My Favorite Dream

Inside My Favorite Dream

word count 824

I stepped inside my favorite dream. Immediately my foot fell lightly on the crest of a rooftop, and my balance faltered. I planted my second foot more firmly on the asphalt shingles of the descending slope. Then steadied my hold on the surroundings. Once steadied, my eyes roamed the world I had just entered. Approximately a second passed before I discovered I had successfully landed in the neighborhood where I grew up.

The happiest days of my life appeared before me as I stared across the two rows of houses and the alleyway separating them. Wide-eyed, I remembered walking atop that fence between the houses and building a fort inside the alley. I thought I heard the sound of children's laughter, and then my dream settled comfortably over my shoulders as the memories swelled inside my mind.

The house upon which I stood held my fondest recollections. I crashed through the barriers, which protected my conscious thought from the painful memories of having to leave. Then, suddenly, I heard my friends calling me from their backyards. I almost answered.

As familiarity settled in, I found myself searching for that which I knew would be nearby. Then my eyes fell upon it. A sturdy basket woven from small tree branches into a four-foot by two-foot floor, then up to waist height. It sat atop the flat, retractable aluminum awning shielding our patio from the hot midday sun.

I shuffled my way down the roof's slope to the awning's edge. Standing there, I felt my boyhood curiosity surge inside me again, and I bravely stepped out onto the corrugated metal. I teetered as the metal creaked. Then, I remembered I was in a dream and wouldn't let myself be hurt. So, I ventured to the side of the basket.

For more than an instant, I stared into the basket, swimming among memories from past dreams. Without trepidation, I lifted one foot and pushed off with the other, vaulting over the side of the basket. I crouched inside, with my arms dangling over its walls. My mind wandered through previous dreams where I stood, pulling up on the sides of the basket. Suddenly, I found myself flying through a blue sky. I dove, bursting through a white, puffy cloud. Whiffs of white trailed in my wake as I passed through the other side.

Then I found myself tugging the sides of my craft until I changed the course of my flight. The basket lifted again, and I took off like a shot when I leaned into the wind. The gust of air brushed my hair flat atop my head. When I leaned into the wind again, the basket followed. When I lifted, it rose, and when my shoulders dropped, it fell. I soared through the heavens, past birds in flight. I zoomed over treetops, loosening leaves to the ground. I was free and without a tether to the Earth below, and my child-like innocence urged me on. The sky was mine and mine alone.

I abandoned my worries to the wind that pushed my cheeks toward my ears, and I soared through the sky. Confidence swelled inside me as I flew above the clouds in the sky, then I banked over my shoulder toward the shrinking world below. I commanded my universe, so naught could do me harm. I zoomed toward a field plowed in rows, then lifted myself above the vineyards just before I smashed through the grapes. My flight was guided by thought more than pulling and tugging, and I thought myself invincible, alone in the heavens.

I had never felt so close to God during my waking hours, so I never wanted to leave. But, a dream is a dream. The curtain fell without permission, as a sharp ringing brought me crashing back into reality.


*****


I reached for the alarm, slapping it into submission, and then tried desperately to return to my dream. I failed, and it dripped away as I rubbed reality back into my wakeful eyes. Then I found myself in the same place I had been when my eyelids dropped the night before.

I was in my bed, and it was just before dawn. Time to get ready for work.

I stepped from my shower and bathed in the warm light streaming through the window. Each breath of air seemed cleaner, even sweeter, as it rolled across my tongue. My mood was worry-free and cheerful to boot. I couldn't shake the smile from my face and couldn't remember from where it came. As I dressed, I heard a joyful tune and found that it ushered from my own lips as I whistled and hummed. The day brightened before me, and I looked forward to confronting it.

I loved that dream, and I summoned it often. I will call on it to lead me into my forever dream—someday.


The End

The End