A sharp exit

 From what I remember of this dream, it started with me at some kind of party  I was sitting on a bed with a girl who seemed like she fancied me.  She was sitting beside me and kept on inching ever closer.  There were also other people in the room with us along with a TV that was showing a movie.

As the girl moved closer, a guy across the room said something to me that I can't remember and I responded by joking about letting the girl fall off the bed which she didn't appreciate at all and then did  a complete 180 on me.  I tried to reassure her that it was joking to no avail, and then she left the room and eventually the party.

Later, her friends convinced me to continue pursuing her and that she was bound to calm down sooner or later, so I left the part to go and look for her only to return unsuccessful.  Some time after that and towards the end of the party, two guys showed up (one black an one white guy) saying they wanted to speak to me.  They said they were friends with this girl and she'd told them I'd stalked and assaulted her.   They also told me that "it is in all the papers and everybody knows what you did".  They refused to listen when I told them she was making false accusations and insisted that if I had to come outside with them now, so I told them I would, but needed to do something first.

I then put my hands in the air and made a circular motion that rewound time back to when I was on the bed with the girl.  This time, instead of sitting with her, I immediately got up and went to the other room to get away from her, knowing what she would later do.  I then noticed her following me to get my attention but I wanted nothing more to do with her and eventually ran out of the party.  As she pursued, I turned into vapour and floated away until I found myself in another dimension.

This new dimension resembled a steampunk setting from a video game (think Dishonored), where everything was muted, foggy and dark, with lots of greys and gunmetal blues.  I continued floating in vapour form until I reached a steampunk styled train station and asked the conductor for the next train to "the city".  He pointed me in the right direction and I got on the train which then started to move.  The dream ended here.

This is one of many dreams where I've rewound time to get out of a sticky situation, but I have no idea why I dreamt of this particular scenario as it bares absolutely no resemblance to anything that's happened recently.

"The Gateway"

 This was an odd one.

It started with me standing in a field attempting to take a photograph.  There was some abandoned furniture lying in the field and the way the sunlight shone across it at a particular angle (and contrasted by the shadows) compelled me to want to get a picture of it.  Unfortunately some people in the background were making noise and throwing large balls around, one of which disrupted my shot.  They also disturbed some animals that were grazing in the field, including an unusually large cow and a moose.  After the disturbance, the people ran off, leaving me to deal with the angry animals which now started chasing me.

I usually have a measure of control in my dreams, but in this one, it felt as if things were happening around me and I was more of a passive observer.  As such, I tried to run but found it difficult.  It felt as if I was running on the spot with iron boots.  Even so, the animals didn't seem to be catching up to me either so that was one good thing.  I then tried to take off and jump out of the field, but then the branches from the trees in the background started twisting into the air to block my escape.  

The dream then switched to me being in a house with several other people.  We were going away on a long trip, but waiting for some other people to arrive, but I don't know what for.  After some time, there was a knock on the door and someone answered and then announced to the house that "The Gateway are here", and at the door were the group we were waiting for who turned up in a black and yellow van.  Amongst them was a bald black woman who appeared in a previous dream.  As soon as I spotted her, the dream ended and I woke up.

Lost car

I was at a Tool gig happily watching the show when I suddenly remembered that my car was parked in a limited parking zone and that I'd get a ticket if I didn't move it.  As a result, I quickly left the show (giving up my place at the front) to go and move my car.  When I was outside, it was broad daylight for some reason but worst of all, I couldn't find my car anywhere.  I started to panic and started looking for it.  I found some people who lived neaby and asked for help and they advised that I go to renew the ticket first.  They directed me to a ticket machine that was inside a shopping arcade but I got lost so I came back and insisted that I wanted to find my car first but didn't know where it was.  I was getting very frustrated at this and also because I was missing the gig.  I woke up with the matter unresolved.

I've heard that dreaming of a missing car is a sign that one lacks control in their life, but that doesn't really apply to me at the moment so I'm not quite sure what this dream was alluding to.  I also can't think of anything from the previous day that related to it, but I will give it more thought and might post an update if anything comes to mind.

Trouble at the airport

 In this dream, my fiance and I were going on holiday.  We'd agreed to meet at the airport in the departure lounge as I was coming from work.  In the dream, she was there before me.

I got to the airport and immediately ran into problems.  Before long, I got lost and was unable to find where I was supposed to go.  At one point, I turned a corner and found myself in what looked like a hospital hallway. I spoke to a young black woman who was a patient waiting to be seen but was actually from slavery times.  She was telling me about the brutal treatment she'd received and that she had injuries in her mouth.  After listening to her story, I continued trying to find the gate where my fiancee was waiting but was becoming more and more agitated.

She eventually called me to ask where I was.  She told me that our flight had been delayed so I still had time even though I was late.  I then remembered I could use an app on my phone to find the gate, but as soon as this recollection came to me, I immediately forgot the passcode to my phone.  I spent the last few moments of the dream anxiously trying random numbers to try and jog my memory and wondering what I was going to do now that I could no longer unlock my phone to find the gate or even call my fiancee to tell her where I was.

I woke up feeling very uneasy.

Lost and found

 I had two dreams over the course of the evening that share a similar theme and both of which left me feeling slightly uneasy for some reason.

In the first, I was in a school-like building. I may have been back at school, but it wasn't clear.  As I walked through the corridors, I looked out of a window and saw some electric pylons and a generator.  Some of the coils on the generator were glowing orange, which concerned me.  I asked the person standing beside me if that was meant to happen and they said it happened all the time even if I hadn't seen it before.

I continued about my way and then noticed smoke further down the corridor along with people running wildly.  I then heard someone say there was a fire caused by an electrical fault and knew it had something to do with the glowing electric generator coils I'd seen earlier.  I then also remembered I had an important folder in a room upstairs and despite being ushered out of the building sans belongings, I ignored the pleas and ran up the stairs to find the room that held my folder, which I was determined not to leave behind.

I made my way into a classroom and then what would be the teacher's office.  I looked through the drawers and found the folder.  Then, just as I turned to leave, a girl appeared and said "Michelle wants to see you outside".  The Michelle in question is actually a girl from my primary school days who I'd not even thought about since I left there (this was a LONG time ago).  Anyway, I wondered what she could possibly want with me and pondered this as I made my way out of the building, at which point I woke up.

In the second dream, I was on a bus going to work (which was my old work place in this dream). I got on the bus and got chatting to a bubbly redhead who, in this dream was known for appearing in a meme.  She was sitting with a guy who was her friend.  Anyway, I told her that I recognised her from the meme and we got talking from there.  She then put her hand on my leg to indicate that she fancied me.  I fancied her too.  It was at that point that the bus arrived at her stop and she got off.  I then remembered it was also my stop too and alighted with her and her friend.  Unfortunately, it turned out that I'd left my bag  on the bus so went back for it, but couldn't find it anywhere.  The bus driver was impatient and drove off was I was in the middle of searching, which I continued to do anxiously.  As this happened, I was also conscious of the fact that I was going to be late for work so went to text a colleague to tell my boss this.

Later in the dream, I found my bag which it turns out I had with me the whole time.

In both of these dreams, the recurring theme was a lost item which I eventually found.  Not sure what this means.

Overnight stay

I dreamt that I was in a large library and had somehow managed to get myself locked in overnight by mistake.  I recall the dream starting as I realised what had happened and that I had to figure out what I was going to do until it opened again the next morning. I tried some of the doors but they were all locked and the only other observable exit was a passageway that inexplicably lead to what looked like a very dark forest (not sure why this was connected to a library...), but I  decided against going through there as it looked too foreboding.

I spent much of my time there traversing the white walled corridors of the large library building, and at one point I heard the footsteps of a patrolling security guard so had to find somewhere to hide. I ran into another corridor where I saw a woman I remember from my old workplace.  I started speaking to her casually and learned she worked at the library and was doing an overnight shift in an office there. She recognised me instantly and assumed I was working there as well (doing IT, as I do IRL) so I decided it was best to stick with her so that when the security guard saw us, he'd just think I was with her in the office and leave us alone.  The dream ended somewhere around here.

Inked

I dreamt I was going to get a tattoo. I don't actually have any tattoos in real life and have never had any desire for one, but in this dream, that's exactly what I was doing. It began with me speaking to the tattoo parlour receptionist, a young Indian boy (or "East Indian" if you're American) around 17 or 18yrs old.  I told him about my intended design (the Metatron's Cube as pictured below) and the receptionist filled me in on the tattooing process.

After explaining things in some detail, I changed my mind and decided that I didn't want to go through with it after all, to which he responded with "So why did you go to all the trouble of researching this online and coming here?".  I told him that I was interested at first and wanted to meet them in person, but now I was unusure. As we talked, their main tattooist (who for some reason was Kim Thayil, the guitarist from Soundgarden) stood listening nearby.  He then suggested I be shown around since I was there, and I accepted the offer.

On the tour, I met some of the other staff, included a guy in his 30s and a young redheaded girl in her early 20s called Liana.  Liana and I briefly flirted with one another, but as she had a cold, her interaction with me was brief as as she was concerned with infecting me. Anyway, being shown around actually changed my mind and decided to get the tattoo after all at which point the staff told me I'd made the right choice, and that I was now one of them. I then woke up.

I think I know what this dream was alluding to (the choice of tattoo is a big clue), but I'll share more another time.

Infidelity

 I was talking to a pretty young woman. She was a redhead (more "strawberry blonde" but still essentially a redhead).  She had straight, shoulder-length hair and had lots of freckles, especially on her neck. She was very chatty and we got on really well. It appeared we were good friends, but there was also clear and obvious sexual tension between us.

Before long, we were kissing one another but the strange thing was just how real it felt for a dream. I could feel the warmth of her mouth as I kissed her, I could feel her pressed up against me and I could smell her scent as I held her. It really didn't feel like a dream at all.

As this was happening, I was congisant of the fact that I was cheating on my partner, but I couldn't help it. In the dream, this girl and I somehow knew this would happen and accepted the suitation for what it was even though we knew that what we were doing is wrong.

The other strange thing is that I "knew" I'd met this girl before in a previous dream, even though I can't recall it.

The missing trunk

I had this dream early this morning and I woke from it feeling unsettled, but I'm not sure why.

I was staying at a very large hotel and had lots of bags with me along with a large trunk. I was going to leave and had just finished packing when I realised my trunk was missing. I searched frantically for it in my room and in the communal area on my floor, but couldn't find it anywhere. Also, nobody seemed to know anything about its disappearance. I started getting very upset as I really wanted to get my trunk back, especially as it contained valuable items (including sentimental childhood artefacts).

Not having any luck where I was, I decided to search other floors, starting with the floor beneath me, which was the 3rd. I took a lift to that floor and found myself in a spacious lobby with a dark red carpet. It was daytime, but the lobby itself seemed quite dark. I also observed two silver statuettes of lions along the far wall opposite where I stood. Tinny music was being piped through PA speakers near the celing which resembled 20s ballroom music similar to what you might here in Everywhere at the End of Time (google it). That was disturbing enough, but as soon as I started to walk into the lobby area, the music became distorted as if someone was tuning a radio through it. I was also filled with a great sense of unease standing in this lobby.

I then found myself looking over a balcony to a mezzanine floor below which was covered in the same dark red carpet. For some reason, I took out my phone to take a picture, but as I looked at the scene before me through the phone camea, I saw my trunk. In that weird, dream-like way, the balcony bent downwards towards the mezzanine, allowing me to step off. There were various workmen here and I realised it was one of these men who'd taken my trunk. I started arguing with the thief who was very unapologetic. Anyway, I now had my trunk back and just needed to figure out how to get it back upstairs as there seemed to be no lifts from the mezzanine floor. Turning a corner, I found myself looking at several doors (around 5). Two of them were toilets (women only) and three other doors with signs I couldn't read. The third door, it turned out, was for the maid's quarters and the dream ended as I saw a maid (who looked like my fiance's sister) open that door and walk up the stairs behind it.

As before, this dream made me uneasy (especially the music in the lobby), but I don't know why. The stolen luggage theme actually reminds me of an incident in real life where someone tried to steal my bag on a train and the thief, much like the one in this dream, was just as unapologetic and brazen when confronted.

Long time no see

Over the last year or so, I've had occasional dreams about people I've not seen or even thought about in years. These people have included people I went to school with, old work colleagues and, in this case, an old friend from years back.

To elaborate further, this particular guy was someone I considered a fairly good friend at the time but after an incident I won't go into where he stabbed me in the back, I lost a lot of respect for him, even though we patched things up somewhat. Anyway, I left town and never really saw him again after that.

In last night's dream, I'd crashed over at this guy's place. It was now morning but for some reason, he wasn't there, so I was alone in his flat. I decided to amuse myself by playing music, so I put a CD I had with me into his stereo (very 90s). The CD in question was actually Depeche Mode's "Songs of Faith and Devotion" and the song I played was "Mercy In You" from that album. After the song finished, I started thinking about leaving and got my stuff together. I tried to get my CD back from his CD player but for some reason it got lost in there. He also had some elaborate multi-CD system in this dream so I found myself sifting through nearly a hundred odd CDs trying to find mine. I started getting anxious because I wanted to retreive my disc before he returned, which I felt was imminent.

I woke up from this dream in the middle of trying to get my CD back, which I never did. I also never actually saw my old "friend" in this dream at any point.

I chose flight

From what I remember of this dream, at one point I was wondering around a large building reminiscent of a school. It looked a little like my old secondary school (which has appeared in dreams before, albeit stretched out and warped in some way), only it was generally greyer and darker and had more floors.  

At one point, I ran up some stairs and found myself looking down an ominous dark corridor. Something told me I could continue down it, it would not be pleasant but I might learn something from it.  Instead, I decided to nope it out of there and go back down the stairs and run outside.

I then found myself in a large courtyard area that stretched out, with buildings and other roads to the right of me. It was daylight and the general feel of this new place was a lot more free and generally positive compared to that creepy corridor I avoided.  

I kept on running down the road in front of me and eventually took of, which turned this into another flying dream.  I past people as I flew, but unlike a lot of previous dreams, they waved and greeted me as I flew past.  People smiled at me and I even addressed some of them by name.  In the back of my mind (as I often think when I get these flying dreams), I wanted to ask where I was, but decided not to. One guy then told me "Have you heard? Ant is dead". It seemed significant, but I don't know anybody with that name.

I carried on flying and found myself in the countryside.  I flew over a ring shaped hedgerow and heard a woman's voice. I then landed with the intention of asking her where I was, but couldn't see anybody. On the ground I then saw what looked like a brown, almost rotten fish which I then identified as the source of the voice. This was the "woman" I heard.  She told me my name was Caroline, and as I was trying to talk to her, I suddenly woke up.

"The house reveals itself"

 These are two dreams I had this morning before waking up.

Robot Makers

In the first of the two dreams, I remember being in a place where a small group of people was gathered (mostly men). This was some kind of facility where people were turned into robots.  As part of the process, they had to stab a large, pointed object into their ears at which point a black worm with a red tip for a head would protrude from their ears.  They would then eat the worm and hallucinate.  This would somehow turn them into robots. Although this had not happened to me, I observed someone eating the worm and was able to see their hallucinations for some reason; everything flickered red as jagged patterns played across my vision.

I went to "nope" it out of there, but someone tried pulling me back into the room before I was woken up by Tari who says I was actually crying out in distress.

The "House"

In this dream, I found myself in a building that housed both a doctor's surgery and a job centre.  The job centre portion had small interview rooms and another larger room decked with computers for people wanting to write their CVs (or resumes if you're American).  The surgery part was accessible through a series of long corridors.  I met a Brazilian man with his infant son who was looking for the surgery and remember pointing him down a corridor and watched him take off in that direction.  by the looks of it, his son was quite sick.

Anyway, at some point, I needed to leave the building (I don't even know why I was there in the first place) and found myself back on the street.  I was now by the entrance of some posh looking hotel but eventually found my way back to this same building after a short while.  However, when I tried to buzz myself back in, I found the buzzer didn't work and nobody answered.  A pretty young Japanese lady then asks me what I'm doing, and I tell her, to which she responds by telling me that the building has been out of use for 25 years.  I then tell her that I'd literally just come from there not long ago, at which point, she turns into an old woman who says "Ah, the House reveals itself to people in different ways" before walking off.

"The time when there were gigs and music"

In the second dream of 2021 that I remember with any clarity, I was with a friend and we'd gone to a one day music festival. It took place on a vast park that was entirely empty except for the two of us.  That is, no people, no stalls, no stages, nothing.  Just an almost infinite green.  An ominous shade was cast across half of the park, though it's not clear what was causing it. It was as though a large celestial object was crowding the sky but this was not the case as the sky was clear and blue.  

Nevertheless, my friend and I sat down, opposite one another. She sat in the shady part, and I sat in the sunny part and we talked at length about how things used to be,  about "the time when there were gigs and music" and how we missed it.

It goes without saying this dream was directly influenced by the strange times we now find ourselves in.  Things we'd all take for granted like live music, events and being able to see our friends whenever we want have all gone by the wayside thanks to COVID.  Looking to the year ahead, it seems as though we are in for a continuation of the chaos that 2020 visited on us all, especially here in the UK where the threats posed by the virus have not been taken at all seriously by the government or the general population, and this dream seems to have tapped straight into the vein of apprehension surrounding it all.

The first dream came to me a couple of days prior to me posting this.  In it, I had become the owner of a new nightclub.  The club was hosting what appeared to be a "goth night", but other types of music were being played, including chip tune.  Anyway, the club itself was decked out like a church and the DJ booth was the preacher's pulpit, with the DJ being dressed like a reverend.  At one point, the back wall behind the DJ booth collapsed to reveal a large, circular dancefloor with an upstairs area.  I woke from the dream to hear a voice whisper "Can you hear me?" and thought it was my fiancee who was lying next to me, but it wasn't.