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Monday, November 22, 2010

11/22/2010

We were in the car, traveling through layers of suburbs and along gravel roads, out into the country.  At the end of the last field (which was somehow familiar from another dream), we slowed as we neared - strangely enough - the dental office.  I supposed it was time for an orthodontist appointment.
When we walked into the lobby, I was surprised to see my father, grandpa, grandma, great-aunts and -uncles and my guitar leaning safely in it's case in a quiet corner of the room.
The guitar reminded me that I had a guitar lesson scheduled for later this evening.  How would we make it back to the city from all the way out here, especially with dentist appointments to take care of first?  My answer came as Dad spoke up: "Oh, 'Green, after your appointment I'll take you to your lesson - I've got the Subaru with me."  I sighed in relief and thanked him.
Eventually, I re-emerged from the ortho room and made my way back to the lobby, only to find that my mother, sister and brother were the only members of my family still in attendance.  When I asked where Dad had gone, the secretary said that he and my grandparents, aunts and uncles had left just two minutes after I had gone with my orthodontist for my check-up.
Frustrated, I walked behind the secretary's counter and into the back room (which I would normally not have access to), which was somehow also the mail room and the record room.  The head dentist was there to greet me.  He asked me what was wrong, listened to my worries, and then suggested that I listen to some of his employees' files (which were all audio-based instead of being on paper).  I started with one who began by talking about her appreciation for mailmen that went by bike, instead of succumbing to the modern-day convenience of a truck or van, especially when navigating the gravel roads that led to this very office.  As I got further into the tape, I realized that I was listening to the secretary's voice, and my previous amount of respect for her (based on her well-rounded sense of humor and her habit of discussing her adventures with her Dungeons and Dragons group with me) began to grow.
I reached the end of the tape.  As it clicked off, I turned to see the head dentist smiling at me.  I smiled in return.  At that moment, the door to the building opened.  I craned my neck to see who it might be, and was a bit disappointed to see it was not my father, but happy to see that it was a mailman.  I listened as he kept up a friendly banter with the secretary, and was surprised and a bit confused when the secretary asked if I could borrow his bike, as I needed to get into town.  To my pleasure, he agreed to wait at the dental practice (the secretary seemed just as pleased as I was) while I went about my business.
I strapped my guitar to my back, thanked them both and headed out the door to the lovely bicycle.  I walked it into town, afraid to ride it on the gravel, lest I fall off and crush my guitar.  The whole way, the secretary's tape was playing in my head, but this time, the words seemed to be altered, as though she were guiding me down the road.
As I neared the town, the size of the gravel pieces underfoot decreased in size, until I was walking on sand, and then on cracked cement strewn with splintered tree trunks, aluminum cans, dirt and leaves and then finally on smooth asphalt.  The voice in my head expressed it's displeasure with the asphalt as I mounted the bike and rode through town, unsure of where I was going.
Eventually, I pulled into a gas station/carwash/restaurant (another setting that originated in a different dream).  But as the front tire of the bike hit the driveway, it transformed and I was suddenly driving my aunt's silver PT Cruiser.  All the suburb folk with their hulking SUVs made fun of me as I steered into a parking space.
I got out of the car, slammed the door behind me, walked up to the nearest lime-green Hummer and ripped a handful of foam off the back of it, holding it up and saying, "See?  They're fake!  They're all fake."  The suburb folk just sneered at me and kept me from the rest of their foam cars.
At this point, I realized that the Cruiser had disappeared and I had no way to get back to the dental practice.  I slumped my shoulders and walked into the restaurant, in search of a suburb family that might not have heard my proclamation and who would therefore be willing to give me a ride.
The occupants of many of the tables that I walked past simply glared at me, but one table seemed to recognize me and started waving and calling my name.  I was startled and approached the table reluctantly, but as I neared it, I saw that the people waving at me were a younger version of my mother and her family.  Suddenly feeling much safer, I went and sat down with them.  Upon doing so, I noticed that my mother's belly was round with pregnancy (What the hell is with all my dreams involving babies?!) and instinctively knew that this baby was myself.  I put my ear to her belly and was able to feel myself, to hear myself within.
I visited with my family for a while, thinking about paradoxes and the consequences my presence here might have on the future.  Eventually, I left and met up with a group of my friends who just so happened to be hobnobbing around at a nearby mall. 
We had fun, walking around, playing on sculptures, but eventually things were reduced to a cuddle puddle (everyone laying on top of everyone else on the floor).
During this downtime, I spotted a character that came off as most peculiar in this setting: Draco Malfoy.  He was walking towards us, sweeping black cloak, slicked-back blonde hair and all, with a broad grin on his face.  My group of friends greeted him warmly and he was absorbed into the cuddle puddle.  Eventually, he had to leave, and I quietly waved goodbye to him as he walked away and met up with none other than Harry Potter.  And then I woke up.


Yeah.  That was a weird one, but the first good night of sleep that I've had in a few days.

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