I was in some kind of tall narrow maze. I don't know how or why I was in there, but the walls and ceiling were made of a gray stone. What's more, it was wet in some parts, with moss growing over and between the individual stones. There were also some patches worn away along the top of the maze, allowing for sunlight to shine through, enough to illuminate the whole path. The floor was a soft clay like earth.
Eventually, I made my way to a brown archway. There was a path leading beyond it, but something on the wall glistened, beckoning me over. A few of the stones had an almost liquid sheen that faded in and out of its' surface. When I touched it, it felt like a kind of plastic film before it phased back into the rock. It seemed to undulate like a piece of gelatin.
I remember reading in a tutorial for DromEd that one should build around the coordinates 0,0,0. And that anomalies may develop if it was left open. But this is a dream, not a level editor for Thief II. Still, I'm going to keep this in mind for a stage if I ever get the hang of the program.
Turning around, I suddenly found myself elsewhere. I was in a hallway of a hospital type building. The walls could've been white once upon a time, but they've been yellowed by age. The yellow parquet flooring squeaked underfoot as I entered a doorway into a white room with pipes leading around the walls and into the floor.
I was startled by a sudden shuffling behind me. Passing by in the hall were a number of men in blue jumpsuits, the same kind of clothing I found myself in when I came here. I felt like asking, but somehow I knew the answer already. They were inmates. And whatever this place was, I was a prisoner as well.
That revelation didn't have much of an effect on me. I grabbed a nearby cart and started heading to the laundry room with it. And that's where this dream started to get really weird. I was passing by a window in the hallway when a storm swirled outside. A white tornado came up and tore the window from it's pane, the glass and wood disappearing into the vortex, leaving behind a gaping hole in the wall.
There was a bright white light emanating from the eye of the storm, and from there emerged someone that looked like she was straight out of a kung-fu movie. Her black outfit had a floral print on it, with dark green trousers underneath. Dreams fade, and I can't remember her face (seriously, why this part of the dream escapes my memory more than the rest is something I can't understand), but she seemed happy to see me. I was certainly happy to see her.
She grasped my arm, pulling me from the building, and threw me over to a nearby, grassy hilltop. I landed lightly on my feet and she walked up beside me, the storm dissipating behind her. As soon as I thanked her, she took my hand and started off in a run, saying there was somewhere we had to be.
The elation I felt upon leaving that place was quickly replaced with disquiet and dread. As we ran on, the ground was scorched in some places with columns of smoke rising in the distance. Eventually, we came to an area fenced off with barbed wire and chain link. The fence was half collapsed, but beyond were a number of smoldering tents and dead bodies were strewn about everywhere.
She released my hand and gripped the fence hard. The last words she uttered before disappearing was "They'll pay". I had no idea who they were, but I can certainly understand her anguish. I felt it in myself before a sudden awareness took it's place. Looking past a hill to my left, I saw a large white castle cast in an orange glow from the sunset. That was my next destination.
I passed through the gate and into a large chamber holding a pair of wide stairs that led to an upper level. I was about to ascend when the gate closed behind me, trapping me in. Looking back, I caught a glimpse of an armored figure running by, dragging a long polearm along the bars. The clanging rang throughout the castle, indeed, it seemed to come from everywhere at once. The shape of the weapon immediately brought to mind the legend of the Green Knight.
A voice called my name and I looked up to see my sister descending the stairs. She was carrying a bundle in her arms that I knew to be my little brother. In this dream, he was only a baby still. She had a frightened look on her face. What's more, the sounds of the figure before grew louder. I pointed into the hallway between the stairways and told her to run. As soon as she was gone, I ran up the stairs to face whatever was chasing her.
To my right, I could still see the sun had a way to go before setting. The whole place was bathed in orange light and shadow. Not the best conditions for a fight, but one perhaps I could use to my advantage. When I got to the top, I heard footsteps. I followed them, and looked down the second stairway to see someone charging up the steps polearm in hand. Without the armor on, I could plainly see who it was.
I lowered my stance, grasping the weapon from it's hilt as it swung overhead. Using his speed and mass against him, I rolled back, kicking him up and over with my legs. He went flying, and I retained possession of the weapon. In the past, his anger had made him an ogre in my mind, with all the strength and rage of a giant. A concept that my subconscious seems to have held onto. My father was never this tall, or beefed up, but despite the imposing figure before me I felt no fear. I was way past fear.
I dropped the weapon and ran towards him, my fist readied at my side for the first blow. He jumped into the air, blocking out the sun as he fell towards me, readying a strike of his own. He missed. Grasping his arm, I flung him to the ground and started pummeling him with my fist, keeping him restrained with my other hand. He was starting to wriggle free from my grasp when the sound of an opening door met my ears, and I turned my head around to see who had arrived.
I turned my head around on my pillow to see my aunt coming out of the bathroom. My shoulders strained in protest at the sudden shift in position. And by that time, I was too awake to go back to sleep. This last dream seemed more vivid than others. And a lot more jumbled. I'm tempted to ask someone, but then I already know I'm crazy. As to the girl, I don't know if she's the same one I've been dreaming about before, but if I ever remember, I wouldn't be too surprised if she were.
Saturday, July 25, 2009
Sunday, July 19, 2009
A Strange Sort Of Walkabout
Sleep never comes easy for me. It's been more difficult as of late with family staying over. Especially since I'm left to the couch, which isn't a foldout one. I tossed and turned for a few hours before falling asleep. Maybe the heat had something to do with the dream.
The first thing I remember was walking along a path cut through a vast landscape of short dry grass stretching out for miles. There were some sparse hills as well, though they weren't very tall. I walked along this path for awhile before I came to a white three story house. Looking down the path, there were three or four others just like it, before the path curved over to the right.
I was looking for someone. I've no idea who, but I had an image of someone in my mind which has since faded. She lived in one of the houses, I didn't know which. But somehow as I passed them, I knew she wasn't there.
The path led to a park, where the grass was green and a pair of trees shaded some tables. It continued up a hill to a small parking lot. Passing through, I came up to an industrial area, with large metal warehouses and factories lining the streets. There was a chevron gas station alongside one of them, and the thought came to my mind that she works at a chevron, but this wasn't it. It was closed anyways.
As I walked further along the street, the scenery changed from heavy industry to one made up of smallish shops, like in a neighborhood. The next intersection has another gas station, again a chevron. This was the one she worked at, though how I knew, I had no idea.
Walking in, I made a pass around the candy bar rack and picked out a pack of gum. There was no one behind the counter, but as I approached, a small asian guy came out from a back room to ring up my purchase. He looked kind of like Mako. Sounded like him too. I had thought to ask, but looking around, I knew she wasn't there. And it was time to move on.
I figured I should make my way back to the houses, I might perhaps see her on the way there. I walked back the way I came, but as I passed the first gas station, I seemed to have gotten a little lost. I soon came upon a school that reminded me of Glendale Community College with how the buildings were arranged on the hill, but they had the mascot and letters of USC emblazoned on them. George Lucas went to USC film school. I wondered why that thought came to mind right then.
There were a lot of students coming to and fro and around the buildings. Some of them were going up and down a path to the left. Looking on, it seemed like it would lead back past the park. And it did, but it first lead to a large gully or ravine. I'm surprised I didn't notice it before, but it ran parallel to the park and connected to the path.
As I stepped into the shadows, I became aware of voices jabbering in some indecipherable tongue. I felt a brief stab of panic when I realized they were speaking spanish, and I had woken up to the sounds of my relatives walking past me into the kitchen. I rolled over and tried to go back to sleep, and I did for a few minutes. Though I didn't dream, all I accomplished was to put my arm to sleep. Once I got some feeling back, I lay there until the bathroom was free. A cold shower felt great in this heat.
The first thing I remember was walking along a path cut through a vast landscape of short dry grass stretching out for miles. There were some sparse hills as well, though they weren't very tall. I walked along this path for awhile before I came to a white three story house. Looking down the path, there were three or four others just like it, before the path curved over to the right.
I was looking for someone. I've no idea who, but I had an image of someone in my mind which has since faded. She lived in one of the houses, I didn't know which. But somehow as I passed them, I knew she wasn't there.
The path led to a park, where the grass was green and a pair of trees shaded some tables. It continued up a hill to a small parking lot. Passing through, I came up to an industrial area, with large metal warehouses and factories lining the streets. There was a chevron gas station alongside one of them, and the thought came to my mind that she works at a chevron, but this wasn't it. It was closed anyways.
As I walked further along the street, the scenery changed from heavy industry to one made up of smallish shops, like in a neighborhood. The next intersection has another gas station, again a chevron. This was the one she worked at, though how I knew, I had no idea.
Walking in, I made a pass around the candy bar rack and picked out a pack of gum. There was no one behind the counter, but as I approached, a small asian guy came out from a back room to ring up my purchase. He looked kind of like Mako. Sounded like him too. I had thought to ask, but looking around, I knew she wasn't there. And it was time to move on.
I figured I should make my way back to the houses, I might perhaps see her on the way there. I walked back the way I came, but as I passed the first gas station, I seemed to have gotten a little lost. I soon came upon a school that reminded me of Glendale Community College with how the buildings were arranged on the hill, but they had the mascot and letters of USC emblazoned on them. George Lucas went to USC film school. I wondered why that thought came to mind right then.
There were a lot of students coming to and fro and around the buildings. Some of them were going up and down a path to the left. Looking on, it seemed like it would lead back past the park. And it did, but it first lead to a large gully or ravine. I'm surprised I didn't notice it before, but it ran parallel to the park and connected to the path.
As I stepped into the shadows, I became aware of voices jabbering in some indecipherable tongue. I felt a brief stab of panic when I realized they were speaking spanish, and I had woken up to the sounds of my relatives walking past me into the kitchen. I rolled over and tried to go back to sleep, and I did for a few minutes. Though I didn't dream, all I accomplished was to put my arm to sleep. Once I got some feeling back, I lay there until the bathroom was free. A cold shower felt great in this heat.
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