melanieb

California is indeed strange.

I was driving my son to see my dad in the San Francisco Bay Area, coming from Texas. The highway stretches out in front of me with little on either side, but ahead of me is Los Angeles. The sky is clear above me but ahead dark clouds loom over the city, appearing like angry storms. I attribute this to normal California fog.

L.A. is just a stop in California before we turn north, a place to get some food and stretch our legs. We decide to go to a multi-level shopping mall with wide open spaces and skylights that keep the place well lit.

I don't recall all of the details but I know a food-court was present and even some of my son's friends from scouts. I know I felt odd about that seeing as we were in California.

[B]When we headed out we had to go down an escalator and running down it caused me to become lucid. I knew it felt oddly out-of-place and looking down I decided it would be better if the escalator was sloped instead of having steps I could trip on. The escalator took on the appearance of a moving sidewalk similar to ones in airports all over the world, except with a downwards slope. (I realize as I write this that I've been on a sloped moving sidewalk before at a grocery store in Oakland)

Reaching the end of the sloped sidewalk I knew my movement would carry me too far over and I would fall, so I picked up my feet to hover my way to the doors of the mall. I've flown many times, or floated, but never before have I done it in a fully up-right standing position while moving horizontally. It was a neat feeling, as though solid ground was beneath my feet so I had purchase yet being propelled along with no effort and no ground-contact.[/B]

After that I went to my dad's house, used the toilet and wrapped my nude body around the backside of the toilet while lying on the floor, staring up at one of my dad's friends. Honestly that part wasn't really interesting so we'll just leave it at that. ;)

I find myself on an errand downtown, possibly working for my last employer, visiting the State General Services building. In my dream the SGS is attached to the old Palm School Building which in real life is also state offices now. For some reason I have changed the word Palm to Psalm in the dream.

The building is very long and my destination is in the back somewhere. I never see myself fulfilling my errand but I know I was done and headed towards the back exit at the rear of the building. I pass several open areas to come to a large room with low white carpet and shelves along two of the walls. Across from me is a counter similar to the check-in counters you see in airports close to the entry gates. The woman stationed at the counter even resembles Zoe Saldana looking much like she did in the movie The Terminal.

To my left and slightly behind the counter is an exit door that I wanted to utilize but it is blocked by a bookcase, a clear indicator for 'no access.' I look at the woman and say, "I guess I can't go out that way, can I?" She replies, "No." as though she expected the question.

"I have to go back to the middle of the building, don't I?"

"Yeah." Again, the same disinterest in her reply, as though she had said it many times.

A mental map of the building appears in my head and I can see where the exit is, about one-third the length of the building back the way I came from. I start heading in that direction when things begin to get weird.

Walking out of the room at the end of the building I realize I'm no longer weaing my shoes, that somehow I had left them behind me when I first went into that area. Now that I've returned to where I left them I find a large cut in them as though a chain-saw had been brought down over them right in the middle.

Leaning down to pick them up I think, "I would never leave my shoes behind in an office-building, nor would I walk around without shoes, so I must be dreaming." I smiled and felt good at the thought, but even better when I realized I could fix my shoes. "It's a dream, I can fix this."

I closed my eyes and waved my hand over the shoes. When I opened my eyes the shoes were fixed and actually appeared brand new. What once were slightly dingy shoes are now bright white with red stripes along the sides. (I've never owned shoes with bright red stripes)

"Ha!" I think and almost say out loud. I'm very pleased with my actions and know it's time for action. I begin putting my shoes on in preparation for walking to the door but I'm having a little difficulty slipping them on and I'm eager to do other things. It occurs to me that putting my shoes on and taking that time may cause me to lose my lucidity. I briefly close my eyes to stabilize myself and reopen them, thinking, "I don't need shoes. It's a dream."

The first thought to next pop into my mind is to try flying. I head towards the area where the exit is and instead of using a door I walk right up to a plate glass window with the intention of going through it. Sadly I am stopped by the glass, my fingers making the familiar sound against the glass when large windows are contacted. The glass is cold...and solid.

I step back a bit, thinking,"Hmmmm.....I know I can do this...it's my dream." I launch myself forward and go right on through the window with no effort. I don't think I broke any glass but it must not have been an important detail.

I find myself flying over a downtown street so I climb up a bit higher to get above the buildings. I can see rooftops with people, chairs and air conditioning units on them. In the streets below cars move and I find myself marveling at the incredible detail my mind can create. Even the plants have movement, something I wasn't expecting.

Since I'm flying I want to take it as far as I can...but where to go? The first place that pops into my head is the San Francisco Bay Area where my dad lives, a familiar locale. Sticking my hands out in front of me I zoom off like a superhero, the ground whizzing by below me like a video on super fast-forward. Only a few seconds pass before I arrive overlooking the vast area from San Jose to Richmond that makes up the Bay Area.

As I was flying I could feel the wind against my fingertips as though I high-pressure air-hose was being applied to my skin. This was a unique sensation and unexpected, but cool, another thing I was pleased with my mind for.

Arriving in the Bay Area I find myself in a rather featureless room with a ceiling above me and painted moldings along the top edges of the walls. I decide as long as I'm dreaming I may as well phase through the ceiling. I push my hand up and into the wood, passing through as easily as my hand into water. "Nice," I think, I want to try this more.

I am now in the room above the previous one and I try to phase again but it doesn't work very well. I can get my hand partway through but I encounter resistance. I'm just beginning to ponder this when I wake up.


It was a really nice and long lucid, and the level of control was really amazing. :)

It's not every day that someone from DreamViews appears in my dream, but this isn't the first time OpheliaBlue has shown up.


[FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=3][/SIZE][/FONT]
[SIZE=3][FONT=Calibri]I’m on a backroad in California, somewhere not too far fromthe Sierras. Trees and bright green meadows line the road, a perfect place fora drive in the country. I encounter very few people.[/FONT][/SIZE]
[SIZE=3][FONT=Calibri]Up ahead is a driveway that I suspect is an H.E.B., an oddthing to find in California. I pull off the road into the dirt parking lot andwork to fit my vehicle in behind some other SUV. The rear end of the vehiclesticks out onto the road a little but not as far as other nearby vehicles so Iassume it’s okay.[/FONT][/SIZE]
[SIZE=3][FONT=Calibri]The store seems less like a supermarket and more like an oldcountry store that has fallen to disrepair. There are no bright overhead lightsand the floor seems dirty. Condensation water drips from various chilleddisplays and pools on the floor, a clear slip hazard. The shelves are filledwith items but the selection is slim with little to no product competition. [/FONT][/SIZE]
[SIZE=3][FONT=Calibri]Wandering through the store and carrying a hand basket Iselect a loaf of bread and a cucumber, something in a jar and some off-brandtype of soda I’ve never heard of. I seem to not be shopping for a meal butrather just picking up items as I go along and see things I am familiar with. Iremember that I need some water bottles and grab a case of Ozarka, noting thatI still have one at home under the table.[/FONT][/SIZE]
[SIZE=3][FONT=Calibri]A cashier is standing by an old-fashioned manual cashregister, his hands on the counter while he waits expectantly for someone tobuy some groceries but I just walk on past him. My belongings seem to disappearas I walk back outside. The parking lot has puddles in it and I have tojump-step to avoid them. [/FONT][/SIZE]
[SIZE=3][FONT=Calibri]The sky is a dark grey and as I look up at it snow begins tofall, light at first but quickly turning heavier. I become lucid as the snowand ice falls onto my skin, the chill of the ice almost painful as it lands onme. I just stop and stand there for a minute, looking at the ice melt, feelingthe cold penetrate into me. It’s a really neat sensation for a dream. As theice crystals hit they change from white to blue, then back to white beforemelting and dripping down the side of my arm. The blue is intriguing, and Irecognize it as a dream sign. [/FONT][/SIZE]
[SIZE=3][FONT=Calibri]Wiping the water from my arm I continue on my way throughthe parking lot. My car is still sticking out onto the road and I no longerfeel so comfortable with it there. It seems too exposed to traffic, so the bestsolution is to move it further into the parking lot. I hop in and start mycar/SUV by pressing on the gas pedal, my keys seemingly forgotten, or lost.Ahead of me is a zigzag path around a red El Camino that will allow me to parkin a safer area. [/FONT][/SIZE]
[SIZE=3][FONT=Calibri]I’m surprised so many cars are here; there doesn’t seem tobe many people around the grocery store or even the property. I pull into theclearing but if I stay in the position I could get blocked in a manner thatwould make it impossible to get out. I back up into a carport that I thinkbelongs to the property owner. It slopes uphill and has wooden planks set onthe ground to enable traction. A flimsy green roof covers it. It would be agreat place to park but I don’t want to make the guy mad by parking in hisspot.[/FONT][/SIZE]
[SIZE=3][FONT=Calibri]From the slight hill I’m on I can see another spot thatwould be perfect, and I pull forward into the circular drive in front of thestore. In the middle of this circle is a bar-style table, and OpheliaBlue isleaning on it and doing her homework. A pencil is held lazily in her right handwith the eraser stuck gently between her teeth. I recognize that I know herfrom DreamViews and this reinforces the lucidity from earlier.[/FONT][/SIZE]
[SIZE=3][FONT=Calibri]“You’ll never get out that way.” She says this nonchalantly.“You need to go through IRC.”[/FONT][/SIZE]
[SIZE=3][FONT=Calibri]“Are you sure?” I want to believe her but sometimes it’shard to take the word of a teenager who is clearly rebellious.[/FONT][/SIZE]
[SIZE=3][FONT=Calibri]“Yeah. It’s the only way to get past the snake in the mud.”She lays her pencil down on her book and straightens up, her hair falling offher shoulders as she does. Her clothing suggests punk but her homework, sometype of higher mathematics, suggests nerd. The glasses just make her lookyounger. As for her words, I know that she is telling me a code to get past thestoreowner’s evil brother.[/FONT][/SIZE]
[SIZE=3][FONT=Calibri]“Well, then, thank you!” I don’t know what else to say. Iwasn’t expecting such kindness out here in the middle of nowhere. I alreadyfelt like everyone I encountered wanted me to leave, like a stranger who doesn’tbelong to the local clubhouse. [/FONT][/SIZE]
[SIZE=3][FONT=Calibri]Dangling from Ophelia’s neck is a small pendant, a whiteoval surrounded by ribbed gold. In the center is a black circle, like the pupilin the eye, and in my mind it clearly belongs in a museum, which must mean shestole it. I’m about to ask when she takes it off and hands it to me, placing itin my hand and folding my fingers over it.[/FONT][/SIZE]
[SIZE=3][FONT=Calibri]“This will get you through. Don’t leave it here.” Her facelooks serious, and her tone suggests urgency.[/FONT][/SIZE]
[SIZE=3][FONT=Calibri]I look down at it and I have no idea what to do with it. Iwant to ask but she walks away to go wash her hands in the fish sink becauseher pencil made marks on her skin. For me it seems like a good time to leave soI walk up the hill to the road, cross into the woods, and head off looking fora pine tree with an oval carved into it. Somehow this feels right.[/FONT][/SIZE]
[SIZE=3][FONT=Calibri]The center of the forest is hard to find, and the ferns seemto be sticky. I can feel something clinging to my skin, making the tiny hairs onmy arm feel weird. They make progress slow as I step over the plants and fallenlimbs, and the odd smell of feet seems to be coming from somewhere off to myright.[/FONT][/SIZE]
[FONT=Calibri][SIZE=3]A voice inside my mind tells me to throw the pendant to findthe tree and I yank on the string to break it. The pull fails to snap the cordso I pull it over my head instead, taking one last look at it before I throwit. The black circle has hints of blue in it like speckles of fire, presumablyparticles of the sky, another recognizable sign of the dream. It’s hard to take my eyes off it but I have tolet it go.[/SIZE][/FONT]
[SIZE=3][FONT=Calibri]I throw it and a whistling noise fills the air as it arcsinto the distance, landing behind a large bush. I go looking for it, diggingthrough branches and leaves and getting poked in the face.[/FONT][/SIZE]
[SIZE=3][FONT=Calibri]And then I wake up.[/FONT][/SIZE]
[FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=3][/SIZE][/FONT]

I had this lucid dream during a WBTB. I find the imagery interesting as it combines elements from California and my old job.

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[FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=3][/SIZE][SIZE=3][FONT=Calibri]I’ve left a place and I need to head home, but for somereason I have to deliver two vehicles to my house. One is a black truck, theother is my silver SUV. I have no recall who the black truck belonged to, onlythat it has become my responsibility to get it to my house.[/FONT][/SIZE]
[SIZE=3][FONT=Calibri]While driving along in my SUV, I cross over a highway that Ineed to use to get home. The image is similar to one in Califoirnia near my dad’shouse, lots of trees and no businesses facing the highway. It’s almost pretty. [/FONT][/SIZE]
[SIZE=3][FONT=Calibri]After crossing over the highway I turn left to go down anaccess ramp that leads directly onto the highway. On the right side of the roadis emergency parking, and every space is outlined in blue with wheelchairmarkings painted on the road surface, indicating that each spot is designatedfor handicapped parking only. [/FONT][/SIZE]
[SIZE=3][FONT=Calibri]I’m still quite far from home and even if I drive my SUV allthe way to my house I still have to come the whole way back to retrieve theblack truck. Pondering this, the best solution seems to be a leapfrog approachwhere I park one vehicle, go back for the other and drive it part of the waybefore stopping and doing the same thing with the other vehicle. Sure, thiswill work.[/FONT][/SIZE]
[SIZE=3][FONT=Calibri]I pull over in a handicapped spot halfway down the ramp. Ihad seen a police car pass by earlier and I don’t want a ticket so I try tomake sure my vehicle is far enough down the hill from the roadway behind me tonot be seen by passing cars. I hesitantly head back to my previous location toretrieve the black truck.[/FONT][/SIZE]
[SIZE=3][FONT=Calibri]The former location seems to be a combination of a 7-11 anda former waterpark in Austin that hasn’t existed since the late 70’s. Everyoneseems to be standing around, loitering inside the store and not beingproductive in helping me obtain and move the vehicles. I get fed up with peoplestanding around with their hands in their pockets and finally ask what is goingon. It turns out that everyone is waiting on Slurpees. Something is wrong andthe people are simply waiting for their frozen drinks.[/FONT][/SIZE]
[SIZE=3][FONT=Calibri]I stalk out in anger and frustration, wanting to yell attheir stupidity but knowing it won’t change anything. I manage to get the blacktruck on my own and head back over to where my silver SUV is illegally parked.[/FONT][/SIZE]
[SIZE=3][FONT=Calibri]I still don’t want to get a ticket for my behavior so Iconjure a plan to help me out in case a police car comes by. The truck seemsbig enough to be a police vehicle so I stick my hands in the air and makeswirling motions above my head with my index fingers. From my mouth I go, “Woo-woo-woo-woo!”acting like a police car pulling over someone. I seem to be utterly convincedthis charade would fool any passers-by.[/FONT][/SIZE]
[SIZE=3][FONT=Calibri]I walk up to the car worrying it may be unlocked and vandalized,but to my surprise Spike (from My Little Pony) has secured the vehicle to anearby fence with a chain. However, as I begin to inspect the arrangement, Irealize he has thread the chain through the weak links in the metal fenceinstead of a nearby sturdy pole, and the tiny brass lock he has applied is noteven secured, but dangles open with the clasp far from being latched.[/FONT][/SIZE]
[SIZE=3][FONT=Calibri]I roll my eyes at this blatant lack of security and the incompetenceof Spike, and this causes me to mutter, “Dragons!” under my breath. Instead of securing the chain I walk slightlyup the embankment towards a nearby store, intending to perform some actionthere.[/FONT][/SIZE]
[SIZE=3][FONT=Calibri]But I wake up.[/FONT][/SIZE]
[SIZE=3][/SIZE][/FONT]

I have been trying to find Link at a lake recently, and I did not find him at the lake or the bistro table; but I did find Saddam!

[FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=3][/SIZE][/FONT]
[SIZE=3][FONT=Calibri]I’m on a drive in the hills in what appears to be acombination of California hills and the Alps. I’m on a high road in a vehicle,and off to my right and slightly below my elevation is a small lake, a body ofwater I can occasionally glimpse through the trees and in gaps between houses.I really want to get a better view of the lake, but every time I think I’mgoing to see it the view is obscured.[/FONT][/SIZE]
[SIZE=3][FONT=Calibri]The vehicle I’m in is headed uphill to some unknowndestination. As we climb, different lakes are visible off to my right. Ipresume that I’m seeing different lakes as I climb up the hill; each oneappears to have a different shape and different volume. Sometimes they seemquite close to my level, as though a short walk would get me to the edge of thewater. Others seem far below me, hundreds of feet below and perhaps as much asa mile distant.[/FONT][/SIZE]
[SIZE=3][FONT=Calibri]The scenery is beautiful. While I am driving up narrowstreets occupied on both sides by houses and small businesses, the view to myright is the occasional shot of tree-covered mountains, deep blue waters, andlake-side hotels of luxury. I really want to get out of the vehicle.[/FONT][/SIZE]
[SIZE=3][FONT=Calibri]Ahead of me the road splits, and my dad, who seems to be driving,takes the road on the left. We don’t go more than 50 feet before we are stoppedby a table and chairs blocking the narrow road. A bistro with a storefront onthe road has set up a large table right in the middle of the street. The road, onlywide-enough to allow passage for one vehicle, is now impassable. I can’timagine why they would set up this table in the street, though I suspect it isfor me and my guest. Some thought crosses my mind that the restaurant waswaiting for me and some other person who has failed to show up. My concernsturn immediately back to the problem at hand.[/FONT][/SIZE]
[SIZE=3][FONT=Calibri]To our right side and slightly below us is the other fork ofthe road. My suggestion for getting past the obstacle is to back up and takethe other road, and hope it leads to the same place. Moving forward isn’tworking at all as the bistro-owner won’t move the table and the water is nowrising around the van we are in. [/FONT][/SIZE]
[SIZE=3][FONT=Calibri]Someone tells me the situation is okay because the van cantake a bit of water, though I doubt their information. The water has risen upover the hood of the van and is lapping gently at the bottom of the windshield.[/FONT][/SIZE]
[SIZE=3][FONT=Calibri]My initial reaction is slight worry about the van and thepossibility of water coming into the passenger cabin. I look over at mydaughter and find her sleeping, her head resting upon her arm. She is aspeaceful as any child ever was while asleep, and this reassures me enough tostop worrying about the water.[/FONT][/SIZE]
[SIZE=3][FONT=Calibri]More comfortable with my surroundings I exit the van.Someone has to scout out the way ahead and figure out how to get the group pastthe table and other obstacles that might lay ahead. A little ways in front ofme the road makes a sharp turn around the corner of a building, and from thatcorner someone is shooting at me.[/FONT][/SIZE]
[SIZE=3][FONT=Calibri]I pull out my weapon and shoot back, ducking behind the nowupturned table as projectiles fly past me. I have the impression that theprojectiles are made of Play-Doh or some other colorful substance, and I’mcertain they are non-lethal. None of the impacts around me seem to cause anydamage, confirming my suspicions.[/FONT][/SIZE]
[SIZE=3][FONT=Calibri]I move swiftly around the table to chase the shooter who hasdisappeared around the corner. What had been a road is now a brick-pavedsidewalk, and below me is a 50-foot drop to the water below. I’m not far behindwhoever I’m chasing and the sidewalk dead-ends at a brick wall, the only placeto hide being a few stacks of supplies and some crates.[/FONT][/SIZE]
[SIZE=3][FONT=Calibri]I run to the end and what I took to be refuse and emptycrates was actually bags of flour and various food supplies. Finally getting agood look at my attacker’s face I realize I’m chasing Saddam Hussein, and I’ve accidentallystumbled upon his hiding place. All the people searching for him throughout theworld and I find him in this little alley with his bags of flour and stockpileof supplies.[/FONT][/SIZE]
[SIZE=3][FONT=Calibri]I only have a moment to realize I’m mad at him before we arefacing off, his back to a wall overhanging the water. I seize the moment andrear up with my foot, shoving him against the wall with a thump that knocks hisbreath out. Without a pause I kick at the crumbly wall next to him, sendingseveral ucubic feet of material plunging into the water below. Saddam, stillwithout breath and now nothing to hold onto, lands in the water on his face andslowly sinks into the depths, and it is clear I am seeing the last moments ofhis life. I feel little in the way of regrets.[/FONT][/SIZE]
[SIZE=3][FONT=Calibri]I head back along the tiny sidewalk, around the corner, anddown the path towards the van to tell everyone of my triumph. The table hasbeen cleared and the way is no longer blocked, but something feels out ofplace. I start to look around for whatever is picking at my mind when Isuddenly wake up.[/FONT][/SIZE]
[FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=3][/SIZE][/FONT]

I got some sleep last night and I had some interesting dreams. This one was lucid, involved flying, and I remembered DreamViews and the lovely people here!

[FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=3][/SIZE][/FONT]
[SIZE=3][FONT=Calibri]I have a false awakening and I’m lying in my bed at my dad’shouse in California. I find I am not in his current house but the one he hadwhen he lived in Alameda for 25 years. The bed is near the corner of the roomand to my left (while lying on my stomach) is a window, brightly lit by themorning sun. [/FONT][/SIZE]
[SIZE=3][FONT=Calibri]The window is covered by paper shades, a thin material thatrolls up just like a typical window blind. I lift it up and when my eyes adjustto the bright scene I see the ocean. It’s a beautiful scene to wake up to. [/FONT][/SIZE]
[SIZE=3][FONT=Calibri]Normally I should see another house from this window, but Ifind myself looking at water instead. I decide I want some pictures to show thepeople on DreamViews, to show off how beautiful the scene I wake up to is. Ifind my camera on the table and place it near the window. [/FONT][/SIZE]
[SIZE=3][FONT=Calibri]Looking closer, I realize the window is a bit dirty, and Istart rubbing the glass with my finger. It isn’t working as well as I wouldlike, and I think how I hate this effect in dreams. I appear to be aware thatI’m dreaming but I can’t control anything yet. I continue cleaning the glass asbest as I can, hoping to make a nice clean spot for my camera lens. [/FONT][/SIZE]
[SIZE=3][FONT=Calibri]Noting that some of the dirt is on the outside of the windowwhere I can’t clean, I give up and place my camera near the window. I move thecenter-point around, trying to get the camera to focus properly and adjustexposure, cursing myself for not bringing my film camera. The scene finallyresolves into focus, and I notice that I’m looking out at the bay, not theocean. In the background of the picture, across the water, is a large greymountain that doesn’t normally appear anywhere in the Bay Area.[/FONT][/SIZE]
[SIZE=3][FONT=Calibri]I stare at the mountain for a minute, trying to figure outhow it got there. It’s not like a normal mountain, covered with trees orsnow-capped. Instead it’s almost smooth, as though it was covered with slopedglaciers. Fracture lines are visible in what appears to be ice, though I havenever before seen a glacier so dull.[/FONT][/SIZE]
[SIZE=3][FONT=Calibri]I take a couple pictures of this scene and decide I would ratherhave some pictures from the beach, so I get up and walk out of the house. [/FONT][/SIZE]
[SIZE=3][FONT=Calibri]Normally I would have to walk a few blocks and make someturns to even see water from his house, let alone get anywhere near a beach. Onthis day, however, an alley ran right along the side of the house which ledstraight to the water. I really wanted to fly to the beach and get therefaster, but normal flight didn’t fit in with my desire to swim, so Icompromised and flew on an air mattress. Like most of my flying dreams I movedas though I was in water, lying on the air mattress and pushing my handsagainst the air to move forward. I knew I was dreaming for sure but I had nodesire to change anything.[/FONT][/SIZE]
[SIZE=3][FONT=Calibri]I flew past many houses and a couple of apartment buildingsas well, and as I came over a slight rise in the landscape I could finally seewater ahead of me. It was a pretty scene, and I tried taking pictures here butthe view wasn’t as open as I would like, and people kept interfering with myview of the water. I knew waiting would work out better.[/FONT][/SIZE]
[SIZE=3][FONT=Calibri]Arriving at the beach I floated on through a cave in therock to a beach cove that had the most beautiful ocean access. The cove waswide, surrounded by rock except for the cave behind me, and had a nice sandybeach that any surfer would be proud of. The rock walls behind me shaded thecove from the early sun, and a number of families had set up their belongingsin the protected sides of the cove to avoid the wind. [/FONT][/SIZE]
[SIZE=3][FONT=Calibri]I floated along the length of the beach and just took in theview for a minute. I remembered while I was there in the first place and tookout my camera, fixing my view on a distant buoy perhaps a half-mile out. Ittook my camera a while to focus but this time I was happy to not have anymountains in my view, just the beautiful ocean with some small white caps. Icouldn’t have been happier, and I thought about how great the pictures would bewhen I showed everyone on DV.[/FONT][/SIZE]
[FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=3][/SIZE][/FONT]
[SIZE=3][FONT=Calibri]And then I woke up.[/FONT][/SIZE]
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I was woken up early Sunday morning by my son calling from camp, so my dream recall isn't what I would have liked. Still, I remember this fragment.


[FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=3][/SIZE][/FONT]
[SIZE=3][FONT=Calibri]Surrounded by farmland I find I am in California, nearbyrolling hills leading to tall mountains in the distance. The air is warm in thevalley, a perfect place to grow green crops and tall grasses, and thesnow-capped mountains make a perfect backdrop for the warm haze I can see oversome of the fields. [/FONT][/SIZE]
[SIZE=3][FONT=Calibri]Behind me is the Mann-Westgate theater, perched on a hillbehind another theater, newer and bigger than the Mann. Though this theater isgone in real life it appears just as I remember it, apart from the hillside andthe location in this California valley. [/FONT][/SIZE]
[SIZE=3][FONT=Calibri]Following along with the theme of movies, I begin searchingfor signs of one that was recently made. Someone had told me that Godzilla 5had been made right where I was standing, and I began seeking signs of themovie production. I couldn’t even imagine who would ever want to make fiveGodzilla movies, let alone go see them.[/FONT][/SIZE]
[FONT=Calibri][SIZE=3] I kept thinkingGodzilla but for some reason the image in my mind was King Kong, the gorillathat went wild in New York. He had lost some of his size, and was now not morethan about 7 feet tall. While still strong, he didn’t appear anywhere near asmenacing.[/SIZE][/FONT]
[SIZE=3][FONT=Calibri]I looked to my right, past the motel I had been staying in,down the dirt road that ran adjacent to the motel parking lot. I was lookingfor the red X marks that indicated filming locations, and I immediately spottedone on the light pole a few feet from me. In my mind it seemed like the rightthing for the crew to do, mark each camera spot with an X.[/FONT][/SIZE]
[SIZE=3][FONT=Calibri]I knew that another mark would be found inside the theaterso I headed up the hill and on inside the building. A movie was showing in thetheater, and lots of people were in attendance. It didn’t seem to matter that Ihadn’t bought a ticket.[/FONT][/SIZE]
[SIZE=3][FONT=Calibri]Five rows from the front, in the third seat, was the ape Ihad been stalking. I still thought of him as Godzilla, though he clearly wasnot a menace to anyone, and no one seemed upset that a gorilla was sitting inthe theater. He seemed peaceful also, sitting in the chair with a box ofpopcorn in his lap. He took occasional bites while watching the movie. Heignored me.[/FONT][/SIZE]
[SIZE=3][FONT=Calibri]I wandered on out, back into the light of the lobby.[/FONT][/SIZE]
[FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=3][/SIZE][/FONT]
[SIZE=3][FONT=Calibri]And I woke up.[/FONT][/SIZE]
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