I dream about a get together with my siblings and cousins, but we all get in a huge fight. My cousin G.’s cat needs oxygen now and it’s my sister’s fault (did she punch the cat??). G. sends over some of her friends to beat up my siblings and I, mom has to come over and beg them to stop. My cousin S. also has her face ruined, (did we punch her too????) Everyone is crying, including mom, and I yell,
This is because we are all EMOTIONALLY CONSTIPATED.
S. cries and says she doesn’t want to hide her wife from us anymore. She turns on the TV were her wife is giving a speech at the European Parliament. She is from a northern country and has a funny accent.
I dream that I board a train that is just one cart with no rails. It’s a school trip and we travel and travel until we reach the Philippines and people are waving us welcome from the windows. One of my schoolmates is half Pinoy, she has a severe degenerative illness but she’s super sweet, has me try strawberry milk. At night she takes us to a beach, it’s snowing and the sky is blue and purple, everything is glistening, it’s the most beautiful sight. I take photos to text my dad, but he never receives them. Why didn’t he receive them? I try to fix my phone texts, try and try but it’s all useless.
I had all these details in my head when I woke up, I grabbed my phone to take some notes and suddenly it was all gone. All I could come up with is: “working at yet another store, singing A Whole New World, being angry at my sister, being horny.”
I dream that I’m working at the new store, the one above our regular store that I dreamed about last week. I’ve always wondered, when something seems familiar, is it because I’ve legit dreamed about if before or is it just my mind playing tricks? Well, now I know! This time I’m wearing a name tag on my chest that says “I’m new, please be gentle with me.” Indeed I’m so slow that my cousin kicks me out.
The next day I don’t want to go to work, I’m not even sure if they actually hired me back or if this is all just a dream. I go out with friends instead, we stop to buy pizza but the guy behind the counter seems very unhygienic, I slip away without my friends noticing. I’m hungry now and it’s night already, I stop at a restaurant that is just a series of tables under the stars. I’m very suspicious about hygienic standards, I order a simple cheese pizza (the least dangerous, I assume), it takes them ages to bring it to the table.
The next morning I’m walking home after skipping work once again, I hear someone calling me, I look up and see my neighbor C. waving at me from the attic window. I go up to her and she’s sitting at a table eating, she starts telling me all about some gossip she heard (typical!) when a goose flies in from the window, a big brown goose, rather angry. It starts honking at C.’s ear, doesn’t calm down until it’s offered some food.
I close all the doors and windows in case the goose wants to come back, then go down the stairs. I’m in a beautiful old mansion that belongs to my grandfather. It used to be in ruins when I was a kid, now my uncle has renovated and it’s so beautiful it looks more like a museum. I know once grandgfather dies my uncle will kick us out and I wish I could show all of this to my penpal in time, but she’s visited me just a few days ago (I DO dream about old dreams!) and it’s gonna be a while before she comes back. Maybe I’ll give her a virtual tour, once new technologies allow it.
I look at the portraits on the walls and imagine what I would say to 18th century people to explain TV screens.
It’s like a big mirror, but instead of yourself you see other people and stories. It’s connected by a series of wires that transfer electricity, it’s the stuff lighting bolts are made of.
My uncle arrives and catches me looking at his art collection. Just like grandfather, this guy isn’t one of my IRL uncles, he’s a short, balding man with glasses, and expensive suit and a nervous expression. He noticesI’m crying because I’m so moved by all these beautiful neoclassical statues, he says he cries all the time too, maybe he can get along with my siblings and I after all.
We organize a sack race so we can bond, I’m a teen girl, I have a teen brother and a toddler sister, suspiciously similar to A Series of Unfortunate Events characters. The toddler wins the race.
I dream that I’m on a school bus, the kids are passing around a register to sign it. I can see everyone’s face so clearly, even the kids I haven’t seen in decades.
I dream that I’m randomly messaged by a nice older girl on a forum. We decide to meet up on the beach, she asks about art, what are my favorite paintings? I show her a kiosk selling street art: my favorite painting is all of them, combined, all the nuanced colors they create together. We sit together on a rock, cuddling. I think I’m in love.
The next day I’m at school, not interested at all in the literature class I’m attending. We’re reading the first book of a trilogy (His Dark Materials, maybe?), I didn’t even bring my copy with me. What’s the point, I read it so many times already. The teacher is annoyed by my attitude, the other kids are astounded. I’m so glad I’m an adult with better priorities.
Beach girl invites me over to her place so I can meet her roommates. Wait, roommates? Maybe I totally misunderstood her and she’s straight after all. Suddenly shy, I refuse to go and send my cat instead. I have to go to school and sit through a Harry Potter movie with dozens of TV ads. I’m again pretty annoyed and yelling my displeasure at the big screen. In the movie, the actors are digitally de-aged to look like children, it’s rather uncanny valley.
My cat gets lost on the way home. She finally arrives chased by five other cats, black and white like her. She’s so scared, and I love her so much and feel so guilty. The five cats are rattling the balcony window, we can see their silhouettes behind the white curtain, they’re terrifying.
I read that I’m reading a book by Taylor Swift, I don’t like it too much so I’m planning to donate it to the local library. My brother is convinced this is his fault somehow, I tell him no, never, I might have a strained relationship with my sister but I love him no matter what.
It’s the twins’ birthday today, my mother is convinced they’re turning 13, it’s more like, 31. We have pizza, laugh, watch a movie about a pale girl possessed by a spirit. She lifts her mask and underneath she has three eyes, each a different color. My sister and I exchange an excited glance,
If she’s possessed, this means Beyoncé will actually voice Beyoncé!
we say together. Then the twins steal one of my old diaries, tease me about my high school crush.
The three of us go out for a stroll together, when we get to town I realize we all forgot to wear our masks. I fish in my bag for my spare one, my brother say no worries, he’s got them, and gives each of us a menstrual pad. That can’t be right, I think, but I glance around and everyone is putting menstrual pads on their faces, wings and all.
I dream that I’m visiting my dear penpal C. We share a bed and hug the whole night. By day two I’m already homesick, I keep thinking about a Salvador Dali’s quote that goes,
If I took a plane right now, I will be in Italy in a day and by evening I will see the sweet hills of Spain again.
C.’s family is very nosy and doesn’t believe in personal space, I can’t even change my clothes in peace. On the third morning, her aunt makes me baby formula sprinkled with pancakes for breakfast. “It’s such a pity you’re not good looking” she says. I know she’s right, still, I feel bad. I would have hoped to marry C. some day.
I dream that Ronald Dump, like a regular Blue Beard, is sucking the life essence from his wives and turning them into zombies. He has turned two so far; a young detective is looking for the third wife, he’s a short guy and both him and his work partner are skilled martial artists.
They manage to kill the first zombie, but then the detective’s fiancée is turned. She’s haunting the villa where they were going to get married, the detective and his partner drive up a mountain road and finally spot the villa behind a closed gate, it’s a low building with green roofs.
The zombie has gone crazy and is furious to see the detective; but before she can attack the man and his partner grab mace and chains and start hitting the wooden floor. It’s some sort of spell, the zombie can’t help but grab a mace of her own and mirror their movements. Her rage turns into a giant black beast, a mix between a dog and a lion. The beast attacks, the detective and his partner keep it at bay shooting fire from their hands. The beast is eventually defeated, but the zombie is still angry. “You’re only here to find the third wife!” she yells. “No,” the man says, “I’m here to find you.” That’s all it takes for her to turn human again.
DECADE DREAM JOURNAL 