Dream Journal

INTENSE DREAM

“BENJI, REBECCA, ERICA, GERALD, GET AWAY FROM THE BUILDING!”

echo echo echo

It began as an Oberlin dream, though it was so much bigger. I entered this dream from a totally different environment with greenery and water. Here at Oberlin, the dorms were “four” stories but even bigger than Mudd. The main classroom area was like a mini mall with a courtyard of reddish stonework. It included the essence of Wilder and Mudd.

At one point, I had asked to get into Ben G’s band. I got this stack of papers with music, comics, and other stuff, sealed in plastic. I went to music rehearsal. . . . There was a big difference of opinion as to what direction was north and what was south. I went south, inspired by someone’s memory. . . . I ended up at south campus and armageddon was upon us. A large part of the campus was on fire. Dreamfire, of course: never flames but orange lights flickering from unseen places. Police were everywhere, directing and warning people, but not forcing them. Determined not to lose my Foundations work I ran towards South Hall, noticing that the frozen puddles actually were a thin layer of ice with no water, brickwork, or earth beneath them. An officer rode up next to me on horseback and warned me about South Hall. He was standing over an ice sheet and I was worried about him falling through for a moment.

Every doorway, window, and opening of South Hall was covered with a thin sheet of ice as well. I easily broke through them as I went inside. There I found Gerald on a similar rescue mission and we traveled together, though I kept losing track of him. We took the stairwell to the 1st, 2nd, 3rd floor. . . . Then instead of floor 44 where I meant to get off was floor D. It was half a floor. I opened the door hatch in the ceiling to a dreadful sight.

Student after student was standing in a big line, zombie-like. The orange flickering was everywhere. I knew it was too late for these people. It seemed like they were lining up for a nursery. I looked to the left and saw a small girl shining flashlights (or light from her hands) and thin beams of light from her eyes at me. It cut through the flickering orange light to fall on me and made me uneasy. She came to me and started speaking factually, unemotionally about what was taking place. She took my hand and slowly led me out of the building. Gerald, I thought, was following. I was so worried and caught up in everything that I missed most of what she said. As we got to the bottom floor I turned around and Gerald wasn’t there. I asked her where he was and her silent, stone eyes told me that he had joined the line up above. I began to beg and plead with her. She told me to stay right where I was and she would bring him. Rebecca and Erica ran up to me. Rebecca hugged and kissed me and I told Erica to wait. Eventually Gerald returned and we all ran out of the building frightfully fast. We were about to run into the next building and realized we had to stay under open sky.

“BENJI, REBECCA, ERICA, GERALD, GET AWAY FROM THE BUILDING!” I repeated the girl’s last message to me as we ran.

References: Mudd is the huge library at Oberlin. I lived in South Hall for a few years. Erica was dating Gerald at the time.