the dream about the tiger
The dream started off pleasant enough. I was with my husband and two children on holiday, and we were enjoying lunch in a sparklingly clean restaurant that had beautiful views of woodland through high windows. There was lots of light and a wonderful sense of peace and I felt happy. We all did. Everyone in my family, and all the other families.
Then I noticed in the middle of the floor that there was a set of showers. I asked the waiter about them, because I couldn't imagine anyone would be having showers in such a public place. The waiter told me that the showers were just for us, as we didn't have any in our lodge. Every other family got to shower in privacy, but we were different. We had to wash ourselves here. The waiter assumed this wasn't a problem. After all if we came early in the morning, no one was around.
Then I was in our lodge, alone. Dappled sunlight flooded in through the many windows making patterns on the dark oak floor. The white woodwork shone, the comfortable furniture of the family lounge was uncluttered and clean, and there was a sense of quiet peace.
But looking through the door to the bathroom I saw a tiger. It roamed nonchalantly around the floor, sniffing the gleaming white porcelain of the bath, its bright orange stripes catching rays of sunshine. I froze. Tigers are dangerous. It shouldn't be here. I needed to shut it away to keep my family safe. Then, with relief, I saw the waiter again, in the bathroom with the tiger. This time he was wearing a white coat like a doctor. He'll deal with the tiger, I thought.
But it quickly became apparent that he wasn't dealing with the tiger. He just watched the creature as it came out of the bathroom, the nails of its enormous paws clacking on the wooden floor. panting hot breath out of a mouth that had sharp teeth and two long canines for biting and killing. The waiter/doctor seemed unconcerned by the tiger in my home, but then it wasn't his home. I knew I needed to leave but the tiger was now between me and the door, and there was nothing to be done but stay in the corner of the room and keep perfectly, silently still. Which I did. And watched as the creature wandered through the lounge and into the kitchen. The waiter/doctor followed it, ignoring me.
I must have got out, because in the next part of the dream I was driving my mother to the hospital to see my dad. The holiday park was sunny and full of pretty wooden lodges, and as we drove along the dirt track amongst the trees, I was telling my mom how lovely this place was apart from the tigers. There was three, I told her, and they were allowed to roam around. It must be safe, I told her, otherwise they wouldn't let them just walk around. My mother wasn't listening. I knew she was worried about my dad. And so was I. I was glad to be going to see him and to get away from the tigers.
One of the tigers appeared on the track and I drove slowly past it. It's OK, I told my mom. It's not dangerous. They wouldn't let it be here if it was dangerous.
I kept an eye on it in my rear view mirror as I drove carefully away, then saw with horror that my son was standing there, and the tiger was walking towards him. My son turned to run, and before I could act, in one swift movement the tiger lunged and with his powerful paw, swiping his lethal nails across my son's back.
I was out of the car and yelling at the tiger, but he was in pursuit of my boy, and they disappeared amongst the trees.
I tried to run after them, I did. I tried so hard. But my legs wouldn't work. I screamed. I screamed and screamed. Someone help, oh God please someone help. But no one was there, and my mother just sat in the car waiting to be taken to the hospital.
I remember silence, and no one, and not being able to move.
Then my phone rang. It was my son. Tell me where you are, I said. I'll come and pick you up. I'll come and get you. But he just laughed. He said I would never find out where he was, but he was OK, very happy, at peace. He was chatting away, quite happily, but his words didn't make any sense, and I realised that this wasn't my son speaking. It was just an echo of a time when he had been happy.
Then I noticed in the middle of the floor that there was a set of showers. I asked the waiter about them, because I couldn't imagine anyone would be having showers in such a public place. The waiter told me that the showers were just for us, as we didn't have any in our lodge. Every other family got to shower in privacy, but we were different. We had to wash ourselves here. The waiter assumed this wasn't a problem. After all if we came early in the morning, no one was around.
Then I was in our lodge, alone. Dappled sunlight flooded in through the many windows making patterns on the dark oak floor. The white woodwork shone, the comfortable furniture of the family lounge was uncluttered and clean, and there was a sense of quiet peace.
But looking through the door to the bathroom I saw a tiger. It roamed nonchalantly around the floor, sniffing the gleaming white porcelain of the bath, its bright orange stripes catching rays of sunshine. I froze. Tigers are dangerous. It shouldn't be here. I needed to shut it away to keep my family safe. Then, with relief, I saw the waiter again, in the bathroom with the tiger. This time he was wearing a white coat like a doctor. He'll deal with the tiger, I thought.
But it quickly became apparent that he wasn't dealing with the tiger. He just watched the creature as it came out of the bathroom, the nails of its enormous paws clacking on the wooden floor. panting hot breath out of a mouth that had sharp teeth and two long canines for biting and killing. The waiter/doctor seemed unconcerned by the tiger in my home, but then it wasn't his home. I knew I needed to leave but the tiger was now between me and the door, and there was nothing to be done but stay in the corner of the room and keep perfectly, silently still. Which I did. And watched as the creature wandered through the lounge and into the kitchen. The waiter/doctor followed it, ignoring me.
I must have got out, because in the next part of the dream I was driving my mother to the hospital to see my dad. The holiday park was sunny and full of pretty wooden lodges, and as we drove along the dirt track amongst the trees, I was telling my mom how lovely this place was apart from the tigers. There was three, I told her, and they were allowed to roam around. It must be safe, I told her, otherwise they wouldn't let them just walk around. My mother wasn't listening. I knew she was worried about my dad. And so was I. I was glad to be going to see him and to get away from the tigers.
One of the tigers appeared on the track and I drove slowly past it. It's OK, I told my mom. It's not dangerous. They wouldn't let it be here if it was dangerous.
I kept an eye on it in my rear view mirror as I drove carefully away, then saw with horror that my son was standing there, and the tiger was walking towards him. My son turned to run, and before I could act, in one swift movement the tiger lunged and with his powerful paw, swiping his lethal nails across my son's back.
I was out of the car and yelling at the tiger, but he was in pursuit of my boy, and they disappeared amongst the trees.
I tried to run after them, I did. I tried so hard. But my legs wouldn't work. I screamed. I screamed and screamed. Someone help, oh God please someone help. But no one was there, and my mother just sat in the car waiting to be taken to the hospital.
I remember silence, and no one, and not being able to move.
Then my phone rang. It was my son. Tell me where you are, I said. I'll come and pick you up. I'll come and get you. But he just laughed. He said I would never find out where he was, but he was OK, very happy, at peace. He was chatting away, quite happily, but his words didn't make any sense, and I realised that this wasn't my son speaking. It was just an echo of a time when he had been happy.
Comments
Post a Comment