Chapter 10

I had to get up.  Unfortuanatly, I am a very light sleeper.  And I heard a noise which I later insinuated to be the doorbell.  I looked at the clock.

Who would be at the door at this hour?

It was three am.  I didn't exactly want to get up, but it's not like Jeff or Marshall were going to.  They weren't going to get up if they heard it, and not even that is likely.  So of course, I had to put on some clothes.  I can't exactly show up to the door with my underpants on.

The person answering the door would be like "oh ma freakin gawd".  Yeah, can't let that happen.

I didn't even remember a single dream.  Yeah, I guess that can happen when you're rudely awoken.

I answered the door and to my extreme astonishment, it was Marina.  I hadn't seen her in like three months.  I pretty much thought she was history, even though my friends are still dating Trista and Stella.  They never were around too much with them when I was around, and if they were, there was never any mention of Marina.  I mean, she was sending loud and clear, silent signals that she didn't want to be with me.  And why would she?  I made a total fool out of myself.

"Oh...um, come in Marina."

I did my best to not act surprised, but that was pretty difficult.

"Oh, hey Alex.  I missed you so much!  I'm sorry I haven't kept in contact with you..."

I was lured in by her magnetic pull, and she hugged me tight.  She had a certain smell that I couldn't quite put my finger on.  But she pulled away too quickly for me to get a good whiff of it.

"Yes, it's okay Marina.  I'm just glad you're here now.  That's what matters."

"Yes Alex, that's all that matters.  Come.  Take a walk with me.  Oh-and change into your trunks."

I did just as she said without question.  I didn't even think of asking her about her strange suggestion.  I just did it.

She drove us to the beach, where she quickly took my hand so we could walk.  The night was beautiful, and she even glowed a little bit.  I swear, she did.  I swear.

I didn't even care that it was April and there was a chill in the air.  Her hand was surprisingly cold, and yet she didn't have any goose bumps and she didn't shiver.  I would've liked to wear all of my clothes, but I didn't really have any desire to.  It was like I thought of leaving to put on some clothes, but instantly my thoughts of that were stopped.

And then we arrived at a hot tub.  I remember this exact hot tub as a kid.  My mom would tell me the story about her and dad.  While near this exact hot tub, my dad proposed to her.

Slowly, she eased herself into the hot tub. 

"Hey come on in Alex, join me."

She was alluring, her voice had a certain tone to it that I didn't quite understand.  I just wanted to obey.  And I admit, that I was staring at her behind more than I should have.  But once it sank into the hot tub, I just obeyed.

I was pretty awkward in the hot tub.  She just kept staring at me, and I just sort of stared at the bubbles, as each one popped.  I counted the bubbles.  I watched the foam move in the hot tub.  I just didn't want to think of her extreme presence right next to me.

She had the radio on (for some reason, the radio was just randomly there when we arrived.  I've never seen it there before).

The tune was metalically, the rhythym was amazing, unlike anything I've ever heard.

Marina was getting impatient.

"Alex, come on baby.  I didn't get up in the middle of the night just to sit next to you in the hot tub."

I almost wanted to do as she said.  But something stopped me.

I got out of the hot tub, leaving her there.

"Alex, why are you leaving?  We were only just getting started?"

I just ignored her.

Leaving her presence, I gained the ability to just run away from her.

Why was I even just with her?  What was I doing?  Why did I see in her?

I went home to bed, where I should have stayed before.  Quickly, I fell asleep.

I was walking and walking, and it was pitch black besides some stars.  They glistend as I continued to walk through the black.  I walked without thinking, I was just walking.  I have never been so devoid of thought.  I just wanted to get to some unknown place.

But then I suddenly stopped, and I decided to look down.  It then came to me where I was.  I was just walking in space.

Hey wait, that's not possible!  I can't wlak in space!

I started to fall and fall.

Oh no.  I'm in space and I'm falling.  What will I do now?  How will I reach Earth?

Earth's image was shrinking and shrinking in the background.

How will I ever make it back to Earth?

I was falling so fast I couldn't make out anything anymore.

I have to say goodbye to everything now.  Goodbye life.  Grandpa was right.  I will always be a faliure.  twenty-two and never been kissed-now that just sounds pitiful.

But then, I made out an image way above me very clearly.  It was a girl, but not just any girl.

Oh my god.  It's her. She has come for me!

She was flying gracefully, I saw no signs of her tumbing to a never ending death as me, she flew as well as a hawk.

Quickly, she caught up to me.  I lost sight of her, and before I knew it she was there.  She took my hand and saved me from my neverending death.

Her grip was reassuring.  I knew I was safe.

Don't worry, I will keep you safe.  You are fine now.

I was genuinly reassured by her words.  I full heartedly believed her.

Soon, she let go of my hand, and she showed me how she flew.  And I started to fly without falling.  Next to her, I knew I would be alright.  She wouldn't let me fall again.
But, I was skeptical. How can I possibly fly?

"Oh Alex, it's ok.  You can fly because this is my dream."

How does she know my name?  Why does she say that this is her dream?  How can this be a dream?

"Oh, I assure you this is a dream. We're in space.  How did we get here?  You don't know, do you?"

I thought about it, and I realized I didn't.

"And you're breathing.  If this was real life, you wouldn't be able to breathe in this harsh environment.  You would already be dead.  And we're flying."

But then why was I able to walk in the beginning?

"Because you thought you could.  In dreams, you can only do what you think you can do.  If you question why, then chances are it won't work anymore.  You just do it."

"Hey, get out of my head-"

This is one smart person of my dreams.

So that's why I started to fall only after I realized it wasn't possible.

"That's right, Alex.  You only fell because you realized it wasn't possible.  You are well on your way to lucid dreams."

"Um-lucid dreams?"

"Yes.  You now realize that this is a dream and not reality.  That is called a lucid dream.  You should look it up."

And then, I noticed the moon in the distance.

"Come-let us go check out the moon.  We will be able to jump there.  Though of course you could even do that here.  But it's much easier to do that there since you're new at lucid dreaming.  It's all in what you believe.  Don't you forget that.  And, remember to always question where you are.  That is the key to lucid dreaming. Remember.  Promise me you'll remember?"

"Yes, of course."

I genuinly wanted to listen to her.  We continued to fly to the moon, but the dream faded.

I felt myself stir awake.  But I kept my eyes shut.  I figured that if I didn't open them, the reality wouldn't leave me, or more like, my fake reality: the dream world.  I wanted to be back with her.  But no.  I was back to my plain, normal life. *Sigh*.

Well, what she said really got to me.  She made me...what was the word she used?  Yes, lucid for the first time.  I never even thought about that.  I never thought it was possible that I could ever know that I was dreaming while in the dream.  She pointed out something totally new to me that I never knew before. 

And now, there will be more quality to my dream 'hobby!' I can try to get some more lucid dreams.  I could do anything!

It was about time I did some research.  Who cares about a dream dictionary when I could have fun in my actual dreams, if only I could become aware in my dreams!

I started my research.  There was a lot on google on the subject.

I found the exact defininition of it to be as follows:

Lucid dreaming means dreaming while knowing that you are dreaming. The term was coined by Frederik van Eeden  who used the word "lucid" in the sense of mental clarity. Lucidity usually begins in the midst of a dream when the dreamer realizes that the experience is not occurring in physical reality, but is a dream.

Aparently dream control and lucid dreaming are different.

 Lucidity is not synonymous with dream control. It is possible to be lucid and have little control over dream content, and conversely, to have a great deal of control without being explicitly aware that you are dreaming. However, becoming lucid in a dream is likely to increase the extent to which you can deliberately influence the course of events.

And the good news: lucid dreaming can be learned.

Lucid dreaming is a skill you can develop, like learning a new language. A few individuals may have an innate talent for achieving lucidity, yet even they can benefit from instruction and practice in making the most of their lucid dreams. Many more people experience lucidity as a rare spontaneous event, but need training to enjoy lucid dreams at will. The best predictor of success with lucid dreaming is the ability to remember dreams.

I continued to google everything about lucid dreaming.  There was so much information about them it was insane.  It was getting pretty late (about time that Marshall and Jeff may be getting up on their own, ha ha!).

I started to read on how I could aquire lucid dreams more easily.

Another dream-recall related exercise introduced in  EWLD and further developed in  A Course in Lucid Dreaming is identifying "dreamsigns." This term, coined by LaBerge, refers to elements of dreams that indicate that you are dreaming. (Examples: miraculous flight, purple cats, malfunctioning devices, and meeting deceased people.) By studying your dreams you can become familiar with your own personal dreamsigns and set your mind to recognize them and become lucid in future dreams. The Course also provides exercises for noticing dreamsigns while you are awake, so that the skill carries over into your dreams.

And oh joy, I can aquire lucid dreams more easily in naps during the day!  Music to my ears.

Two observations led LaBerge in the late 1970s to develop morning napping as a method of lucid dream induction. First, he noticed that lucidity seemed to come easier in afternoon naps

Just as I thought, Jeff was awake which probably also meant that Marshall was.

But he ran into my room out of breath which startled me.  Naturally.  I was sad to look up from my laptop, but worried at the expression on Jeff's face.  This wasn't a joke.

"Alex!  Marina...is missing."

My eyes bugged out of my head.

Marina, missing?  But I just saw her early this morning?

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It's getting more interesting, right?  Told you!

All of this information about lucid dreams is quite true.  I've had a lot of lucid dreams before, and I would also like to say that the girl in his dreams is me, my simself.  She is how I would be in my dreams.  I know it's weird, and you'll see how weird I truly am!  LOL.  Anyway, I put myself in the story because I am very good at lucid dreaming (had over a hundred, easy), so I figured I'd be the perfect character to convey this dreaming information to Alex.  I don't know how anyone else sees it that well-just me, so it seemed fitting to me.

Also, I hope you will try to lucid dream yourself.  It is very fun, quite unreal.  Have you ever had a lucid dream before?