My friend and I decided to take a cross country trip to the East Coast. We had not properly planned out our agenda, and it didn’t seem important at the time. As we drove past even green pastures, she told me she was experiencing a strong pain in her back. I pulled over and lifted her shirt to expose her lower back. It was covered in patches of dark bruises and in the center was a small puncture. The blood had dried and flaked off as I inspected the area. Shocked, I asked her about the duration of the pain. She said it had been a few weeks and admitted that she thought the pain would have gone away by now. Upon closer inspection I felt a small lump on the left side of the puncture. The bruises wrapped around her each side of her waist. I told her we had to cancel our trip. She argued, but inevitably agreed that I should take her to see a doctor immediately.
We drove until this sequence shifted and I found myself sat on a chair in a garden I don’t recognize. I saw three rabbits in front of me. They were not your average rabbit. They were the size of a small dog, with huge eyes. I thought they were the most remarkable rabbits I’d ever seen and adorable. I heard a man’s voice from behind say, “Don’t touch them. They’re not friendly.”
I turned around and he motioned for me to come inside the house. I approached the rabbits. They didn’t move when I got close to them, but they directed their eyes to meet mine. I ran my finger slowly up and down the ears of the dark rabbit. The other two hopped closer to me. Eventually, I picked up the dark rabbit and held it to my chest. It tried to jump away, but I kept it close. When I felt its body relax, I put it down on the ground and stroked its soft fur.
I turned around and walked into the man’s house. “So, they’re dangerous, are they?”
“Yes.”
“How do you know?”
“I don’t know. I just feel like they are.”
“That’s not good enough. You should try to befriend them. It’s better that way.”
“Never. What are you doing here, anyway?”
“I don’t really know. But I’ll be leaving as soon as I figure out where I am.”
“You’re in Dallas.”
“What the hell am I doing in Texas?”
“Beats me. Why don’t you stay for dinner?”
“I’m worried about my friend. I need to find her. I think she’s sick.”
We ate an early dinner while the rabbits hopped about outside the glass doors. I saw them the whole time I ate. I had this funny feeling in the pit of my stomach. As I turned to walk out of the house, I passed the rabbits and wondered why he was so afraid of them.
I heard him scream and fall to the floor, clutching at something by his neck. The dark rabbit had hopped into the house and onto his neck. It was draining his blood. I saw his body twitch for the last time before it stiffened. The other two rabbits came to me. I picked them up and put them on my shoulders. I stood up and found myself in a great hall. There were people gathered everywhere, wearing white robes and black masks. I sat down on the throne and asked the man about the murders he’d committed. With little to no remorse, he said that the world was out of sync. He was sent to restore the balance and that death would of no consequence to him.
I am queen of a small Egyptian society. I’m a sorceress and curse maker. But the man stood before me was fearless. I saw him slit a young woman’s throat in broad daylight. Now we are having a trial/ritual that will end with this man’s death, along with others who have committed crimes.
I remember casting spells into my cupped hands, causing wind to enter the hall with no windows, watching a large man put a knife to the fearless man’s throat. A slow death. Drumming and dancing. Wine and exposed flesh. Thunder and sin.
A flash of an early dream childhood memory where I’m going into a 7Eleven and taking everything I want. There was no clerk to pay. A boy says, “Don’t you remember? Our parents bought this place.”
Roller skating in the basement level of parking structures. Running away from the local bully.
Visiting the Man in my dreams, the one who always waits for me. Completely aware of this life with him and his gentle and warm nature.
“How long do we have?”
“I’m not sure. But everything feels stable right now. So we probably have a lot of time.” Spinning my body in circles, humming and letting him play with my hair.
These dreams feel like my brain is trying to process about three years of memories simultaneously. It’s almost like I woke up this morning and downloaded my memories in a single sitting.
