Dreamlike, p.1
Dreamlike, page 1
Vaughan W. Smith
Fair Folio
Contents
1. Stage One
Dream One
2. Stage Two
Dream Two
3. Stage Three
4. Continuation
Dream Two part Two
5. Stage Four
Dream Three
6. REM
Dream Four
7. Preparations
8. Reaction
Dream Five
9. Proactive
10. Captive
11. Detective
12. Follow Up
13. Misdirection
Dream Six
14. Deception
15. Travel
16. Road Trip
Dream Seven
17. Discovery
18. Searching
Dream Eight
19. Stowaway
20. Recovery
Final Dream
21. Resurrection
22. Acceptance
23. Recall
Epilogue
Did you enjoy the book?
Also by Vaughan W. Smith
About the Author
Idle Thoughts Preview - Humble Beginnings
Dedication
Copyright
One
Stage One
Amy waved goodbye to everyone, checked that she had her keys, and walked over to the elevator. She pressed the down button and waited patiently. She made a point of not facing the tall glass panels, avoiding the spectacular view of the city. The problem was that it was too easy to look down to the street level, and even the memory of that was enough to make her sick. She adjusted her long blonde hair by using the reflection of the elevator call button panel. Soon after she heard the two tones of the elevator and waited for the doors to open.
She walked through the open doors to an empty lift. After pressing the ground button she zoned out a little, thinking of any groceries that she needed to buy. Suddenly a male hand thrust through the doors and forced them open. Startled, Amy looked up and saw a well-dressed man with brown hair, impeccable suit and dark brown suitcase walking into the elevator. She recognised him instantly, and subconsciously twirled her hair a little.
“Hey Amy! Glad I caught you. How are you going?” the man said.
“I’m good, how about you?”
“Way too busy, but to be honest I’d rather be back in the office tonight.”
“Why’s that?”
“A friend set me up on a blind date. He’s been hassling me for a while, so I’m finally meeting her.”
“Oh, well have a nice time.”
“Thanks, I’ll fill you in tomorrow.”
“Bye David.”
“See you later,” David called back as he dashed out from the elevator. Amy smiled and waved, then when he had disappeared she sighed deeply. She walked out of the building, and paused, wondering which way to go. Left was to her home, right was to the bar where Samantha worked. Not wanting to sit at home alone, she headed right. It was just after five o’clock and the city streets were packed full of people. The dense crowds made Amy uneasy, so when she approached the traffic lights she stood back a little to have her own space. When the lights changed, she paused to let the others get ahead then walked in her own space. The crossing was a major one, so she went across diagonally to save time. However halfway across she spotted a man walking with a Great Dane and German Shepard and she changed her mind. She turned quickly and half retreated so that she still crossed the road but was on the opposite side to the man with his dogs.
Amy continued the crowd dodging the next few blocks until she arrived at the Golden Arms. The black sign of the two golden arms above the entry always amused her, but she didn’t know why. Stepping in, the bar was busy but not full. The afternoon light and the heat outside wasn’t strong, but the bar just felt a bit darker, quieter and cooler. She spotted Samantha behind the bar, and walked over.
“Amy, how was work?” Samantha asked.
“It was ok, the usual,” Amy said.
“Your usual drink?”
“Sure, thanks.”
Samantha smiled, and starting mixing a vodka and cranberry. When Amy tried to pay, she grinned, pushed aside the money and walked away to serve another customer. Amy picked up her drink and found a quiet table in the corner to sit down. Before she could settle down, a middle aged man with greying hair appeared next to her table.
“May I sit down,” he said politely.
“Sure,” Amy said, unsure of how to reply. The man sat down carefully right across from her.
“Hi, my name is Roger and I’ll be out of your hair by the time you finish that drink.”
“Ok.” Amy was a bit stunned by the man’s matter-of-fact manner. He also had intense green eyes.
“Please forgive me, but I spotted you out on the street and my professional curiosity kicked in.”
“What do you mean?”
“I saw you on the street, avoiding people, animals and looking stressed. I see it all the time, you’re carrying a lot of fears around.”
“Well, it’s nice of you to say so, but I don’t need your help. I already have a therapist.”
“How well has that worked for you so far?”
“I’m making progress,” Amy said defensively, but they both knew she hadn’t made any breakthroughs.
“That may be, but I have a solution for you.”
“No thanks,” Amy said. Roger leaned forward quickly and grasped both her hands in his.
“I can see that you are fed up with this way of living. Come and see me when you are ready to take your life back.” With that, he withdrew his hands, took a card out of his pocket and placed it on the table. Amy watched him leave without saying a word.
“Who was that?” Samantha asked as she walked over.
“Some man who saw me on the street, he said he can help me,” Amy said. She turned the card over in her hands and handed it to Samantha.
“Roger Butler, life surgeon. Sounds interesting,” Samantha said, reading out the card. She placed it back on the table.
“What would you do?” Amy said.
“Sweetie men hand me their cards every day, but they never look like this. As much as this looks crazy, maybe you need to try a little crazy?”
“No, I’m not going to do it.” Amy picked up the card and flicked it through her fingers. Samantha reached over, took the card and placed it in Amy’s bag.
“I’ve gotta get back to it. Don’t wait up tonight I’ve got the late shift, and this cute guy has been tipping me like crazy.”
“Ok have fun,” Amy said and waved as Samantha walked back to the bar. Amy sat, deep in thought. She pulled out a romance novel and read through it for a few hours, only stopping to get water from the bar. She looked up around seven thirty and decided to head home. She stepped outside, hailed a taxi and sat on the back seat. Directing the older male taxi driver to her apartment, she called a local Thai place and placed a take away order. Instructing the driver to wait for a minute, she went inside and paid for her food and got back into the taxi.
“Like clockwork, you do this a lot?” the driver asked.
“Yeah, it beats cooking for yourself.”
“A pretty lady like you? Go get a nice fellow.”
“It’s not always that easy,” Amy said, a little embarrassed but also annoyed at the driver.
“Yes it is, don’t let this get in your way,” the driver said, tapping his head. Amy nodded and turned to look out the window. Minutes later they arrived at a small block of twelve apartments. She paid the driver, who offered no more advice, and walked up the stairs into the building. She ate at her coffee table in front of the TV, and fell asleep on the couch.
A loud noise woke her suddenly. The apartment was pitch black, all the lights and the television were off. Wide awake, she crept over to the balcony and slid open the glass door. She stepped outside and had a look. A huge stroke of lightning illuminated the sky and a crack of thunder followed it seconds later. Amy trembled. The sky opened and torrential rain spewed from the sky at an alarming rate. A chill ran through the air and gave her goose bumps. She retreated into the house, allowing her eyes time to adjust to the darkness. Her anxiety was increasing by the minute, and her chest felt tight. She navigated her way to her bedroom and crawled into the covers.
Sleep didn’t come as easily this time, and when she did manage to drift off it wasn’t long before she woke up startled by a random noise. After several such events she finally fell into a deep sleep which was interrupted by the lights coming back on. Amy got out of bed, both happy at the lights being back on and annoyed at being awoken again. She walked around the house and turned off all the lights except for the one in the hallway outside her room then went back to sleep.
The warm sunlight tickled her face, and it felt strange. It was nice for a change. Then part of her brain ticked over, and noted that something was not right, her room never got full sun until late morning or midday. She awoke suddenly, and scrambled around for her watch. The time said eleven twenty two.
“Shit!” Amy said. She rushed into Samantha’s room and found her asleep. She turned and rushed to the bathroom. She found a post-it-note on the door.
Rough night? I called in sick on your behalf. Relax! - Samantha
The last thing Amy could do was relax, but the call had already been made.
“Maybe I can just go in for the afternoon?” she thought to herself. Amy quickly showered, skipped breakfast and dressed. She dug through her bag furiously
There were many small glass-door offices on the fourth floor. One was a dentist, another a pathology lab, another a remedial massage establishment. At the end of the corridor she spotted his door and went inside. It was a small reception area with an older woman sitting behind a white desk.
“Hello, how can I help you today?” the woman said.
“Hi. I was given a card yesterday, but I don’t have an appointment.”
“Let me see. Of course, that’s no problem. Mr. Butler is on a call at the moment, do you mind waiting?”
“Sure,” Amy said and sat down at the nearest seat. She flicked through a trashy celebrity magazine and second guessed herself again. She had to be crazy, meeting this man.
“Have I really lost it?” she asked herself. Before that thought could be answered she saw a door open and Roger walk out.
“Oh hello! Please come in,” he said pleasantly. Amy put down the magazine, stood up and followed him inside. Roger closed the door behind them and sat behind a giant wooden desk. Amy sat on the provided chair and felt another nervous flutter.
“I’m sorry, I don’t believe I got your name,” Roger said.
“It’s Amy.”
“Fantastic, well it’s great to see you here today Amy. I had a good feeling about you.”
“Well, I wanted to see what you had to offer.”
“I’m a pioneer in both brain research as well as an avid supporter of alternate spiritual meditation. Few people plant themselves in both camps, so I have a unique perspective and have developed something revolutionary.”
“What is it?”
“Before I explain the details, tell me about why you are here.”
“Well, I’ll give you the short version. I’ve always had these little fears, but they weren’t really affecting my life that much. However a few years ago, I was involved in a fairly traumatic incident. I can’t remember much about it, but essentially since then everything has been amplified.”
“I understand. I believe I have a way to help you with this. Not only to help you conquer your fears, but to unlock your memory and be free of that event forever,” Roger said, before launching into an explanation.
“Fear and anxiety, such as what you experience, arise from conflict in the mind. Conflict that is a result of your life experiences. The problem is, to clear the conflict you can’t just talk about it, you need an experience to resolve it. Think of it like an experience mirroring what caused the initial conflict.”
“That makes sense in a way.”
“Of course it does. You’ve no doubt heard about many people offering radical experiences to confront people with extreme, and sometimes life threatening situations. I don’t believe in that, it’s hard to arrange, costly and you’re essentially working in the dark. So I thought, why not have a way for you to tailor make your own scenario to conquer your fears.”
“What do you mean?”
“Your mind has created these fears, anxieties and issues. Let your mind create the solutions too.”
“How?”
“Dreams.”
“Dreams?”
“Yes. How many times have you had a dream that felt so real that you were confused when you awoke? How many times has the feeling and emotion that you felt in your dream stayed with you for the entire day?”
“I can remember many times.”
“Imagine then, if we can unlock your dreams and have them work for you. That’s essentially what I am offering you.”
“I’m not sure about that, doesn’t that mean you are altering my mind in some way?”
“There is a drug involved yes, but it is just unlocking the capability. The rest is all you.”
“I’ll be honest, this sounds a little crazy,” Amy said with uncertainty.
“I know, so here’s the deal. I’ll give you a pack today which has everything you need. Start whenever you want, or don’t start. It’s up to you. If you have any concerns down the road just come back and I’ll be here to help you out,” Roger explained. Amy was in two minds, but an opportunity was here and she could always opt out later.
“If I take it what’s the cost?”
“No cost, if you are happy with the treatment then come back and we can fill in some forms to help me with my ongoing research.” Amy hesitated for a moment, then felt a surge of emotion. A sense of energy and life, and hope.
“Ok sign me up, let’s hope I don’t regret this.” Roger smiled and opened a drawer in his desk. He took out a small bag filled to the brim.
“Everything you need is in here. Good luck, I look forward to meeting the new you.” Amy picked up the bag and Roger escorted her out of the office, waving as she left.
Amy walked down the street basking in the sunshine. Grabbing a sandwich from a local shop she headed straight home. Samantha was up and about and welcomed her heartily.
“Hey there girl, how are you doing?”
“Better now, thanks for the day off!”
“It was for the best. Now what have you got there?”
“Well I went and visited that strange man today, Roger Butler. He told me about his treatment, it’s something to do with your dreams.” Amy sat down at their small circular table and opened the bag. Samantha sat down with her, curious about the contents. Inside were a lined notebook, an artist’s notebook, a pen and pencil, a note and a small white box. Amy unfolded the note and read it out loud.
“Instructions. Take the green pill to unlock your mind and record your dreams in the provided notebooks. Your treatment will end when it is completed.”
“Your treatment will end when it is completed? That’s a little vague,” Samantha said.
“Yeah, well at least it is simple.”
“Unlock your mind? I bet it’s some kind of crazy hallucinogen!”
“You seem excited. Do you want to take it?” Amy asked.
“Nah it’s for you, and they only gave you one so I don’t want to waste it.”
“Yeah that’s true. So should I really go through with this?”
“Listen Amy, you deserve way more than you have in life. You’re a fully qualified lawyer yet you’re working as a legal secretary. Your life needs a shakeup, and if this is it then go for it. Worst case scenario, you have a crazy trip and move on.”
“You’re right,” Amy said. She filled a glass with tap water and sat back down at the table. Opening the white box, she found a small pale green circular pill inside.
“Wait one sec,” Samantha said and grabbed herself a glass and filled it with apple juice. She return and raised her glass.
“To new beginnings!”
“To new beginnings!” Amy responded and swallowed the pill with a gulp. She sat quietly waiting for a reaction, and Samantha stared at her intently.
“Do you feel any different yet?”
“Not yet.”
“It might take time. Hey why don’t you come hang with me at work tonight, I want to make sure you’re ok.”
“I’m not sure if that’s a good idea.”
“The note didn’t say you couldn’t have a drink, and I’ll promise to leave on time.”
“Ha-ha alright let’s do it.” Amy spent the afternoon lounging around, trying to relax. However she tried though, she kept thinking about what would happen. She had no idea what to expect. When Samantha was ready, Amy gathered her bag and together they went to the city and the Golden Arms. Amy had a drink with Samantha at the bar, then alternated between reading her romance novel and chatting with Samantha. She kept an eye out for the mysterious Roger Butler, but he didn’t show up at the bar.
