The scariest dreams aren’t so much the ones where I dream of monsters or murders. The scariest dreams are the ones that feel completely real. Its the ones that have almost everything physically and emotionally correct, and the only way to realize its a dream is realizing the small details are completely absurd.
I haven’t been feeling too well these last couple of days, and haven’t ventured out of my house except for absolutely necessary errands - such as a job interview. Even with this sunny exceptional March weather, I have no desire to join society in it’s goings-on. I’ve been nursing my pains with hot tea, tylenol and spicy food, and I’ve got a load of dishes to wash. I’ve also been contemplating if I should open the $120 bottle of wine I recently received as a gift. But mostly, I escape into documentaries and read books. This afternoon, however, I found myself escaping to stranger places….
My mother was in the kitchen, she was cleaning or washing the dishes. The warm sun filled the muted house spotlighting dust particles as they danced in and out of the light. I went out the back door and walked across the large yard into the pole barn. The doors were wide open and the same lustrous light poured in wherever it could. The barn was still and hummed quietly. I got onto an old ATV and burst out of the barn. My long hair swirling, and my skirt fluttering where I had not tucked it under my bum. I sped across the field until I reached the foot of a hill. I parked the vehicle, wrapped my scarf around my shoulders and began walking up the shaded hill. The sun was low on the horizon, and as I ascended the hill, sunlight peeped out brighter and brighter. I watched my shadow become more and more pronounced beside me as I climbed up the hill. A strong wind gushed back and forth, and my long floral dress swam to one side then another along with my hair and scarf. It felt peaceful with the sun glowing against the pale blue sky, even the thrashing winds felt cleansing and welcoming.
I reached the top of the hill, and saw my shadow standing beside me. We raised our hands in the air, our scarves dancing, and I screamed as loud as I could. About one hundred yards from the bottom of the hill was a fence. It ran endlessly from one side to another. I looked off into the distance, and saw a vastness that felt oddly familiar. I let out another loud yell. I felt joy and pain as my voice rang out from me. Then, I dropped onto the tall soft grass, and fell asleep on top of that hill.
Hours had gone by until I awoke to the sound of a vehicle coming towards me. I opened my eyes, and the sun was in its exact place. The wind had passed. I still felt tired - lost almost. I slowly turned my head to one side. Blinked slowly, and felt like something was switched on inside of me. I could see a figure riding an ATV coming nearer and nearer. It was my father. When he reached the bottom of the hill, he turned off the vehicle, stepped off, and waved to me. I knew it was time to go home.
When I finally arrived at home, the house was glowing with sunlight. My parents were sitting at the kitchen table, and wanted me to take them somewhere. We got into my car and I drove them into the city.
But that’s not the end. It’s the journey back that slowly made me realize I had been dreaming. By this time, I knew in the far corners of my mind that I was dreaming.
My parents and I were in St. Paul. We went to their usual places they like to visit when they’re home in MN. Then they wanted me to drop them off to visit my sister-in-law’s mother. She had been very sick, and they wanted to visit her before they went back to Missouri. She was at a hospital in Brooklyn Park. We drove across town until we arrived to a strangely familiar location that was not Brooklyn Park. It was a hillside city that had its central plaza on a ledge protruding over a large body of water. I’d been here many times in other dreams. I parked the car in a ramp, and we went into the plaza.
There were coffee shops, storefronts and busy people buzzing from one place to another. It was a lively place. My parents went off into one direction, and I was suddenly wandering the streets alone. It was hard to tell if I was inside or outside. There was so much to look at, and so many people humming around. Then I found myself in front of some kind of transportation station, and trying to buy a ticket for the next boat, but I couldn’t read any of the signs or pamphlets. I wandered off from the ferry station, and found myself in an empty corridor with cheap carpeted floors and steel walls like a hallway fashioned after the inside of an elevator.
I walked down the hallway until I reached an elevator door. I stood in front of the elevator waiting for the cart like I knew where I was going because I’d been here before. Then, my parents showed up at the end of the corridor and said it was time to go. Without hesitation, I left the corridor and left with them. As we walked away from the plaza, I noticed there were homes built right into the side of the hill like hobbit holes except without the warmth of hobbits.
My parents and I drove off once more. The sun still shining brightly, and the sky still clear and pale. I had promised to dropped them off at my brother’s, so I did that. At least I know did that because I was driving alone now.
On my way to wherever I was going, I remembered that I was supposed to help a friend with some short film he was making. I arrived on the set to see that they were almost done shooting. The set was in a large warehouse, and even though it was sunny outside, the warehouse was dark. They were producing a film on how to scare kids. My job was to give them ideas and pointers. I watched the actors, and film crew and felt uneasy. It didn’t feel right. I looked around and realized I didn’t know any of these people, and as a matter of fact, I have no clue about filmmaking. As the director was talking to me, my mind started to realize I was in a dream. I could hear my thoughts: Wake up! Wake up!
I felt an urgent needed to wake up. I could feel myself laying on the sofa in my living room. I was no longer in that warehouse, but I could see myself sleeping on the sofa. The book I had been reading was open and laying on my chest. My soft throw draped over my legs and the two sofa pillows underneath my head and shoulders. I tried to wake myself, but nothing stirred. The sunlight poured into the living room. I jerked and felt awake, but every time I tried to get up from the sofa I would find myself back in the sleeping position. I knew I hadn’t actually woken up. I told myself to move - wiggle my toes, flex my fingers, breath in deeply and exhale - anything to get my body to wakeup because by now my mind was awake. I did this three times, and finally I jerked awake and stood up from the sofa. I looked around, and sunlight poured into the living room. The blanket was draped on the sofa arm and the book was closed on top of the ottoman. I felt chills. I sat down on the sofa again, and got up freely. I walked over to the dining room. Drank a glass of cold water. Then I checked my cellphone.
I had been sleeping for two hours, and it was now almost 5pm. I decided it was time to open that $120 bottle of wine... besides, I would never wear a floral dress to ride an ATV and climb a hill.
