This dream I actually had on a couch in a passageway in my school library, actually in the midst of writing a Lit paper.
It was a very late, awfully late, night in the library, where time usually disappears from me and weary restlessness sets in. I didn’t want to be there, writing a six page paper for my Lit class the next day, but I had to be. And I knew it would not be long before I desired to sleep.
The library, believe it or not, is the worst place to work at night. Well, it’s the best place for people who actually want to work, because you feel so uncomfortable at those high tables, in those stiff chairs, in that stiff white light, that sleep does not come easy, and work is the next best option. But for people like me, who prefer comfort, the library is the worst place to work at night. And I was tired, but most of all Bored with what I was doing. It wasn’t easy.
After some time, I had given up on trying to convince myself that what I was doing was worth doing, at least at that hour, so I thought I’d treat myself to a nap on the couch in the Library’s lounge. It was uncomfortable, loud with the noises of people traffic, and not at all as dark as a room should be for sleeping. Crashing on the couch was symbolic of my giving up, of admitting weakness and poor focus.
But eventually I was woken up by the unlikeliest of people, and the night was saved…
"The Rescue"
Dan, my best friend, came and picked me up, he picked me up and out of the library, and we left the library. He put me into the passenger seat of his gold Cadillac and said we should go for a ride...so we did. He turned his headlights off and sped down the dark, midnight strip of shopping malls and restaurants, bowling alleys and gas stations, flying past auto dealerships in the streetlights like distant galaxies.
But the most stunning thing was that it was completely silent, and cool. I got excited for ourselves, and the fact that we had escaped. Leaning forward in my seat, Dan at the wheel, I stared out into the deep brown sky ahead, while it was still dark and round with mystery. Dan said little as he drove, looking ahead into the dark and rushing highway, and his peace affirmed my peace. We followed the low stream of lights embroidering the two-lane road, riding the middle.
It was take-off. Easing back, my tense body released itself into the seat, and
I could laugh!
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