ion

[SIZE=2]Looking out of the window, the night sky is breathtaking. Stars are everywhere; thousands of constellations slowly twirling, expanding, and shrinking. There are two moons, one on the left, and the other on the right. Slowly a sun emerges from nowhere and keeps on rising. It is dark red, with a cool, soft glow. The glow illuminates only a very small portion of the sky around the edge, so it appears almost embedded in the darkness. Vincent stands next to me and I point out the oddity to him, yet I have not become lucid. What a bummer, as this must be the 100th time I’ve seen this kind of thing in my dreams. Next time I just have to remember to do realty check when I see sky like this.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=2]…[/SIZE]

[SIZE=2][COLOR=navy]I suddenly become aware that I am dreaming. I perform the breathing RC technique and confirm I’m indeed dreaming. Oddly, the dream contains no visuals, so I basically lie there in limbo, surrounded by total darkness and void. I squeeze my hands; the sensation seems to make the dream become richer. Then I squeeze too hard I wake up.[/COLOR][/SIZE]

[SIZE=2]…[/SIZE]

[SIZE=2]I need to go somewhere and I find Bob’s BMW 760 parked outside. I jump in and drive away. I never quite liked the car because I always thought it felt plastic and the interior is too clustered. Now in this dream it becomes so much worse it feels totally claustrophobic. And the car seems to have a mind of its own and impossible to steer. There is someone on the passenger side but I cannot remember who that is. I temporarily switch to third person view and see from above as the car crashes into a black car parked roadside. The black car rolls into a large pit on the ground. [COLOR=navy]I become very nervous about the damage and suddenly I remember to perform an RC. The usual breathing check works and I become lucid.[/COLOR][/SIZE]

[SIZE=2]Resisting the urge to fly I decide I should observe more instead of immediately playing God. I’m still in the car, but it now resembles more of a stretched limousine than a BMW. I pay special attention to some of the details, and am amazed by how real the wood work looks. The passenger turns out to be a total stranger, a male in his late 30s, square face and dark complexion, not the type I typically want to associate with. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=2]“Do you know you are in my dream?” I ask. I cannot remember what his reply is, but I remember it being something completely makes no sense, and I feel slightly disappointed at the lack of intelligence of my DCs. Yet I myself must be even more idiotic at this lower level of lucidity, so I proceed to ask him whether he knows the TRUTH. All I get is blank stares. I give up and get out of the car.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=2]There is a forest nearby, and nothing unusual and spectacular, so I secretly try to make a portal appear so I can teleport to somewhere more exciting. Since I want to do this discreetly I cannot put forth to much effort, so I fail to make anything happen. I decide to go with the flow and follow my companion who is by now a somewhat evil looking elf. He leads me through the woods, and stops in front of a wooden cabin. I have the feeling he is planning something evil, but I am not afraid. [/SIZE]
[SIZE=2]I enter the room and there is a large machine on the floor which looks like a torture/execution device. Tools such as knives, axes, and chainsaws lay scattered everywhere. The elf then signals me to get on the machine so he can cut me into pieces. Seeing that I’m not cooperating, he approaches me with a rope in his hands. Even knowing I’m in a dream and I cannot be hurt, I don’t find the idea entertaining, so I throw him onto the device with my telekinesis power. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=2]I press him against the bench and grabbed a knife. He appears scared but I somehow know he is really not. I then proceed to cut him, creating a wound that’s about one inch deep and three or four inches wide. He screams but again I know he is not really in much pain. The skin is blue, thick, and feels like rubber. He does not bleed. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=2]Sensing that he is not really scared, I suddenly become angry. I see a large chainsaw on the floor and want to use that to threaten him. What a mistake! I forget that telekinesis power has never been entirely under my control in any of my LDs. With a slight gesture of my other hand, the chainsaw bounces up and fly quickly across the room, with the blade facing my hand. It is much too quick and I get scared. I pull my hand back so hard I wake up instantly.[/SIZE]

I must have died and now I’m waiting for my turn to be reincarnated. It is a large hall, with arched glass ceiling and stainless steel structures. The ceiling is very high, perhaps a few hundred feet from the floor. The architecture is futuristic and has a bright, airy feel, much in contrary to the gothic themed stereotype. There is a long line of registrars, spaced sparsely and extends beyond sight. Each registrar has a desk and a computer, and a long line of people waiting for their turns. Once registered, the person enters the area behind the desk. There, some hundred feet away stands a tall glass wall that spans the entire length of the hall, which is again far beyond sight. At the bottom of the wall there are many evenly spaced vents. Leading to the vent is a small launching pad and a weird pod-like metal device parked on it. People are put into these pods and launched through the vents. Every one of them is screaming at the top of his/her lung, and I say to myself [B]I’d never do that[/B].

Apparently not all people are treated equal. Some are treated more like prisoners – register, put down fingerprint, escorted to the pods, tossed in, and BANG, shot into the void, leaving a long trail of scream behind. On the other hand, some are treated like VIPs. These lucky few get to wait in an area with sofa, and are gently guided to their inevitable fate. The nicest thing, however, is that you get to customize your reincarnation by filling out a form. There are many options such as nationality, appearance, family heritage, and gender. The choices vary among individuals, perhaps due to different karma levels.

Luckily, I get the nicer treatment. The aspect of being able to take on a different gender in the next life really intrigues me. After much thought, I choose to become a beautiful female (I’m a male in my late 30s).

At last it is my turn. I hand in the form and go through all formalities. I then walk past the desk and toward the launching pad. I pause briefly before entering the pod so I can see through the glass wall. I see heavenly sky, white clouds far down below, and millions of pods flying toward earth.

I settle into the pod, it seals and begins to slide slowly across the launching pad, building up momentum. Suddenly I feel regret. No, I don’t want to be a woman! Let me out you idiots! But too late -- With genuine adrenaline rush, I’m launched into air, shooting toward earth like a bullet. [B]I scream like a pussy and wake up in cold sweat[/B].