Welcome to Illusion Laboratories

The year is 1963. In the old, forgotten downtown of an advancing metropolis stands an entryway, on the corner of Ninth and Nimbus, crowded between abandoned storefronts and derelict apartments, unremarkable except for its antique blade sign, its hinges squeaking in the breeze. If it were to catch the eye of the rare passerby, against the waning light, its silhouette may just resemble a cloud.

Illusion Labs, established 821. Nothing flashy, noteworthy, or remarkable.
For locals, it’s hardly a topic of conversation, beyond the Suits that are occasionally seen going to and from and the irregular event of emergency services being called for what’s always a false alarm. The largest, or perhaps only, employer of the county’s notably large sheep population, they sponsor youth baseball teams, send representatives to council meetings, and have never made the news for tax evasion. Like a farmer doesn’t ponder the workings of a nuclear power plant, so too do the locals find no need to care about this unimportant institution, even if it is a big deal to someone. It’s simply always been there, but no, not always, as curious minds are always assured in response to the obviously missing “1” in their sign’s 1821. Every city with history has their stable factories and corporations, and for them, Illusion Laboratories is one of many.

Don’t get them wrong, curious minds will always find fascination in the unknown, and this staple establishment is no exception. There has to be more to its strange nature, for what kind of name is Illusion Laboratories? The inherited nickname of DeluluLabs is more fitting for their creative answers to all their unanswerable questions, like why has it been around for so long? And there has to be more to the odd dusk-to-daybreak working hours, and the lack of diversity! Why only sheep, and why all the sheep? Most irritating, though, is the way their parents don’t know and don’t care. Of course, as all things go, the novelty wears off, and to everyone except curious kids and ranting elders, it’s just Illusion Labs, that business across from the old paper warehouse.

What no one considers, though, is the possibility of sincerity in the kids’ rumors and stories, or, perhaps, that the truth could surpass even children’s wildest imaginations. You see, at Illusion Labs, there are no test vials and no microscopes, they work 5 to 9, not 9 to 5, and the cops visit on routine governmental check-ins, not false alarms. No, at DeluluLabs, they don’t conduct experiments or research projects. At DeluluLabs, they produce dreams.

Sure, its day to day operations may be rudimentary. Every successful corporation has to have their deadlines, departments, and mandatory meetings. Illusion Laboratories is no different with their reports, procedure, and protocol. They’ve got PTO, office drama, benefits, and management headaches, no different from any other occupation, but the charm is in the nature of their work. A mix of ancient methods and modern techniques, practiced, improved, and perfected throughout the centuries, catalyzed by the magic these sheep have woven in their DNA. Just why the sheep were blessed among their zoological peers is a mystery buried in eons of lore, but one thing is known: dreams are an elusive, influential medium and require a skilled Dream Weaver to retrieve and decipher into what we know them to be.

Of course, DeluluLabs is more than visions of sugarplums and watercooler conversations. The truth about dreams is not bestowed lightly, and the Weavers will be the first to warn about the power of an unguarded mind. From biblical pharaohs' prophecies and the Beatles’ melodies, to the first sci-fi novel and Einstein’s scientific discoveries, these sheep don’t take their work lightly. Perhaps Santa Claus will still bring you presents when you’ve been bad, but the Weavers reside in your subconscious, and they aren’t above pulling out your nightmares when your pride’s got you on cloud nine.