[I just awakened from this one, the freshest dream blogged here to date.]
I was hiking in a very rural, very green, setting: low hills, some forest and a lot of wide open meadows. Early on I passed a small marsh; scaup and Bufflehead were visible. I didn't bother IDing the scaup, though my real-life experience favors Lesser rather than Greater.
Next came negotiating unvegetated canyons. Gratefully they were fairly shallow. Besides beautiful rock strata, I came across two houses clearly built generations ago. Both were so dilapidated that entire outer wall sections were missing. On the positive side; no need to use a door.
The first I investigated cautiously, praying the thing wouldn't collapse on my head. Mundane artifacts of bygone eras dustily lined wall, shelf and table. Immediately after exiting I looked for the trail. I noticed someone up ahead. They were dressed like Indiana Jones - bullwhip and all. Normally I'd think this was cool and would make my acquaintance. However, in this dream I was wary of him, avoiding his attention. So, I continued through the canyons, keeping my distance.
Lesser Scaup (Aythya affinis) - male & femaleImage online here
By the time I exited the skeleton of the next house, atop a hill, he was less than a hundred feet away. What I saw in the wide valley below made me forget all about him though. Storm clouds. Huge, violently dark, storm clouds. My first look found a tornado roping out it's last moments of life. Yikes! Suddenly, a loud flash of lightning startled me blind. All interest in Indiana, or hiking, were shocked away. I frantically searched for shelter. There was the rickety house behind me. I might stay dry and electrocution-free there... might.
Eventually, I discovered a small shed at the edge of nearby woods. Appearing solid, I figured I'd give it a try. Turns out this was not an original idea. Inside were two other people, both friends of mine from real-life. Shortly after I was inside, someone else showed up... you guessed it - Indiana.
Eventually, I discovered a small shed at the edge of nearby woods. Appearing solid, I figured I'd give it a try. Turns out this was not an original idea. Inside were two other people, both friends of mine from real-life. Shortly after I was inside, someone else showed up... you guessed it - Indiana.
We weren't in there long before he told us his car was not that far away and it would be safer there. In my dreams, I do whatever Indiana Jones tells me to do. In no time we were all piled into his silver BMW. Curiously, real-life friend Klondike was at the wheel. We proceeded to drive into the valley, where the storm seemed to be fiercest. Why? I guess since Indiana Jones was in my dream gratuitous, life-threatening, drama was required.
We soon drove into a village that looked right out of a wild west set. On the outskirts of town a carnival was still in operation, despite the ominous skies. While driving slowly through the midway gaming area, someone informed me that for prizes they gave out feathers from various bird species. The "grand prize" was the bird itself; alive or dead he did not say. His tone seemed intending to impress me. I mostly feigning interest, but was ultimately disgusted.
We soon drove into a village that looked right out of a wild west set. On the outskirts of town a carnival was still in operation, despite the ominous skies. While driving slowly through the midway gaming area, someone informed me that for prizes they gave out feathers from various bird species. The "grand prize" was the bird itself; alive or dead he did not say. His tone seemed intending to impress me. I mostly feigning interest, but was ultimately disgusted.
... and we have a winnaah! Step right up and take your pick...
Image online here
Then things got really "dramatic" (read: scary). The storm roiled above more potent than ever. Two rope-like tornadoes dropped down just a few hundred feet ahead. We were on a narrow, dirt-pack street. and they were coming directly at us! We had but seconds. When the one on the right was just feet away it hit something electrical. A huge shower of sparks and flames burst up. It instantly became a monstrous whirling mass of electric arcs, yellow-orange flame, and debris! At the last moment, both twisters parted giving us just enough room to pass between unscathed. Really! Freakin'! Scary!
Relief was brief, as we didn't and couldn't drive much farther. The road we were on ended in a cul-de-sac. Tall trees, and a hill, lay beyond the last houses. All I could see beyond them was a massive cloud of dust blowing sideways with unnatural speed. I screamed. Apparently, I'd seen the twister first. Klondike suggested parking in between buildings. I said he was crazy; that our best bet was to out run it with the beemer. On our way out of town, I leaned my head out the window and looked up. Cloud rotation was severe in several places. I knew these were all potential tornadoes. Oiy!
As if that weren't enough, the last scene saw us driving by the carnival one last time. The gigantic twister had out paced us, but had shifted and was about to engulf the carnival. Horrified, I watched all the people, still on the rides, still testing their accuracy at silly games, disappear behind the black-gray-brown curtain of certain death. I couldn't look any more; the sound of the howling winds was more than enough.
The dream ended with our heading back up the hill where we'd started with the car. I saw at least one more tornado touch down in the valley as we started ascending to safety.
No comments:
Post a Comment