Running Scared

Dream 8/29/2015

I'm in a drive-thru at a fast food restaurant with my cousin, Deeje.

It's winter. Snow has blanketed the ground. Three strangers walk up to my truck. I suspect that they have had too much to drink or are on pills because one of them sticks his head in my window while the other two laugh about it. I push him out and try to drive forward. They start  throwing snowballs at me and my cousin. Snow and water drench the interior of my truck. My anger becomes too much to restrain. I rev my engine. They act like they're scared. I take off in their direction and run over the youngest of the three. He isn't dead, just badly injured.

I get scared. I fear that I am going to prison for a long time. My cousin and I forget our food and take off.

Suddenly, there is no more snow. Suddenly, we are no longer in our truck but on foot. We pass a nice sea food restaurant. Everybody knows its the best in town. Deeje says that he sees somebody that he knows in there. We enter the restaurant. I'm still afraid to be caught for my crime. Deeje finds his friends and talks with them. They are four elderly people. Deeje runs into the girls bathroom and locks it. I say, "what are you doing, having your period in there?" Then, out of the blue, Walter Matthau walks past me toward the mens room. He mumbles something as he goes but I can't make it out. Dream ends.

I wake up 

Birthday Boy

Dream 8/20/2015

It's my birthday.

Lot's of stuff happening today. Me and some family members are shooting guns in the backyard. I drop a loaded 9mm on the ground. Thankfully, it didn't go off and maim someone. Random people are showing up at the house, mostly my sisters friends.

My dad says it's time to go to my moms. So I head that way. When I get there, my mom and I leave for an undisclosed location. I know there is a surprise party planned. Over the years I've become an expert at knowing when a surprise is afoot. All the classic signs have been signaled.

We walk into a large building and enter a gymnasium full of people. Nobody says anything 'til about thirty seconds in and then "SURPRISE!!!" A choir and orchestra start the familiar song, "Happy birthday to you..." I don't know what to do or how to act. I knew a surprise party was coming but I didn't expect it to be this big. Having a little more time to take things in I notice the gym is decorated in items from my childhood.

I start to think about all the presents I'm going to get today. I sit in the bleachers next to people I don't know. I find it odd. I'd expect a king's throne or something, I mean, I am the man of honor, it is my day of birth after all. The MC tells everyone that under their chair is a free encyclopedia. He then goes on for minutes on how to use it. My mom is sitting a few people down from me. I want to move to where she is but I don't want to offend the people sitting next to me..

A lady comes by with a huge bin full of presents, it's only a fraction of what I really got. She says, "okay, which one of you is Keith." Does she really not know who I am? How is that possible? I'm the birthday boy! Dream ends.

I wake up

Skinny

Dream 8/6/2015

A bunch of us guys make little figurines out of glass and clay in our friends house. It's a business.

One of the workers becomes a little too rowdy for my friends taste so he is asked to leave. The man leaves but returns later looking like Brandon Lee from the movie "The Crow." He stands against the wall in his black trench coat and face paint. Only difference is that he is extremely skinny. Scary skinny. Like a cartoon with human skin. The man goes on a rampage in the house breaking everything in sight. I sneak out to an upstairs balcony. I grab a nearby drain pipe and slide to the ground. I run to the front of the house and get into a car but by then the skinny crow man is subdued by my friend and John Heard, the actor. Dream ends.

I wake up

Back on Track

Dream 8/6/2015

A friend of my sister asks my mom and me to go with them on a road trip to Fort Wayne, Indiana.

     We take separate cars. My mom and I ride in her Prius and everyone else is in the other car. We get on the road and my mom starts talking to someone in the backseat. But it's just the two of us in the car. She tells this person how the principal at her school used to be mean to her.

     She gets distracted and we lose our friends in the car in front of us. We don't know where they are. We speed up to try and catch them but we come to a "T" in the road. My mom calls to ask where we should go. They say to turn left. We're back on track. Dream ends.

I wake up.

Demon

Dream 8/6/2015

A girl is possessed by a demon.

Her eyes change colors and her voice deepens. She speaks continuously in a language which I've never heard. I think it's Sumerian.

We lay our hands on her and cast the demon out in the name of Jesus Christ. The demon doesn't like this. She fights back. We lay our hands again on her and speak to the demon. We tell it to leave in the name of Jesus Christ. It leaves. Dream ends.

I wake up.

Screamin' Eagle

Dream 8/5/2015

Screamin' Eagle is a trick accomplished only with a bike and a steep hill.

Several people are flying down the hill trying not to crash their brain buckets into a tree on the way down. Their are two steps to the trick. As you shoot down the hill, you must first stand up on your pedals, then let go of the handle bars and spread your arms in the wind, like a Bald Eagle. I sit on my beater bike at the bottom of the hill awaiting my turn. A group of girls pass by giggling. I want so badly to impress them, so I climb to the top.

I sit there with a rumble in my stomach and fear in my eyes. People are watching me. The steed rolls forward until I am in a full out downhill jam. Scared out of my mind, Too fast to think, I stand up on the pedals but can't find the courage to spread my wings. Dream ends.

I wake up.

Bombshell

Dream 8/1/2015

I arrive at my high school one morning a few minutes before the first bell.

     If you get to school a little early, you can sit in the bleachers and talk with friends. A man that we don't recognize stands in front of the students. He says that for now on, we the students will have to remain completely silent when sitting in the bleachers before school. The students are not happy. We barely get any time to relax and talk throughout the school day and now they're going to take one of the only times that we can talk and say we can't. The students pull out their cell phones and call the office to complain. A few minutes later a voice comes over the intercom and tells us that do to much complaint, the "silence rule" will not be implemented. The students unanimously let out a roar of elation.

     The school day begins. I need to grab a book from my locker and head to first period, Bible class. My locker is a train wreck. I lack basic organization skills. Most of my books are jammed at the bottom of the locker. I can see many of them are torn up and abused. I grab what I need and walk to class.

     I know I am running late because the hallways are mostly empty. I can feel the final bell ringing at any moment. In a moment of desperation, my walk turns into a full sprint. I just might make it. When I get there I am met by an empty classroom, a handful of students, and no teacher. This is odd. The class is usually full to the brim. My first thought is that I am in the wrong place. Then the intercom comes on. A lady's voice is heard throughout the halls and classrooms of the school. The lady on the other end tells us that they have found a military machine outside the school that they believe to be a bomb, and that all students need to stay where they are. We can see the machine from the windows of our classroom.

     I still wonder where the students are. Did they know something that I didn't? Are they the smart ones? I would think so. If there is a possible bomb anywhere near you, the smart people disregard orders to stay. Why is nobody panicking. The rest becomes fuzzy. Perhaps the bomb went off. Perhaps it didn't. Maybe I am just a tiny bird ready to peek my head over the edge of the nest to get a fresh look at the world. Suppose I woke up and their was no sun and I spent my days wondering whether it was day or night. I've been here before, I know it. This place is too familiar to be strange. I can't seem to find where it fits in my past, but I know I've been here. Perhaps the bomb went off. Dream ends.

I wake up.

Pasqually

Dream 7/31/2015

My friend Robby and I walk up the basement stairs to the first-floor landing.

On the right side of the stairs are shelves of stuffed animals. We observe them as we walk. Three of them are six feet tall and still in their box. I point out that these were won by our friend Tim. Behind them is a stuffed animal twice their size, about twelve or thirteen feet tall. I show Robby the one that I added to the collection. It sits on a shelf near the door upstairs. I call him Chuck E. Cheese but his real name is Pasqually, a little Italian chef with a full mustache. He is by far my favorite.

Before our eyes, the toys come to life. I have a gorilla at my feet that wants to be held. The six-foot animals are looking at me. I raise my hands, growl, and beat my chest. They become angry and try to escape their boxes but they only tumble over. Robby wants to stay but I don't. I've seen enough. I escape through the upstairs door. The gorilla tries to follow me. I can't get the door closed without squishing him. I nudge him with my foot through the door before trying to close it. I have to do this a few times before it finally works.

I am met by a grumpy, old man. He wants to go to the basement. I let him through. He probably won't enjoy his trip down. Dream ends.

I wake up

"The road to hell is paved with unbought stuffed animals." -Ernest Hemingway

The Drifter

Dream 7/30/2015

I want to make some extra money so I look for a second job.

I start working at a store that sells sports equipment. I know some of the other employees from school. The job isn't too hard but some of the other employees laugh at me for my lack of sports knowledge. At the end of my first day, I tell the manager, a sweet old lady, that I won't be coming back as an employee.

When leaving, I see limousines and paparazzi spilling into the parking lot. I see many famous people. I think I see Gene Simmons, from KISS. They enter the store that I just left. Part of me wishes I had put off quitting until later.

I then get a job at a clothing store. I work there for a while but there is too much heavy lifting. So once again, I quit.

I join a Basic Algebra class. I never did well at math but I want a second chance at it. I notice everyone around me cheating left and right. I tune in to hear their answers but then I have a thought. If I depend on them now, I'll never be able to depend on myself. Dream ends.

I wake up.

"Age wrinkles the body. Quitting wrinkles the soul." -Douglas MacArthur

Redding, California

Dream 7/28/2015

My mom gets remarried to Bill Johnson, the pastor at Bethel Church in Redding, CA.

      I move to Redding. They live in a nice house and he treats her well. I go to a night service at the church. I see Bill. His hair has grown very long so now he keeps it in a pony tail. It hits me that he is my stepdad. I have a seat about three rows back on the right side of the auditorium. I sit next to a few jokesters.

     The worship service begins. Suddenly, I am holding a Fender Telecaster. I start to play it and notice the sound coming through the church speakers. The guys next to me take the guitar and start messing with the band on stage. I move a row back and sit next to a guy named Robert Graff.

     When the service ends, I need a ride back to my stepdads office. Robert offers to give me a ride. As I sit in his car, I notice that he looks like a blind man. He tells me that he is. How is he driving a car? We're going the wrong way. I ask him where he's taking me. He thought I wanted to go to London Town. I correct him and he takes me back to Bill Johnson's house.

I mention to a lady in the house that Robert Graff gave me a ride home. She looks confused.

"Robert Graff is dead," she says. "He's been dead for years."
"Are you sure?"
"I can show you where he's buried."

I am in shock.

     I am asked to help some of the churchgoers build a deck and some diving boards for the lake. On the way to the lake, I am met by a young, black boy. Their is something familiar about him. He tells me that his name is Robert Graff. Maybe he's just a ghost who needs a friend, like Casper.

     We make it to the lake. Much of the work is already done. We relax and have fun under the summer sun. I climb to the high dive where everyone is hanging out. It's really just a wooden dock ten feet in the air. One by one people take turns jumping into the lake. I love living in this town. Dream ends.

I wake up

Behind The Chaos

Dream 7/26/2015

My mom, both my sisters and I are at a football game but we're all sitting in different areas.

     I see a friend of mine, Seth, and I go down to sit with him. My brother is playing in the game and at one point scored more points than all the other players. My family is proud of him.

     Suddenly, all of the stands and bleachers begin to collapse. I watch as the crowds of people disperse in every direction. Chaos ensues. I search quickly for my family members. I find my mom and one of my sisters, but Kristen, the other sister is still missing.

     We stop by the gift shop. I tell my mom, "at least my brother had a good moment," I hold in my hands a t-shirt with my brothers face on it and the score that he accumulated during the game. In the sky, near the field is a spaceship. I know that it's behind the chaos. I wonder if that is where my sister is being held. I fly up to the ship. I search it but I don't find her. Dream ends.

I wake up.

Hocus Pocus

Dream 7/23/2015

I am watching a magic show on TV.

     Two people stand on a stage, the magician and his assistant. The magician announces his next trick. He then presumes to grapple the assistant's neck. They wrestle on stage. Then, out of nowhere, the magician rips the assistant's head from his body. I am in shock and have a strong feeling of fear. The assistant then grows another head in a matter of seconds. Dream ends

I wake up.

Highway To Hell

Dream 7/21/2015

My friends and I are relaxing in a green field on Halloween.

     A beautiful but strange lady comes out of nowhere and asks for two volunteers for a dangerous mission. She makes it sound like we are running guns. She asks each of us if we are fans of AC/DC. She picks my friend, Jordan, and me. Jordan is the leader of the dangerous mission. Our assignment is to sell illegal copies of AC/DC's album, "Highway To Hell."

     We jump into a school bus and drive down the road to where my Jeep Wrangler is parked. Jordan drops me off. He then drives through a small pond to get to the parking lot on the other side. I meet him over there. We sell the albums to a group of kids.

     Jordan tells me to take my Jeep and get back to the lady as fast as I can. I take off. I get onto the highway but discover I am on the wrong side of the road. I quickly correct my mistake. I make it back to the green field.

     When Jordan returns, the lady pays us. She pays Jordan $100,000. She pays me a stack of food stamps. Dream ends.

I wake up.

Rebel Rebel

Dream 7/20/2015

My senior class takes a field trip to the middle east.

     Many schools have come from America to watch David Bowie perform. Hundreds of kids pile into the auditorium. I notice everyone holding a paper. I ask a friend what it is. They tell me that it is the ticket to get into the concert. I don't have one. I panic. I stand close to a group of people and sneak in. The chairs are full and many of us have to stand in the back. David Bowie performs.

     After we leave the auditorium, we head toward the Titanic, a ship in the harbor where we will take a guided tour. When we get there, a gentleman tells us that the tour is cancelled but we can stand in one room of the ship just so that we can say we did.

     After we leave the Titanic, every one of my classmates disappears. I find myself alone in a strange country. I notice many Islamic men giving me the stare of death. One of them tries to shoot me with an automatic rifle. I find a gun. I shoot back and kill him. The moral argument plays through my mind; Is it wrong to kill in defense or should I just let them murder me. I eventually throw the rule book out the window and walk around shooting anyone who seems like they want to do me harm. Dream ends.

I wake up.

The Rooftop

Dream 7/14/2015

I am given a job at my school to walk the rooftop and watch for pirates in the distance.

     I walk on one side of the roof and follow the edge all the way around. The roof is shaped like a horseshoe. Some of my friends join me in the walk. It becomes clear to me that the roof has become a storage area for the school. There is stuff everywhere.

     We wander over to one of the more lonely parts of the roof and find an elevator. We don't remember an elevator in our school. Just past the elevator is a door, kind of hidden, kind of not. You could find it if you were looking. We open it. We walk through. We come to a section of the roof that hasn't been touched for years but just like the other side, it is full of stuff. Stuff from years ago. We find a beautiful leather sectional pushed up against the wall, a pole with endless Halloween costumes strung across, strange machines that make lemonade in odd ways. We even find a canopy with gold and diamonds and rare jewels hidden away. I think that this section of the roof belonged to the senior class years ago and its been forgotten.

     On the other side of the roof, the normal not-so secret side, we find hidden in the corner many molotov cocktails. My friends and I get a sneaking suspician that the pirates have been here before and they have stashed weapons for the war. A noise catches our attention. A pirate ship is docking next to the roof. The ship is full of battle-thirsty men ready to kill. I tell my friends to grab the cocktails and light them. Before the ship is completely docked, we launch the molotovs into the boat. The men have nowhere to run. If they jump they will die. If they stay they will die. I guess you can figure out the outcome.

     We win the battle over the pirates. Perhaps they were coming for that secret stashed treasure over in the old senior wing. We celebrate. My friend, Tim, tries out one of the those strange lemonade machines. He follows the instructions. He takes a clear glass bowl, and puts it under the first spout and some ice falls into it. The second spout drops sugar, the third must be flavoring or something and finally the fourth is lemonade. I don't want to try it because it's been there for years, everything in it is old but Tim tries it and is pleased. Another friend, Kelso, comes over and tries it and likes it as well.

     My shift is over for the day. As we head for the exit, Tim finds a fridge full of drinks. I look at the expiration date for a Mountain Dew. It's only a few months old. Have at it, Tim. Dream ends.

I wake up.

Cult Fiction

Dream 6/13/2015

My mom and I take a drive into town. We lose track of time. We find ourselves in Chicago five hours away from where we started.

We search for the Willis Tower.

We end up in a room with many familiar faces: People we’ve known much of our lives--from church, from school etc. They are holding a christian conference.

 One issue with this location is it’s problem with tarantulas. Every now and then you’ll find one crawling on the floor below you, someone will scream across the room and you figure they found a big, hairy friend. A small Asian boy sees one and tries to pick it up. He gets bitten and let’s out a scream. 

The leader of the conference asks us to split off into groups for discussion. I end up in a group that I don’t care for.

Within a matter of seconds, the conference turns from a good-hearted, christian conference into a macabre, Occultish meeting of horrors. The leader (who looks suspiciously like Meryl Streep) is now in the crowd and her daughter (looks like Rachel McAdams) has taken the reigns up front. 

In a chant-like way, the mother says, “I don’t know where the children are but I’m sure you do,” pointing at her daughter. Streep let’s out a series of “whoos.” Some are longer (Whoo-hoo) and some are short (Whoo). Cheering and applauding, she screams out, “I just got married to a man yesterday,” and then she turns to where nobody can see her face, when she turns back, her face is old, as if it has aged thirty years. Dream ends.

I wake up.

Monster

Nightmare 4/8/2015

My friends and I come to school on a Saturday.

     We hang out and play games together. Their is about ten of us. A guy from our school is here. We didn't invite him. We think he's weird. His name is Joe. He tries to hang out with us at times during the day and other times he wonders off by himself. Every once in a while we can hear him down the halls talking to himself.

     Joe walks into the room that we are hanging out in. He demands out attention. He tells us that at 6:00 PM he is going to murder every one of us. Then he exits the room. His statement surprises us but Joe's a weird guy, it's what you'd expect from a weird guy. As the day goes on, Joe reminds us several more times about our fate at six o'clock. We become uneasy about him. It wasn't just an offhanded comment, he really is going to do something. All of us try to leave the school but the doors won't budge. We try all of them. The windows won't open either. It's as if a spell has been cast over the school and we have no say in the matter.

     Six o'clock is approaching fast and we feel that we have to do something about Joe. We find a pair of handcuffs and throw them around Joe's wrists. I start to feel uncomfortable about the situation. Joe is too calm. It scares me. I make a call to my sister. She comes and opens one of the windows. I climb out. We leave the area. Many of the others call people and inform them of the situation. Lots of people come to the school but not before six o'clock happens.

     All I know is what I hear through the grapevine. Four people dead. Two of them were good friends of mine. Their bodies, unrecognizable. They didn't even look human when he was done with them. He did it with his mouth. Dream ends.

I wake up

Misery Loves Company

Dream 4/7/2015

My family and I go on vacation to West Virginia, only it looks more like Dubai in the U.A.E.

     I see many tall skyscrapers and lots of fun things to do. We decide to live here. My cousin DJ lives with us. We get by in a humble mobile home. One of our next door neighbors has a 747 Jet. The ceiling is missing from it. We watch him take off, knocking down trees with the wings. He takes people up into the sky, barely strapped in. It gives you a feeling of no gravity. He takes me up free of charge. The adrenaline rush is intense.

     When we land, my family is missing. I search for them. I find my cousin, DJ, floating on a raft in a hidden river, a stale look on his face. He takes me back to where my family has been living for months. Was I up in the plane that long? Upstream is a shell of a house. Another mobile home. I walk into a dark space. My family is shaking, most of them in a fetal position rocking back and forth, half starved. They look miserable. What happened to them? My mind wonders but I can't find any answers. Dream ends.

I wake up.

The Dropout

Dream 4/2/2015

I drop out of school. Now, my friend Garrek and me are home schooled by a strange lady.

     She shows us a stairwell that leads ten stories down into the earth. She tells us to go down and dig out ten large rooms into the earth. Garrek says he's not doing it. I won't either. Besides, it's haunted down there.

     I go home. My backyard is filled with exotic animals; Gorillas, lions, tigers, bears, oh my! My family is sitting around these animals as if they are tame. A tiger walks up to us. He acts aggressive. I wrestle him but it's no use. He goes after my family. I run inside to get a revolver. I run back out and shoot the animal dead but it's too late. My family is dead.

     I run out to the road and call the police. I struggle through my words but somehow get them out. The man on the other line says he is a talk radio host and that he knows who I am. I walk down the road a ways and see a large 'Acquire the Fire' Bus in a field. Apparently, Ron Luce and his family are my neighbors. He invites me into his family. I now have forty brothers and sisters.

     The children keep getting murdered one by one but no one knows by whom. One day, I walk into the bathroom and find one of the girls dead and one of the boys wiping blood from his hand. A nonchalant look on his face. I know who the killer is. I live my life with caution, not to cause the killer any suspicion, after all, I don't want to be next. I eventually tell the mom. Everything goes haywire.

     While a bunch of the kids are playing around that large stairwell that leads ten stories into the earth, the killer pushes three of the other boys in. They fall ten stories. The bottom is filled with water. I jump down into it. I pull the guys from the water. One of them is alright but the other two need medical attention. I start to pray for them in an authoritative manner, commanding their injuries to be healed. They come to. They are alright. We climb the staircase to the top. The killer is trying to close us in with a large covering. We make it out. We fight him. I take out my revolver and shoot. He falls over the edge and ten stories down. I don't want to take any chances that he'll come back in the sequel. I unload my gun on his downed body. Blood mixes in with the water making it a muddy, pink color.

     The family is happy again. We play instruments on a roof top until the mom says it's time for bed. We all run to our house, which is situated inside a large clothing store. I find a pair of shoes that are Coca-Cola brand. They're tennis shoes that run halfway up your leg. I run toward the house. Dream ends

I wake up.

The Office: After Hours

Dream 3/25/2015

Michael is sitting in his dark office, after hours.

     All the lights of the office are down. He gets excited, picks up the phone and calls Pam. She picks up. Michael asks her how to see the Moon Lady. She tells him he has to open up all the window blinds and let the light from the moon inside. He follows her instructions.

     The door opens. Pam, Jim, Andy, Erin, Dwight, and Angela walk in. They just got back from having drinks. All of them crowd around Pam's desk to watch her play Solitaire. The rest of the office workers come in for a late night work shift.

     A lady from corporate shows up. She starts yelling at Michael. He tells her he loves her. Dream ends.

I wake up.