Ok, that was a good one.
I'm not sure where the dream started, exactly, but I've got a good bead on it. Some sort of assembly deal, I was there with my parents or something. I was with the family of one of my friends from high school, of all people, but there was a bit of connection with the other family, somehow. The first connection was with the mentally handicapped child they had; I don't really know them that well, and I suppose that is the most prominent feature in my mind. At least of the parents. Anyway, we were heading up a hill, rather reminiscent of the driveway leading up to that church my siblings had Awana at, and we were discussing something medical. It seems that they had been, in the past, were brain surgeons, or researchers, or something. I don't think that that was supposed to be how they got their children (in their mentally handicapped state) - or, at least, that wasn't especially striking to me in my dream. Anyway, the girl (who was sitting in a stroller as we went up the hill back to our car(s)? from the conference, or assembly, or whatever, she was asking her parents about their past somehow. "That's right, and…" I don't remember much else, really. Something about their past, and how their older children (from "long" ago) were involved. Hm. Maybe the kids were supposed to be experiments, of some sort. Anyway, it wasn't a particularly glaring aspect; I guess it seems that, in retrospect, it should have been more notable.
Right then. We got up to the car, and we were next to a tree, with a tire swing on it. I suppose the closest thing I can pull up in memory (that the tree was probably based on) is the tree (with the tire swing) behind my Longview church's pastor's [new] house. But it wasn't really like it, because it wasn't nearly so tall. But it had the general feel to it. Anyway, we were discussing something or another, and for some reason I mentioned the situation's similarity to the "Deuce Bigalow" movie. Don't ask where that one came from, folks. Probably because my neighbor's family had rented it a while back, and I just saw him yesterday, after about a week or so of not seeing him.
All right, now we get to the good stuff. In some odd warp (perhaps it was a framed story - if so I never saw the other side of the frame, but perhaps that's just how dreams go), these women (who appeared out of nowhere) became, suddenly, the focus of the story. They were in some sort of.. well, I'm not sure anymore. I think it may have been a laboratory, but then it may have been a ballroom at some elegant social gathering. I know, it's an odd mix of things to be confused about, but, hey, it's a dream, ok? I suppose it could have been both, even. The lead up, which I don't really remember (it being part of the same generally hazy part) let me off at one of these women (or perhaps it was me; point-of-view isn't exactly something stable in dreams - or at least not in mine) being.. Hm. now there's something. I thought it was at the end of the dream - no, I know it - but it seems there was something at the beginning and the end of this one. Well… hm. I'll assume it was different, though I'm not really sure. It would be rather interesting to find I had a circular dream (story; there was lead-in). Ok, something suspicious was done, in the midst of enemy territory (welcome to Spy World, now). Scientist character (again, it may have been me, it may have been those women I mentioned; perhaps the women haven't even appeared yet, and I've only mentioned them because they become important later on, and I am anxious to get to that part) is found out, but still tries to hide themselves, as something even more ludicrous than before - the Ultimate Astronomer. So the KGB council, or whatever, decides to let him (her?) live, if he will work for them as their astronomer. Yeah, really good, rich, plot stuff here. Who cares; it's a dream, right?
All right, now. Somehow this scientist becomes one of those two sisters and goes home to tell her sister what she's gotten them into. (Apparently they are quite the team.) Hm. Perhaps the models for these are really my sisters. Supposedly, things happening outside (during the dream) do connect with the dream-world - something I never really noticed, either, until this dream. Again, more on that, later. Hm. I've said the "more on that later" before, but then the "more" followed rather quickly. Hardly "later". So why, then, did I say it that way? Maybe because the internal, abstract "audience" I've made for myself in my mind was impatient to hear about it. What, then, does that say about me? I, after all, made the audience. Hm. Well…
So, now - oh, wow. I just remembered a whole segment I'd forgotten when I started to put this down. I have no idea if this took place before the thing about the family and the tire swing, or if it was some sort of odd cut-scene, or what, but it seems one of my friend's cute-asian-girl friend's kitten was missing or something, and she was looking for it. She came to me (yes, she lives just down the street in our neighborhood, didn't you know) and asked if I had seen it. I, of course, volunteered to help look for it, and - you know, there definitely is a connection to this and the Ultimate Astronomer girls. It was that volunteered act that somehow ended me up along in their whole mess. Hm. Anyway, so I look for the cat. There were other dogs and/or cats missing, too, from the neighborhood, but I don't really remember them. Man. There was a whole neighborhood there, wasn't it? The street was, I guess, like that street near our house, in its general relative positioning to our house. There is definitely some sort of persistence, here; I remember (rather vaguely, but enough that I know it happened) a dream (one of the more… hormonally influenced, shall we say?) that involved the same street. This girl didn't live there, then, but I hadn't met her yet, either, so even if she were to live there (which I suppose would have interesting implications for the world of dreams) I wouldn't have recognized her. Oh, yeah. She had an older brother, too. I don't remember much about it, but I remember he was there, because at some - oh! It's amazing how much you remember when you start to trace through - I ended up being interviewed by her father for something. House-sitting, I think. It was some job that I would be able to do, despite my heading off to California in about a week. I was a bit confused, even within the dream, as to why he would hire me in such a way. Maybe they'd found the animal(s) by then, and wanted me to watch them. I don't really remember what it was. It think it was because they were going on vacation or something, and needed someone to watch the house. Connection there is probably from those neighbors we used to have, whose house (and cat) I watched a few years back. Did I get paid for that? I remember thinking so, but I can't remember how much I got paid. Hm. Did it ever happen at all? Yes, I know it did, because… well, we won't get into that.
ANYWAY. I was going to watch the cat, or something. I really don't remember where this occurred, with respect to the Astronomer Girls, but it definitely had some impact, because somehow the obligation to watch the house feels strongly connected to the reason I went along with them (besides the obvious, you dolt). I guess they've reappeared in dream-world because of all the talk about horses last night. Not to mention members of that rather unusual profession that, if it were named, would reveal rather conclusively the subjects of this little ditty. It's not as though I've had any other sort of contact with that realm recently, otherwise. Hm. Spell check didn't like that word. Well, it didn't like the plural. It didn't like the singular, either, of course. Hold on while I add it to the dictionary… Hm. The plural was an option to replace the singular. Interesting. Someday with artificial intelligence… but I digress. Hm. I suppose the spelling dictionary only holds "commonly used" words. Hm… I wonder… f*ck sh*t cr*p. Well, seems a nice world we live in, where general spell check recognizes those as "normal". Well, now. Now I'm wondering. Motherf*cker *sshole bullsh*t goddamn sh*thead. Let's see. At least "motherf*cker" and "sh*thead" (yeah, I know, that one feels contrived) aren't acceptable.
Well, what a pleasant digression that was. Interesting, though.
Ok, so now we know (?) how I ended up on the whole deal. Now, there was a trailer of some sort - come to think of it, I'm not sure this transformed into that category of people so soon; it may have only been later - that they were going to go in, and it was horribly uncomfortable. There was the truck, and a trailer behind. The trailer was like a big, well, trailer, and its inside had a set of shelves inside it, so that… hm; it's hard to describe. Ok., imagine a really wide ladder, and extrude it lengthwise, so you've got a box with long flat shelves. Now, place this box in a slightly wider one, so you've got an extra set of compartments on either side, without all the divisions. Actually, part of my mind is now telling me that these had some degree of divisions in them, as well, but I'm not going to bother; it's not terribly important (or, at least, it doesn't seem so be). Ok, now I know it was those sisters, for sure. One of them (I think it was the younger one; the one I am interested in) got into the cabinets and was fully prepared (though not altogether happy) to spend the whole trip in there. For some odd, inexplicable reason, there was confusion as to how the whole thing was going to go about. I guess they thought they had to ride back there. I asked how big the truck was, and there was enough space for all four of us (the girls, myself, and a male friend of their family, who was going to be coming along, too), so we went that way, instead. I was rather clever at coming up with this idea. I suppose that may be why the confusion was there to begin with - so that I could be clever and get us out of it. I dunno. Dreams are weird. I do remember feeling happy about riding up front, though.. hm… Perhaps that's why. My "reasoning" that we should all sit up front together was perhaps a bit motivated by how nice it would be to sit by my interest in the truck. I do remember feeling happy about it. The elder was driving, her sister sat next to her, and I would sit next to her - and if the other guy came by he would have to sit next to me, and I would still be by her. I do remember thinking that, as we got in. (We loaded from the passenger side, and I let her get in before me. The reason I hoped would be assumed was that this was so she could sit by her sister.) Which merits a little bit of thought. Odd how that guy seems like "competition" to me. I suppose, in a way, he is. Now, I'm not sure about the validity of the whole Oedipus thing, but it does feel like a similar instance - that of competitor-friend. Had the same sort of sensation about the boyfriend of the girl I was itnerested in in high school who was my friend. Interesting. So perhaps there is some truth to be gleaned from the Oedipus theorists. And it would make sense, too; here is a realm where Freud's sexual fixation seems not entirely out of place - the dynamics are, after all, sexual in nature.
So, getting back to the dream, we went by to pick up the guy, but he wasn't home. I guess he was going to meet us there. (hehe, at the KGB place - don't you just love it how plot elements are only so very loosely connected in dreams? The idea that we were "going someplace" was good enough for the dream to construct everything in the segment…) So, anyway, we went. There was something, I think I remember, about the way the older girl was driving. Though it may only be because I "remembered" it later on in the dream, and as we all know that could have been a mere fabrication at the time of the remembering. The dream-weaver takes many liberties with memory.
Well, we arrived at the place, and here the girls again sort of vanish from the plot. They come back, later, don't worry. I'm working in this place (doing who knows what), and so is someone else. I suppose it could be the guy that came with us, though I'm not sure. It's someone I know, anyway (in the dream world, at least). After what seems a great deal of time (could just be an <insert many years of time> tag in the dream, or it may just be parts that I don't remember), I catch him sabotaging my pool table. Yes, my pool table. I guess pool tables were somehow connected with our work, so that we each had our own. Anyway, he stuck a bomb down one of the pockets, or something.
Now's where it starts to get interesting. As I said earlier, I caught him doing it. But perhaps the word "caught" isn't so appropriate as "saw". I saw him do it, and quickly tried to hide the fact that I did; I yawned, as though I weren't really very observant at the moment but actually very tired, and went back out the door (of the pool table room). I went back into the break room, hoping he didn't realize that I'd seen what he was doing. The rest of the guys were in there, watching TV or something. By the way, the connection with it being my pool table, and that his action was meant to hurt me, sort of vanished here. Now it was sort of like a spy movie situation; the critical plot element was that I'd seen him do something, and was trying not to show that I knew (until, at least, I had a chance to report him). So I made my way to the coffee pot, and went to pour myself a cup. I was hoping that he wouldn't remember that I don't drink coffee.
Whether he did or not, the coffee gave me away. In that bumbling way you often do things when you're deliberately trying not to be bumbling, I not only went for the decaf (though in my dream it wasn't "normal" and "decaf", it was "normal" and "caffeinated") but the pot was also empty (don't ask me why that gave me away; somehow it did). He stopped me, and said something like "Nice try," etc. I, again, don't remember the particulars, but the situation changed to where everybody had to get out of the building, because it was going to blow up. I guess that was some pool table bomb. We were on something like the fortieth floor, so there was some understandable concern. There was much growling on my part, and there came the flying urges, but nothing came of them (alas). Amidst the confusion everybody somehow got out, and then we all hung out in the parking lot, much as a group of young people would hang out outside a restaurant, or other place they had just been at. Possibly like a group of coworker/friends who were deciding what to do later on that night. (The plot thread was now "large group of people have exited building of communal gathering", forget about the bomb and all.)
In some way, the whole group of us youths (for, so it was, suddenly) were very 80's-ish. I remember thinking, in sort of a rare detached "I am the one having this dream, and, yes, it is just a dream" way - somewhat similar to the way I thought "Hey, this isn't supposed to happen!" in the minotaur dream, if anybody here remembers that one - that it would have been nice to be born in the mid-60's. That is, to be a "young person" in the 80's. Not the first time I'd thought that. Probably the thought has a lot of root in the romanticized 80's movies, whose focus was largely on people my age (now). But also I have thought the thought elsewhere. For instance, the computer industry was much more of a gold mine opportunity back then. Or, so I've been led to think. Relatively easy to understand principles (I say "Bah!" to all the protocols in place nowadays), and the advantage of getting in on the ground floor, so to speak. And there's the issue of [first name of] the teacher I had a crush on in high school. All right, so I just said [first name] to scare her, if she ever reads this. Actually I still think of her (and always really have) as Miss [last name]. We would have been be more or less peers, then. Ok, so anyway. Back to the parking lot.
We (the two sisters from earlier and I) went back to their car (yes, it was a car now, not a truck - perhaps it was the younger's car, as opposed to the elder's truck. I got in the back seat, and noticed my - well, what do you call it. The thing I wear over my shirt, when it's a bit chilly. The one Dad's friend gave me, the gray and black one. Well, anyway, it was lying in there, and I made some comment about my sloppiness, or something. I guess I'd left it there from some time before. Anyway, we drove home, and there were a few close calls (because the younger girl wasn't entirely paying attention to her driving, I guess) where I almost found my side of the car (the left side) smashed against a wall, or truck, or something. Once we stopped, because she thought the car felt "unbalanced". So I opened my door, and looked at the back rear tire, and though at first it seemed to be flat or something, it wasn't (maybe it changed in mid-glance, because the dream decided it was better, after all, not to go that way with things), and we went on. Somehow the older sister changed to the male friend of theirs, so it was the three of us in the car. We dropped him off at his place (which is, as I probably should have mentioned when we stopped by to pick him up way back however many paragraphs ago, something like a big hangar with a junkyard behind it - well, not really a junk yard, but a place with a bunch of haphazard-looking [but actually organized] stuff), and that's really where the dream ends.
Somewhere along the journey home (or perhaps this part was replayed), we were in not the car but the other sister's truck, again, and had the trailer behind us. There was an odd scrubbing noise coming from it, and we often wondered where it came from. I've since realized that this probably came from real life, where Mom was scrubbing the excess wallpaper glue from our walls. That's where I woke up.
Also, the strange loop-ish-ness of the dream occurred with the whole spy-ish feeling surrounding getting caught (and pretending to be the astronomy person) at the beginning, and caught (while pretending to drink coffee) at the end.
Speaking of which, here it is.
THE END
(or at least, as much as I can remember)