Attic World, A Dream

As a child I would dream in serial fashion. That is, I could pick up my dreams where they left off on the next night. I would have some incredible nightly adventures. One summer though, I had a series of odd dreams I called the Attic World.

It started with me exploring the back rooms of some unknown house. I was all alone and there was that silent buzzing sound you sometimes get in total quiet. I found a little green door and opened it and there were narrow steps leading up. So steep it was nearly a ladder. I took one look and then went up like a rabbit.

There I found an old attic filled with boxes and other things. It had that hot dust smell, and the quiet buzzed even more. There were dim electric lights and that was the only light. I explored there all afternoon finding pictures of people I did not know. When I felt hungry I tried to go back down the steps back were gone. There were other steps going up and down and small doorways that one had to crawl through to enter.

In the weeks that followed I never found a way out. Just more attic. I drank where water pipes leaked. I learned how to catch rats. Once I found an ancient jar of hard candy that melted all together into a sugar football sized lump.

It wasn't all bad though. I found wonders in boxes and suitcases. I found ancient swords and even older books. I found a snowglobe that seemed to have real tiny people living in it. I collected them all into a large suitcase and dragged it behind me.

Eventually, I did find a regular room. It was large and white. There was a table set out filled with food. In each seat was a potted bush. I went to eat but I saw that I could not touch the food because each bush had thorns that I knew were poisonous. Along the wall in red tile were words that read "This is not the world."

There was a door on the other side and another room. It was filled with fountains and the room felt cool. But when I tried to gather some in my hand I found that it was burning me. Rubbing my hand I look to the floor and there in tile again was "This is not the world."

There was one last door and to the side a set of steps going back up to the attic world. I opened the door. The room was pure darkness. From the light of the room I was in I could see a shadowy globe in the middle of the darkness. I felt suddenly afraid. There was something in the darkness. This was not the world, I had to go back. I began to go up the stairs back to the attic world.

The lights went out.

I awoke, and never dreamed of the Attic World ever again.