Nightmare

I had a ghastly dream last night. I was in the company of a young girl and her father. Behind them, lying on a bed was an elderly woman whom I took to be the grandmother. As I watched, the grandmother began to shiver and tremble, unseen by the others. This increased to vigorous shaking, then convulsions. Despite her guttural moaning, and the thumping of her legs on the mattress, the others showed no interest. I saw a pale blue froth all over her face and she looked scared stiff. Suddenly she went rigid, eyes wide open and I knew she had died.

 

I awoke abruptly with an intense sensation of dread.



 

***

 

This morning, after a full night's sleep with no disturbances or interruptions I arose with the images still on my mind. Although early, I took myself off to the gym. During an intense thirty minutes of interval work on the Elliptical my heart rate reached 169 and my pores opened and released a drenching sweat. The heat, power, intensity, then a drive home with the car windows down savouring the icy chill, brought clarity and calm.

dreamer

It's low, way too low. A wide-body jet is circling the town, banking hard and describing loud circles. Its starboard wing points verticaly to earth. Easing out of the turn, it levels then banks to port. It's losing altitude with every second and the engines are screaming now. Somehow the pilot has aligned the doomed airplane with the main street through town and he's aiming to crash land. The plane's wingspan is nearly twice the width of the road. Almost immediately the wings are clipped off by buildings and the fuselage collapses onto its belly. There is a screech of tearing metal as the tube of steel careers along the street, flattening all in its path. There is a brief silence then a spectacular blast.

There's really no need to get dressed. It'll take too long. Anyway, if I hurry no one will see me. I'm not sure where I'm going but it's urgent. I scamper along the pavement, my bare feet slapping on the warm concrete. I slow and walk behind a parked car as a group of people pass by on the far side of the road. They don't even see me. There is no cover for the next hundred yards but I sprint on, confident that if I ignore people they won't register me. Naked running could be the next craze. A car approaches and instinctively I drop my hands to protect my modesty. Heads inside the car turn to look at me and I run on. I think they saw me. Up ahead a couple are walking towards me. I can't avoid them and in fact I recognise them. They stop to greet me and don't mention my nakedness. I feel exposed but carry on a conversation as if this is the most natural thing in the world.

The sun is blazing in a bright blue sky. I'm walking along a road in an average town. I begin to flex my legs then jump slightly, leaving the ground for just a split second. It's a nice feeling. I do it again and find I am not as heavy as usual. I jump perhaps six feet in the air then settle gently back on the ground. On my next jump I flap my arms. It seems a ridiculous thing to try but it actually works. I feel myself propelled higher. I flap again and the upward surge is stronger still. Two more quick wing beats and I'm as high as the rooftops. I can see beyond them to the fields and hills in the distance. I skim the roofs and catch a thermal, suddenly climbing fast. I must be five hundred feet above the ground yet I'm not scared. I glide over the town seeing people scurry about like ants. I dive and pick up speed, swooping between buildings then soaring upwards again. A line of pylons marches across the fields ahead, carrying power lines. I have to decide whether to fly under or over the lines. One sharp flap and I'm up and soaring over them. I feel the warm sun on my back and a gentle breeze in my face. I must do this more often.

Nightmare

Inspired by the writing of commenter Finnegan, I decided to record the details of my next dream. After several nights of blackness I have something to recount from last night. The dream was an extremely frightening experience which I have attempted to recreate and interpret.

 

Lying on my back looking at the bedroom ceiling I caught a movement at the corner of my eye. There was a square opening where none should be. A male face thrust silently through and fixed me with a stare that penetrated my soul. As if I had been injected with some paralysing agent I was utterly unable to move. The face smirked as if recognising I was defenceless. He eased himself through the small hole with great agility and lowered himself to the carpet. Immediately he was followed by another who quickly stood beside him.

Together these visitors monitored my reaction and were satisfied. At no time did they speak. I gained the clear sense that they exchanged the thought "this one poses no threat." As they moved noiselessly through the bedroom door I fought hard to achieve motion. Eventually I could sit up. The sound of drawers opening and papers ruffling came up the stairs. My wife was awake beside me but seemed oblivious to the intrusion.

With a supreme effort I managed to stand up and walk stiff-legged through the bedroom doorway to the stairs. The body of a dead woman lay in the hallway below and the two men were looking down at her then up at me. I put massive effort into screaming at them "What are you doing?" but my mouth would not open and no sound would come. I tried to shout for help through my closed mouth. The intruders stepped over the body and strode calmly out through my front door. I continued to try and shout loudly but could only mouth silent words.

*****

 

I awoke sitting bolt upright and drenched in sweat. The most complete and clawing sense of dread filled my mind and I shook like a leaf. "Why were you crying, who were you shouting at?" my wife was asking me. I could not reply, I was trying to work out why I was so scared. The time was 3:00am. As I recovered by degrees I began to recall the dream and recounted it to my wife. Unable to sleep I lay in child-like fear and saw 5:00am before sleeping again.

 

*****

 

My work situation is hardly tolerable. A relatively minor yet restrictive arm condition has rendered me ineffective in my job and unlikely to obtain an alternative in the near future. My attempts to ask for acknowledgement and help have been ignored. I have been stifled and left to wither on the vine. There was £4,000 in Sterling and Dollars in the house at the time and I knew the intruders would find it. No pay rises for seven years has left me frustrated and angry yet I am financially reasonably secure. My female boss was the dead woman on the floor. She has a burning animosity toward me after receiving an official letter from my Union's lawyer. She would fire me if she could but twenty nine years service and a genuine problem means she is frustrated. I will never have forgiveness toward her for her unkindness to me and I wish her ill-fortune.

 

*****

 

Anger and resentment at my present predicament have dragged me to this new low. This dream seems to draw together various powerful elements of my unease. The pure physical fear which followed in its wake however was real and profoundly disturbing. [Rest assured, dear readers, that this spell of low self-esteem is transient. My mental and physical powers will rebound and I will rise with strength and confidence to meet all new challenges!]