So, if the saying of: “Don’t lose sight of reality,” is true, doesn’t that mean that reality is not to be trusted? It does seem that way to me, which is why I prefer fiction every day.
Just figured I’d insert a random thought here, hah. Wouldn’t want to be predictable, or anything.
Right, on to more interesting things. Oh yes, my dream. Gotta tell about my dream.
I was at my old house…well, dreaming of it anyway…okay, gotta cut off here for a moment and wonder “out loud”. Does anyone notice how a place that you’ve called home will frequently still be home in dreams, years after actually moving away? I think it took me at least nine years before (in dreams) our present home became more prominent in a variety of dreams. Hmmm, strange how that works.
But, like I was saying: I was in my old house, the woods green in the beginning of summer when something–I don’t recall exactly what–happened that made the sky turn inky black in less than a second. It startled me and for some peculiar reason I got in the Truck (we didn’t get the truck until after 2000, so what it was doing in the dream, I’ve no idea, aaargh. Consistency, Sam. Gotta be consistent) and tore away from the gate to head towards a mountainous area, which would fit our present home more than the old, by the way.
I was tearing over narrow roads, taking hairpin corners at top speed and even skipping several in my haste to get up to a rather sprawling mansion, somewhere near a top.
It was still dark as night, raging winds whirling around me like mad when I get out of the car and turn to get the younger sibs out.
For some reason they were small kids again, which made no sense whatsoever since they’re all fully-grown these days. But anyways, I propped the little sister version on my hip, grabbed middle sister’s wrist and snapped at little brother to keep up while we started running towards the front door.
It was opened the moment we mounted the single step of the large porch, and were ushered inside by a complete stranger that I seemed to know (in the dream) as I handed little sister to mom…she was there too, don’t ask me why, hah…and run to the back of the house where big brother and another version of little brother–this one’s an adult again–were helping a huge amount of, what appear to be, refugees of some sort.
There was a hubbub going on all around, men and woman carrying heavy guns, pitchforks and whatnot, children being cornered by older kids so they weren’t in the way, and flashlights being used rather than actual lights.
I appeared to know what’s going on; ‘cause I nodded at the instructions the man beside me was giving (how, I don’t know, because thinking back of it, he spoke in some unfamiliar language).
There was this tremendous patio where everyone was scattered around, climbing up the huge walls and taking up battle stations…I know what you’re thinking, “What the heck is going on?” the thought kept playing through my mind, too…while I grabbed some sort of sawed-off buckshot that was tossed in my direction by another “familiar” stranger and took up position near a lower section of the wall and peer out into the darkness.
I was positioned at a vantage point of sorts, my eyes rapidly adjusting to the darkness below when the flashlights were behind me at last.
I saw a jagged road, crisscrossing up the mountain on which the villa was location, and with a glance backwards I could see more mountain tower overhead.
The road was deserted, and hours appeared to pass before suddenly a warning whistle from big brother (he was perched nearby) alerted me of the movement going on where the road first appeared behind a rocky outcropping.
Thunder suddenly crashed overhead…strangely enough without lightning…making the ground shake ominously as the people around me jumped right along with me.
By the time the rumble died down the movement appeared to be a lot closer, showing outlines of human shapes, rapidly making their way up.
I squinted at them, making out that they swayed oddly even with the peculiar speed.
“Hold!” someone called urgently then, right on time too since I felt this sense of impending doom at the approaching figure, and really wanted to let loose with the buckshot. “Wait for it. Wait!”
The figures, hundreds of them, amazingly, crossed at least two thirds of the distance in that short time, allowing my to grimace at the sight of disfigured faces, gaping holes and even missing limbs.
Friggin’ zombies are attacking? How trite! I remember thinking, even as I loaded the shotgun to readiness and managed not to flinch with the second thunderous boom that made the ground tremble again.
The zombies reached a messy hedge by that time, which appeared to be the universal sign for everyone to start shooting at the howling creatures as they increased their speed.
There were lots of full hits from a variety of weapons, mine included, and yet the zombies (Gawd, I still can’t believe I dreamt about zombies. How lame is that?) barely paused their stride as they headed straight for us. Pitchforks, bats–and anything else that was likely to serve as a weapon–appeared all around me, and more people gathered by the walls as the earth shook. By that time the first zombies hit the wall and started to climb up as if they had a ladder against it.
My ammo went out, just when some butt-ugly face appeared over the edge of the wall, and I slam the bud right there, where the nose was supposed to be. There was a satisfying crack while the creature was sent sprawling. (Very Resident Evil-like, hah) Another jumps right up on the wall, and I’m about to give him the same treatment when suddenly…the alarm screeches and declares the dream officially over.
Jeez. Just when things start to get remotely interesting, too.
I groan when I open my eyes and peer straight into Chaos’ nose, lying less than two inches from my own. Aaargh. He, of course wags his tail affectionately with the realization that I’m awake.
I gotta work on the timing of my dreams, the bloody alarm always messes with the ending and that is getting to be a little more than annoying.
But anyways, while I’m stretching and yawning, working the kinks from my shoulders and back, Knight II decides that I’m not fast enough and bounces right onto the center of the bed, just barely missing my gut…this of course because I saw him coming and managed to role aside in the nick of time, but still. Hah.
While going over the dream and wondering if I might be able to use the theme in one of the books, I roll out of bed to let the pack outside to start on the morning rituals.
Luckily I’m not so sore today, and actually manage to move around with a little more dignity than usual. Sure, my hair stands up every which way, my eyes are puffy with too little sleep and my pjs are twisted around me, but that doesn’t take away from the fact that I’m not moving like an old crone this morning.
Once done with the morning rituals, and helping Bommel out of the cabin–he seems to be feeling a bit better today–I take the pack down to the house an hour earlier than usual. They’re bit confused with the time change, but act their average chaotic selves when I throw the gate open and let them stream into the courtyard.
Lhabana and Sitabah are still having a disagreement so I snarl at them to stop…well, snarling, and then follow them into the house.
Big brother is already up, and has coffee percolating, thank God.
My eyes refuse to open more than halfway, and stay that way for a full hour while I try to boost my system with two full mugs of coffee.
By the time the caffeine finally kicks in, we’re already well into the edit, managing to go over at least ten pages (this is a section that was already done, but needed a reread due to the massive changes) before the hour of our departure arrives.
We’re running a little behind for our lessons–however frustrating at times, edits are all-consuming–and need to hurry to town in order to make it in time.
Since I function better as the first doing the practical, I take my place for the hour and a half lesson that lies ahead, while big brother sits behind me. Because he functions better later on, it works out really well. Me, on the other hand, an hour into the lessons and my brain starts to turn to mush.
Ah well, during the first section of the lesson I actually manage to strike up a bit of conversation with the instructor–I figure that if he’s busy talking about normal stuff, at least he’ll stop giving instructions…it works hah–and actually manage the first forty-five minutes of the lesson without too much errors. It’s the next sections when my reactions start to dwindle. Nothing disastrous, mind you, just those lousy little errors that make the instructor frown.
Let’s just say it didn’t go as well as it could have and keep it at that, rather than spending another two pages rattling on about all the things that I did wrong.
I do have to share one particular thing the instructor said…compliments from instructors are so rare, you understand…he said that we were both really good, it was just that in order to make the exams we don’t need to be good, but we need to be CORRECT. Goes to show what the bureaucrats consider important, I guess. It’s just nutty.
But anyways, when it’s big brother’s turn, we exchange places and I settle back to do something constructive with the hour and a half that’s still ahead. While listening partly to the conversation going on before me, I actually manage to jot down a draft for a query letter that I still needed to write. I need to send out lots of letters in the near future for “Saving Nina”, and am most pleased that I’ve got a good start during this otherwise wasted time.
Since, by time I finish, we still have a good half hour to go, I continue writing on the notepad and get down a scene that needs to be inserted into the manuscript before it’s fully done. Pretty darn pleased with myself, I finish just about the time our lessons are over and our ride home arrives.
Two more lessons to go and then the exams, and I didn’t worry about it for even five minutes. That’s gotta be a record. Hah.
When we arrive home, little sister has dinner waiting, and basically we wolf it down before setting up the computers and getting to work.
No edits tonight. Big brother is researching the paperwprl we need to go to Createspace, and if we’re lucky, maybe even Kindle, while I work at Lulu.com to get a W.I. Volume ready to send out to a reviewer.
I’m sending it straight from the publisher, which is new for me, so I hope that it all goes well. It’s a pity that he prefers hardcopy over PDF files, but I have to know if this works anyway. Might as well be now.
I do wish the publisher figured out a satisfactory solution for getting my copies to me, because having none in stock is turning out to be a serious pain in the butt.
Now, added to a review of the story I’m even doing an interview, can you imagine?
It’s kind of exciting, an interview. Only did one in the past, which was mostly about me personally, but now I get to answer questions about the W.I.s, instead. The how, when and why I created them, what I’m trying to do with them etc. etc. It’s something new, and that is always a wonderful challenge.
Since I’m over at my storefront anyway, I decide to change the main page too. The old one was still good, but I thought a change wouldn’t hurt. It actually looks kind of cheerful right now, which could be a good thing, I guess.
When I finish everything up, midnight has arrived and after some mindless banter with the sibs, I head on up to my cabin for the last part of the evening.
Sure, the lesson thing hacks into a day, but I got stuff done today, and that makes this a good one.
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