My Dream State

​It has OFFICIALLY been Spooky Season for about a month and I am living for it! October is one of my favorite times of the year, not only because of the fall foliage and pumpkin-enriched foods, but because of the ghost tales, creepy crawlies, and halloween costumes. Witches, goblins, vampires… say less. Not to mention the halloween movie classics, which will spice up any Tuesday night. As many of you know, I love spiritual stories - both good and bad. I think the reason behind this is that we really have no idea what happens when death occurs. Do we go to heaven? Are we in a simulation and simply wake up? Are we reincarnated? Who knows. I have my own beliefs as many of you do, but one thing we can all relate to is that this age-old mystery leaves room for the spiritual oasis (the place between the real world and wherever we go in the end) to exist. That being said, I have read and experienced many, many stories about weird happenings, dreams, and seemingly miracles. One thing that captures my attention most, though, are dreams. 

​Dreams are still considered a scientific mystery to this day. In fact, many studies have been conducted in an attempt to tackle this massive topic. Yes, these studies have unraveled some mysteries behind dreams, but there are things that cannot simply be explained by brainwaves or hard evidence - dreams are simply too complicated for that. Think back to the dreams that you have had or have heard about. Not only can dreams represent past traumas or decisions, but they can represent current emotions, or even predict future events (ever had deja vu?). So far, depending on the article you read, there are between seven and 12 different types of dreams: current/recent event, metaphoric/symbolic, fantasy/comfort, creative/problem solving, nightmares, lucid, and supernatural dreams. These types of dreams can be further broken down into subcategories depending on the nature of the dream, how it progresses, or even if it is depicted in color or not. By categorizing dreams, the dreamer can psychoanalyze and decipher what their subconscious is attempting to communicate. Truly fascinating stuff in my opinion. That being said, I’m going to dive into a couple dreams that I experienced a few years ago. They go with the spooky season theme, and are very much related to each other. With that being said, I hope you enjoy!

​The First Encounter

​It was always cold in Mike’s house, but the wintery months amplified how frigid it was. Although, I was always cold regardless, so that didn’t help my predicament. I don’t remember when I was able to drift off to sleep, but I do remember listening to Mike’s snoring as I finally closed my eyes, wrapped the comforter around me, and let sleep swallow me whole. Not long after, my eyes fluttered open, lazily looking around at my surroundings. I saw Mike to my left, rolled onto his side, facing away from me, and still snoring deeply. Sitting up, I turned back to look at him, but noticed a figure beside him out of the corner of my eye. I twisted further, staring down at my resting body. I looked peacefully unaware as I laid on my back with my hand on my stomach, head tilted at an angle, and my breathing even. 

​“Weird, but at least I’m breathing,” I thought. Just as I was about to sink back into my resting body, I let my gaze wonder around the small bedroom. Everything looked exactly as it did when we went to bed. Clothes and bags were littering the floor. Mike’s closet was closed partly, with the dirty laundry basket wedged between doors. Moonlight filtered in through the blinds to my right, casting shadows throughout the small space. Suddenly, my gaze landed at the far right corner of the room - a place where the moonlight couldn’t reach. Goosebumps ran up my arms as I squinted at the corner. I couldn’t see anything there, but a sneaking suspicion that i was being watched shuddered through me. My heart rate sped up and fear jolted through my spine. 

“I’m coming for him,” a voice spoke out from the corner, as the shadows danced around forming a potential figure. The voice was quiet, almost a whisper, but strong and determined.
“Why?” I asked. 
“I will have him,” the voice retorted. 
Thoughts were reeling in my head. I didn’t know what this entity, spirit, thing(?) wanted with Mike, but it felt real. The threat felt very, very real. I was terrified, but didn’t feel cowardly.
“You can’t have him!” I shouted. “I believe in God and he’s under my protection.” Gesturing to Mike’s sleeping body, I continued. “He is under God’s protection. So leave us be! I will ALWAYS believe in God and He will ALWAYS protect me!”

​Suddenly, I couldn’t feel the presence anymore. The room was still dark, everything was still scattered around throughout, but the threatening feeling was gone, just as quickly as it had appeared. Taking a deep breath, I slowly lowered back into my body and quickly faded into a dreamless sleep. 

​The Last Encounter

​I awoke with a start, snapping my eyes open and glancing around Mike’s same bedroom. Attempting to sit up, I was met with an inescapable resistance, like my body was a cage and I was it’s prisoner. Taking a calming breath, I began to realize that I was dreaming once more. It’s okay, I can just wake myself up, I thought. However, after the third attempt of regaining consciousness failed, I began to panic, squeezing my eyes tightly closed. I could feel sweat dripping down my forehead, but was unable to lift a finger in protest. Suddenly, a familiar feeling of fear crept through my body, leaving me ice cold.  

​My eyes opened and were met with a dark figure, whose breath fanned my face. His features were created with dark shadows, making it impossible for me to depict who, or what, he was. I attempted to profess my love for God once more in a desperate plea to rid him of my dream, but no sounds came out. I was frozen in my body and unable to make a single sound. 

“I told you I would take him from you,” the voice spoke out to me as he slowly backed away from my uselessly frozen body. It was the same raspy, whispered voice as my dream a week prior. 
“He will never be yours and you will never be able to protect him.”
As I continued to watch, the shadowy figure withdrew a dagger from the swirling air around him. I desperately attempted to say something, but couldn’t find the voice, or even the words as the figure retreated to Mike’s curled, sleeping body. My anxiety and fear grew as the entity crept closer to Mike, dagger in hand. Quickly, and without remorse or hesitation, the blade pierced Mike’s chest. Simultaneously, my voice returned, allowing me to scream, “leave us alone!” But the damage was already done and the entity had vanished.

​I awoke abruptly, gasping for air. I could still feel the trickle of sweat rolling down my forehead and the pounding of my frantic heart. Immediately, I rolled over and placed a hand on Mike’s back, needing the reassurance that he was still breathing. The moon shone through the blinds, and Mike stirred in his sleep as if nothing had happened. However, I couldn’t shake my trepidatious feeling.  

​I hope you enjoyed my crazy dreams. With that said, stay in touch, stay in mind, and happy Halloween!