Of Hotels and Helicopters

Dreams. They can be rather strange sometimes huh? Most of the time, if I can even remember one at all, I can't make any sense out of my dreams. But they're really not so strange that they become nightmares. In fact, I really do enjoy my dreams especially if I end up seeing people I know. Then again I really don't see strangers in my dreams very often. Sometimes though...I wish my dreams would actually mean something and end up affecting me once I wake up. I kinda want to be like Joseph and have prophetic dreams. Now that I think about it, I remember there being one dream which...funnily enough ended up becoming true almost to a tee. There have been dreams which I'm sure were visions of my subconscious (or perhaps conscious) desires and they feel so real yet don't last long enough. Freud would be proud, right? But that's not what I want to talk about now. The funny thing about most of my dreams is that...they seem to have a recurring setting.

I don't know why but my most vivid dreams took place in office buildings, department stores, resort areas, hotels, and big buildings in general. And of course, they all seemed very twisted in sometimes, now that I remind myself, scary ways. One dream I had when I was younger involved some dinner party at my dad's office building (interestingly enough, he worked at a university at the time) and I decided to wander off. I eventually found myself lost in literally a maze of office cubicles as I called for my father over and over. With a worried expression, my father finally appeared near me and my dream ended. A couple of dreams took place in this one strange department store reminiscent of one that I frequented back in Bangkok but of course was very strange in nature. One time ended up being a chase in which I took refuge in the top floor game center and another where, I believe, I was simply having lunch in a Japanese restaurant. I actually like this particular dream where it seemed like I was on a school trip at a massive, 5-star clockwork hotel and I'm pretty sure there was a secret passage of some sort at the top floor where a giant clock with massive gears ticked away. Then there was the Japanese style hotel with their massive shower and bath rooms. To this day, all these places I visited in my dream seem extremely real to me.

However, those pale in comparison to a dream I had when I was younger. I will always remember for it's strange yet appealing abstractness but at the same time, a certain fear that it instills in me. So in this dream, I'm all alone walking around in an unfamiliar apartment complex. The sun seemed to be setting so it must have been late afternoon. It was too quiet. I was too alone. But the orange-yellow glow on the apartment walls was majestic in a way. I remember two things occurring in that dream though I do not remember which happened first. As I walked up the stairs of the interior of the apartment, I remember walking into an open door with sandals outside of it. I was greeted by, I think, an old Eurasian lady who only looked at me with either a face of disdain or indifference yet kept with her silence the whole time. I stayed in the well-furnished room for awhile while the Eurasian lady rested in her chair. Before I knew it, I was walking on the bridge located between two apartment building when I heard a strange sound. It got louder and louder and then I saw a helicopter flying above me. It seemed to be a military helicopter of some sort but what worried me was that it was flying far too close and fast towards the roof of the farther apartment building. I knew it was going to crash. Before it did though...the propeller sound vanished along with the whole helicopter. Confused, I quickly made my up to the roof to find the roof completely empty and unscathed. At my feet, I notice a small object. It was the military helicopter...a toy one. As I looked at the toy helicopter, I woke up.

I like to believe that dreams have a certain meaning. Even today, I can't make rhyme or rhythm out of the helicopter dream and for some reason...it really bugs me. I can only hope to dream up such a sight once again. And if I do...I hope to properly greet and thank that old Eurasian lady whoever she may be.