A Surreal Dreamscape

I stepped through the doorway of the apartment building to be greeted by loads of red. The carpet was red and the wallpaper too. There was a darker red border around the wall near the ceiling and I could see the gold doors of the elevator in front of me. I walked right up to the elevator and hit the button to go up.

As soon as the doors opened I saw more red inside. The walls of the elevator were glass on three sides, and the carpet was, surprise, red. I stepped inside and pressed the button for my friend's floor. Not paying attention, because I was lost in my thoughts, I got off on the 4th floor. I didn't realize it until I saw a few gurneys scattered about and at least one doctor lying on her side chatting it up with other doctors.

I turned and headed back to the elevator and once again hit the button, this time to go down. The doors opened and there was a person already there. I stepped in and again the doors closed. Up to the 7th floor we went, and the other person got off. I waited patiently for the doors. As soon as the doors shut the fire alarm went off and down the elevator went. The elevator went faster then normal, which startled me. It jerked to a stop on the 2nd floor, but the doors remained shut. I didn't panic at first. When time kept passing and it became increasingly difficult to breathe I started to panic. Eventually, I blacked out.

When I awoke again, I was in a hospital ward surrounded by emergency room staff. I could see a couple of my friends off to the side. I tried to sit up, but was still strapped to the gurney from the ambulance. One of the nurses noticed I was awake and undid the straps from the gurney. He helped me to sit up and my friends, John and Adam came rushing over. The first thing I noticed was that John had shaved his head again and gotten rid of his beard. Adam, for some reason, was wearing his costume from the King Richard's Faire. He seemed very relieved that I was awake. Both of them started talking to me, but I couldn't hear what they were saying because I was too busy watching the room spin around me.

When I came around again, Adam and John were no where to be seen. I was alone and wondered what happened to everyone. I sat up and rose from the hospital bed that I was now in. The whole building seemed as silent as a cemetery. I wandered around the ER looking for all signs of life, yet found none. It was as if everyone had vanished from the planet.

From no where my friends John and Adam appeared. There was something different about them, but I couldn't quite put my finger on it. It seemed as though they were using some sort of glamour magic to affect my perception of them. When they spoke all I heard were sounds like wind coming from their mouths, which confused me.

Adam snapped his fingers and suddenly we were back at King Richard's, except there in front of us and a crowd of people were the stocks. I felt strong hands grip my arms and drag me forward. I tried to pull away, but could not, and I could not see who my captors were. They dragged me to the stocks and forcefully put me in. I heard the shouts of people as they clamped the wood shut around my neck and wrists. I heard the click of the lock and looked around me.

The people started cheering, like they had caught a notorious criminal. I heard something hit the wood next to my head, but I couldn't see what it was. Something hit the back of my head heavily, and then all was darkness. When I opened my eyes, I was awake in my bed. It had all just been a dream, and a fairly creepy one at that.

© 2007 Brenda Fowler. All Rights Reserved.