Strange Dreams

Strange Dreams

By

Raymond Paltoo—4-11-19

There was noise in the backyard! It was early in the morning when the sun had not yet greeted the day, but the night sky was lightening in anticipation of that event. Being a light sleeper, I am generally sensitive to any abnormal sounds, and I swung my legs over the side of the bed to see what it was. At first, I thought it might be some animal foraging through our trash bins and being very clumsy about it. Animals are usually sneakily silent. After all, their very lives depend on it.

I crept to the window and peered through its dew-encrusted pane and could not believe my eyes, or at least what they were telling me right now! There, on our backyard lawn, was a regular party with music and dancing. The voices were high and a bit squeaky but very melodious. They were small men and women dancing merrily to the sound of tiny violins and pipes. I gazed in fascination as couples trod lightly to the music in stately formal twirls and spins mixed with graceful pirouettes on our lawns of green. Giant toadstools had arisen, caused by recent summer rains. These formed the shelters underneath which the revelers would rest between the tunes.

I continued to gaze at them for a while, felt the urge to explore the presence of these strangers, and wondered why they had not awakened the nearby villagers with their noisy presence. I could not understand why our neighbors were not up and begging them to stop the noise. Or was I the only one who could hear them? I looked over the backyard fence and could see no one turning on their lanterns in the adjacent homes, and I felt an uncomfortable sense of unease tug at my mind.

I gazed in delight at the beautiful beings dancing on our lawn in the wee hours of the morning, lapping up the feast of colors and melodies emanating from below my window sill.

Suddenly, I sensed eyes on me, and a girl in the middle of the merriment with a beautiful tiara encircling her forehead looked straight at me and smiled, displaying pearly white teeth in enameled perfection. She winked at me conspiratorially as if we shared a secret, and suddenly, I felt myself on the lawn in the midst of the party! I was now the same size as these beings and was not clumsy in my movements but as graceful as these sprites.

The music was contagious, and soon, I was whirling and dancing to the strains of these delightful melodies. The girl was the very epitome of beauty with coal-black hair and a flawless complexion. She took me by the hand and brought me into a circle of similarly dressed folk. She placed a cleverly woven wreath of leaves around my head and continued to dance. We wove in and out of the others, sometimes within the circle surrounded by other dancers, and occasionally, we were the ones outside the ring.

Finally, I was exhausted, and she seemed to sense this and drew my head down to her, kissing me on the cheek like my mother did when she tucked me in at night. The next thing I knew, I was in my bed. I have no memory of drifting off to sleep, but I must have because the next thing I heard was my mum calling me and shaking me awake, saying, “Wake up, sleepy head! Time for school!”

I awoke with a feeling of sadness, knowing that it had all been a delightful dream. I went to school and had a wonderful time that day. Everything the teacher taught was as clear as crystal to me. My brain was sharp, and I enjoyed all the classes for a change. The world had changed for me, it seemed. The colors seemed brighter, the calling of the birds outside the classroom more harmonious, and the world was all the better for it. I sailed through the classes, dreaming of that unusual party with the beautiful girl. A strange longing took hold of me.

I arrived home that evening, and Mum asked me about the day, and I told her that I had greatly enjoyed it. I was about to relate my previous night’s dreams when I stopped for some odd reason. I did not want to tell anyone. It was my or our secret!

Then she said, “By the way, son, I found this on your pillow this morning as I was making up your bed. Is it yours?”

She handed me a tiny wreath of leaves, cleverly made and intertwined together.

I smiled in secret happiness.

Today, I am a man with children of my own, but that event has shaped my life forever. I have found the gift of expression in the words that flow from my pen onto the pages I write. In the silence of the night, I hear the happy melodies that play in my brain; I remember that wondrous magical night when I danced lightly and freely in the shade of the magical toadstools! I still see the radiant smile of pure happiness on my lady’s face and feel the softness of her hands in mine, the redness of her lips on my cheek bidding me good night as she, now my wife, climbs into bed with me. People invariably wonder why I am always happy with a smile for everyone. It is not often that men marry the women of their dreams, but I did find her, or perhaps she was the one who found me after many years. Now and then, in the midst of the madding crowd and the boredom of daily life, she will wink at me in the same conspiratorial way, and we will vanish together into the realms of enchantment where we are no longer confined by the chains of time! There, we savor and recreate once more the magic of youth.

Indeed, I am blessed in that singular way.