This particular dream was one I had during Christmas so it makes sense that the dream has festive elements. Maybe Christmas isn't as happy in my mind anymore though because it gets dark.
Swipe. Beep.
Scan. Beep.
Slide. Beep.
Slowly, my eye lids blinked open to reveal a supermarket. It was some cross with Tesco and Morrisons except that my vision didn't extend far beyond the aisles plus the surroundings were dark and gloomy. I was in the vegetable section so I decided to grab a hunk of broccoli.
After gathering a variety of veg, Jessica met up with me.
Note: Jessica is a name I use for all girls, especially in dreams or stories, that I either a) don't remember their actual name or b) my brain decided Jessica is my favourite girl name so I meet a lot of Jessicas in my dreams all with the same brown haired pony tail but sometimes with freckles that stand out.
She clasped my hand in her's and gave it an affectionate squeeze. I provided her with a warm smile in return and together we made our way to our home which was a gap you could squeeze through in one of the aisles.
Our beds were made up of cushions as well as other soft items around the store. There were cables powering the store in the space but we were okay with the danger. After all, this had been my life for the past three years when my parents abandoned me and Jessica took me in.
By snuggling next to each other, we kept warm under blankets (also stolen). At night, something would patrol the store. It's footsteps were heavy and a short glimpse let me observe a black, scaly tail. We were both used to it by now but that didn't stop us from covering our heads with the blankets.
Being surrounded with cute, stuffed animals helped too. A green fog would materialise at midnight as well so going to the restroom would always wait until morning. We'd use empty plastic bottles in emergencies.
The next day, we roamed the store and Jess pressed her soft lips against mine in the cat food aisle as not many people came by here. The kiss lasted several seconds but it seemed longer. We pulled away mournfully to search for supplies again. One thing I never saw, was the outside world.
I wanted to look once but Jessica stopped me urgently. She couldn't tell me why and my memories of life outside were blurry. There could be something really important I was missing. On the other hand, Jess could be protecting me from something dangerous. Maybe going outside altered my memories somehow. Something felt like I knew her longer than three years...
People who came in the store rarely talked to us and never stayed longer than fifteen minutes. Trying to force people to stay resulted in unprovoked assault and their faces would contort with eyes turning black/red.
The longest conversation I had, was with an old lady who had a lot to say about life. None of which comes to mind. She still had to go after fifteen minutes but sometimes familiar faces would return another day. The shop was decorated for Christmas and selling Christmas themed items right now.
The staff were always busy. In fact, they moved as though possessed. Till workers just endlessly scanned while repeating things like, 'that's £45.32' or 'would you like a bag?' Everyone was the same. It made me feel isolated from society with only Jessica for comfort.
Not that that was bad. We loved one another with all our soul. The only thing that set us apart was the fact that she knew things about me I'd never told her. Her love for me felt greater than mine towards her but only in the way of how something grows as it gets older. She definitely knew more about how things worked in this world too.
My only memories were of my my family and that I came to this store three years ago. However, some gap suggested I'd missed something in my recount.
"You're day dreaming again..." Jess sighed.
"Wha- uh... sorry?"
"Hahahaha, you absolute goofball!"
"Hey, says you. How many stuffed Owls have you stolen again?"
"Hehehe... you always loved stuffed owls..." she muttered so quietly my ears barely caught it.
"What?" I replied urgently. These moments were rare.
"Oh nothing..."
I'd never had conversations with this amount of depth in dreams before but even in this dream they would end quickly and like with the old lady could scarcely be recalled later...
Most of the dream was just remembering backstory so it hit me when suddenly today... everything changed...
My parents, my cousins, my grandparents. They were all here. It was night and for some reason I hadn't managed to regroup with Jess to go to sleep.
Midnight came quickly and green fog filled the building. The monster's tail kept appearing in the corner of my vision. It freaked me out. My heart rate kept accelerating and jumping.
Now that I was out in the fog, other things revealed themselves. Were my family even there or was it fake? Soon an elevator emerged at the end of an aisle.
My grandparents were waiting for me. Desperately, I ran towards them but it went down taking my nan and grandad with it. Cousins danced around me in circles as my knees gave in.
Jessica tried to get to me whilst screaming my name over and over. Black fog chased her. It was swallowing her. At first, I was helpless but the power to jump high let me escape my cousins. I was lucid for the time being!
The power to change my fate in the dream was within me! I swept Jessica away in my arms and we left the store. Jumping, we flew past towers and skyscrapers almost scraping the sky ourselves. It was then that sirens sounded.
Police cars were hot on our tail. They could fly too. Hungry vortexes came out of nowhere to consume us. Plasma canons blasted a nearby tower to crumble debris into my back like grated cheese. Jessica cried out as we plummeted down faster. My powers ceased and enemies closed in. The two of us died in each other's arms on Christmas day.
It was then I woke up in the supermarket with no memories other than my family had just kicked me out...
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From this adventure, we have learnt a more dark secret. In dreams you can fight back and obtain power but only with extreme will power and the right mindset. If you lose both of these, you can be taken in whatever direction the deep corners of your brain pull you... having control is becoming lucid.
This time, I woke up in a sweat with tears. This dream was equal to, if not more emotional than, the bird kingdom and some part of me was excited as I knew these were incredibly rare but that didn't stop me from cradling myself and rocking back for a while to process all the memories that came flooding back.
The memory gaps and oddities about the world returned and now I knew everything. The world was a dystopian one ruled by chaos, demons and discord which explained the strange behaviour of people. Also, Jessica had a stronger will than me so she remembered every cycle while I forgot each time.
Being chased and killed by the police had in dream reality occured hundreds of times. Every time, I would wake up at the start again in the store after my parents kicked me out and meet Jessica who could not find a way to save us no matter how many tries she got. Through this process, I fell in love with her so many times while she painfully had to lose me over and over... a hundred Christmases...