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

 
Why People Race the Water
11-10-1997

Imagining an arcade from a dream I once had, wondering what happened to it, and why the fighting games that were there had suddenly become so unpopular, ending in its being shut down.

I thought of my favorite video game, a hybrid of Space Ace and Space Quest. Some sort of likewise hybrid some track played in the background as I careened through space. I almost cried as the music reached an epic zenith and I reached the outer limits of the solar system. I steadily made my way back. I was supposed to stop on Pluto, but instead approached some other random space rock--they were all over the place, not unlike my flying/floating. As I drew nearer to it, I suddenly became very frightened. I pulled away as it tumbled past.

I came back to Earth, still flying around. There was some type of little ball leading me randomly around. I saw a car with no driver. I thought how cool that was as it zipped on by.

I flew around for days. I saw the car again, this time with a female Asian behind the wheel. I asked her a strange question (?? about the car I'm sure) and she just blew me off and drove away.

The next day I passed by the same place I kept seeing the car again. This time a cool-looking guy was driving it (the car was always cool-looking, but the color, make, and model changed every day). He whizzed on by, down a bridge. I pursued for a while before returning. When I did, he was already there, and told me that tomorrow I could take a ride in the car. I gave him a thumb's up from above.

I fly down close to the road, in a seated position as if I'm driving an imaginary car. I race around. People see me and cheer. I pull into a groove in the ground--my stopping place--and actually make to WALK for a change. I'm the "best" at whatever this fake driving activity is. Some younger kids around. In front of me a black girl and a white guy. They ask if I still want them to scratch my back. I say "Of course. Since I'm the best, noone who wins will ever do it, so I might as well let losers do it."

Then, in my dream, I wake up, cursing myself for sleeping in and not making it to the doughnut stand. It was 7:40 and I was supposed to be there at 7:00. nonetheless, I sat down to breakfast with Heather, Seema, and one or two others. I started to blurt out how I dreamt I'd slept in (which I HAD!) and how Heather was bitching at me for it, but as soon as I realized Heather was sitting there, I stopped, and said, "Oh, damn, I forgot! I suddenly can't remember my dream! Don't you hate when that happens?"

Then I made it, late, to the doughnut stand. Much to my surprise, it had expanded in my absence. There were tables all around, with everything laid out. Made me glad, because now all I had to do was sit there. I went to put my coat and bag down on the old bench where the stand person sat when Isaac said, "Hey, what are you doing? Over here," gesturing to the NEW spot, behind a table, where I could take money. I placed my stuff there. Isaac joked, "Serve me serve me", but I knew he could help himself. all I really had to do was serve water. I walked over to the water machine where some chick was waiting. She wanted some waters, so I got her some. She paid with a large bill. I started to make change when some guy she was with bugged for change for a twenty. I thought I had 3 ones counted out so far, but there was a twenty stuck in there. His eyes lit up as I passed it along.

At a playground construction site with the senior partner from "Ally McBeal". We were supposed to be working for some contractor, but according to him, we never signed the deal. However, we would still get paid if we were there, so he speculated that by the end of the day everyone would be screwing off. then a sitcom-like interlude as all employees loafed around and did nothing, then as the contractor himself did nothing as well!

There was a Universal Gym there, so I decided to do some pull-ups, but it broke when I tried, and I thought I hurt my back. Noone gave me any attention.

In a restaurant by some railroad tracks and a dam. Every time a bell rings, water comes gushing down the tracks by the restaurant, like a flash flood. People try to race the flood, but most aren't fast enough and get washed away. We watch them out the window. I overhear someone commenting on how hardly noone ever makes it, how you have to be FAST, and how Chris V is FAST. I think that it can't be THAT hard to run so fast for so short a time. Chris V walks in with some people. I wonder why people race the water, anyway?

posted by Phlegm at 11/24/2003