I was at what may have been a costume party and noticed a man. He seemed mysterious or supernatural in some way — his looks, his manner, his costume (which kept changing?). He seemed interested in me, although I am not sure he talked to me much. Then I heard him say that he was leaving and that he was going south to Garfield. Even though it was slightly out of my way, I jumped at this, and he agreed, although there continued to be something odd in his manner. But he also seemed to want my company.

I had to go to the bathroom really badly, but the place was like a school or other institution, and the bathrooms were terrible. I found myself sitting on a bench in pain, trickling onto the floor. So I found a bathroom where the paint was peeling everywhere (including on the seats), where many of the bowls were dry, and where it wasn’t clear who the people wandering about were or what gender they were. I found relief and went toward the front door, where I sat on a bench to wait.

A high school acquaintance saw me there. I thought, “She is going to find me surprising and the person I’m with even moreso.” She was very bubbly over me, to my surprise, and couldn’t get over how much better looking I was than I used to be. She asked with some surprise, “Are you pregnant?” In her eyes, that would account for it. I wondered if I was, if that was part of the mysterious power of the stranger. I thought how amazed she would be when she saw him. He appeared, in the guise of a pirate/swashbuckler, across the room, and stared at me (and my newfound good looks). It was an electric moment.

And then I woke up.

I was in what seemed to be a class, and although I seemed to be a kid along with some others, some of the people were adults, and it could have been a seminar. It was the last day before summer or a break, and I had a date that I was looking forward to with —- N., the son of one of my dad’s distant relatives. He was also in the class. At one point, I had to walk around the room and intended to give him a quick hello and to confirm plans, but I didn’t see him. I ended up having an odd conversation with an older coworker and some others, none of whom knew about the relationship — or him. There was another young man there I made a promise to but didn’t know why since it would have conflicted.

Then I was walking through a long, green garden in the middle of nowhere with an older woman, whose vegetables were doing well but one particular kind had a blight. She didn’t know what kind the vegetable was. I picked one up and looked and told her. It was supposed to be summer but all I saw were the colours of autumn. I thought that my mind was playing tricks upon me. She offered to take home. By then I was getting panicky, because I had not seen —- and realised I did not have his phone number and suspected I did not know his name or even have a clear idea of what he looked like. I also could not remember my arrangements with the young man in my class. I knew I had to get to one of them. I was afraid of being in a car accident and ruining both situations, but when I saw her pickup truck, I felt reassured.

Then we headed off and drove along a lake, only the road was narrow and right up against the lake, and water was flowing across it. It reminded me of the dream in which I’m on a very narrow road that goes through a body of water, and the vehicle is in constant danger of ending up forever in the brink. It’s a weird but interesting feeling and makes me homesick, as though I once experienced this.

A friend and I were packing for a trip, but only the bedding, which I noticed was orangish, had fringe, and was torn, like something from the 1960s. Then I saw there was a travel trailer involved, and I pulled it to the middle of the field. It was easy to tow with just one hand. After a little internal debate, I turned it so it was facing the woods.

I wanted to walk through the woods, along the shady, then sunny path that was so much part of my old haunt, but as I got closer I saw that the woods were gone. It was all houses, crowded in on each other. Nary a tree in sight. It felt claustrophobic and heartbreaking. I couldn’t figure out how it had been done; it was a small woods between two houses, and now it was just houses. Had there really been enough room? I walked down a hill trying to find what was lost. Then I noticed huge manlike bats in the air; they began to follow me. They were artificial and nothing like real bats. I was not afraid; maybe it was a movie promotion, a voice suggested. There were more and more. And somehow something told me the nearest woods were eight days away — by foot or by vehicle, I don’t know. It made me unutterably sad. Crowded, artificial, and bereft of nature. The world.