- Am I dreaming? -
This is the story of someone who had a very unusual experience, which she did not often share because it sounded too much like something you might see in a tabloid magazine from a checkout line. As quickly as the snap of a branch in a silent forest, Kim awoke and began to think as clearly as if she had been sketching in an art class or working out algebra problems on a whiteboard. She would later remember that it had been bird songs along with faint choral music and other sounds that had awoken her.
“Why should I be so…alert first thing in the morning?” she questioned with a habitual yet lackluster yawn. “What is that aroma?” Like most people, Kim would almost always wake up with heavy eyelids, but even if she felt groggy with befuddled thoughts, her curiosity would still waylay her first thing in the morning. But now, along with curiosity, there was clarity and a kind of mental focus which she had never experienced, and she had to resist the urge to open her eyes and look around.
“Why do I feel so refreshed? And why so soon after waking?”
As soon as she asked herself these questions, she noticed that something was very different. This was not like any dream she had ever had, and her two questions seemed to have no answer. Even though she would relive the experience many times, it would never get old or seem boring. Nothing like this had ever happened to anyone she had ever heard of. After this experience, everything about it would be remembered as a bright spot in her thoughts and time would not diminish how vividly she remembered what had happened from the moment the whole adventure started.
“What's this? My bed…feels like...”
She realized that she had been sleeping on her side. Her knees were bent at a comfortable angle and her head was resting on one folded arm. With her eyes closed, the fingers of her hand that rested on her upper leg began to feel their way downward to what should have been her bed. It was not flat like beds should be, but it was very comfortable, with the feel of a soft, shag rug spread over what might have been memory foam cushions. “If this is not my bed, then why don’t I feel…alarmed? Well, sometimes dreams are like that,” she rationalized to herself.
“But...when was the last time I was rational in a dream? Where are the socks I remember putting on last night? Should I open my eyes now? If I keep them closed, then there is a chance that I can fall back asleep again. But…how could I when I am so awake? What is this...I must be wearing a…well, some kind of robe. But why? Where are my pajamas?”
The night before when she had gone to bed, she had changed into some new pajamas with different brands of breakfast cereal printed all over them. In addition to having a sister and two brothers, she had an older cousin named Jack and he had given them to her as a joke. They were not what she would have chosen for herself, but they were comfortable.
“Why aren’t I feeling my cereal pajamas?”
She was still on her side with her knees at a comfortable angle. Even though she felt quite alert, she kept her eyes closed, tighter than before. She straightened her legs, rolled on her back and sat up. As she pulled her knees close, she smelled a fruit smell, but this realization was cut short by another realization. Just after she had sat up, it dawned on her that the light had become exceptionally bright. She supposed that someone with very light feet and a bad sense of humor had somehow turned her lamp on without making any noise and had angled it right in front of her face.
“Okay. Whoever you are, you have a dangerous amount of nerve coming into my room and blinding me first thing in the morning. Well! Hello? Is anyone there? … Yoo hoo…”
Kim did not want to open her eyes. With her knees pulled even closer in a hug of her left arm, she put her right hand on her left hand and very slowly yet anxiously felt up her arm towards her elbow. Whatever she was wearing did not feel like her cereal pajamas. “Aren’t they my cereal pajamas? They must be! Whatever explanation is there!” Except for her own breathing, some vague unusual sounds and a breeze that should not come from inside a room, she heard nothing.
“So…why aren’t I hearing anyone in here…if it is my room. Why shouldn't it be? Didn't I go to sleep in my room last night?”
Nobody answered her questions, and she felt a little silly even if someone had blinded her first thing in the morning. What Kim had been saying and doing takes time to narrate, but her right hand was slowly inching up her left forearm that still hugged her knees. Despite what she felt she was wearing, her brain told her to expect to feel her cereal pajamas, but at the elbow she felt something a lot smoother and lighter on her arm. Her simple expectation of normality was shattered, and she jolted a little in surprise. Various scenarios suggested themselves to her over-active imagination.
“Have aliens abducted me,” she said in a non-serious tone that carried a hint of disgust. “Maybe…this is a bizarre April 1st joke? But…actually, it can’t be April, and this sort of prank is too complicated for anyone who is not a professional to pull off. Oh, maybe I have amnesia! Maybe I am in some sort of mental hospital! How awful! But how would that have happened? I don’t feel injured or hurt anywhere. And if something had happened to me…an accident perhaps, and if I have amnesia, I could not have remembered it in the first place. But still...nothing hurts, well except perhaps my eyes. Who turned on that light anyways and why aren't they making any noise? I should at least be hearing some kind of muffled snicker.”
Kim had been too distracted to notice a variety of sounds she had not thought of paying any attention to until that moment. Sounds that should not come from inside a room. And as soon as she began thinking about these sounds, she again noticed some very unusual but pleasant and...fruit like aromas in the breath of a breeze. “Where is that faint music coming from and why is it so…perfect?”
From somewhere nearby she heard the buzzing of bees. And now...was that the same bird song that had awoken her? And there! Was that the sound of running, splashing water? Something the size of what might have been a large dog brushed by her side, and she was sure she could hear loud purring. Was there a cat or a dog next to her? Somewhere nearby she could also hear the melodic warbling of another songbird of some kind. Kim was still in a sitting position with her knees drawn comfortably up and she could feel a breeze playfully flitting through her hair.
“What in the world is going on? I guess I’ll have to open my eyes sooner or later. Where am I anyway? Why should I be feeling so...calm? I know I did not take any sedatives last night and there is certainly no need for them.”
The clothes she was wearing were not her cereal pajamas and she knew she needed to open her eyes. Slowly she shifted to where she was not on what must be a memory foam cushion and assumed a cross-legged position on what felt like a sort of comfortable moss and yet grass at the same time. She felt the padding behind her and there was what felt like a memory foam cushion covered with a soft shag rug. The light was very bright even with her eyes closed, and although she opened them quickly, she could not close them quickly enough.
“Oh! Too bright, too bright!”
Kim closed her eyes instantly and for a second or two tried to bear with the pain of allowing too much light into her eyes all at once. Then she was tempted to doubt what she had seen from the split-second image imprinted on the insides of her eyelids.
“How can I have seen two suns? Why ever are there two! I know I am not cross-eyed. This is getting bizarre!”
The light had been too bright, and nothing had prepared Kim for the sight of two suns. “This is all too weird!” She put her right hand over her eyes in the style of a blindfold and opened her eyelids again. Most of the glaringly bright lights were shut out. She placed her left hand over her right hand and then peeped through the lattice her fingers made before closing her eyes once again with the overpowering tearful reaction people often have to a very bright light. After she closed her eyes again, she could see big blue dots swapping places inside of her eyelids. “Why are there two suns and why are they so much brighter than the sun I remember? Have I slipped into some strange alternate reality? Why don't I remember coming here?”
Kim kept her eyes shut, and yet the intensity of the light was so great that it penetrated her eyelids. She gently pressed her fingertips on her eyes and could see darkness aside from the blue dots that were still there and shifting about as in some sort of country dance. She took her hands away from her eyes and the light increased, so she kept them shut.
“What is going on? Weirdness! Wait…what is on my nose? Did…the light dim again?”
Kim felt something gently land on her nose, and the light dimmed slightly. What was on her nose and why wasn’t the light as bright as it had been moments before?
“If some creature is on my nose, why aren’t I going berserk? Why do I feel so...relaxed?”
Kim slowly stood up from her crossed legged position but kept her eyes closed. As if she was measuring the distance from her nose with a large balloon, she put her hand out above her face to shield her eyes from more surprises of super bright light. To her left was one bright light and she moved her hand until it was blocked out. The creature that had been on her nose lit off of it and immediately the light from the left was brighter again. Whatever had been on her nose had shielded her eyes from the light. Kim pivoted to the right a step to where one light was behind her and her hand had moved to keep the other bright light blocked. Upon opening her eyes, the light was still almost painfully bright. But she could bear it this time with one sun on her back and her hand blocking the light of the other sun. Fluttering into view was the largest butterfly Kim had ever seen, and it landed on her hand that was not blocking the light.
“Now I know what was on my nose.”
Sure enough, Kim was not in her bedroom and the first thing she was curious about was her clothes. There was also something else...something which at that moment was rather ambiguous, but was a morning routine which, out of habit, she felt needed tending to. But in the corner of her eye, she saw on her shoulder a strange garment, and the ambiguous thought was forgotten. Kim slowly and warily glanced down from her shoulder. She saw that she was wearing some sort of elegant white gown that was comfortable around the middle and reached her mid calves. It did not appear at all wrinkled from being slept in.
In some ways it reminded her a little of the white coat she had seen her family doctor wear more times than she could count. It came to the elbow and was about an inch below the neckline. It was a lot more comfortable than anything she had ever worn and fitted better than any clothes she had. It was not too clingy, nor was it loose. It was tasteful and did not look either feminine or masculine. She reached towards her hair and felt what she perceived to be a sensible and well-groomed haircut that was fastened by a lace-like ribbon of the same material as her gown. She continued glancing down at the garment she wore while talking to herself and caressing the super light, flowing and silky rich fabric over and over with her fingers. She felt that she could never caress that soft smooth glowing fabric enough.
“Okay, where am I? How did I get here? I must be dreaming! But when was the last time I thought about my hair in a dream? When was the last time I thought about how anything smelled in a dream?” But…what other explanation is there? Maybe…”
At that moment she heard something that sounded like a cat meowing, and she followed the sound to where she spotted a furry, snow-white cat with ocean blue eyes in a tree not far from her. For a moment she felt like her depth perception was off.
“That can’t be a small tree, but...why is that cat so…large?”
She kept looking at the cat, and realized it was a house cat the size of a St. Bernard dog. But oddly, she did not have a feeling of fear as she looked at it. The cat was in a large tree and its enormous size had made the large tree look smaller than it actually was. She could see that the cat was eating some of the fruit that hung down. It looked like a cherry tree; only the cherries were the size of tennis balls.
Kim looked behind her and saw a sort of cushion like padding or an oblong lump where she had been sleeping a minute ago. Then she looked more closely at the cool, soft green grass under her feet. It was not cut short but seemed to stop growing after about three inches. Kim moved her feet very slightly and the feel of cool grass between her toes as she wriggled them made her tremble a little like people do when they are trying to control a laugh or are expecting an unknown but pleasant surprise.
Kim glanced up at the branches of the tree some distance away and saw where the cat was curled up. The branches reached far out, and Kim could see some of the large, luscious, cherry-like fruit that grew on it. Most of the fruit was far out of reach, but there was a branch hanging only a foot or so over her head with two pieces of fruit on it. She was hungry and began to wonder why she did not feel the need to look for a restroom.
“As if I could find a restroom in a place like this,” she commented to herself.
Just then something happened that scared Kim at first. She began to hear a high-pitched musical hum coming in her direction. Into her field of vision came a mosquito that was at least the size of a tangerine. Hardly before Kim could react, it looked like the monster mosquito was going to land on her forearm.
“Oh no!”
The mosquito quickly flew right by Kim’s arm and up to the fruit where it landed. She watched the mosquito with is hummingbird colored wings and realized after a few seconds that it was sucking juice from the dark, cherry-like fruit.
“It doesn't want my blood!”
All the mosquitos Kim had ever heard had a hum that was definitely out of tune, but the hum of this large mosquito had been in tune and sounded beautiful.
“Since when do mosquitos hum in tune?”
The cat looked over to her as it heard her exclamation. The corners of the cat's mouth were slightly stained by the juice of the dark red fruit, and Kim could still hear it purring. It moved like a pet rather than a predator, and its mouth and teeth did not look like any cat she had ever seen. All the cats she had seen had the mouth and teeth of a carnivore, and while this cat looked like a cat should, it’s teeth and mouth were not shaped like a normal cat’s and while Kim could not describe the mouth and teeth of this cat, she liked it more than the teeth and mouth of a predator.
“What kind of place is this? Carnivores eating fruit and giant mosquitoes that don’t like blood?”
The cat leapt off of the large branch that was higher than Kim’s head and approached her, purring as it brushed up against her about ten seconds later. The cat had absorbed Kim's attention, and it was bigger than she thought. It came up past her waist, but there was no danger because the cat just wanted a friend. As Kim reached out to pet its large head, its fur, like her garment was super soft to her touch.
Into her field of vision came a monarch butterfly with a riot of harmonizing colors on its large wings. From wingtip to wingtip, it was wider than a basketball. She did not take her eyes off the butterfly until it began to flutter around and away as she absentmindedly continued to stroke the white cat while it watched her. The scenery the butterfly was passing began to take Kim’s interest and she began to soak in everything that was around her. The large house cat meowed and continued to purr and brush up against her until it had almost nudged her over, but she could hardly notice it now though she unconsciously stroked its beautiful soft fur as she looked in one direction after another. Words like beautiful, lovely, gorgeous and awesome fell so short of describing this place.
Although she was not cold or afraid, she could feel the hair on her arms and head beginning to stand on end, much as if she was listening to beautiful music that moved her. Tears slowly filled her eyes like a mist as she stared at the beauty and wonder of the place.
“How can words ever convey meaning in a place like this? Could heaven itself possibly be any better?”
There were so many things to see in every direction. Orderly yet gorgeous flower beds next to gold paths with flowers of every color, elegant bridges, a sparkling sea in the distance, luscious green grass everywhere, stately streams, and trees in the distance that were surly taller than skyscrapers. As she looked in one direction after another, she saw that she was almost in the center of what looked like a large sort of garden-like park, with multiple-colored roses over jade archways over gold-colored paths, and a rich carpet of green everywhere. Flowers surrounded the gold paths on every side. A number of the trees had very large blooms similar to cherry blossoms. One tree not far from her that stretched into the sky had hibiscus-like blooms that appeared to be larger than she could stretch her arms.
All the sounds she heard earlier were still echoing. Fruit and flower scents were perfuming the air. There was still that perfect, majestic and harmonious singing that was still coming from somewhere. The breeze on her face, the beautiful cat next to her, the water splashing in a nearby fountain. She looked up and saw a number of brightly colored birds sail by. Some of them were macaws and looked abnormally large. She looked in several directions and could see that the center area she was in was elevated above the beautiful scenery which stretched away farther than she could see with distant domes and gorgeous buildings of some sort here and there.
The center itself must have been the size or area of perhaps four soccer fields. It was oval in shape and had some very tall trees surrounding a round fountain the size of a large Olympic swimming pool. In the center of the fountain was a multi-jeweled pedestal rising out of the water with the statue of a man in a style of clothing Kim was unfamiliar with. There were holes in the wrists of the large statue, and the water was coming out of the holes in the wrists of whoever the statue represented. Behind her was the tree where she had first spotted the white cat that was now next to her. The tree was very large, but much smaller than the other trees, which could have been the height of Redwoods, but of different shapes. She could see a shaded area of cushion like moss near the tree where the morning had started not too long ago. She realized that she had been walking here and there without realizing it. That was if this was not a dream.
She was closer to the tree she had woken up under than any other tree. She could hardly see through that tree and not because of the dense branches and leaves but because there was a very bright light behind it that filtered through its dense foliage. It seemed brighter than the two suns. It was hard to see, but she thought that the large and tall tree was concealing perhaps…a city of some sort behind it.
“What kind of light from a city could be so bright?”
The bright light continued to sift through the thick tree, and Kim’s eyes began to water again because of how bright the light was. Before she blinded herself, she quickly looked in the other direction and she still had to shade her eyes since either of the two bright suns could blind her if she was not careful.
To her right was the large, emerald, green fountain. To her left was a cross between a grand marble staircase and a forest path that led down into the garden like park from the elevated area she was in. This place reminded her of some majestic, stately rose gardens she had seen on the internet from Europe, but none of the wonderful rose gardens she had seen, some of which were probably a king's ransom to keep up, were worthy to be compared to this place. Only a super-human sense of beauty and elegance could be behind such splendor and good taste.
Each view and each glance could have soaked up an hour of her time, but there were such vistas everywhere. Behind her was the tree where she had awoken. In front of her was a gold path that led past the fountain on her right and the grand marble staircase and forest path on her left. The path curved off to the right and Kim suspected that it encircled the fountain. Lining the path on either side and spaced evenly, fruit trees and flowers were arranged according to what seemed like a pattern of colors and shapes, blended in a skillfully aesthetic manner next to the gold paths. They did not obscure the scenery of the path to her left as it descended below the garden-like park, but seemed to compliment it. The path in front of her had a space where there were no flowers, and she walked still she stood next to the path.
She looked down at the path and had to look again. Kim knelt down to look closely at the path. She gasped a few seconds later after she had knelt and touched the path.
“It’s gold! The path is made of gold! Whose country is this anyways?”
The gold was so pure that it almost reflected the sky, and she avoided looking to where either of the suns made a reflection. She got up, still in shock and wonder. Suddenly, a little spray from the fountain landed on her arm and she jerked a little in surprise. She looked to her right and approached the fountain. The fountain spray created what must have been a perpetual mist and it alighted on Kim face with a freshness and coolness she would not have felt in a dream. The mantle of the emerald, green fountain must have been pure gold too. She reached the fountain and looked into the water that was as clear as crystal.
Just then another gorgeous butterfly landed on her hand, and the large white cat curled up on the grass next to the path and near the fountain to watch Kim as if it expected some kind of show. As Kim looked into the fountain, she could see on the floor of it that there was a mosaic of jewels and diamonds in the shape of a squarish city with what looked like twelve gates, three on each of its four sides. The large, gorgeous butterfly was still perched on her right hand, so she reached down with her left hand as far as she could into the fountain and, cupping her hand, she brought the water to her lips. The butterfly on her other hand was not alarmed and remained where it was. Kim was not prepared for how good the water was.
“It’s so delicious! Where does it come from?”
Kim swallowed a few more handfuls of the wonderful water, and she looked up just as another brightly colored butterfly fluttered by and the butterfly on her hand followed it. She watched them, spellbound as they crisscrossed each other’s trajectory. She expected them to outpace her quickly, but she was surprised that she was able to keep up with them walking rather than running. Their flight was not exactly a waltz, but there was a definite pattern in the way they flew.
As she followed them, she noticed a padded bench against the fountain. She looked and saw another padded bench along the side of the path, with flowers surrounding them on every side. If she got sleepy, she could always take a nap on one of them, although the cushioned moss would be more comfortable. She looked away from the bench and the butterflies were outpacing her, so she quickened her pace and was soon not far behind them as they continued their waltz-like flight.
After about a minute of following the butterflies, Kim suddenly realized that she was approaching the shade of another gigantic tree near the fountain, and she stopped abruptly. Underneath it, leaning against the tree was a person. Kim could easily tell that the person was much taller than she was. He looked like he might be taking a nap. His arms were folded on his broad chest and his legs and clean bare feet were stretched out before him with one on the other. Kim was intrigued and quietly tiptoed closer. From a distance she could see that he was dressed like she was. He had brown hair, a garment similar to hers, and a bright crown on his head with many stars on and in it. Kim supposed that with a crown like that, he must be a king of some sort. Certainly not a president.
His eyes were closed, and his face had the most carefree and relaxed expression Kim had ever seen. She did not want to alarm him if he opened his eyes only to see someone gawking at him. So, amid a one-sided dialogue, she quietly began to edge away even though she was very curious about him.
“He could probably tell me where I am. He could tell me what this place is unless…he is also a figment of my dream, if this is a dream at all. Oh! Does he speak English? Who is this person and why is he so…perfect? No wrinkles. No lines. No gray hair…nothing. He looks old, but young too. How can this be? Who is he? Is he the king of this place? He does not look like the statue of the person in the center of the fountain.”
Suddenly he smiled, opened his eyes slowly and turned towards Kim. She caught her breath, and she could suddenly feel herself blushing furiously. His bright green eyes expressed kindness and wisdom. He truly looked like a king. Kim had seen plenty of models and super models on magazine covers in bookstores, libraries and the internet, but as hard as she tried, she could not bring a single mental image of one to mind. This man, this giant with a perfect face and form had an expression of joy and a demeanor of gentle manners. She was at a loss for words and could not think of a thing to say.
“Well, hello there friend.”
