Thread: Horrific dream that wife and daughter drown in hotel room

A strange dream I had bout four years ago...

First some background,

I am in my late 40's, and been married about 8 years at that time, and have a daughter that would have been 2 years old at that time. I do have a sleep disorder and tend to spend much of the day in a daze, but come awake during the night. Further, I am always dead tired. My daughter alway comes first in my priorities. This was a commitment I made before she was born, and I still stand to without reservation or hesitation. My wife has always avoided work such as household chores, cooking, cleaning, or looking after the little one, so somehow I feel much like a single parent. But I do see the fruits of my labour as my daughter succeeds in her endeavers, and that is a substantial reward that makes the effort worthwhile.

A possible related source of stress was and is still caused by a Catholic school that has built a multi-million dollar sports field behind our property that they use for rental purposes and for profit. To save money on drainage they simple drain the field area into our back yards, since their field is raised above the residential properties. We have had our basement flooded on several occasions, causing enormous damage. The school board and the city refuse to acknowledge responsibilty and we are stuck with the problems and the frustration. Insurance won't pay due to it being a recurring problem, and we are left with the mess and the expense. We have refinished our basement for the fourth time now, the last three at our expense, depleting our bank account.

The dream,

About 4 years ago I had a horrible dream while staying at a hotel in another town. My wife had business in that town and needed a ride, so we all went together. That night in the hotel room I had a dream that completely freaked me out and still comes back once in a while in very clear flashbacks.

I dreamed that I awoke in the bathtub of the hotel room we were staying in. The water was up to the top of the tub and the shower curtain was closed. It was very quiet, just a crisp clear sound of a trickle of water. I saw a small trickle of water running over the edge of the tub past the edge of the shower curtain. I pulled back the shower curtain. The room was dimly lit - almost dark. I realized that the room was full of water up to the top of the tub. I stood up and and opened the door of the bathroom and walked into the main area of the hotel room. It was dark, except for just enough light from an unknown source to make out objects in the room. It was dead silent. The curtains of the room were drawn closed - the room had wall-to-wall windows and the curtains covered the entire wall. A small crack where the curtains met let in a vague sliver of light as well. The bathroom door was to the right of the entrance door, and the windows at the other end of the room. The beds would have been on the left-hand side of the main area past the washroom door. The room was filled with water up to my knees. Against the wall to the left I saw my wife floating in the water, face up. She had a peculiar crooked mouth that indicated that she was no longer alive. My daughter was submerged in the water beside her, also lifeless. Both of them were naked. I thought frantically what to do. It was clearly too late to help them. I considered drowning myself, going on alone didn't have a point - but then thought it best to call for help. I could hear myself sloshing though the water very clearly as I walked back and forth from the bodies to the door in confusion, dealing with what just happened and what to do next. The funny thing is that I don't recall there being a bed, but there were objects such as the garbage and recycling pails that were placed next to the bed.

This is when I woke, and remained awake for the rest of the night. This dream was very vivid in imagery and in sound. It is common for me to have vivid nightmares a day or two before I get sick, but seldom this extreme. I don't recall if I did get sick or not. Fortunately, this was the only time I had such a dream about my family. It scared the heck out of me. For one thing, I keep an extra sharp eye on my daughter when she is anywhere near water ever since the dream occured. My wife was a competitive swimmer at one time, so this event just seems out of place.

Any ideas?