Snacks From the Butler's Pantry

I am working pest control with my stepfather's company. We are releasing a raccoon from a trap, when I notice that it's leg is broken. I tell my stepfather's father (step-grandfather?) that we have to take it home and nurse it back to health. He disagrees, saying he will release it into the wild ten miles from here, and it will heal naturally. The poor animal's bone is clearly jutting out from it's front leg in a bloody mess. My step-grandfather is lying to me, and I know he's going to kill the animal as soon as he has it out of my sight.

When I get the animal safely into the cabin, I realize it is actually a baby sun bear, not a raccoon. I resolutely decide to care for this rare and loveable baby no matter what. When I get it out of the cage, I realize I am mistaken again, it is actually a baby gorilla. It has a massive chest, and long spindly arms and legs. It must be some sort of fragile tiny monkey baby. It's long arms almost look like tentacles. I carry the tiny thing out of the house in the palm of my hand.

An incredibly beautiful topless black woman is sunbathing at the pool. She takes a look at my new pet, and tells me I need to create a home for it. My little brother gives me one of his empty toy boxes to use as a cage and home. Remembering that raccoons carry a deadly brain parasite, I run back inside to wash my hands. The bar of soap is impossible to see because it blends in perfectly with the wall tile. Instead, I use a small travel bottle of shampoo.

When I return, I find my baby looks more alien than ever. It is a beautiful glowing creature made of tentacles. Unlike a sea creature, it looks very touchable and soft. I cradle it in the palm of my hand, and loosely close my fingers around it. It begins to spin, tickling my fingers with it's soft feathery limbs. It spins so fast, it begins to hum, and fills me with an incredible sense of love and inspiration.

I take it inside to show my family. My brother's ex-girlfriend peeks into my hand, and says, "Oh, you have an Ouroboros." I reply, "I never knew you were so good at dream interpretation. You must be some kind of genius."

The Ouroboros is the famous symbol of a snake devouring it's own tail. The serpent, a symbol representing fear, feeds off itself. The fear that the creature inspires in others also sustains it. The creature in my hand is a monster that feeds off of the fear it inspires in others. The reason I feel only love for it, is because it has consumed all my fear, leaving nothing left to make me feel any emotion. It is an infinite loop.

I take the creature outside, and speak to it in my hand, "This is the perfect place to feed you all the fear you could ever want. Let's give you enough to break the cycle, and let you grow to your full potential."

I try to summon up all the fear I have ever experienced. I don't imagine anything specific, only the memory of the raw emotion. Immediately, the ground begins to shake and the dream darkens. In the distance, I see gigantic creatures lumbering out of a mist. Even from the distance, they tower over their surroundings, standing hundreds of feet tall. Their heads disappear into the clouds above, like skyscrapers on a foggy day. There are dozens of them, and they are raining down destruction on everything in their path. They destroy whole cities in a single stroke, and I feel the earth splitting and breaking beneath them. It feels like every disaster I have ever experienced. The ground beneath my feet feels like it could give away at any second. The air is whipping around me, trying to knock me to my knees.

I feel the worst terror I have ever experienced, and want it to stop. The sensations are too real, and I can't distract myself from them enough to change the scene around me. Everywhere I turn, I see more of the monsters, coming closer every time. I turn to my mother standing next to me, and say, "Ok, this is enough fear, now how do I stop it?" I know as soon as I look at her. I start swinging my head from side to side, trying to get the monsters out of my vision while focusing on a peaceful image of a calm white sand beach.

When I finally manage to get the terrible images out of my field of vision, my eyes lock on a picturesque scene of a peaceful coastline with a lighthouse. There is a rocky path down to the water, and a friendly visitor center filled with smiling and laughing people. I walk towards the visitor center still clutching my pet in my hand. It is whirling faster than ever, and I need to use the restroom very badly. Those monsters literally scared the piss out of me!

I enter the restroom, and stand over the toilet. I'm afraid to put down my pet. He is twirling so fast, I fear he will shoot off in any direction if I let him go. There must be something to fear here that he is feeding off of. I look around, and see two girls using the stall at the end of the men's room. One is acting as a lookout, while the other crouches over the toilet. I think this girl must be afraid of being discovered.

Satisfied, I put my pet in my pocket, but he keeps spinning against my jeans. I feel heat from the friction, and fear he will burn a hole right through my pants. I lift one leg up high to stretch the denim against his body. This slows him down, but makes it impossible for me to aim at the toilet. Two men stand on either side of me, uncomfortably close. One of them pees on my shoe on purpose, taunting me. I reach over, pick him up by the face with with one hand, and carry him outside. I throw him against the wall, and punch him hard in the neck. He laughs, and I realize he is a meaningless distraction. I join in his laughter, and reach into my pocket to retrieve my pet. I leave the man standing against the wall, laughing.

I join my friend and her husband at a picnic table. I place my pet on the table, and he opens up his feathery limbs to a brilliant white light. We all laugh at the joyfulness of the light. My friend laughs so hard, her breasts pop out of her top. I playfully pretend to cover my eyes while she tries to cover up.