I had quite a haunting dream last night. Now, as you may know, everyone dreams every night...it's just whether you remember it or not. Usually, when I remember them, they're very vivid. Tonight was a prime example...so I thought I'd share.

It started out with me in some mall, trying to buy Super Bowl souvenirs. I ended up buying a dozen beach towels because they were on sale for $1 apiece, since it was after the Super Bowl. However, there was much urgency in the air, as though that place wouldn't be there anymore soon. But I bought them. Then, my brain kind of fast-forwarded in time.

I was at my parents' house, and Chicago had been invaded during war. Ground troops were marching from downtown and had made it not far from my neighborhood in their efforts to get to Midway Airport. My dream picked up as some military man had come to our back door to tell us the military was clearing everyone out because the enemy (whoever it was) had made it to Western, which was four blocks east, and they were marching fast. You could hear the artillery and gunfire in the distance. Strangely, my brother Tim was not there. I don't know if he was off at war, or what, but it didn't seem to be a sad reason...I don't know. So we tried to gather up a few things, and I went to the ATM, conveniently on our front porch (my dreams can be weird). I could see the gunfire on 50th street going back and forth, so I knew there was little time. I decided it would be better to leave my money in the bank than carry it around, especially if I were captured. I then saw the neighbor's youngest daughter frantically ringing their doorbell, crying to be let in the house. I told her to run over to our house and she could escape with us, but she was scared to run over. The door did open moments later and I told our neighbor good luck and goodbye.

I went back in the house, and my dad was ready to go to the ATM (which is weird, because I don't think my parents have an ATM card). I told him we didn't have anymore time, and convinced him that leaving the money in the bank was best anyway, using the line "What if it's like Auschwitz? Leave your money alone or they'll take it from you."

We grabbed our stuff and went out the back door to the alley. There weren't too many people going the route we were, which was through the gangways (between the house across the alley) to the next block over. When I was out on the front porch, there were no military vehicles on our block, so we decided to head west through the gangways until we at least made it to California Ave., three blocks west. We figured there'd be something there, and if not, we could make our way slowly to Berwyn to meet up with Donna, then out to Bolingbrook or Iowa, whichever place was safer and would have us until we could go back to Chicago. The artillery and gunfire was really close now, though I didn't see any explosions or actual soldiers when we went across our alley. A couple of planes flew overhead toward the east, no doubt U.S. planes going in to take out a few ground forces. And that's when I woke up, after seeing the planes fly over my parents' house behind me.

I've seen too many World War II movies, though I haven't seen any recently. I haven't been following the war on terrorism lately either, so that's weird...the Super Bowl stuff, my brain was simply filing those memories away, I think. Otherwise, I don't know...I kind of lay there stunned after I woke up, still somewhat asleep and half-dreaming, half-thinking. I pictured 51st Street, the main east-west thoroughfare right by my house, with fighting to the east and people streaming westward with their possessions, fleeing the enemy. I also flashbacked to the dream, to where we decided to take Harley (my parents' German Shepherd), because she might even provide some protection, but we had to leave poor Smores behind because she wouldn't have moved an inch with all the explosions, since she's scared to death of fireworks and such...plus, she wouldn't last long with her bad hips. That of course, got me thinking of how we'd have been able to do that and if there'd have been any way to put her out of her misery...I don't know...dreams like this make me think like that I guess...I then of course, wondered where Tim was in the whole thing. Both my parents and Eddie were there, but the focus of the dream was the war stuff...imagery-wise, anyway...

Ah well...at least it was an interesting dream, and only haunting, not downright scary or nightmarish...of course, that's a subjective opinion. :) Enjoy your day now!