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Nightmares

Nightmare #268 – Toil, a Demon, Vampires and Wizards

“…I resumed my dream job which was taking apart greasy filthy machinery in order to salvage their screws, which is only slightly more demeaning than the job I do during my waking life…”

“…I resumed my dream job which was taking apart greasy filthy machinery in order to salvage their screws, which is only slightly more demeaning than the job I do during my waking life…”

(Male) I know you’ll like this one, Grim, because it’s epic, weird and for me at least, it was scary as hell. It starts strange and just keeps getting stranger.

The nightmare started at my work in a staff meeting that was taking place before dawn. Everyone else got to sit in a chair around a circle but I had to sit on the floor in the middle so I could take care of the “children.” Except these two children were actually very short adults who were spoiled and were allowed to get away with murder. Eventually, the meeting broke up and I resumed my dream job which was taking apart greasy filthy machinery in order to salvage their screws, which is only slightly more demeaning than the job I do during my waking life. I talked briefly to a co-worker who wasn’t working, only complaining about how he had to live with his wife and mother in law in an apartment that was “the size of a cupcake.” I thought that was a pretty expressive image.

But it reminded me about my parents, both of whom are dead. I stopped at the house where I grew up as if it was just on the way home from work. In fact it’s in another city from where I live. The house was nearly empty but there was something that I was supposed to get. Upstairs, a light was left on but as I started up the stairs, a creepy girl who lived in the walls emerged carrying an armful of empty wire coat hangers. She was probably about 6, had wide staring eyes and long straight jet black hair roughly cut in bangs like a home hair cut. Her dress was black with white dots. She was my sister but she was also my demon. The girl reminded me of a doll I once had but also was me. Sort of. She jumped on me and attacked. She wasn’t exactly human and I think I tried to do an exorcism on her but it came out about as profound as “by the power of Grey Skull.” I managed to tear the head off her body at which point, she just flew away. No sense of triumph, just that the struggle was over.

On my way home, I found it nearly impossible to pay attention to the road. I kept running stop signs and driving on the wrong side. I was nearly broadsided by another car so I got out and started walking. By this time it was definitely twilight nearly dark. I was far from home and I was struck by how run down everything had become. There was a large city park, easily ten city blocks large with a woods at the far end. Around the edge of this park were maybe a dozen single story bungalows that had been boarded up and covered with very detailed grafitti. They were racist anti-immigrant slogans and pro-Christian phrases. Bible verses for all I know. And the weirdest part were stick figure representations of what I imagine are stained glass windows. (I’m including a drawing of one of these stick figures.) My conscious mind now thinks that these abandoned houses were vampire nests because I next came across several young, very hungry vampires. No use in running. At some of them had seen me.

At this point I realized I was carrying two extremely long swords, maybe eight or ten feet long. They were made of stone, a stone that was very rough and very light like pumice. Whatever kind of stone this was it made a great blade because it cut not just along a sharpened edge but all along its entire surface. I strode into the midst of the vampires and was able to defeat all of the ones that attacked. When the battle was over, the elders thanked me for assisting them in training. The elder vampires seemed sincere enough but I knew that if any of the younger vampires got me alone and had the opportunity, they’d kick my ass. The sense I got was that I belonged to a gang that had a non-aggression pact with the vampires… which was a creepy realization.

Then I passed by several wizards who belonged to the vampire’s gang. They weren’t bucking for a fight but they also seemed much more dangerous than the vampires. They were transporting large boxes of magic books. The wizards were much older than the vampires, much more mature. One of them looked at me and said “You’re carrying a lot of weakness in your shoulders” which seemed both a statement of fact and a curse, something intended to weaken me further. I was very tired, ever since meeting that girl on the stairs but I also thought it was an interesting way of putting it, that it made “weakness” sound like it was a burden that could be laid down. Then they let me go and I woke up.