Fake Hitler

A friend was speaking in front of a group of Christians. We wanted to challenge them to think beyond just using Christianese lingo so we used a script from a Hitler speech which used such lingo.

We were sitting in a dark amphitheater with several hundred people. As the speaker spoke from the script, a screen would show lines that the audience was supposed to shout back. At first it was just a few people who knew what was going on, but soon the entire audience caught on. In a few minutes, the whole room was leaping to its feet with arm extended and shouting the lines required.

Then, one by one, the audience began to realize what was happening and filing out. The fake Hitler started talking about people the Reich was trying to apprehend. I remembered one of these people from earlier in the dream, which involved an outdoor maze of some kind.

With every passing moment Hitler was becoming more real. There were now armed guards at the doors and Nazi flags hanging on the walls. I was morphing into a mid-level Nazi officer whose loyalty was in question. I wanted to keep my family safe. So I went down to the front and reported the man the Nazis were looking for (which seems like a terrible move now, in my waking hours. At the time I had no perception of choice).

One of the Nazi officers said "If this man is innocent, your whole family will be killed."

Me: "And if he's guilty?"

Officer: "The Reich no longer has a use for you. You will be forced to join the army, then accept a mission with 100% chance of death."

I went back to row. For the rest of the dream I was unable to speak. I heard a friend say: "That's ridiculous. You'd look awful carrying a spear." Other friends and family were touching me and saying sympathetic things.

Later I was in a bi-plane flying over picturesque landscape. I was on the way to my suicide mission. I had a wingman who didn't know about my sentence. I knew he had been sent to observe, that way the nazis knew I had died. Even in the dream, it seemed odd to me that everyone was flying WW I planes during WW II.

After we got over allied territory, I released a white banner behind my plane. I was hoping to defect peacefully. My wingman started yelling at me over the radio. Then, out of nowhere, the legendary Flying Circus appeared. They were all flying bright red Fokker Dr.Is - the classic red baron plane. They promptly started gunning away at me. I flew evasively but there were no allies in sight and I was being targeted by a whole squadron of aces.

When my plane was within an inch of destruction, my wingman screamed at the Flying Circus people to back off and let him end it. They flew away and the wingman dropped into the kill zone behind me. He urged me one last time to come back to the Reich. I still did not reply. I heard him weeping as he squeezed the trigger.

Later I saw a battlefield covered with Nazi and allied bodies. My body had apparently fallen into it from my wrecked plane. I saw people burying the bodies but there was no one I knew. I felt a deep sadness that I couldn't be a part of anyone's lives anymore. I wondered what they were doing now, and if they would be safe.

The Three Factions

This is the last part of a lengthy, detailed dream, most of which I don't remember.

There were three factions on a planet. I looked down on the planet and saw that their land was more or less evenly divided as three wide north-south strips. Though the actual factions were very different, they had the names of the playable races from Sins of a Solar Empire - TEC, Advent, and Vasari. The TEC were human, and they had a vast space fleet. I was making a documentary about their war with the Vasari. Though their ships were real, I was using hyper-realistic CGI to show the ships, cutting back to real interviews with people on board. The ships were almost indescribably massive - many were basically floating continents. I showed comparatively smaller ships flying out of a hangar the size of Nevada.

Later, I learned that a friend of mine had been accepted by the Vasari to learn their ways. At this point I was watching loosely from the body of a middle-aged woman. I had some sense of self in her but she wasn't me. The woman was begging the young man not to go, even as he went. He landed on the Vasari territory, and to my surprise it was lush and green. An old woman with a hood came and started preparing him for the transition - mostly covering him with beads and muttering. "I" kept begging him not to do this, reminding him how evil the Vasari were.

The old woman opened a hole in a massive tree that reached up into the sky. Bark and termites poured out. Then she climbed in, wrapped her arms around my friend, and pulled him in. "I" leaned in, saw the darkness and smelled the rotting wood. I begged him one last time not to go. He said it was too late for him, and asked me to come with him. Then there was another weird old lady humming, ready to take me into the tree too. I hesitated. I felt deep down inside that I should go into the tree, but I also knew that the un-self part of me wouldn't do it. I sadly said goodbye.

Later I saw Dane Cook standing on the top of a skyscraper in a TEC city. I had a similar sense of shared self with him, though I watched him from a distance of about thirty feet. Soon he was wanted by the police; he leapt from building to building to evade them. Whenever helicopter-borne cameras were on him, I saw the chase as live action. When I didn't, the news casters approximated the chase with CGI, which was always precisely accurate to the actual course taken.

Dane Cook kept running; sometimes he was surrounded on all sides but he always found a way to evade. Then part of a building gave way near the edge of the city and he slid down, grabbing onto things for support. They collapsed too, and down and down he went in a gently broken free fall. Soon he was nearly at the bottom of the building, decidedly outside the city. The lights and sounds had faded away. A woman's voice in the blackness called for help. About this time, I felt complete selfness in Dane's body.

I slid down the rest of the building searching for the sound, though I had a sinking feeling I knew what I would find. There was a river between dark trees with a soft, warm glow. A woman was standing in it weeping. I waded out and saw that the river didn't have water, it had balsam wood statues of people. I then knew I was in Advent territory. The woman was crying because the balsam statues had been her friends; they had been turned into wood. I couldn't think of a way to help her.

Later, the sun came up and I was in an Advent village. The Advent were also completely human. They reminded me of the Lakota Sioux, living in tipis and being totally horse-crazy. There were magnificent horses everywhere. This struck me as odd considering they were a space-faring race. I had been accepted as an Advent warrior. I mounted up and the chief shouted that we were attacking a church.

Just as we were about to head out, one of the women shouted: "How many captives?" And the chief's son said: "You're right. To keep our honor, we must each take six captives. Perhaps even six and a half." Then we rode, in a chaotic and glorious mass of horseflesh and half-naked warrior.

We surrounded a classsic little white church and burst into the doors. The people inside were stereotypical pioneers. I immediately went to the back and selected six people. I herded them onto side pews. Within seconds, the entire congregation was held captive.

For some reason, we couldn't ride out of the church yet. We had to wait for something. I explained to my captives that if any tried to escape, I would kill someone left behind. They seemed appropriately terrified.

Many of the women from the village arrived and sat around on pews talking. I felt the captives growing restless, and at the same time more and more familiar. Then one of them disappeared when I turned my back and I knew who he was - one of my interp kids. The others said he had a canoe.

I pounded out of the church onto a wide rolling hill. I knew that the canoe meant going downhill so I urged my horse that way. I saw three canoes in the river. I went faster and faster then leapt into the water and used my momentum to carry me ot the first canoe. I knocked the rider off and spun around in front of the other two. Night was falling.

It was my kid and his older brother. I shouted at them: "Did you not believe me when I said I would kill you?" They weren't taking me seriously. I worried about the other captives unattended at the top. Then I woke up.

The Unfinished Journey

I was supposed to get five items. The first two were keys. A man's voice told me to get the items; I felt a great urgency to do so.

I had traveled a short distance already, much of the time with Penny (who is my real-life girlfriend). But now I entered a maze of canyons alone. There were various families and clans there but they all got along well. They didn't trust me at all, and most of the people there believed I should be driven away. I scanned the group and pointed out one woman; she was holding a small key in her mouth, about a half-inch long. That key was the first item, but it was also a weapon. When I found it, her clan accepted me. The others still ridiculed me.

I searched the canyon for a way to press on to the next area but it was all sheer rock. A girl who seemed to want to help me showed me a complex, abstract, branching map. She said half the fun was finding a route to the end. Before I could finish studying it, I heard the sound of rushing water. I ran to the top of the canyon and saw as water poured in. The clans retreated to the high corners where they were safe.

But one of the women in another clan - the one who had been outspoken in wanting me exiled, walked out onto the water. It had frozen into ice. Five or six kids stood behind her. I saw the water warming up again, and getting thinner. I yelled at her to go back but she wouldn't listen to me. Then she looked down and jumped back just as the ice fell away. She was safe but the kids all fell into the water. I dove in.

The water was freezing cold and pitch black. By feel, I found each of the kids and shoved them to the surface. Then my feet hit the bottom and I jumped up.

Everyone was studying instant replay of the rescue mission I had done. Many were arguing I had just done it to win favor, not because I cared about the kids. They were analyzing my facial expressions. Eventually I was driven out of the canyon.

I walked along a board walk. I saw the Eiffel Tower across the water far in the distance. I called Penny. She had found another item and were going to meet up to find the last 3. I saw her at the end of a board walk and ran up to her. I spoke to her but she didn't acknowledge me - she was running to catch a train.

She reached the train and I put a hand on her shoulder. "Where are you going?" She stopped and turned to me; in that instant the train streaked away over the water. She had missed it.

"I'm going to see you," she said.

"But I'm here!" I cried. Then I woke up.

The Ferry Spirits

I boarded a massive ferry with a small number of family members. At the start of the dream, they were my actual relatives. Eventually they transitioned to other people occupying familial positions. By the end of the dream I was watching myself in third person.

The sky was very dark green and pouring rain. We were among hundreds of people on the ferry trying to get away from something evil. There were other ferries like it.

I looked in the hold of the ship and saw long halls full of aquariums that were glowing a soft light. I couldn't see where the light was coming from yet. Then I was taken to my room. I was in the very top of the ferry, at the end of a hall. The hall got narrower and narrower and eventually started twisting crazily as it got closer to my door. The only way to get into my room was to reach my hand through the final twists, grab something in the room, and pull myself in.

After I moved into my room, I went down to the hold again with my mother (who by this time was not my real-life mother). The front of the ship was leaking, taking on water. But the ship was so big that it didn't pose a real threat.

Most of the aquariums appeared empty. I sensed that there were things in them that I couldn't see. Then we stopped at an aquarium where we saw a spirit. I immediately knew that spirits needed masters, but ultimately controlled and dominated them. Spirits could take many forms, usually the form that was most likely to enchant their master. I didn't want a spirit.

My mother, however, was entranced instantly. The spirit seemed like a bald young woman, but with claws and a tail. She was oddly beautiful in a very alien way. Her name was Axen. She floated in the tank and whispered things in a beautiful voice to us. I didn't feel any hostility toward the spirit; in fact I felt sorry for her. But I knew to avoid her. I tried to pull my mother away but she was transfixed.

Axen concentrated her efforts on my mother. Eventually I fled, lest I be conquered as well. I ran up into the main part of the ferry, into a gift shop. There were many trinkets, including a pumpkin fruit that seemed very significant to me. Wooden seahorses, unicorns, oxen, eagles, etc were offered in various ways. I realized that these were images of spirits. Suddenly nowhere on the ferry felt safe. I felt evil permeating every corner.

My mother was in the shop too but not with me. I couldn't see Axen but I knew she was there, riding on my mother. I fled the store. Then I realized I had forgotten my mother's purse. I ran back for it, but it had turned into a hollow pumpkin.

Scouting Party

This dream journal entry is dedicated to T.C.W.

I was on an ocean liner full of large boxes. There had been a murder.

I was arguing about something with a young man with whom I recently worked but may not have ever spoken directly. He showed me a documentary he had just finished attacking a company I worked for. I realized that everything in it was true.

Someone came into the hold of the ship and ordered a small platoon of soldiers to scout a clearing.

I watched as a contingent of Union soldiers packed up and left a clearing. The Confederates were approaching. But the Union soldiers didn't fully pack up; they left a lot of tools, food, and gear.

I heard the rebels approaching through the trees. Then I saw the scouting party walking toward the clearing from the other direction, moving cautiously.

A high-ranking Union general walked out into the field alone, completely oblivious. The scouts tried to signal at him to hide but he didn't see them or hear their frantic hisses. Then he saw the first Confederate skirmisher come out of the trees. The general pulled out his pistol and shot him.

Seconds later, a smattering of gunshots rang out and the general fell dead.

The leader of the scouts stood up from cover and moved out into the field to peak. I was astounded at his stupidity. I joined his men in calling at him to get back to cover. He turned. "It's okay, come on out." He gestured at us to join him. Then the whole Confederate line opened fire on him; smoke and fire billowed from the trees. The scout's body was shredded with bullets.

The other Union soldiers fled. I watched rebs come out from cover and eagerly grab food and firewood. I woke thinking: "Why was firewood scarce for the Confederates?"

Homeworld

I was floating in space - not dark and distant, but a vibrant orange nebula. It, like most of the dream, reminded me of the classic 1999 RTS Homeworld (and its sequels). I don't remember what had happened earlier in the dream, but I had been inside a ship talking to old friends. At least one had a deep male voice.

I looked right and saw a large fleet of space ships. I was responsible for about a quarter of them. I watched the ships enter hyperspace, then I floated away at superfast speed to the enemy fleet light years away (in the same nebula). It was arrayed in a vast single horizontal line.

My ships left hyperspace far below the line (there were explosions when they reentered 3D space but the ships were unharmed) and floated upward. I began ordering the individual ships telepathically. The rest of the fleet hadn't jumped in with mine, so my boys were horribly outnumbered and took a terrible beating. I felt responsible for the early jump.

After watching most of my fleet destroyed, my allies (led by the old friends) jumped in and joined the fray. I looked up and down the line watching the ships exchange fire. I was floating around very quickly and the battle was unfolding faster than I could understand.

I saw a large enemy ship fire a missile at one of my ships, but the missile came to a stop and started floating away. One of my old friends (all I remember is a familiar female voice) scolded me for not using it. I picked up the missile with my thumb and index finger - it seemed natural at the time as I must have been gigantic - and plugged it into a tiny barrel protruding from one of my ships. The missile immediately fired back at the enemy. I spent several minutes frantically rounding up unexploded enemy ordnance that was skittering off into space and firing it back.

The dream ended before the battle did. My last memory was having a sudden realization of just how vast space really was, and how insignificant the battle was.

The Flipped Bus

This is the last part of a very personal dream. Some details are omitted from this story.

I was on the top level of a white two-story bus driving through a city. I was the only person sitting on top. Penny (mentioned in previous dreams) was driving. The other passengers varied throughout the dream, but my brothers were common.

The evening came on and then it grew dark. There were beautiful skyscrapers on either side, and glowing purple and green lights. Then Penny swerved down an alley suddenly, I was confused and was about to ask where she was going. She came out the other side and ducked under a bridge. I felt wind rush over my head.

Suddenly I had a bird's eye view of a arching bridge that went high up over the city and then curved left and swooped back down into it. The bridge was crumbling.

There was another bridge that went over the first part of the arch bridge. The bus in front of ours had struck something, flipped completely upside down, and landed on the higher bridge. We had narrowly avoided the same fate by cutting a hard right, almost on the sidewalk.

There were hundreds of cars trapped on the bridge. People were running around screaming; there was a lot of pandemonium. The upper, right part of the bridge had a narrow opening and we went 80% of the way along the bridge until the obstructions became too much. Then the men got out and, under the supervision of a police officer, pushed auto obstructions out of the way to make room for the bus.

Most of the dream involved playing a detailed mental tetris game with the cars, maneuvering them carefully to avoid smashing things. Then we drove the bus off the bridge to safety.