This next collection has four individual stories that are sprinkled in between the two longer storylines in the preceding and following collections. These four stories are gathered together under the title, Dream Country, and each story deals with myths. In the first story, “Calliope,” we see one author trading the actual muse, Calliope, to another. This author becomes a juggernaut of creative success, writing, books, plays and screenplays - poetry and prose. Calliope ends up calling to Dream for help. Dream frees Calliope and leaves the author with no creative ideas at all.
In the second story, “Dream of a Thousand Cats,” we see a kitten gathering with other cats to go hear an infamous Siamese Cat who is traveling the world telling cats what they must do to change the world they live in. This old cat tells the story of going to Dreamland to find Dream (in the form of a cat) and he tells her a story of how cats were the size of people and people were just mice, but a thousand humans dreamed of a different world where they rule over cats and it happened. But if a thousand cats dream their dream then they can change the world back to how it once was. So, the kitten leaves with one other cat who says the story may or may not be true, but to get a thousand cats to do anything at the same time is impossible. The kitten, undeterred, naps that day, and her owners comment on how she must be chasing little mice in her dreams.
In the third installation, we get, “Facade,” a story about a superheroine, Rainie, who was transformed by Ra and is now a being not even remotely human able to change her body into any element. She feels that she can no longer go out in public because she looks so hideous. She can grow silicate faces that look normal, but they fall off soon thereafter. Faces are strewn all over the apartment and she is using one as an ashtray. Dream’s sister, Death, tells Rainie to talk to Ra, and she does and is freed as she is petrified by the sun.
The last story in the collection is “A Midsummer Night’s Dream,” and it shows Shakespeare presenting his play for Dream and the Fairie out in Wendel’s Mound in the English countryside. This story is the only monthly comic to win a literary award, the 1991 World Fantasy Award for Best Short Story. It is a lovely piece that shows the workings of theatre at the time, and interweaves the play with conversation from the Fairie (many of whom are in the play). As we go through, we see the Queen of the Fairie seduce Hament, Shakespeare’s son, foreshadowing his death (or kidnapping to Fairie). And we see the real Puck abduct the actor playing him and then replace him on the stage, playing the final lines himself and escaping into our world, not returning with the other Fairie to their land. The story ends with the actors awakening in the field the next day. Their gold payment has turned to flowers.