whom she wronged in the past. Before he and Hob part ways, Dream recommends that his companion give up the slave trade.

On a dark night in 1889, Dream makes for the tavern, but is interrupted by the scream of a prostitute who fears that he may be Jack the Ripper. He promises that he is not, and rebuffs her attempts to make him a client before entering the tavern. Upon reuniting with Hob, Dream reveals that he saw Johanna Constantine again, and recruited her to perform a special task for him. Hob comments that he has noticed others who do not die. He has met Jason Blood on more than one occasion, and Mad Hettie has been on the streets for more than a century. Dream admits that Death is capricious.

Hob leans in and suggests that there is more to their meetings every one hundred years than Dream merely being interested to see what happens to humans who do not die. He realizes that he hasn't grown significantly wiser in his five hundred years, and he doubts that he will ever seek death. He believes that Dream knew all of that from the start, and must be there for something else: friendship. Hob believes that Dream has come to him every century because he is lonely. Indignant, Dream storms off, claiming that it is beneath him to take the company of a mortal for loneliness. Hob calls after him that if they meet again in one hundred years, it will be because they are friends.

In the year 1989, Hob sits in the bar smoking a cigarette while young people dance to the music and discuss issues like the AIDS epidemic. He looks up to see Dream there, and admits that he wasn't sure that he would come. Dream smiles, and says that it is impolite to keep one's friends waiting.

The Sandman #14

At the hotel in which Rose Walker and her companion Gilbert are staying, a convention has been booked. While in name, it is a "Cereal" convention, it is in fact a convention for serial murderers - collectors. Each of the people attending murders and then collects some part of their victims, physically or spiritually.

The man called Nimrod is anxious to get started, but he hopes for a big name to do a keynote speech. He is aware that an idol of his, The Corinthian is meant to be coming, but he has not yet arrived. Nimrod meets with the manager of the hotel to be sure that the place is empty of outside guests, but the manager admits that there are still two guests there who have been ordered to stay there by the police.

Rose had called her second cousins in advance, to let them know that she'd be coming to pick up her younger brother Jed. Unfortunately, due to events she was unaware of, the police answered instead, and they told she and Gilbert to remain at the hotel for the time being.

The serial killers mingle with one another and share each other's stories. One of them claims to be the Bogeyman, a killer who remembers the eyes of each person he has killed. He makes some small talk with another killer called the Doctor, who flays his victims and makes leather ties from the skin. There are movies planned and panels occurring all weekend. Finally, the Corinthian arrives, and he is met with great respect from the others when Nimrod introduces him.

Later, the Corinthian meets the Doctor outside an elevator, and informs him that the man claiming to be the Bogeyman is a fraud, and that the real Bogeyman died in Louisiana some years back. The elevator opens, and Gilbert and Rose are already inside. Gilbert seems to recognize the Corinthian, but despite his being startled, he says nothing. Outside, he writes a name on a piece of paper and tells Rose to call it out if something should go wrong.

The Corinthian drags the Bogeyman up to his room, and accuses him of being a fraud. The Corinthian, the Doctor, and Nimrod have already discovered that this man is actually Philip Sitz, the editor of Chaste magazine, who is not one of them. Philip pretends to understand them, but Nimrod knocks him unconscious, and they drag him out to the Corinthian's car. They drive for a while, and hang him from a tree. When he wakes up, they announce that each of them is going to take turns collecting their specialties from him.

While the killers are having a disco party, Rose heads down and hopes to sneak in for some fun. A child molester and killer named Fun Land stops her at the door, stating that it is for conventioneers only. Rose apologizes and returns to her room, but Fun Land has already targeted her, noting that she looks much younger than she is.

The next morning, Rose tries to find Gilbert in his room, but all that she can see is a note. She goes downstairs, and catches Fun Land's eye again. When she returns to her room again, he follows her, and knocks on the door, pretending to be room service. When she opens the door, he thrusts it open, gripping her by the neck and trying to undress her. Desperately, she grabs the note with the name on it and says the name "Morpheus. Instantly, Dream appears. He forces Fun Land to let Rose go, and makes him dream. He tells Rose to leave, and she struggles to stand, rushing out to the parking lot while Fun Land dreams of being forgiven by all the children he hurt.

The Corinthian makes his keynote speech, but he becomes distracted when he notices Dream listening in the audience. Dream stands and disdains his creation for having become so petty as to leave the Dreaming and act on a physical level. He has wrought nothing of what Dream expected, merely given humans something to be afraid of. Rather than send the Corinthian back to the Dreaming, he uncreates him, with plans to do better later. Turning on the audience, Dream announces that he is going to remove the other killers' illusions that they are the maltreated heroes of their own stories. From now on, they will always know what they are, what they are doing, and how little any of that really means.

Out in the parking lot, Rose meets Gilbert who has collected Jed from the trunk of the Corinthian's car. He is unconscious, and needs to be taken to a hospital. Gilbert realizes that Rose called Dream, and knows that there will be consequences.

Afterwards, each of the killers leave the convention with a certain knowledge that there is something unholy inside themselves.

The Sandman #15

After spending days watching over her younger brother in the hospital, Rose Walker returns to her shared house in Florida. Her housemates welcome her back, but her mental and physical exhaustion are obvious, and they send her to bed as each of them retires as well.

That night, Ken dreams of money, sex and power while his girlfriend Barbie dreams of living in a fantastical world with an animal companion; a world that is better than her real life could ever be. Chantal dreams circular dreams of being in love with words and sentences. Zelda dreams of being a child again, and knows that her romantic relationship with Chantal would be frowned upon by her family. She has not yet dealt with her childhood emotions. Hal dreams of his quest for love as a gay man. He hopes to meet the standards set by his idols, the glamorous Hollywood actresses of the golden age. Rose on the other hand is unable to dream. She is too worried about her newly found grandmother, Unity Kincaid and her long lost brother Jed. Rose can't help but wonder what happened to her friend Gilbert. As it happens, Gilbert is in the hospital, watching over Jed as he sleeps.

In the Dreaming, Dream and Matthew the Raven discuss the fact that Rose is a 'vortex'. Though Matthew asks what it means to have a vortex in the Dreaming, Dream brushes it off, sending Matthew to Jed's side at the hospital, and promising to deal with the vortex as he always has in the past.

Back in Florida, each of the housemates' dreams intensifies. Rose, meanwhile finally begins her dream - but it is unusual. The dream is vivid, and she has a strong feeling of lucidity. Extending her perceptions, she begins to sense the dreams of the other housemates, and comes to understand that what separates each person's dream is a very fragile wall. She gives those walls a nudge.

The housemates find themselves sharing a dream experience in the Dreaming, steps away from the growing vortex. In the centre of the vortex lies Rose. Unaware of the repercussions, Rose reaches out, and begins trying to bring down the walls between dreams of everyone else in the city. Eventually Dream makes a stand, and draws Rose's attention to him. He warns her that her activities must end, as they have caused great damage to the Dreaming, though not so much that he cannot repair it.

Each of the housemates wakes in the night. Ken wakes aroused, and turning to Barbie, he finds her crying. She doesn't explain why, and he says something hurtful in response. Chantal and Zelda embrace as sisters for the rest of the night. Hal wakes with a feeling of dread inside, and decides to check on Rose. When he checks her room, he finds it empty.

In England, Unity Kincaid regains consciousness long enough to suggest to her daughter Miranda that the old doll house she maintained from her younger days be given to Rose. With her mother and son potentially dying, Miranda hopes that at least Rose is doing alright.

Dream takes Rose out into a deserted region of the Dreaming, landing atop a Mesa. He states that something is beginning. Meanwhile, Matthew makes his way to the hospital, and is surprised to find Gilbert there. Gilbert is somewhat unhappy to see the Raven, knowing that he must soon return to the Dreaming and give up his life as a human. Gilbert is surprised to discover that Rose is a vortex, and realizes that the only way to stop her from destroying the Dreaming is to have her physical presence on the earth destroyed itself. The only time Dream is empowered to take a human life is when there is a vortex in the Dreaming. Resigned, Gilbert allows Matthew to perch on his arm, and they both return to the Dream world.

The Sandman #16

Out in a deserted section of the Dreaming, Dream reveals to Rose Walker that she is what is known as a "Vortex of Dream", and in order to protect the Dreaming, he must kill her. Rose hopes that it is a dream, that she will wake up, and none of this will have happened, but eventually it becomes clear to her that it is a dream from which she will never wake.

Meanwhile, Gilbert and Matthew the Raven return to the Dreaming, and rush to their master's location. Gilbert reveals that he was once a dream of a place known as Fiddler's Green, and he escaped 50 years ago to become a human in the real world. Now that he has returned, he hopes that he can find some way to prevent Dream from killing Rose, though he doubts he will succeed.

Dream explains to Rose that once in each era, there is a vortex - a mortal who briefly becomes the centre of the Dreaming. By it's nature, the vortex destroys the barriers between each dream until every dreamer is caught in one massive dream. When each dreamer dreams the same dreamer, they all become one, and the vortex begins to collapse on itself until it is gone, and the Dreaming is left in an irreparable state. Dream admits that this has happened to completion once before, and it is his duty to prevent it from happening again. In the past, a vortex collapsed and it destroyed an entire world in another universe. He failed in his duty then, and he will not again.

While Dream is lord of the Dreaming, he is not omnipotent. He cannot simply make vortexes go away. They must be killed. He promises, though, that she could stay in the Dreaming, as Matthew has. Rose, however, does not want to die.

Elsewhere, Unity Kincaid bids goodbye to her daughter Miranda before falling asleep for the last time.

Finally, Gilbert and Matthew arrive, and Rose is very happy to see them. Gilbert offers his own life in exchange for Rose's, knowing that he will not go unpunished for escaping the Dreaming during Dream's imprisonment. Dream, however, states that it cannot be so. He chooses not to punish Fiddler's Green, but states that he must return to his former position. Sadly, Rose embraces her friend, and says goodbye. As he disappears, Gilbert invites Rose to stay within his green glades, should she choose to remain in the Dreaming. Moments later, they are surrounded by the lush greenery of Fiddler's Green.

Dream prepares to take Rose's life, apologizing for his responsibility. Firmly, she shouts that he should just get on with it. Before he can, though, Unity Kincaid appears, and announces that Rose will not die - she will. Unity explains that had Dream not been imprisoned away from the Dreaming for years, she would have become the next vortex, and not Rose. Instead, she was sent into a coma. Unity turns to Rose and asks for her to reach inside of herself and give her whatever it is that makes her the vortex; her heart. Cautiously, Rose reaches within her own chest, and pulls out a crystal in the shape of a heart. Unity takes it in her hands, and announces that now, she is the vortex. Suddenly, the crystal radiates a bright light, and Unity collapses in pain.

In her bedroom, Unity suddenly bolts upright, startling her daughter Miranda. Finally, she lays back in the bed, and dies. Dream reaches down and helps Unity up, revealing that the vortex is gone, and Rose will not have to die. Before sending her back to the real world, Dream promises that he will bring her younger brother Jed back from the shores of dreaming as a gift.

Six months later, Hal sends Rose a letter announcing that he is selling the house where she stayed in Florida, and is moving out west. Ken and Barbie have split up. Chantal and Zelda are buying the house from Hal.

Rose and Jed are living in a big house that their mother Miranda bought with money from Unity's estate. Rose has been depressed, though. She doesn't leave her room much except when her family is asleep. One night, Rose cuts and dyes her hair, and decides to return to her family. She knows that if her dream about her grandmother's death is true, then the world is not what anyone thinks it is.

In the Dreaming, Dream visits his sibling Desire. He believes that Desire is complicit in the events which caused Unity Kincaid to become comatose rather than become the vortex, and allowing it to pass on to Rose instead. Dream has deduced that the one who fathered Miranda Walker - the man who raped Unity Kincaid while she was comatose - was Desire itself.

Angrily, Dream explains that the Endless are not the masters of men, but their servants. He warns that if Desire crosses him again, he will forget that they are siblings, and bring down the power of all of the other siblings against it. After Dream leaves, Desire simply forgets the warning, being driven only by desire, after all.

The Sandman #17

Somewhere in England, author Richard Madoc makes a deal with a local surgeon to acquire a bezoar. Normally, these are precious stones, but in this case, it is a ball of hair that was trapped in the stomach of a woman with Rapunzel syndrome, which prompts someone to eat their own hair. Richard has written a very popular novel, but has since suffered from writer's block.

Richard then visits an eccentric old author named Erasmus Fry, who has an obsession with bezoars. In exchange for the bezoar, Erasmus shows Richard to a back room where he has been keeping a woman locked in a room. This woman is Calliope, one of the Greek muses, whose power brings inspiration to those who look upon them. Though some say that one is meant to woo the muses, Erasmus Fry chose to use force instead.

Fry bequeaths the muse to Richard, and the first thing the young author does after locking her in a room in his house is rape her. He justifies it by reminding himself that she is not even human. Before he knows it, he has already written three chapters of his new novel.

In despair, Calliope calls out to her mothers for help. They cannot help her, and they can think of no one who can intercede on her behalf. However, they are suddenly caught by the idea of contacting the Endless, and Dream in particular. Calliope is reluctant to accept his help if it were offered, as they parted ways on less than positive terms. Her friends give up and begin to fade away, and Calliope becomes desperate, going so far as to say that she would accept even Dream's help.

Calliope recalls how she was captured. On Mount Helicon, she had been bathing, and left her scroll on the shore. She was startled by the appearance of Erasmus Fry, bearing flowers of Moly in one hand and her scroll in the other. When she told him her name, he burned her scroll, and became her master against her will.

Richard Madoc returns in a state of undress, announcing that he has finished the novel. Calliope feigns pleasure, and asks whether he will let her go. He disdainfully responds that she will remain in his possession until he says that she is free, and then he forces himself on her again.

Richard Madoc meets with great success over the next few years, striking film deals and book deals, going on talk shows and eventually moving to a trendy house in Chelsea. Naturally, he moved Calliope himself.

One night, finally, Calliope is visited by Dream. Desperately, she pleads for the sake of the love they once shared - however briefly - to have Madoc release her.

During a televised interview, Richard receives news that Erasmus Fry died nearly a year ago, while the interviewer favourably compared the two. Later, Richard has lunch with his interviewer, and assumes that Fry died of old age. His companion reveals that Fry had actually poisoned himself after writing a letter begging his publishers to bring a book of his back into print.

That night, Richard returns to his house to find Dream waiting for him. Despite Richard's protests, Dream insists that Calliope be released, and he is disgusted with Madoc's excuse that he "needs the ideas." Finally, Dream decides that he will give Madoc more than he bargained for. Madoc will have ideas in abundance. Richard suddenly wakes, apparently having been asleep. He accuses Calliope of giving him the dream, but she responds that he was visited by Dream, and that things will change.

In public, Richard suddenly begins to experience an overabundance of ideas. He can't concentrate on any one thing because another idea pops into his head before he's even acknowledged the last. Richard happens to be helped by Felix Garrison, the man who got him the bezoar. He begs Felix to go to his house and free the muse. Felix does as asked, but he finds no muse in the house. Instead, there is a copy of Erasmus Fry's out-of-print book lying on the floor of the locked room. Felix gathers it up, and leaves.

Elsewhere, Dream forgives Calliope for her indiscretion. In kind, Calliope forgives Richard Madoc, and asks that he be released from his torment. Dream complies, and before retreating into the realm of men's minds, Calliope wonders if she might visit him in the Dreaming. They both decide against it.

After Dream has freed Richard Madoc, the man seems to have no more ideas at all.

The Sandman #18

Don and his young wife head to bed, leaving their new kitten to rest in his bed. After they have gone, the kitten receives a visitor, a brown cat announcing an event to be hosted by a certain female cat of renown. They prowl their way to an overgrown grave yard, picking up others on their way until a gathering of many cats waits for the speaker.

The speaker reveals herself finally; a pure bred Blue-Point Siamese. She explains that she once believed that she was free in her life of cohabitation with humans. That was until she met a tomcat who impregnated her, and she later had kittens. Her owners were displeased by this, and eventually, the man took the kittens and drowned them all in a lake. Confused and horrified, the cat lapsed into dream.

In the Dreaming, the cat is met by a dead crow who directs her to the cave of the Cat of Dreams. The challenges that she faces on her way there are difficult and harrowing, but eventually she finds her way. Two guardians stop her before she can enter the cave and demand to know her reasons for seeking out the Cat of Dreams. She responds that her reasons are her own, and the guards allow her in anyway.

The Cat of Dreams welcomes her, and she explains that she wants to understand why the humans could take her children away, and why cats live as they do. He invites her to look into his eyes.

Dream shows the Siamese a past in which cats were much larger, and humans were much smaller. The cats ruled the earth and were served by humans. Sometimes, they would hunt and eat humans, because they were more fun than other animals to catch. One day, the humans rebelled, learning that by all dreaming the same thing, they could change reality. Eventually, as if overnight, the humans dreamed themselves into a reality in which they were always the superior beings.

This gives the Siamese the idea that if the cats all dream of a life as rulers again, they will revert things to the natural order. So, she travels the world trying to convince other cats of her plan. The kitten believes in her plan, but his companion, the brown tomcat is less inclined. They leave her, and that night, the kitten dreams of cats as rulers of men.

The Sandman #19

In 1593, William Shakespeare leads his band of actors across the hills of Sussex, England. Among them is his son, whom his mother has forced Will to take on, given his recent bouts of absentia.

They stop their caravan in the middle of the road, and Will meets with Dream on a nearby hill. Will and Dream have come to a deal wherein Dream has given Will the ability to have his words remembered throughout time in exchange for having two plays about dreams written for him. The first of these is A Midsummer Night's Dream, which the troupe have been preparing to play for him. Unusually, Dream requests that they put on the play right there on the hill in the grass.

Surprisingly, instead of a human audience, Dream welcomes the fairies themselves to come and see the play which was written about them. Auberon and Titania lead a congregation of fairies including Puck and Peasblossom to sit in the grass and watch the mortals imitate them. In playing their parts, the actors are surprised and nervous to be playing for real fairies, and likewise, the fairies are amused by their portrayals.

During the play, Titania takes particular interest in Hamnet, and Dream promises that she can meet him during the interval. Offstage, Hamnet is annoyed by his father's obsession with play-writing, having only seen him rarely until his mother ordered that he be taken along on this tour. The boy feels no pride in his father's abilities, and wishes only to be treated as a son should be.

During the interval, the actors petition Auberon for some payment, and he reluctantly gives them a small sack of gold. Meanwhile, Puck steals his own role from the mortal actor and decides to play himself in the next act. Tatania approaches Hamnet, and speaks to him of the wonder of the fairie land.

Dream speaks to Will, complimenting him on the finely crafted play. Will comments that it may even rival his friend work. Dream matter-of-factly informs him that Marlowe was murdered three weeks ago. Dream is surprised when Will seems distraught to hear the news. As the play resumes, Dream begins to wonder if it was right to make his deal with Shakespeare.

Dream confides in Tatania that the cost to Will is likely to be greater than the mortal can fathom. Even so, he knows that Will would have taken the deal whether he had known of the cost or not, which is why Dream feels responsible for the results.

The fairies feel uncomfortable on the earthly plane, as their time has already ended. Dream explains that he called them there in order to show them that they will live on well beyond their time through the play. As it comes to an end, Auberon, Tatania, and the other fairies return to their world, but Puck decides to stay behind. He causes all of the mortals to fall asleep.

The actors wake on the hillside in confusion. They are angered to find that the sack of gold they were given has turned into a sack of golden flowers instead, but Shakespeare reminds them that no other troupe has played for such an audience. Hamnet reveals that he had a strange dream of joining Tatania in the land of fairies. Hamnet died not long after at the age of eleven, and Puck's whereabouts were never discovered.

The Sandman #20

Urania Blackwell wants to die. Since she was changed into a metamorph, she has been alone, and dealing with the change to her appearance has been difficult. Her only source of social stimulation comes from weekly phone calls to Mulligan, her pension officer. The CIA has allowed her to retire with a disability pension since her transformation, but that is the extent of their support.

One day, she receives an unexpected phone call from an old friend from the Company, Della Kariakas. Della asks to meet her at a nearby Italian restaurant in order to catch up. Naturally, Urania is anxious, and struggles to make herself appear as she did before the incident which transformed her. Rather than attempt to make flesh for herself out of the elements, she creates silicate face-masks, and though they eventually harden and fall off, they serve her purposes. She makes her hair out of metals, because it's easier than real hair. The rest, she simply covers with clothing.

Urania and Della meet, and she explains away her attire as covering a skin disease. Della reveals that she is pregnant by another CIA agent, and that she had to tell somebody outside of the Company, or she would go crazy. Urania is happy for her, but suddenly, her face mask dries and falls off. In humiliation, she runs out of the restaurant, leaving her purse behind.
Having forgotten her keys in the restaurant, Urania melts the lock on her apartment door and throws off her clothes and fake hair. She becomes determined to kill herself, but can't imagine how she would be able to, given her special abilities. She is surprised when a pale woman enters her apartment and sits down beside her.

After Urania explains her predicament, the woman responds that even metamorphae must die eventually, noting that Algon had died long ago by falling into a volcano. Urania realizes that she is speaking with Death, and begs for help in dying. Death responds that she is not there for her. She has the power to be in every place at once, for every death there is, but in this case, she was just passing through.

Reluctantly, though, Death offers to help. She explains that only Ra can help her, and he makes his home in the sun. Urania goes to the window and begs the sun to help her die. She hears a response, and when she looks directly into the sun, she turns to dust and blows away.

The phone rings, and Death picks it up. She informs Mulligan that Urania won't be able to come to the phone any time soon.

The Sandman #21

In his garden, Destiny unexpectedly meets the grey ladies. They warn that a king will forsake his kingdom, life and death will clash and fray, the oldest battle will begin once more, and all these things have their genesis in the garden. The fates disappear without further explanation, and Destiny looks in his book to learn more. After researching, he knows what he must do. He calls his family together for the first time in ages.

Each of the Endless arrives, one by one. First Death, then Dream, then Desire, Despair, and finally Delirium. Their brother Destruction abandoned them long ago.

All convened at his table, Destiny explains that the upshot of his meeting with the fates is that something big is coming that will spark a chain of events that will cause upheaval. The inciting incident will occur at this very meeting, somehow. He steps back and simply encourages his brother and sisters to speak to each other.

Eventually, Desire cannot resist needling her elder brother, Dream. She begins to mock his failed romantic relationships. She goes so far as to criticize his treatment of Nada, having imprisoned her in Hell for eternity, all out of pride. Dream is enraged by Desire's teases, and storms out.

Death goes to him and tries to calm him. Despite her sympathy for him, Death explains that Desire was right. Nada didn't deserve her punishment, and her choice not to become a goddess was her own. Dream realizes the error of his ways and determines to set things right by going to Hell and arranging Nada's release with Lucifer. He says goodbye to his sister, and leaves her hoping that he will survive the ordeal.

When Death returns to the table, Destiny reveals that they are no longer needed, as Dream's return to Hell is the incident that he was waiting for.

The Sandman #22

In his Ghost Castle, Dream calls forth all its inhabitants to hear him speak. He warns that he will be leaving soon, and may not return. He is going to Hell to offer forgiveness to his once mortal lover Nada, whom he wrongly imprisoned there out of pride. Unfortunately, on his last visit to Hell, he incurred the anger of Lucifer, and if he faces him again, he may not return.
Matthew the Raven stays behind to speak with his master, asking about the nature of Lucifer. Dream explains that Lucifer was once an angel who was one of the creator's finest creations. He is perhaps the most powerful being there is besides the creator himself, and certainly more powerful than Dream.
Dream sends Cain as his emissary to speak with Lucifer. Cain warns that regardless of the fallen angel's permission, the Lord of Dreams is coming. The other demons hope to kill the messenger, but Lucifer warns that the Mark of Cain symbolizes the creator's protection over him. Lucifer has Cain unbound and warns that he had vowed to destroy Dream if he set foot in Hell again.
Elsewhere, Lyta Hall introduces her friend Carla to her newborn son. She doesn't have a name for the boy yet, and the names she had thought of - names that honour her father and former husband - don't seem appropriate. She hopes that once the boy is older she will have a name for him, and be able to get on with her life.
After Carla has left, Lyta is horrified to see Dream standing over the baby's crib. Dream explains that he is not there to take the boy, merely to visit him. He is fascinated by the idea that a child managed to gestate somehow within the Dreaming. At Lyta's request he leaves, but not before informing her that the boy's name is Daniel. At first Lyta is still angry, but when she looks down at her child, the name seems to ring true.
Dream makes one more visit to an old friend. He visits Hob Gadling in a dream. Hob has been given the opportunity to live for as long as he wishes to remain alive. Dream offers him a gift of a rare wine and explains that he may not be able to make it to their next meeting. Hob offers a toast to absent friends, lost loves, old gods, and the season of mists; and may each and every person always give the devil his due. Hob wakes from his dream beside his girlfriend, to find the bottle of wine sitting on his nightstand.
Later, Cain returns to the castle, and with his warning sent, Dream dons his helm, and makes preparations to venture into the depths of Hell.

The Sandman #23

Prepared to do battle with the hordes of Hell, if necessary, Dream makes his way through the front gates of Lucifer's domain. However, he finds the place strangely empty.

Seeking out Nada, so that he can apologize and free her, he finds her cell empty. He realizes that it is not just Nada who is missing, but the entire population of Hell is in Absence. He calls out for Lucifer by name until finally he hears the fallen angel's response.

Dream demands answers as to what's happened, and Lucifer responds simply that he's quit. As a result of this decision, he has freed everyone imprisoned in hell, and they have dispersed to any number of places. There are, however, a few stragglers, and Dream accompanies him to send them away.

One such straggler is Breschau, who believes that his punishment is justified for all of the horrific crimes he committed nearly 1100 years ago in the now obsolete region of Livonia. Lucifer explains that Breschau and his crimes are entirely forgotten by the mortal men of the present, and as such, there is no need for more punishment. Breschau resists, but after more convincing ultimately disappears.

Two more demons remain behind. They disbelieve that Lucifer is truly the same fallen angel who ruled Hell for eons, feeling that the true ruler of Hell would never give up his position. Angrily, Lucifer responds that he will do as he pleases, and the demons are sent away.

Now alone, Lucifer explains to Dream that he thinks his fall from Heaven was not so much a rebellion as an event orchestrated by God; merely a destined outcome to be played out. Now, he has decided that he is done with his lot, and he takes up the key to lock each of the gateways to Hell. As they travel around sealing each gate, Lucifer explains that it is not his influence that brings people to hell or places them in torment. It is the mortals' inner desire to be punished for wrongdoings, and they demand punishment of him.

With the final gate closed, Lucifer is surprised to be accosted by a young demon woman named Mazikeen. She professes that she will not leave him, because she loves him. Though he is thankful of her love, Lucifer kisses her and sends her away like all the others. Taking the girl's knife, he passes it to Dream and asks that he cut off his wings for him.

As Dream performs his bloody task, he asks after Nada. Lucifer does not know what happened to the woman, but he is sure that she is in some dimension. He wishes Dream luck in finding her, and then bequeaths the key to the gates of hell to him. Grinning, he announces that Dream is now the sole monarch of a locked and empty hell, and he expects that this new role will bring the Dream Lord nothing but trouble.

The Sandman #24

Across the spiritual and otherworldly planes, gods and goddesses, angels and demons alike are all suddenly alerted to the recent abdication of Hell by Lucifer, and how the keys were passed on to Dream.

In Asgard, Odin gathers together both Thor and Loki, and they make for the Dreaming. Elsewhere, the lords of Order and Chaos send emissaries to stake their own claim on the new real estate.

Meanwhile, Dream has just returned from Hell, no closer to finding Nada than he was when he left. Despairing at his situation, he contacts his sister Death. She reminds him that Hell is his to do with as he pleases, regardless of what that might be. However, Death has her own problems, as the havoc unleashed by Lucifer's abdication has caused the dead to return to life.

In the Silver City, the angels Remiel and Duma decide to make a claim on Hell. In the Limbo between Worlds, many of the former Demons of Hell have congregated under the new leadership of Azazel. He gathers together Merkin and Choronzon to accompany him in their bid to have Hell returned to them. If they meet resistance from Dream, they have something he desires: Nada.

In the Dreaming, Matthew the Raven visits Eve to discuss Dream's state of mind. Eve surmises that his decision to move the Ghost Castle to the top of a mountain is because he is expecting unwelcome visitors. Eve assures Matthew that Dream has been in blacker moods than this, and all they can do for now is wait.

Eventually, Dream receives word that his unwelcome visitors have arrived. Before they can enter, they must each introduce themselves. Along with the Angels, Demons, emissaries of Order and Chaos, and the Gods of Asgard have arrived the Egyptian gods, Anubis and Bast and the Japanese god Susano-o-no-Mikoto.

After welcoming his guests, Dream offers them quarters and promises to discuss the future of Hell tomorrow.

The Sandman #25

Thirteen-year-old Charles Rowland has been forced to stay at St. Hilarion's School for Boys over the holidays because his father has been taken prisoner in Kuwait by the Iraqi army. Fortunately, both the headmaster and Miss Gribble have stayed behind, and they can look after him.
Since arriving at the school nearly two years ago, Charles has wanted to be taken home, and he spends his evening in the library composing a letter to his father that says as much. Afterwards, he reads mystery novels until Miss Gribble tells him to go to bed. Though he is the only one in the dormitory, Charles senses the ghosts of all of the boys who once lived there.
The next day, Charles begins to realize that he is almost completely alone at the school. After feeding himself, he decides to check in to the headmaster's office. There, he finds the headmaster and his mother. The old woman reveals that she is dead, and has recently come from Hell. Finding her candour disturbing Charles leaves and checks in with Ms. Gribble at the Sanatorium. The woman is taking care of a pair of babies. The babies, though, are dead. one, a girl, and the other a boy who never made it to term. Charles is so disturbed by this sight that he simply runs away.
That night, as Charles tries to sleep, he is awakened by three bullies; Cheeseman, Skinner, and Barrow. Fortunately, the ghost of a former headmaster arrives and sets the bullies on their way. He announces an assembly where he later declares that all of those who died there must engage in silent study until he arranges a time table. They are schoolboys, this is a school, and they must study.
With classes begun again, albeit in a completely different format, Charles has trouble focusing on his work in a classroom full of ghosts. He freezes in the water during swimming class while the ghosts feel nothing. Meanwhile, the ghosts don't eat, and after lights-out, Charles sneaks down to the kitchen for some bread.
There, the bullies return, and after revealing that they have tortured and killed other children in the past, they light one of the gas stoves and press Charles' back against it while piercing his flesh with a fork. The pain makes him pass out, and disappointed, the bullies leave him on the floor in pain.
Fortunately, Edwin Paine appears and drags Charles off to the attic. Charles remained unconscious for a day, and became delirious on the next. Finally, on the third day, Charles regained consciousness. When he wakes, Charles describes a dream he had. He had blood-red worms crawling on his skin, chewing holes through his skin. He ran out crying into the snow, but it wasn't snow. Rather, it was the skeletons of birds, falling from the sky. Then, those skeletons began to move, and the whole world was covered with dead birds trying to fly.
Edwin tells the story of how he himself was murdered by the three bullies - in that very attic. They had been using occult texts to perform rituals, and had used him as a sacrifice, leaving his bones in a box that still resides there.
Finally, on the next day, Charles Rowland dies. Death appears and beckons him away, though she is in a hurry due to recent events. However, Charles refuses to leave without Edwin, who is already long dead. Frustrated, Death allows him to stay, but promises to return for him one day.
Feeling no more pain, Charles and his new friend decide to leave the school forever, and seek out new adventures.