The Dreams

Dream 26

We met in my local café, where my friend read to us a detective story he had written. Nearing the end, he asked us to guess the killer’s identity — and who had paid him to commit the crime. I ventured the right answer — which made me incredibly glad.

After an hour, I excused myself to go home. But success had made me so euphoric that I wandered through the streets until, eventually, I found myself back in front of the café, which made everyone laugh. One of them volunteered to escort me to my house, and when we arrived there he said goodbye and left. My house was built in one story, set in a little garden. I felt like taking off my clothes, and when I was down to my underwear, I noticed a streak of dust projecting downward from one of the room’s corners. That same image was found in the story my friend had read to us — it was a warning that the house would fall down on whoever was inside.

I wept that my little place was going to collapse on my head. In the grip of terror, I fled for safety as far and as fast as the wind would take me.