I was recently
treated to a lucid dream. For those unfamiliar with
the term, a lucid dream differs from a regular dream
in that the dreamer is aware that he is dreaming, and
not involved in a real-life experience. But perhaps
my dream ought to be termed "semi-lucid,"
as will become apparent from my description of it.
In my dream I
found myself on an excursion into the countryside on
a bicycle. I had become lost, and found myself near a
humble dwelling, where I sought directions. The
occupants were very outgoing, and persuaded me to
stay awhile and visit.
Eventually I
struck out again on my tour, and presently came to
the edge of a large lake, where I stopped to enjoy
the view. As I pondered how I should best get to the
opposite shore, there was a brilliant flash of light
from across the lake. In a few seconds the glare
subsided, and a mushroom-shaped cloud formed in its
place. We had come under nuclear attack! My thought
at that moment was to try to reach the lee side of a
hill before the concussion and heat waves reached me,
so I mounted my bike and sped back the way I had
come, toward the home of my newfound friends. (Yes, I
know! I'm trying to outrun — on a bicycle —
a shock wave that should have overwhelmed me a few
seconds after the initial flash. But this is a dream,
remember?)
Upon reaching
the house, I dismounted and ran inside to alert my
friends to the attack, so that they might take steps
to make themselves as secure as possible. But as I
left them, I was aghast to find that my trusty bike
had disappeared! I searched everywhere for my
mechanical mount, to no avail.
Frustrated, I
finally sat down and tried to deduce what had become
of my machine. Had I searched everywhere that I could
reasonably have left it? Yes, I was satisfied that I
had thoroughly scoured the area. Could anyone have
taken it? No, the only people in the vicinity were my
friends — simple, honest folk — who would
never steal anything. (Still dreaming, right? Bear
with me!)
"Well,
Dummy," I said to myself, "if no one took
the bike, and if you've looked everywhere you could
have left it, you are obviously only dreaming that
the bike is missing. Therefore you should simply
dream up a new bike and get the hell out of here
before that shock wave arrives!"
=SAJ=