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.