Xanous' Dream Journal

#297 - DILD - 7:35AM

I am at a bookstore like Hasting's or Books-A-Million. I have two books to purchase. I make my way to the registers, but all of them are closed. Frustrated, I look around and am surprised to see that there are two registers open behind me. I make my way to one feeling really dumb that I made such an obvious mistake. An attractive woman starts chatting with at the next register. I say something about how stupid I feel for not even seeing the open registers. She keeps talking and lightly flirting with me but I lose interest as it is now my turn to check out.

There's nice gray haired woman working the register. She scans my books. (I have no idea what the books looked like or what the titles were.) The little green display shows my total. The numbers are a little distorted but it reads $83 and some change. I stare closer at the display it seems blurry and I remind myself to get my eyes checked. I tell the lady that there must be some mistake. These books were on clearance and should have only totaled around $6. The lady looks the books over and agrees that I am right. I feel like the display is just broken so I ask her if I swipe my card, will it ask me to approve the total. She says it will so I fish in my wallet for my debit card. I become annoyed when I can't seem to find it. I pull out random fake looking cards and something like a library card. I even see my AutoZone Rewards card. I notice in my side vision that someone has walked up in line behind me. I apologize to the cashier and she assures me its not my fault. I tell her that I just can seem to get my stuff together.

Finally, I find my debit card and take it in hand. I look up at the total again and now it reads $90. I become a little suspicious that this could be a dream. I look down at my card and now it has changed into some other random card. I smile, and decide if this is a dream it will just work. When I swipe, The card reader displays an extremely long string of random numbers then, they all change counting up to nine the cycling back at zero again. Then, the entire screen scrolls lines of counting numbers at at such a high speed my eyes can't follow.

I laugh out loud at this totally convinced it's a dream. I look at the old cashier and say, "You know what? It's OK. I won't be needing these books after all. It's just a dream." She seems confused as I walk away to the glass doors. I notice she is following behind me so I stop and ask what she is doing. She says, "I'm getting your books."
I assume she's intending to give me some free books. I say, "No. You don't understand. It won't matter. I can't bring the books with me." She seems confused and looks away like she's not really listening. I take her face in both my hands so she has to look at me. "This is a dream. We are dreaming." She doesn't seem to understand but gives up on the books. I take her hand, shake it, and tell her I love her as a sort of apology.

I step outside and I looks like the same area that the old Hasting's was. I see a silver car sitting idle but I walk past it. I recall my goal to do the Jack and the Beanstalk task. I see a patch of earth near the sidewalk and asphalt and make my way to it. I reach into my pocket for beans but don't really feel anything. I decide to just fake it. With my other hand I dig a small hole in the ground. It's really wet and muddy making it really easy. I put the pretend beans in the mud and quickly cover it up.

I get close to the ground and look at the spot from a level side view. Right away I see three spouts. (Guess I thought Jack had 3 beans.) I chant grow grow grow and the sprouts quickly begin to get larger. I am amazed to see something grow so fast but knowing how big this is supposed to get I worry that it's taking way too long. I shout, "GROW FASTER!". It just continues at the same rate and is now only about 3 or 4 inches tall. I wait patiently hoping the bean stalk will get larger. Suddenly, I hear my son cry out in his sleep jerking me out of the dream.