DREAM SEQUENCE

Dream Sequence

SFS 1 Dream One: Policy Pete's Dream Number Book.

Eight strangers formed a wide circle around the center of the room. There were no windows, bare walls, and subdued amber light. The room temperature was a moderate seventy two degrees. David Kensington sat in the center of the Queen Anne’s chair reminiscent of his grandmother’s gold upholstered reading chair. He used to watch his favorite programs in her room when his four brothers and three sisters refused to let him watch what he wanted. He was the youngest and the last child to get his say. So, he always ran up the flight of twenty odd steps to the third floor and knocked softly on his grandmother’s bedroom door. He could watch whatever he wanted while she smiled up from her Agatha Christie paperback and enjoyed his company. David scanned the room. He was observing the seven other people. Wondering what they had in common. Dreams, he thought silently. Our dreams. Someone sat perched on the edge of their seat., others were relaxed and comfortable, and the rest appeared comatose or sleep. A soft calm voice from the speaker located in the far upper right corner of the ceiling greeted the strangers. It thanked them again for being punctual and congratulated them for being selected for the unique dream study. At the end of the session, you will be awarded a generous cash payment for your participation. It asked if anyone had any questions and when no one responded the voice said, “David Kensington, you may begin with Dream One.” David squirmed in the comfortable chair and cleared his throat. He pushed up from the chair and walked over to the refreshment table grabbing a bottle of spring water and a granola bar. He took a sip from the bottle and walked casually back to his seat. “Should I tell you all about my dream?” “Yes, Mr. Kensington, if you would begin. We will start with you. Dream One.” “Well, I'm a city boy. I grew up in a rowhouse located in the heart of the city not far from the Inner Harbor and downtown. When I thought about my dream, I remembered that my grandmother playing numbers. She always had a dream book and when she dreamed about certain things like a pair of old shoes, running from a stranger, a cup of hot chocolate. It could be anything. Sometimes it was even a number. Almost every adult in our neighborhood played numbers on the street. And if your number came out, you won money. When I grew up, I did research on the numbers. Many people had dream books they referred to. In fact, I looked up the dream book on the website and I found Policy Pete's dream book written in 1933. Now Pete lived in Harlem, New York and he had a book that you could refer to for help in picking the perfect number. It coincided with anything that you dreamed about though. I looked and looked through that book, but I couldn't find any number for an old barn. 647 is the number for tractor though. He laughed, There’s a tractor in my dream.” “Mr. Kensington, the voice interjected, we’re waiting to hear about your dream.” “Oh, my bad. I almost forgot. As I was saying, I grew up in the city. There weren't many trees or other forms of greenery in my neighborhood. A lot of dirty white concrete, dusty brown bricks, and pasty gray cement. But I remembered that my mother planted sunflowers in the backyard and those flowers were beautiful. They had humongous yellow petals with brown centers. Hey, they were almost taller than me. It was very surprising that I had a dream about a farm. In my dream I remember seeing chickens and pigs, cows, and goats. There were about six or seven horses grazing at the top of the hill. The sky was as blue as the bluest blueberries. The air was fresh, and you could just breathe it in enjoying the sweet nectar. There was a slight breeze blowing and the sun warmed your body like a thin cotton blanket. The pungent smells of the farm contrasted with the horrible smells of the city like the car exhaust and the factory smoke. In the middle of the farm set a large old red barn. Sing so far away. I wondered where everybody had disappeared to because early in the morning most people who lived on a farm were awake doing farm chores. Of course, I knew nothing about what they did. I only read about it. Milking the cows, slopping the pigs, feeding the chickens and goats, and grooming the horses. In my dream, I couldn't feel my legs after a while, and I realized I was sweating buckets of stale liquid. The walk was getting difficult because the barn was situated at the top of the hill. The more I walked, the further it appeared. I stopped, put my head down, placed my hands on my knees and took a few quick breaths. I inhaled and exhaled several times before I continued my journey. The old barn on closer speculation was brand new. It didn't quite fit in with the rest of the scenery. It looked as if someone had just built it or placed it there for ambiance because everybody knows you need an old barn on a farm. I mean there were tractors and other farming equipment and the animals so it wouldn't be right if there wasn’t a barn.” David continued while the others looked at him incredulously, some with questions reflected in their eyes. Someone shouted, “Just get on with it. Listen the suspense is killing me.” Yeah, someone else chirped in, “What’s in the stupid old barn?” “Oh. Ok, I'm sorry. I just recalled and recollected the details in my dream. You know how if you don't do that as soon as you wake up, you'll forget everything. Of course, I didn't forget anything. Now I was in front of the barn. There were no knobs only a board across the two wide doors. I tried to lift the wooden bar and secured with unknotted dangling rope which hung from the other door. The doors were extremely heavy. I wasn't sure I could lift them. I held my breath and gathered up some residual strength. I finally was able to push the door open. I slowly stepped in and noticed that the barn had windows but no light from the outside illuminated it. There was a huge crowd of people standing in the dimness of the interior. Some were sitting on the bales of hay. As I approached them, their eyes signaled me with expressions of trepidation, maybe fear. Some made hand gestures as if they cautioned me to stop. Although no one made a sound. It was quiet and still. The air inside was stuffy still and thick. Something in the back of the bar loomed over the crowd. Pairs of round spheres appeared motionless in the backdrop at the top of the barn’s highest point. I wasn't sure if I should continue or turn around and run.” David blew out a deep breath. “So, what did you do?” someone shouted from the circle. “Yeah, what happened?” another voice yelled. The room grew energetic with the sounds of anxious voices. The hum and the buzz of the crowd grew intense. A few of the strangers headed for the door. The voice interjected, “Everyone please quiet down. Calm down and remain seated. Mr. Kensington, finish your dream, please.” David stood up. He threw up his hands and frowned. “I don't know what I did, David said, I woke up.”

Stay tuned for SFS2

Dream Sequence

Dream Two: The Dream Catcher