The half-forgotten
Other half of my short life
In short story form

 
Number 58 Here
7-28-1999

I followed Jamie up some steps into a building that contained lush gardens surrounding a vast swimming pool. There another random guy and girl with us. We swam around for a while, and the random girl kept hanging around me. Jamie brought out a poetry book and read a poem. I dove underwater for a long time, just suspending myself on the bottom, before kicking up in front of the random girl, splashing around a bit, and then swimming away to the side of the pool. I think she was annoyed, as if she expected me to do something more.

I fast-forwarded to later in the dream, and quickly remembered how each of the other three people did the same thing. I specifically remember Jamie swimming up to the random guy, who was treading water in a square of iluminated water, and said, "Nobody else will ever marry us," as if that meant they would be together forever. I figured that scratched my chances with Jamie. She commented on how it truly was a powerful, emotional, poetry book.

I was out of the pool, following the random girl up some steps because she said she wanted to show me something. She handed me a piece of paper with a poem on it. I read it (forgot it by now). She asked me what I thought of it. I said "it was nice", but it didn't evoke anything particularly special in me. That seemed to satisfy her, however.

We walked toward the back of what now seemed like an auditorium. The back wall was made of glass, and there were fish swimming behind it. I suddenly found myself immersed in water as I looked at the fish, and wondered whether they were in an aquarium, and we were observing them, or we were in one and the fish were observing us. We got out of the water and I asked the girl where Aziz and Tasneem went. "They're over there in the shoe," she said, indicating one of the side exits. "Damn, Aziz ALWAYS wants to go there," I complained. "The shoe" was apparently just the name of another atrium-like room in the same building.

We heard sirens, and went outside to see what was happening. Apparently another part of the building had been on fire, or someone got hurt, or something, who knows, but a cop came out and said everything was okay. A bunch of other people had accumulated outside. Some of them were in the same room with us all along, but since it was so large, we never noticed.

We found ourselves in a bar, but decided to leave. I said goodbye to Jamie and the guy, and started to follow the girl someplace. I found it funny how I arrived here with Jamie, and that guy with that girl, and we each ended up with the other's companion. Just before I left, someone said, "Eric!" to get my attention. I turned around and it was Joel T. He shouted to everyone, making a scene, "Number 58 here..." I looked down at my shirt and indeed it had the number 58 on it, "...is going to spend tonight in room 251, and won't be leaving until tomorrow morning." I shot a sideways glance at the girl, then back at Joel, and said, "Uh, whatever. Later."

A bunch of Chinese guys suddenly blocked our exit and broke into celebratory song. The one in the front middle started singing late, and then was way off key. I nearly wretched at the horrible dischord and led the girl around. She asked me to sing for her, and I told her maybe later.

I somehow ditched the girl and ended up with my head down on a table in a cafeteria, thinking about my statistics exam. I was supposed to be in class, but I was too tired. April and Mike arrived and took off their motorcycle helmets. I wondered why THEY weren't in class, because they ALWAYS went. Mike said it was about to rain, so there was no point. That was a relief, since I didn't feel like going anyway. I slipped out of consciousness again and found myself sleeping on the cafeteria floor. I decided this was no good and it was time to go home.

As I rode my motorcycle down the divided highway, which had a lot of curves and went through a forest, it began to rain. I was pissed because my leather jacket had taken enough water damage lately. I lost control on a straight-away. In order to avoid a collision, I swerved across the median into oncoming traffic. Cars in turn swerved to avoid hitting me, driving themselves onto the shoulder and even into the median, which was a pain because I was trying to get back to the other side, and here these people kept driving into my path of travel! Soon, though, a semi truck got onto a collision course with me, so I had no choice, and I skidded into the median, sideways, past a parked cop car, and collided into a wooden fence. I examined my bike for damage, and found nothing obvious for a moment until I spotted a slight scratch. Damn. Traffic started backing up, other people having crashed either because of the rain or because of me. The cops told me to move along. I started up my bike and some warning light came on...the engine was overheating. I pulled slowly out onto the corrent lane when it was clear, pulled in the clutch, and coasted whenever the light went from a mere warning yellow to an emergency red.

I heard the cop's megaphone, "please pull over into a single lane of traffic so that others may pass." I was certain they were talking to me, because a car was gaining on me, but I suddenly couldn't keep it in one lane. I was swerving all over the place, and the road was still slick. To make matters worse, the right shoulder vanished into a cliff-life vertical drop, so that one mistake would plunge me (and more importantly, my already-scratched bike) into the rock below. A sharp left turn came up and I didn't turn well enough...it was too slick...and I went over the edge, landing the bike, on two wheels, on a ledge against a rock face in a sizeable ditch. Bigtime damage. The car behind me pulled over. It was a family on vacation, and I realized that the megaphone was talking to the people back at the traffic scene. What an idiot I was! I dismounted my bike and looked around. The ditch continued along the road, getting deeper. There were many bicycles and motorcycles here, all mangled and demolished. A sort of two-wheeled graveyard. Next to my motorcycle was the blue Pro-AM dirt bike I rode as a kid. "I haven't ridden this bike in about 10 years" I told the youngest kid in the family. I was about to lift it up and carry it with me out of the ditch, but didn't. The motorcycle was too heavy, so I left it there.

I ended up in a large arcade with a bunch of dream people I supposedly knew. For a long time I didn't play any games, just watched other people as I strolled around. Then I happened upon someone playing a potentially 3-player game by themselves. I asked if they wanted us (me and some other person) to join them, but by the time we inserted our credits (only 2 to continue), they'd lost. It didn't take long for me to lose, too. I wanted to start a new game, so I took my paper funnel (to play the games here, you had to put your quarters into a paper funnel provided by the arcade and insert the funnel into the game slot. This was supposedly to prevent people from tying their money to a string and pulling it out after getting their credits) and inserted about 10 quarters, which only registerred 2 credits...and it wanted 20! So I decided to screw that game and live with losing a couple bucks.

I came upon a kid playing a DOOM-like game, except it was really old, like Wolfenstein 3D, and he was really good...too good for such an old game...other people were all around, too, gaping at his talent. As my eyes zeroed in on his screen, flooding my field of vision, I became immersed in the game's events and suddenly found myself wielding an energy pulse rifle, gunning down about 5 armour-glad guys who were chasing me around my newly found surroundings (some brick-laid hole deep in the ground, with an elevator shaft in the corner) with swords. I took the elevator to the top level and got a panoramic view of a huge valley dotted with primitive huts and ant-sized people. They were all fighting. Some were my friends, and others were, well, mutant atrocities.

I was out of ammo, but there were some arrows on a ledge nearby. I figured I'd find a discarded bow somewhere below. I somehow made it down to the surface, picking up a few more arrows along the way. Noone attacked me, but I threw a few arrows at some monsters, missing every time. I managed to give one a good stab, though. Lots of my guys were dead, but the monsters were on the run. I finally found a bow, and stringed an arrow, but I never had a chance to fire it.

Then I woke up, but didn't open my eyes. The whole fighting thing was just a dream. I could feel someone lying against me, and my arm was around them. It was Beth. I must've made a jerking motion in my sleep, because she awakened, kinda squirmed out of my grasp, and started talking to me as if I were awake. Well, I was, but she had no reason to know it. I don't even remember what she said, but I think she was asking me questions. I heard my sister in the background, too. Beth had my head in her hands, maybe her in lap, and she started slapping me around, playing with me. I did my best to remain limp and impassive like a sleeping person might.

Jeremy wanted to go to the mall, and since I was the one with the car, that meant I had to drive. I remembered I had no brakes as soon as we got into the mall's parking structure. How had I not used them until now? All the parking spaces were taken. Luckily a security guard was there, spotted this, and decided to open the gate to the next parking level. I followed another car up the ramp and got a space.

Jeremy was gone, but I remembered I had to get home soon because I was leaving for the military. I drove back home where all my essentials were packed away. All my family were there, wishing me luck, and I started to wonder why I was going into the marines. At least I wouldn't have to do journal club! My mom and aunt kept on opening up a box of plastic toy soldiers I had in the car, fussing over how well they were packed, and all in all embarassing me. I did a few chin-ups on the door frame. I told my dad I left Jeremy at the mall, that I had to go get him, but said that was just too bad.


posted by Phlegm at 11/24/2003