I had been out all day and came back to a familar place, like a home. There were many familiar people around but I cannot recall who they were or their faces. I stood outside the house and someone brought my one-year-old year daughter to me. She was excited to see me after being out all day and was laughing and I tickled and held her. The house was on a street with no traffic, with a median, a road and then cars parked facing the house. People were milling about talking and socialising in front of the house and across by the parked cars.

I saw a truck and some familiar people who called me over to bring my daughter for them to see. Everyone was happy to see us. Holding my daughter, I crossed the street and approached the people. There was a truck parked facing me and as I reached the front of it, the people stopped laughing and talking and all of a sudden they were crying and shouting "No, no, no!". I stopped with my daughter in my arms in front of the truck and looked around wondering what happened. All around us were voices and people moving, running and shouting. I saw them congregate at the back of the same truck as if something were in the back. They were weeping and shouting "No, no, no!". I had no clue.

All of a sudden, I felt as I if was swirling and being snatched upwards and backwards. I could look down from above and see the layout of the street and the people running around. Then I was standing there again further back on the street watching them. I realised my daughter and I had been hit by a vehicle before we reached across the street, and had died on the spot.

I walked around and even went inside the house and no one could see me. We walked among family and lots of people crying in chaos, and no one spoke to us or acknowledged us. I did not feel afraid, or any pain or that anything was wrong, or feel any pity for the mourners. We were as casual observers and we were alone in a crowd of people who were very concerned about our deaths but could not see us standing right next to them. Soon we left and I woke up.

NOTES IN THE MORNING

• The entire dream was rather dusty, almost in sepia colours, and there was a general sense of surreal nostalgia and distance, although there were many people around. Like the feeling of an old gas station way out on a dusty country road.
• I do not know of any particular events that triggered this dream. The one thing I will say is that death is close to us because my 1-year-old daughter's father died suddenly on Feb 10 2011, nine days before she was born. I see him in dreams sometimes, but he was not present in this one nor any other dead person, and I didn't notice who was there except that they were all family and friends. But I have never dreamed of being dead or anything like this. Nor am I particularly afraid of death, in this dream or otherwise.

EDITOR'S NOTE

This is one of those not-obviously-symbolic dreams that I tend to treat literally--not fatalistically, but as a practical warning that down at least one time-branch ahead of you is a truck you want to miss! Your daughter was small, so if it IS a literal warning, it's a short-term one. Be alert. Such dreams can save lives, if acted on, as in Chandelier; while a mom discounts her son's warning dream in Stay on the Sidewalk, to her regret.

--Chris Wayan

World Dream Bank homepage - Art gallery - New stuff - Introductory sampler, best dreams, best art - On dreamwork - Books
Indexes: Subject - Author - Date - Names - Places - Art media/styles
Titles: A - B - C - D - E - F - G - H - IJ - KL - M - NO - PQ - R - Sa-Sk - Sl-Sz - T - UV - WXYZ
Email: wdreamb@yahoo.com - Catalog of art, books, CDs - Behind the Curtain: FAQs, bio, site map - Kindred sites