It's 6:45 a.m., and I am blogging. Why? (Or, to quote my sweet niece, "Becausewhy?") Because for the last four-ish hours I have been waking up and falling back asleep into a continuation of the same nightmare, and I'd rather be awake and tired than asleep and afraid. I wake up, sit up to completely shake off the sleep state, and tell myself it's just a dream, but each time I put my head on the pillow and close my eyes, the nightmare continues. And no, it's not about waffles... although you might laugh when you read what it IS about, but I challenge you to enter the dream world... imagine that this were real, and consider how you would feel...
A tyrannosaurus rex terrorized the city. I do not know how it existed, but it was destroying buildings and eating people at a rapid pace, and no one knew how to kill it. For one segment of the dream I was at my mom's house, alone. I could hear the T rex rampaging through the neighborhood, and I was all but paralyzed with fear. I didn't know where to hide. A cat appeared at the back door, begging to enter the house. With a look of panic in its eyes, the cat puffed itself up so that it seemed to stand four feet tall. I opened the door, but it ran away to the edge of the woods. As it climbed a tree I thought, "There's no way it can climb high enough to avoid being eaten..." I couldn't risk drawing attention to myself by calling for the cat, so I sadly (and quietly) closed the door and looked for a hiding place. I knew the downstairs hall closet was my best bet, but I ended up upstairs in the small room connected to my mom's room. The T rex approached the house, and looked at me through the window. Nothing but glass separated me from its face, which was as large as my entire body. I think this is one of the times I woke up shaking.
When I fell back asleep, the predator continued its reign of terror. This time I was in an apartment in the city. Again, I could hear the T rex walking, people screaming, and buildings crashing. I paced the apartment (blinds closed, clearly), and discussed strategy with a few others who had taken refuge there. I cried and pleaded, "Can't I just shut myself in a closet and hide until it goes away??" A couple in their late 30s said, "No, we won't let you hide. We have to get away from here." Four of us (the couple, me, and Allison) walked outside, then made a run for the car. We could see the beast a few blocks away, and as soon as we began running, it saw us too and let out a... growl? Whatever terrifying noise a T rex makes...think Jurassic Park. It ran towards us as we drove away. At this point I remembered that this particular dinosaur relies heavily on motion for its sight, so we pulled the car next to a brick building and held as still as possible. The T rex stood directly beside our car and sniffed us, but we did not move, and he left us alone.
A tyrannosaurus rex terrorized the city. I do not know how it existed, but it was destroying buildings and eating people at a rapid pace, and no one knew how to kill it. For one segment of the dream I was at my mom's house, alone. I could hear the T rex rampaging through the neighborhood, and I was all but paralyzed with fear. I didn't know where to hide. A cat appeared at the back door, begging to enter the house. With a look of panic in its eyes, the cat puffed itself up so that it seemed to stand four feet tall. I opened the door, but it ran away to the edge of the woods. As it climbed a tree I thought, "There's no way it can climb high enough to avoid being eaten..." I couldn't risk drawing attention to myself by calling for the cat, so I sadly (and quietly) closed the door and looked for a hiding place. I knew the downstairs hall closet was my best bet, but I ended up upstairs in the small room connected to my mom's room. The T rex approached the house, and looked at me through the window. Nothing but glass separated me from its face, which was as large as my entire body. I think this is one of the times I woke up shaking.
When I fell back asleep, the predator continued its reign of terror. This time I was in an apartment in the city. Again, I could hear the T rex walking, people screaming, and buildings crashing. I paced the apartment (blinds closed, clearly), and discussed strategy with a few others who had taken refuge there. I cried and pleaded, "Can't I just shut myself in a closet and hide until it goes away??" A couple in their late 30s said, "No, we won't let you hide. We have to get away from here." Four of us (the couple, me, and Allison) walked outside, then made a run for the car. We could see the beast a few blocks away, and as soon as we began running, it saw us too and let out a... growl? Whatever terrifying noise a T rex makes...think Jurassic Park. It ran towards us as we drove away. At this point I remembered that this particular dinosaur relies heavily on motion for its sight, so we pulled the car next to a brick building and held as still as possible. The T rex stood directly beside our car and sniffed us, but we did not move, and he left us alone.
The order of the next few events is kind of blurry in my mind. I saw Gabe in the same part of the city and ran to help her hide. We crawled underneath a tennis court net that was lying on the sidewalk. Again, we could see the monster just across the street. I told Gabe to hold as still as possible, but she kept wiggling and readjusting. The T rex noticed. He ran towards us as I said through clenched teeth, "Gabe. Hold. Still." Our lives were spared. Back in the car we drove underground into a subway station where many were gathered. Someone received word that the T rex had been lured into the water and was in the process of drowning. The crowd began cheering, but I feared we were celebrating too soon, considering the animal was still alive. I urged everyone to wait it out until we knew for sure, but everyone else had hope that this was the end of our living nightmare.
I was in London (apparently I'd been there along,) and the tyrannosaurus rex was alive but had moved on to Sweden. The survivors--and there were not many in comparison to the starting population-- in London received a letter from Kenya begging them to find a way to stop the beast before it made its way around the world. I remember thinking, "No one knows how to stop it; it's impossible." In this segment of the dream, everyone in London was trying to piece their lives back together post- T rex, although everyone knew it would return. Inside my apartment I received a phone call from the dad of a friend of a friend, who told me not to be afraid (I think the T rex ate his daughter (wow... I never imagined typing that sentence...)) One of the boys who lives next door to my mom entered my apartment; he is in high school now, but in the dream he was four, which is pretty much how I think of him. I asked where his brother and parents were, and he told me the T rex ate them, so I said he could stay with me.
I walked outside my apartment, and saw a plot of farm land with goats and baby pigs alternating in a perfect grid. Those tending the animals seemed naively calm. Did they not know that the T rex was coming back? It could be any minute...
Then word came: the sharp-toothed tyrant had returned. People began running from the field into the woods as the sense of panic settled back in. Then I was back in my mom's neighborhood; I ran into the Common Area--a large field hidden behind many of the houses that's used for neighborhood picnics, frisbee games, etc. A few people had driven onto the field to hide. I sat between a car and a truck, alone. I overheard a father saying to his young son, "In about an hour you will reach the point when you begin reflecting on your life..." In other words, the sense of impending doom was so great and so real that this man had to prepare his son. Before he could finish, a school bus stopped on the street in front of one of the houses; it had come to drive people to safety. I recognized the situation from a movie, or perhaps another dream, and I knew that no one should get on the bus; the T rex could easily catch it, knock it over, and eat everyone inside. No one listened. Men, women, and children flocked to the bus. Then the door to the truck beside me opened. I looked up and saw a kind man, smiling, with his hand outstretched towards me. He didn't have to say a word for me to know that he knew the way to safety.
I woke up again as I climbed into the truck. As I was waking up, part of me felt as though I should fall back asleep to completely resolve the dream. But a bigger part of me was tired (pun intended) of feeling afraid and wanted to wake up and just get on with my day. Thus I blogged at 6:45 a.m. Needless to say, I do not feel well-rested today.
I walked outside my apartment, and saw a plot of farm land with goats and baby pigs alternating in a perfect grid. Those tending the animals seemed naively calm. Did they not know that the T rex was coming back? It could be any minute...
Then word came: the sharp-toothed tyrant had returned. People began running from the field into the woods as the sense of panic settled back in. Then I was back in my mom's neighborhood; I ran into the Common Area--a large field hidden behind many of the houses that's used for neighborhood picnics, frisbee games, etc. A few people had driven onto the field to hide. I sat between a car and a truck, alone. I overheard a father saying to his young son, "In about an hour you will reach the point when you begin reflecting on your life..." In other words, the sense of impending doom was so great and so real that this man had to prepare his son. Before he could finish, a school bus stopped on the street in front of one of the houses; it had come to drive people to safety. I recognized the situation from a movie, or perhaps another dream, and I knew that no one should get on the bus; the T rex could easily catch it, knock it over, and eat everyone inside. No one listened. Men, women, and children flocked to the bus. Then the door to the truck beside me opened. I looked up and saw a kind man, smiling, with his hand outstretched towards me. He didn't have to say a word for me to know that he knew the way to safety.
I woke up again as I climbed into the truck. As I was waking up, part of me felt as though I should fall back asleep to completely resolve the dream. But a bigger part of me was tired (pun intended) of feeling afraid and wanted to wake up and just get on with my day. Thus I blogged at 6:45 a.m. Needless to say, I do not feel well-rested today.
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