Last night I fell into a deep slumber, likely the bountiful harvest of the Angry Orchard. My sleep, though deep, was troubled by the most vivid nightmare i've had in at least half a decade. It involved Vampires (perhaps drawn from my recent conversations with Trace regarding emotional Vampirism), and was extraordinarily terrifying. At present, I cannot remember any details. Ironic, considering its almost tangible vividness.
What I do recall is awakening in the dampness of a cold sweat. After recovering in the aftermath of the lingering horror, I attempted to return to the realm of dreams. I was successful, and was ushered once more into the hallowed halls of dreamland. Sadly, there was no Kirby, but instead a most peculiar dream.
I had ordered several things from Amazon.com but, for reasons unbeknownst to me, they were delivered to Katie Briar's house. And so I ventured through the snowy Eastburn Woods for to claim my lost bounty. Upon arriving at the Briar residence, I remember the discomfort of being in a place I felt I didn't belong, awkwardly conversing with Katie's mother. The entire Briar family, in all its spectacular Roman Catholic enormity, was present, but for one. From young children trying their hands at Lego architecture to older people conversing over coffee, the household was vibrant, alive. I retrieved my parcels, but remained in the house despite having completed my errand. Finally, the only Briar who had been absent, Katie herself, arrived. Warm greetings were exchanged with everyone but me. In fact, it was almost as though I was entirely invisible to her (embedded fragments of felt high school irrelevance/ invisibility?) As she went to leave, warmly embracing everybody, including people standing right next to me, I turned away in an effort to preserve my dignity in the face of such blatant neglect. I do this often in the waking world, slipping into an air of detached aloofness to separate myself from the pain of my perceived social worthlessness. She was on the verge of exiting through the door when, suddenly, she turned around as though she had forgotten something. Then we went to each other and talked in that wonderfully awkward and energetic fashion which has characterized all of my conversations with the lovely Miss Briar. We parted ways as dear friends.
