The Sandman - Issue 36- Over the Sky to Sea - Part Five of A Game of You

We finally arrive at the penultimate chapter of A Game of You, Part Five, titled Over the Sea to Sky. This issue, could rightly be called 'The One where All is Revealed', brings most of our players together and depicts one of the most satisfying and at the same time heartbreaking ends in the entire series. Shawn McManus resumes the artwork with an assist from Bryan Talbot. While their contrasting styles can be jarring, it works for the shifting narrative of this tale.

Over the Sea to Sky continues Barbie's discovery that the Cuckoo's Citadel resembles her childhood home in Florida. This is further confirmed when she enters the premises and recognizes everything from her father's fish trophy to the popular 70s decor of the period. More importantly, through the balcony window, the ocean looks less like the Brightly Shining Sea and more like the North Atlantic.

Barbie remembers now that she always thought it glittered with liquid diamonds and would try as a child to pick up the shining water only to have it turn into plain old seawater. This trip down memory lane is interrupted by the arrival of a little blond girl, complete with pigtails and an adorable gap in her teeth. The moppet reminds Barbie how, in her dreams, the waters of the Brightly Shining Sea tasted like grapefruit instead of salt and always remained silver.

Is the little girl a mind reader? Not at all. She has the same scar on her knee that Barbie acquired as a child and relates the events that led to the injury. It is then that Barbie realizes the little girl is her, or rather an aspect of her, one she allowed to be created by her inability to let go of the Land and its inhabitants. Worse than that, the little girl is also the Cuckoo.

Face to face with the being responsible for the subversion of her fantasy world, not to mention the death of her friends, Martin, Prinaldo, Wilkins, and so many others, Barbie is understandably furious. The Cuckoo takes the accusation in stride and points out Barbie shares some blame for what has happened. Barbie demands to know if the Cuckoo is the manifestation of some childhood trauma buried all these years, but the usurper dismisses this possibility. In truth, Barbie had a very ordinary childhood with parents who loved her.

She did however, have an overactive imagination.

This concerned her parents, causing Barbie to retreat further into her imaginary world and allowing the Cuckoo to be seeded in her mind. The Cuckoo explains that while little boys dream of being superheroes like Perry Porter the Amazing Spider and Clint Clarke who is Hyperman (I see what you did there, Neil 😀), little girls dream of being princesses of faraway lands. Their parents are strangers, and someday, the king and queen will come to spirit them away like little cuckoos.

In the same way, Barbie dreamed up a magical land populated by her toys. The collection in her childhood bedroom resembles Martin Tenbones, Wilkinson, Luz and Prinaldo. In that world, she was the princess, and even though Barbie grew up, the Land continued to exist in her mind, with Barbie's toy companions never forgetting her.

Increasingly disorientated, she's unaware she's been caught by the Cuckoo's hypnotic power. As she staggers out of her room, needing a drink of water, the Cuckoo explains how the fertile landscape of Barbie's dream world became the perfect nest for her. Except now she needs to destroy Barbie so she can fly free. After Barbie becomes unconscious, the Cuckoo orders her Black Guards to take the princess to the Isle of Thorns so they can begin at moonrise.

In New York, the weather is getting worse. Thessaly's spell to bring down the moon has had the dire consequences George predicted. Gale-force winds lash the city, and everyone braces for a hell of a storm. At the waterfront, unforgiving waves smash against the docks. In between worlds, unaware of the chaos she's caused, Thessaly leads Foxglove and Hazel through the silver path of the moon's road. Each woman finds it difficult to cling to their identity but gathers enough strength to pick at the multiple strands of their personas, weaving it into a strong strand of self.

At the end of their journey, they arrive in the Dreaming along the shores of the Brightly Shining Sea. Thessaly explains that although they are in Barbie's dream, this land predates her. Like so many others, it's just a place Barbie visits when she dreams. Once again, Thessaly dismisses the questions about her age, eager to reach the Cuckoo to exact her revenge. Foxglove and Hazel remind her they're there for Barbie. Thessaly assures them they're sure to stumble on Barbie along the way.

En route to the Cuckoo, they find Wilkinson's dead remains. Since he's not been dead long, Thessaly can summon him to answer their questions. She repeats the spell she used on George, using only her blood this time. Wilkinson manifests as a reflection in the bloody pool and is none too happy about being revived after his violent end. Thessaly insists on her answers and learns the location of the Cuckoo, while Hazel takes the opportunity to ask Wilkinson about Barbie. He readily tells Hazel that Barbie is in the Cuckoo's hands and expresses his grief at being unable to protect her. His final words are an apology to Barbie. Damn, I'll miss that rat.

The trio continue on their way, with Thessaly giving Foxglove and Hazel a brief rundown about cuckoos and their nature. During the trip, the couple finally broach the subject of Hazel's pregnancy. Foxglove is understandably angry at Hazel's naivete in allowing it to happen and the lies following it. Their relationship should be better than that. Yet, at the end of her tirade, Foxglove admits she loves Hazel no matter what and they're keeping the baby. It's a small moment but a beautiful one. I can't remember if this couple appears later in the series, but I'm pulling for their little family.

Meanwhile, at George's apartment, Wanda wonders why, on a night like this, she isn't somewhere in front of a roaring fire with Rutger Hauer on a bear skin rug with good tunes and good booze. Being a fan of Mr Hauer, I can relate 😀. George intrudes on this lovely fantasy by calling Wanda's attention to Barbie. He's noticed the Porpentine is flickering, indicating Barbie is in trouble wherever she is. Wanda can only watch helplessly as Barbie suffers beyond her reach, pleading with her friend to keep fighting. Wanda doesn't want to lose her. George naturally chooses this moment to make a crude remark, which Wanda brushes off. It's not the first slur she's heard.

A crash outside the building draws Wanda's attention away from Barbie to the window. Crazy Homeless Lady (remember her?) is pinned underneath a garbage bin. Without thinking twice, Wanda grabs her coat and goes out to help. Wanda leads the woman reeking of garbage into the building out of the storm. She laments she can't let the woman bathe in George's apartment, seeing as his body is still in the tub. Crazy Homeless Lady doesn't seem that interested anyway, far more concerned by the worsening weather.

In the Dreaming, the Cuckoo journeys to the Isle of Thorns with Luz and an unconscious Barbie, revealing her end game as they travel. She intends to do away with the Land even though she will miss it. Luz confesses the same of her master, but it is implied that this affection results from the Cuckoo's hypnotic power since Luz was one of the Resistances' staunchest members. Still, it is time for this childhood world to end. The Cuckoo must leave the nest but cannot do so while the Land still exists.

They finally arrive at the Heirogram, a monolith with strange writing sitting atop a large mound of earth. The Heiromancher once explained to the Cuckoo that this skerry is one of thousands of little islands on the outskirts of the Dreaming. As a child, Barbie formed a symbiotic relationship with the island because both needed each other's beliefs to flourish. Because the Cuckoo, like its real-world counterpart, chose to nest here, she has become trapped, unable to fly to worlds beyond. To escape, the Cuckoo must bring about its end by destroying the Porpentine at moon rise.

Luz promises to stay by the Cuckoo's side, but the Cuckoo's ominous reaction indicates otherwise. At the same time, Luz sees three strangers approaching them. Thessaly leads the group, confident the Cuckoo is near. At that moment, the Cuckoo runs towards the new arrivals, using her little girl disguise to trick Thessaly and the others into believing Luz is the Cuckoo, preparing to kill Barbie. Taken in, Thessaly finds Luz standing over Barbie, and when the hypnotized bird admits to being the Cuckoo, Thessaly promptly murders her without a thought.

Foxglove and Hazel are horrified by this, but Thessaly explains a 'shoot now and ask questions later' approach is best for dealing with a creature like the Cuckoo. Although puzzled by the presence of these strangers, the real Cuckoo uses her powers on all three women, ensuring Thessaly can no longer harm her or interfere with her plans.

With the moonrise, the Cuckoo is finally ready to begin her endgame.

Barbie wakes to find herself in front of the Heirogram. The Cuckoo then explains the relationship between the Heirogram and the Porpentine. Each was left as a token of the land. The destruction of one or both will bring about its end.

At George's apartment, Crazy Homeless Lady isn't fazed by his dead face nailed to the wall but asks if Wanda was responsible for this bad voodoo. Wanda says no and recognizes her as the lady from the subway. The two share a lovely conversation when the older woman asks Wanda what gender she is and reveals the orientation of her grandson Billy, who was supported by his family. Wanda wishes she could say the same because her mother thinks of her as the devil. Crazy Homeless Lady touchingly tells Wanda there's nothing wrong with being different, although Billy did come to a tragic end.

In the Land, Barbie, now entirely under the Cuckoo's thrall, smashes the Porpentine against the Heirogram and destroys both artifacts. The Cuckoo rejoices at her victory, singing and dancing happily while announcing to all that soon she'll be able to leave this place and plant her eggs in the dreams of other little girls.

In New York, Wanda watches with alarm as the Porpentine flickers out of existence from Barbie's neck. Television and radio stations continue to report the return of Hurricane Lisa, inexplicably changing its course back towards the city. Some theorize that the hurricane's odd behaviour may have something to do with the dust cloud that obscured the moon from the sky earlier that night.

Hazel, Foxglove and Thessaly watch the descent of the stars in the night sky. A particular star brightens into one of the Dream Lord's eyes.

Morpheus has finally arrived at the skerry. He's been summoned by the destruction of the Porpentine and the Heirogram that will bring the skerry to its final judgment under the terms of an ancient compact. The Cuckoo has no idea who Morpheus is until he reveals himself as the Land's creator. Morpheus discovers that although Barbie summoned him, her mind is not her own. The Lord of Dreams frees her from the Cuckoo's spell and does the same for Thessaly, Foxglove and Hazel.

Barbie realizes Morpheus is the Murphy that Wilkinson and the others kept referring to. Thessaly is somewhat chagrined that she hadn't guessed the same earlier.

In one of the loveliest scenes in the Sandman series, complemented by Shawn McManus's haunting artwork, we, along with Barbie and her company, watch as Morpheus puts the Land to rest. I defy any writer reading this to not feel moved by what power stories can have. Thank you Neil, for decades of inspiration.

"He was very tall, and very beautiful, and very distant.

I don't know what language the words were in, but I felt I ought to have understood them, or rather, that part of me did understand on some deep, buried level. His cloak was blowing in the wind like a patch of midnight, and his eyes glittered like twin stars. "

Morpheus speaks not to them but to poor dead Luz, who stands up and walks towards him, vanishing into the glitter of his billowing cloak. His voice travels throughout the Land, and they come to him, the hundreds and thousands who lived in the skerry for all the days of its existence. All answer the call of their creator in the Isle of Thorns. Wilkinson and Prinaldo, very much alive, wave to Barbie as they pass. They happily join the parade of fantastical creatures given life by the little girls who made this land their playground.

They vanish into his cloak, like children returning home to their father, until only one dream soul is left. A beautiful woman, clad in white, looking proud and sad. She pauses before Morpheus, and their brief exchange is bittersweet. Morpheus created this land for Alianora, and since her day, many little girls have come to her playground, adding their own stories to its dreamscape. Their farewell is brief but poignant, and when she disappears, Morpheus, who seems to have grown larger, picks up the land in his palm.

It crumbles, becoming stardust blown away in the night.

When Morpheus is done, and there's nothing but the patch of dirt they're standing on, Barbie approaches the Lord Shaper, seeing the sadness on his face and tries to be comforting. It is a gesture Morpheus appreciates, admitting endings can be painful, even for him. He is not so pleasant when he turns his attention to Thessaly, Foxglove and Hazel, who violated numerous laws to penetrate his kingdom without permission. Furthermore, it appears Morpheus has met Thessaly and her kind once before and is surprised that she's still alive.

Thessaly dismisses his recognition, demanding the life of the Cuckoo, who is still trapped in this realm even after the destruction of the Land. Morpheus is not about to tolerate any bloodletting and reminds Thessaly most pointedly that she has no way to leave this place unless he permits it. In other words, Thessaly, Foxglove and Hazel are in deep trouble. However, the problem is more than just in the Dreaming.

At the apartment in New York, George can no longer feel the land or the Cuckoo, nor does he know what's happened to Barbie and the others. As Crazy Homeless Lady starts to panic, Wanda tries to get a straight answer out of the dead man and is once again reminded of the storm outside and the fact they are in a very old building.

His warning is timely but too late. The skylight overhead explodes, raining glass and debris over them as the building collapses.

And that's it! Come back next week for the finale of A Game of You.

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NEXT - Issue 37 - I Woke Up and One of us was Crying