(This was one of the most substantial lucid dreams that I have ever had. It came at the time when I had recently joined the DreamViews forums, and was getting serious about - and quite good at - developing my dream control. My recall, around this time, was about at its highest, and the sense of wonder and adventure that I got from this dream is something that has always stayed with me, over all these years. It was also around the time that I first started using photomanipulations to illustrate my dreams. Over what has been more than 15 years of epic dream journal entries, this was practically the "one that started it all.")
"Epic Lucid Dream"
10/19/2005
(Lucid)
Ok, this started off, innocently enough, involving 3 of my waking life friends - J; T; and BM - and myself. We were up in this random apartment, one morning. If I'm not mistaken, someone had brought me a small telescope as a gift. It was a pretty slick contraption, actually - all gold, ornate, and small, like some antique from the captain's quarters of a great, old ship. With it, I stepped over to the window of the apartment and threw open the blinds, having a look around, outside.
Ok, this started off, innocently enough, involving 3 of my waking life friends - J; T; and BM - and myself. We were up in this random apartment, one morning. If I'm not mistaken, someone had brought me a small telescope as a gift. It was a pretty slick contraption, actually - all gold, ornate, and small, like some antique from the captain's quarters of a great, old ship. With it, I stepped over to the window of the apartment and threw open the blinds, having a look around, outside.
Scanning across the street, I saw that I was in a sort of run-down town, which reminded me somewhat of coverage I've seen from New Orleans, lately, after Katrina. (The only comparison I could really make, at the time of writing this entry.) Peering through the window and refocusing the telescope, I looked upward, parallel to our approximate 6th story window, at the building across the street. Bringing the scope into a little more focus, I saw someone with a pair of binoculars which seemed to be pointed back at me.
"What the...?" I thought, turning to grab the attention of my friends, and they all joined me at the window. Looking back through the scope, I found that this person was actually looking down toward the street, and no longer back at me. So, I panned back down with the telescope and set my eyes on a surprisingly chaotic scene, below. Moving from person to person with the scope, I saw what seemed to be the final moments of a store looting, with the store itself just out of my field of view, blocked by another building. People were walking around the streets, carrying whatever it is they could hold. Apparently, there were a few police units around, but ultimately not enough to stop what was going on. My friends turned on news coverage of the incident, I continued to watch it unfold from the balcony.
Without any visible warning, there was a loud crash from within the crowd. One might have thought that a car had veered and plowed through a bunch of people, throwing them violently to one side, and out of my field of view...except that there was no car - only a strange black blur that came and went like a gust of pitch-dark wind.
“…..Did anyone just see that?” I asked. By this time, BM had opened a second balcony door, beside me, and was stepping out to the deck to get a better view. “Those people,” I continued, talking mainly to myself, at that point. “Something just…Crashed into 'em….and knocked them off the street!” Dumbfounded, I wasn’t looking through the scope any more.
“Yeah,” said BM. “And it flew right up into the leaning tower of Pisa over there.” Even before his words registered, I could hear that there was a shock in his voice when he said it, and when I craned my neck to look at him, he was gazing, awestruck, around the side of our building's balcony. I got up from where I was, walked out onto the deck, where he was standing, and turned to the right to look around the side of our apartmet building. There, in the distance, behind the backdrop of an entire city that seemed to be in shambles, with highways that stretched on for miles (some of which were collapsed if I remember correctly), was a MASSIVE tower structure that stretched crookedly up into the distant skies. (It looked like something straight out of "Digital Blasphemy," the 3D art site I was browsing shortly before bed.)
“WHAT THE HELL IS THAT?!?!” I asked, damn near falling off of the balcony to get a better view.
We were all standing on the balcony now, and I think it was the shock of seeing such a surreal, monolithic structure that brought me into a very very low level of lucidity. I didn’t say anything at first about this being a dream (and, actually, I don’t think I was REALLY sure that it was a dream, but I had my hunch, and that was all I needed).
“….I’m Going!” I said. Everyone snapped their eyes toward me.
“What are you talking about??” One of them asked, and I repeated: “I’m Going!”
My sense of curiosity had gotten the better of me. “There is some strange shit going on here, and I’m going to find out what.” I'm not sure whether I tossed the telescope away, but I didn’t have it any more. “If you’re coming, follow me, and do what I do!” I didn’t feel that I had much time to explain the whole lucidity thing, but I was definitely feeling it. I took a few steps forward and dove over the balcony railing. Free-falling - almost sickeningly - toward the ground below, which had began to clear of crowds after the recent occurrence.
Diving straight down, I tucked my chin and rolled forward, front flipping one half time and landing on both feet with a small crouch, sort of like Kadaj’s building dive in the FF7 Advent Children movie. Shortly afterward, I was hearing the feet of my friends landing behind me. No one asked any questions as to how it was we just jumped from about 6 stories up, but that would seem almost normal, compared to the things that were about to transpire.
“Ok, so how do you suggest we get over there?” T asked. Exhaling once, I tried to give the easiest directions I could. “Just tell yourself that you’re dreaming, and follow me.” Of course this got the deer-in-headlights reaction from all three of them. With no further words, I took my own advice, knowing that it would be a far distance to the tower (and flying, sometimes, was not my strong point unless I was in the right frame of mind). I closed my eyes. “I’m dreaming I’m dreaming I’m dreaming!!” I demanded to myself, reassuringly. And *Boom*. It was as if I was opening my eyes for the very first time. A sense of confidence washed over me as the dream world around me became all that much more vivid.
“So…you’re dreaming?” BM asked, a bit confused. I didn’t even answer. I just ran forward and lept into the air, the wind screaming in my ears as I shot toward the horizon like a missile, arcing straight at the huge architectural marvel in the distance.
I thought nothing of flying, which is the way I have the best luck with it. My mind was simply on getting from point A to point B. It was only a matter of seconds before my feet touched down upon the high, circular platform of the tower's main balcony. This thing had to be a few miles high; a twisted wonder of stone that seemed it was erected back in some mythical past. I gazed inside, through one of the numerous, open, balcony doors, and I began to walk forward. Turning my attention behind me, I’d noticed that BM and T were already walking on the stone surface, right on my heels, J was just landing as well. With no words about why we were able to do the things we were doing, we entered the tower like some small, unlikely task force.
“WHAT THE HELL IS THAT?!?!” I asked, damn near falling off of the balcony to get a better view.
We were all standing on the balcony now, and I think it was the shock of seeing such a surreal, monolithic structure that brought me into a very very low level of lucidity. I didn’t say anything at first about this being a dream (and, actually, I don’t think I was REALLY sure that it was a dream, but I had my hunch, and that was all I needed).
“….I’m Going!” I said. Everyone snapped their eyes toward me.
“What are you talking about??” One of them asked, and I repeated: “I’m Going!”
My sense of curiosity had gotten the better of me. “There is some strange shit going on here, and I’m going to find out what.” I'm not sure whether I tossed the telescope away, but I didn’t have it any more. “If you’re coming, follow me, and do what I do!” I didn’t feel that I had much time to explain the whole lucidity thing, but I was definitely feeling it. I took a few steps forward and dove over the balcony railing. Free-falling - almost sickeningly - toward the ground below, which had began to clear of crowds after the recent occurrence.
Diving straight down, I tucked my chin and rolled forward, front flipping one half time and landing on both feet with a small crouch, sort of like Kadaj’s building dive in the FF7 Advent Children movie. Shortly afterward, I was hearing the feet of my friends landing behind me. No one asked any questions as to how it was we just jumped from about 6 stories up, but that would seem almost normal, compared to the things that were about to transpire.
“Ok, so how do you suggest we get over there?” T asked. Exhaling once, I tried to give the easiest directions I could. “Just tell yourself that you’re dreaming, and follow me.” Of course this got the deer-in-headlights reaction from all three of them. With no further words, I took my own advice, knowing that it would be a far distance to the tower (and flying, sometimes, was not my strong point unless I was in the right frame of mind). I closed my eyes. “I’m dreaming I’m dreaming I’m dreaming!!” I demanded to myself, reassuringly. And *Boom*. It was as if I was opening my eyes for the very first time. A sense of confidence washed over me as the dream world around me became all that much more vivid.
“So…you’re dreaming?” BM asked, a bit confused. I didn’t even answer. I just ran forward and lept into the air, the wind screaming in my ears as I shot toward the horizon like a missile, arcing straight at the huge architectural marvel in the distance.
I thought nothing of flying, which is the way I have the best luck with it. My mind was simply on getting from point A to point B. It was only a matter of seconds before my feet touched down upon the high, circular platform of the tower's main balcony. This thing had to be a few miles high; a twisted wonder of stone that seemed it was erected back in some mythical past. I gazed inside, through one of the numerous, open, balcony doors, and I began to walk forward. Turning my attention behind me, I’d noticed that BM and T were already walking on the stone surface, right on my heels, J was just landing as well. With no words about why we were able to do the things we were doing, we entered the tower like some small, unlikely task force.
Surprisingly enough, the inside of this tower looked more like a run-down urban apartment than some regal imperial landmark. There were worn couches, and a tiny kitchen area that would have barely fit the four of us. Food had been left out on the counters, and a large steak, which still looked fresh, sat in a pan on the stove. (From here, on, my recollection of things gets a little more hazy.)
It seems there is this old man that lives in this tower. (And let me just say, I’ve faced some pretty rough characters, in my dreams, but this guy was Bad.) After what was most likely a long utterance of “I’m taking this world over” clichés, the fight broke out.
This guy’s magic was crazy, and he was an expert at hand to hand combat. While the others were a little reluctant - not quite sure of the powers my lucidity had afforded them, I suppose - I went all out on this guy with improvised Kung Fu-like flavor that would have made Jet Li cower.
But GodDAMN was this guy good.
*Punch kick block kick block punch block dodge kick feign punch wall-smash punch floor-break dodge punch.*
Fists and feet were flying everywhere, but I was just not making any progress with this guy. And on top of that, just as it seemed the others were ready to throw down…this old bastard just up and disappeared; so quick that we were left standing in what seemed to be a bedroom (or study. It wasn’t furnished, and there were paint cans and newspapers all over the place), all alone and wondering just wtf happened. We knew that the only way out of this dead end bedroom was back through the hallway we’d just passed, because the spacious living area nearest the balcony was the one that connected all the rooms on the top floor.
Slowly, we began to file out of the room, and as we went through the hallway, I made my way to the front of the group. One hand held low, I concentrated my mind on the pyrokinesis I knew was possible, because I still knew I was dreaming. (just not enough to KNOW that I could defeat this guy) My hand flickered once, and then it ignited into a bright orange flame. I held the flame around my hand while searching with my eyes for any signs of the old man.
There was another small room (small is a relative term), which was parallel to the tiny kitchen in the center of the hallway. Slowly, I made my way toward it. Behind me, I heard a familiar *Fwooosh* and saw a flash of light. When I turned around, I’d seen that BM had followed my lead and found his own ability to produce a flame like mine. He smiled enthusiastically, holding up his flaming hand, and I couldn’t help but do the same. However, unfortunately, I hadn’t stopped walking toward the room when I looked back at him, and when I turned to look inside of the small room as I crossed the doorframe, I was blindsided.
A vicious punch crashed into the side of my face and sent me to the side, I countered with multiple fire blasts from both hands, swinging my arms like an ambidextrous pitcher and assaulting this guy with pyrotechnics. His own magic countered horrifically well, though, small explosions of blues and greens emanating from his person to show that my fire blasts were simply having no effect. Finally, before I could get another shot off, or think of another tactic, the old man fired some green energy blast that blew me off of my feet and sent me crashing into the wall behind me, now on the left side of the room from the doorway. Shaking off the cobwebs, I glanced up to see the others streaming into the room, battle cries filling the air as they all went 3 on 1 with this f*cker. It was all out war with this guy…and we were losing.
I stood up and tried to clear my mind. I wanted a charge of energy, and if that meant destroying this room to do it, so be it. I doubted the small explosion I was about to cause would have effected either of us too much, the way we were fighting, but the energy I might get from it could be invaluable. Clenching my fists, I began to well up my energy like a Saiyan from DBZ, a low “rrrrrrrrrrrraaahhhhh….” building up in my throat. I could feel the coming energy start to push outward from my center, beginning to crack the floor under me, bending the wall behind me out into the hall, and pushing the ceiling over my head up into itself.
However, I was not truly focused. I think it was the sounds of our side losing that broke my concentration and kept me from getting that explosive, battle-ending power that I was going for. No matter how much I tried, I just didn't feel like my show of force was getting me anywhere. Not sure whether to keep charging or not, I suddenly noticed that everything had fallen silent. I stopped focusing my energy all together and opened my eyes. The old man had disappeared again, leaving the four of us alone in the room.
The fight was definitely taking its toll. We were all suffering from various levels of kicked-asses. We were much more reluctant to search for him this time, but we were definitely feeling a sense of responsibility. My lucidity was beginning to fade right about this time, so I was getting more attached to the narrative but I was still very much in non-lucid control of my actions.
We filed, slowly, out of the second bedroom, passing the kitchen that was almost straight across from it. J leaned into the kitchen and stepped inside. Obviously exhausted, he uttered something like “God, I Have to Eat Something,” as tiredly as if he was in a trance, and the only thing that could save him was food, even at a time like this. (Lol..that J…always eating.) So he went straight for the huge steak on the stove and began to cut it. A bit disgusted - not to mention thinking that this was Not the time for food - I blurted out “Man, what are you doing?! Don’t eat That!”
The moment I said this, the pantry door beside us slid open, and inside, the old man stood, covered from head to toe in a pantry full of…insect larvae. (Yeah..I know: "….wtf?!") The only thing we could see, within the writhing mountain of bugs around him, was his face, and the stone dead gaze of his whitish blue eyes that implied he might have been fighting us all while blind.
He yelled, in a thunderous voice: “You have all fought well, but you will never escape my locusts!” And an endless flood of flying locusts streamed out of the pantry, covering the entire top floor of the tower in seconds, before we even had a chance to respond. I was able to bust off a few more pyro blasts from my hands - even though I wasn’t lucid any more - while I staggered through the hallway away from the kitchen, but the blasts seemed to just dissolve in the thickening cloud of locusts with no effect.
“Your powers are useless!” I could hear the old man’s voice through the swirling buzz around me. “My locusts feed off your energies! Your powers will drain, and soon you will feel your life force slipping from you!”
He was right. Being no longer lucid, I could feel myself being suffocated by millions of locusts swarming around me, masses of them coating my body like mud. I could hear nothing from my friends and was finding it harder and harder to stand. One of my very few tastes of dream defeat, I finally collapsed to my knees amongst the relentless swarm, prolonging the inevitable by trying to stand again, but to no avail.
I was so tired.
So tired that I knew I couldn’t go on.
So, there on the floor, still in a knelt position, refusing to go down any further, I closed my eyes, and welcomed the darkness.
…..and then I woke up.
(Damnit……….this isn’t over…his ass is MINE.)
(*Recent Sketch of the Old Man*)
