Wednesday Writing — Welcome to My Nightmare

Posted on by Teagan Riordain Geneviene

Wednesday, January 24, 2024

Hello, everyone.  People, friends, readers, often remark on my imagination.  Some ask where all those whimsical, often outrageous stories and characters originate.  I guess they come from the same place as the kind of things about which I never write.

This post is a look into the other things that are crammed into my head.  Those things are the stuff of nightmares — literally.  The following is not for the faint of heart or for anyone who is desperate for some positivity.  This is what it’s like inside my head.

Welcome to my nightmare

Night and Sleep, Evelyn De Morgan 1878, Wikipedia

It was a large building, perhaps several, open to the sunshine.  The walls were painted in relaxing colors.  A nice man guided me around the complex.  People cheerfully carried out various tasks.  Several different efforts, a number of things were underway, but there was no stress, no haste, simply productive activity.

“They’ve all chosen the projects they want to work on,” my guide explained with a motion of his hand.  “What would you choose?”

The hopefulness of vast potential welled in my heart.  It was quickly replaced by uncertainty and defeat.

Time seemed to have passed and I was in another part of the complex, settling in.  A number of people were around who lived near at hand.  They were friendly enough, nice, much like the man who had shown me around.  Things had been going on in the area beyond the complex, things that were undefined, but unsettling.  However, I felt safe there, within the place and with the other people.

One of the residents was a young man, quite nice and respectful, like all the others.  He was on his way to a place outside the complex, and meant to stay for about a week.  I felt some concern for him, but told myself I was being silly.  He asked me if I would look after his truck while he was gone, start it each day, preferably drive it some.

I looked out at the truck.  It was a ragtag 1980s looking pickup.

“Is it a straight shift?  I can’t drive a straight shift.  But I can start it every day and let it run for a while,” I said, immediately knowing it was not an automatic.

“Oh, sure you can!” he cajoled, but I knew my limitations.

Then he handed me the keys — two of them.  Oddly for that old truck, the keys were gleaming gold.  They were also somewhat oversized.  Right away I looked for the best place to store the keys, somewhere they wouldn’t get mislaid, where they’d be safe.  While my dreams-self didn’t fully realize it, my waking-self placed importance on those two gold keys.

Later I tried to drive the truck but quickly saw that I couldn’t manage.  I stopped before I could wreck the thing.

The community at the complex became aware of news of a serial killer in the area.  People were concerned, but not living in fear.

Then somehow, in the strange way of dreams, I traveled down a country road.  It was a pleasant drive down a tree lined lane.  There had been more talk of the serial killer.  It was a concern, but I didn’t let it bother me.

Abruptly, something caused me to stop.  I don’t remember the reason, whether there was an accident or what.  It wasn’t any sort of emergency.  I went into a house there.  It was surrounded by greenery, which made me slightly uneasy.  However, I wasn’t afraid of the place.  I knew its owners were connected in some way to the people at the complex.  I didn’t know them, but they weren’t really strangers either.  Like the others, they were “nice.”  Everything and everybody was basically nice.  There was no better adjective.

As soon as I went inside that pleasing looking house, all the goodness left the dream.  Blood was everywhere.  It was splashed around the doorway.  It ran down the walls.  It was smeared across the tile floor.

A man’s open-eyed head lay severed on the floor, his body nowhere in sight.  A woman with huge gashes on her torso had fallen not far from the door.  She still lived, but she was barely conscious and taking her last few breaths.

Movement drew my attention to a man, her husband, I realized.  Blood was all around him.  All his hands and feet had been severed.  He knew he was dying.  Yes somehow he managed to agonizingly drag himself across the floor, trying to reach his wife.

I wanted to tell him to save his strength, that his wife was already beyond help, but I couldn’t force out the words.  He paused when he saw me.  Lifting his head he made eye contact with me.

“You’re in danger,” he warned me.

There may have been a little more of the dream after that.  I seem to remember being outside with all the tall green bushes that surrounded that house, and being terrified of the threat they concealed.

I awoke from the nightmare around 2:30 AM.  I sat up in bed.  It was as though Daphne knew something had upset me.  She jumped onto the bed, got in my lap, and purred loudly.  I never went back to sleep.

Will I be able to sleep tonight?  Sigh…  Do I want to sleep tonight?

That’s all.  And please… I’m not looking for sympathy.  If you want to tell about your dreams, then feel free. Just keep it clean. Wishing all of you an easy coast down the other side of this midweek hump.  Hugs!

♦ ♦ ♦

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This is a work of fiction.  Characters, names, places, and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, locales, or events is entirely coincidental.

Copyright © 2023 by Teagan Ríordáin Geneviene

All rights reserved. 

No part of this work may be reproduced, scanned, or distributed in any printed or electronic form without permission.  Please do not participate in or encourage piracy of copyrighted materials in violation of the author’s rights.

All images are either the property of the author or provided by free sources, unless stated otherwise.

 

…

 

73 thoughts on “Wednesday Writing — Welcome to My Nightmare”

  1. That’s a heckova dream. Teagan. My worst nightmare was predictably less dreadful (but I also lack your imaginative ability). Civil Service had two levels of retirement, CSRS (Civil Service Retirement System-the original) and FERS (Federal Employees Retirement System–the current). I just squeaked in under the old system. When the new system was offered, I stayed with the original based upon the idea that the government seldom, if ever, offers a better deal the second time. Sometimes I would have a nightmare that I had a break in service and had to go under the new system. Pretty tame compared to what you and others have dealt with. Sometimes pedestrian is easier, if much less impressive and spectacular. Healing hugs hovering your way.

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    1. I got the federal job too late in life to get in the CSRS program. It’s really good that you were able to. It was my understanding from several coworkers that CSRS is much better. I only had ten years before my CPTSD became unmanageable, so I’m not getting much from FERS. Although I’m very grateful to have it. Actually my agency told me my monthly payment would be double what it actually is. I’m not sure how things would have played out (with me staying or not) if they had told me correctly. Anyhow, nightmares about pensions are nothing to sneeze at. Big hugs.

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      1. Thanks for your comment, Teagan. Glad you’re getting something even if it didn’t come as advertised. Hope your stuff settled down because sleep is good and so is anticipating the next installment of your latest Atonement serial.

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  3. EEEE!!
    I’m not much of an interpreter of dreams, but I’d say manifestation of inner fears.
    The idea that all was nice, then twisted to horror shows a massive distrust.
    Things are not what they appear to be.
    I think in the end it’s okay. You survived, are a survivor.
    Pretty gory though, and I’m glad you had your sweet pussycat to hang onto, once in the here & now.
    I’ve never had a dream that hoary graphic, but other types of terror that leave my heart pounding when I wake up. When that happens I think I might be having a heart attack.
    Sometimes I think that is how my life will end, a heart attack from a bad dream. Then I can’t go back to sleep…I’m too afraid.
    Interesting, I wind up sitting up with my Jeep. Cats are the best!

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  5. That’s one that would keep you up. Glad Daphne kept you company. I have some doozies myself. Hubby looks at me in horror sometimes when I tell him about my dreams. But they sure keep me entertained, lol.

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  6. This was horrible. However, I have a question. Do you ever find yourself in a situation where you are dreaming about being in a tough situation but your mind tells you this is not real. Then you kind of come out of the dream for a second, open your eyes for a split sec and then dive back into the same dream to continue the same situation but now you are equipped with solution to that impossible situation. It has happened a lot of times with me, not always but a lot of times.

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    1. Hi Sharukh. Sorry for the late reply — I just now found your comment in my spam folder.
      In answer, sort of, but not exactly. Several times I’ve woken, only to fall back into the same dream. However, I don’t think I ever carried a solution back into the dream with me.
      Another sort of — In my late teens I had a recurring dream-theme about someone following me, and it usually escalated into the person chasing me. It was terrifying. However, I never saw who was chasing me in any of the dreams. Finally I decided that I needed to find a way to see what was behind me. The whole thing was very much on my mind. Before I went to sleep, I repeatedly imagined myself back in the dream and turning to face my pursuer. It worked. When I dreamed, I turned around, bracing myself. The person chasing me was… me.
      Otherwise, I’ve had very little control over any of my dreams, even when I try very hard in the waking world.
      Wishing you a wonderful weekend. Hugs.

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      1. Thanks for sharing this with me. I also had this recurring dream where I’m in my mother’s arm, hugging her tight. My mother is running from someone/something towards the light. Since I’m hugging her, my face is backward and I don’t see anyone coming after us. However, then my mother stops and I feel a hand, not my mom’s, someone else’s on my back and that wakes me up. It stopped after my mom passed. The other time I had this dream where I’m in a city where every lane I walk into there’s a mob waiting for me. The scene is kind of end-of-the-world type. I’m running here and there but more mob come in. They finally trap me from all sides. This is when I wake up for a second and go back in. However, this time I’m a Mask guy. You know the guy with a green mask Jim Carrey movie and I blow them all to smithereens.

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  8. I would be awake after that too.
    I’ve definitely been awakened by bad dreams, but my memory is so bad I have since forgotten them. The strangest dream I remember was about a hoopoe, which I knew nothing about until I looked for the bird in my dream online. How it entered my dreamworld, I have no idea. I always thought it must mean something, but I never figured out what. (K)

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    1. It gives me goose bumps that you dreamt of a bird you didn’t know, Kerfe! Of course its meaning depends on the context. I remember Robbie saying they represent good luck in South Africa. Personally, it seems like it was a messenger. Thanks for sharing your dream. Hugs.

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  9. I wouldn’t go to sleep again after that nightmare either. My worst nightmare was when I dreamed I was on a cruise ship and a group of Venezuelans surgically altered my face. The surgery was irreversible, and there was nothing I could do to get my own face back. I spent the rest of the night and all the next day in a terrible state.

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  11. That one would keep me up after. I’d have to look up the meanings, hoping it had a more positive message. Mine last night was finding a beautiful place but later being kicked out, and people were not concerned. I was leaving or hurt. I left barefoot with one person who finally left, too. Started my day in a mood…lol. I still have to look it up. Sending huge hugs your way xo

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    1. It’s those 2 gold keys that bug me, Denise. I get the rest of it. Thanks for sharing your dream. Yours seems like a very sad dream, but I can see how it would have some kind of frustration/anger with it too. To me the bare feet would be a combination of leaving behind something you’ve worked for/established/created. Like leaving emptyhanded (but with feet!) + plus + At the same time the desire/need to start over with purity and/or simplicity. The kind of purity of one’s feet connecting with mother earth. Thanks for the hugs. The same winging back to you.

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      1. It is hard when we can’t figure out the message fully. Gold keys to me means unlocking potential or gift. Good analysis of mine. I have a feeling a new path is waiting for me, and I’ll have to leave what isn’t working for me behind. It is kind of sad, though. Yes, I can see being connected to the earth a good thing. Hugs xo

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  13. Teagan, how horrifying to dream like that! I suspect you could be a crime/thriller/horror writer if you wanted to be. But, I’d stick with the other parts of your creative brain! Your stories are captivating in other worlds. Maybe telling all of us about the horrors that creep into your sleep will make them go away. Or make them into another thriller story. Every time I watch one of those horror movies, I know it will never be good! But, I keep watching to the gory end. Sometimes, sleep is fitful! Have a restful sleep the rest of the week. Hugs, ❤️ Christine

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      1. A great idea! Could be a collection of short thriller/ horror stories. Once in a while, to desensitize you to the real feelings about your horrifying dreams. Make them work for you! Hugs on moonbeams back to you. ❤️

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  14. Wow, it started out soothing and morphed into a monster of a dream. Glad you had the purrfect companion to help you deal with it. I can;t remember ever having a bloody dream – most of mine are about traveling to places I know but don’t know, taking elevators in hotels or schools that never get me where I want to go, having to give a lecture on a topic I know nothing about, usually in a nightgown with bedhead, and trying not to get swept away by waves battering the place I am staying. Go figure.

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    1. Horsefeathers, Noelle. Those are stressful dreams. Often my dreams take on recurring themes. (Thankfully, this one didn’t repeat last night and hopefully never comes again.) I haven’t had the elevator as the means of transportation, but one of those themes is about driving or walking, and not being able to get home (or sometimes back to work). The one about the waves sounds terrifying.
      As you said, go figure… Hugs to you and Garfield.

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    1. Hi, Tim. I doubt that I ever heard the full album, but several songs. Back in the day (except for “School’s our for Summer”) I wasn’t a fan. However, in later years I realized how underrated he was. Good stuff overshadowed by theatrics. But sometimes the theatrics are huge fun too. Hugs.

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  16. Your dream is so nightmarish! It gave me the shivers. Good thing Daphne was there!

    I have a nightmare that keeps recurring, although, it’s kind of a stupid nightmare. In it, no matter how much gum I remove from my mouth, there is still a huge amount that I can’t get out. And I’m choking on it. Isn’t that dumb? I told someone about it once, and he said maybe there are things I want to say that I hold inside. Perhaps.

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    1. Horsefeathers, Kymber. That’s an awful dream. Your friend might be right. Then again, there might be words and opinions that you are prevented expressing (not that you just don’t know how to say or fear saying). I had a friend who, every time I coughed, she said that same comment. I considered it at first, and decided there was *some* truth in it. However, it bugged me to death, because I also had/have allergies and asthma. Ultimately, as Freud said, “Sometimes a cigar is just a cigar.” Thanks for sharing your nightmare. Hugs.

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  17. What a dreadful dream! I have my suspicions of the guy with the truck. He leaves, and a serial killer begins striking? Hmmmm…. But, seriously, dreaming of niceness that conceals horror is the worst. I don’t even want to write about my worst nightmares. I hope your writing about yours banishes it from your sleep forever, and all your dreams are truly sweet and refreshing.

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  18. It’s dreams like this that make me grateful that I rarely remember my dreams. I hope you were able to get back to sleep and it was peaceful. If not I hope sharing it with us does the trick and tonight you sleep peacefully, and soundly. 🤗

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  19. Wow, what a nightmare. It is a good thing to share since it may help it go away. I have a recurring dream nowhere as upsetting as yours. It is rather dumb, actually. I’m in a large expensive hotel, and it is in the evening. I suddenly realize I did not check out. I now have to pay for an additional night yet have to be leaving. It does not sound very horrifying but is certainly a challenge. I think it has replaced my old dream about showing up in class and forgetting to study for the exam. Let’s hope yours goes away.

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    2. I think you’re right, John. It was the “nice” part that bugs me. There’s something I’m supposed to understand about those 2 gold keys… I hoped I’d have an epiphany, but haven’t yet.
      The lux hotel is a very stressful dream. It would make me feel like I wasted a ton of money — a cardinal sin where my father was concerned. I used to have a similar dream about school. I went to class and realized that I had only attended once or twice for the entire term, and the final exam was coming. LOL, I hated that dream. Thanks for sharing your dream here. Hugs.

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  20. Oh my Teagan.. Definitely not for the faint hearted… I am so pleased I do not live inside your head… And I am also happy somewhere in side is fairy land and flying mystical magic also.. Much better than your nightmares…
    Dream time though Teagan has been extremely vivid.. Even for this Dreamwalker.. Most chaotic and disturbing at times… Something is happening within the Dreamscape! I feel..
    So maybe we are shifting energies in Dreamtime… Who knows… Sending positive Vibes your way and May you have Sweet Dreams in the future xx ❤ ❤ ❤

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  21. When I have dreams that threaten to keep me awake or ruin my day, I force myself to think of anything else But the dream. Eventually it does seem to slip-slide into oblivion.

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    1. The purring cat certainly helped, GP. I have to turn on the TV or an audio book for a distraction, but when it’s a very disturbing dream, I don’t go back to sleep, no matter how early in the night.
      Oh well, plenty of fuel/material for a horror novel. Maybe I can dream my way to being the next Stephen King. LOL. Hugs.

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  22. It’s interesting how animals sense our mood or when we need their comfort. I don’t have these kinds of reams often, but they do make it hard to go back to sleep. It’s like you don’t want to go back there. I hope the second half of your week is better. Hugs.

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    1. Yes, that long legged “Scoobie” did her job well. Her smaller sister, Velma, however, not so much. LOL. Oh, but I guess Velma tried her own way (although later in the night), playing with her toys and making noise to entertain me. have a good rest of the week. Hugs.

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  26. Like, Robbie, I don’t usually remember my dreams, and when I do, they tend to be pretty mundane (thankfully) and mostly snippets of something, sometimes a bit bizarre and nonsensical. Well done, Daphne, and I hope you have a good night today. Big hugs.

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  27. Hi Teagan, what a horrible nightmare. I very rarely dream, or if I do, I don’t remember anything. I used to have a nightly nightmare when I was very young. I was in a water maze in a small paddling canoe. I was trying to reach my father who was being tortured by having needles poked into him and he was screaming. After a few years, that dream eventually stopped. Why needles as a torture instrument – probably because that was the only thing I knew then that could hurt you.

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    1. Oh, Robbie, what a terrible dream even for an adult, but so much worse for a child… and a hundred times worse that it was recurring! As much as you moved around, always having to navigate new areas and situations must have been very much like a maze. I know you took it in stride, but still…
      Thanks for sharing your nightmare here. Big hugs.

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      1. I have always thought that the part about my dad was fear of loss. My biological dad died when I was three months old. It was traumatic as he suffered a massive heart attack and died in front of mom (and I who would have sensed my mom’s emotions). Mom married dad when I was 2 and that’s when the dreams started.

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