I'm pretty sure he could tell I was lying.
Anyway.. That’s why this whole thing is so fucking weird. Because it felt so real. That never happens. When I woke up after, it was like months had passed since I had gone to sleep in the first place. And I can’t stop thinking about it. I’m spacing out and it’s like I’m there again. People are starting to notice. So hopefully you guys can help me.
In the dream, I was in this dense forest. When I was a kid I lived right on the edge of a forest, and whenever I was mad at my parents I’d pretend to run away into it until the sun went down and I got scared of the dark. But I was never afraid of the forest itself. This one smelled like pine needles, even though there were only redwoods. It was like a movie set, or something. It looked right on the surface, but if you looked any closer you could tell it was only pretending.
There wasn’t much to do in the forest so I just walked for a while. It was peaceful. The other thing that was weird about it is that there weren’t any animals. Not even bugs. It was totally empty. So I didn't know who or what had made the path I was walking down, but there was a path, where the grass and fallen leaves had been tamped down into the dirt.
Suddenly I was in a clearing, the redwoods behind me. In front of me was a lake with still water. It had a rocky beach, slippery with moss and algae. There was actually a breeze here, and it felt crisp and real. For a second I wanted to step in the water, but it was freezing, and there was something filmy on the surface that clung to my shoe, and it grossed me out. So I just kept walking along the shoreline.
I could see the sky here, a flat sheet of gray that seemed way too close. Where I thought the sun should be was a dark shape, hard to make out behind the smog. The only sounds were my footsteps and the water lapping at the rocks. But then, I heard music. I nearly jumped out of my skin, I was so surprised.
It seemed to be coming from across the water, and as I scanned the shore for the source of it I saw a wooden fishing hut.
In the forest behind my house, one time I found a tent. It was stained and ripped, and smelled really bad. With a stick, I opened one of the flaps to look inside. There was a dead animal, some kind of mole or weasel, and it had been swarmed by bees. They were eating it from the inside, from the eyes.
I wasn't afraid of the forest. But sometimes I was afraid of what lived there.
A light turned on inside, and I knew whoever lived in the hut had seen me. I turned to hide in the trees, but I couldn't find the path anymore, and I didn't want to end up more lost than I already was.
The hut was right in front of me. I hadn't moved but I was on the porch.
I opened the door and I was hit by the smell of wood rot. Not fish, though. Was anything alive here?
I was inside the hut. I was sitting at a round table, all four places set with a bowl and spoon, even though there were only two of us. The person across from me was covered in a cloak made of something rough like burlap. I couldn't see his face because he was wearing one of those old timey diving masks. He? I guess I couldn't tell. He wasn't singing but I could still hear the music somewhere. The repetition made me start feeling antsy.
I asked what was for dinner. He didn't answer. He didn't even move. A horrible feeling came over me.
I needed that helmet. I needed to go underwater. I needed to get out of this place.
The helmet is heavy on my shoulders, and it smells awful. It's hard to see through the grime on it, but I don't have time to clean it. The music is getting louder.
It's so dark beneath the lake, I probably could have seen better with my eyes shut. I trip as I wade deeper, on something rough and solid. The mask stays airtight but I don't know how much oxygen I have left. It would have made just as much sense if I didn't need to breathe anymore at all, I guess.
On the surface the water looked still but now, a current pushes me. I don't fight it. I hit something, a metal pole. I feel around and realize it's a ladder. I climb.
I have no idea how long I climbed for. It felt like hours. Eventually I can make out a light, and I make it to the surface. It's some cave, where the water makes another lake.
The ladder extends up and out of the cave. I keep climbing up.
The music gets louder, and louder, until I wake up.
It was just my alarm.
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