10/18/03
Fire Heroes

I had this dream during my regular sleep yesterday.

Ma and I were standing in the living room during the daytime doing something. It seemed to involve talking and randomly walking around. It was overcast outside; Ma seemed to be near the picture window/rocking chair, while I stood closer to the center of the room. While we talked I happened to look out the northwest window over at the neighbor's property. In real life a man named Mr. R. used to live there, but he died a while ago; I'm not sure who lives there now. Also in real life there are like two houses there; I'm not sure which one Mr. R. actually lived in. They're right side by side and the nearer one has some sort of shed set up in the yard; they are on the corner of the highway. In my dream, it's like these two houses were combined into one, with the shed or something like it nearby; it was much smaller and seemed to be attached to the side of the house, which was white (as in real life). The further house, in real life, is right on the edge of the woods; in my dream the one house was in the same position, with trees behind it.

Well anyway...I glanced outside at this house and noticed some flames flickering up from either behind it or from the shed area. The flames were small at first, but still higher than they should have been. I frowned.

"They've got a fire going over there," I said to Ma. "I wonder if anyone's watching it...? It seems kind of big." In the dream I knew Mr. R. and his relatives liked to burn fires every so often (in real life it was actually another neighbor who did this, often burning leaves or something out in the woods), so at first I was not alarmed; I figured he was just doing this again. But that fire did seem abnormally big for a tended fire...

Ma wasn't very interested or concerned; she just glanced out and then continued talking, or doing whatever she was doing. It was hard to hold her attention. But then I noticed that this fire was licking at the trees behind Mr. R.'s house, and then I saw it in the window of either the shed or the house itself--flames leapt from the roofs. "That's not a set fire!" I exclaimed. "We have to call the fire department to put it out! It's burning his house down!"

Ma still was not very concerned. I guess me running to get the phone convinced her, although she remained neutral throughout the entire dream. I went to the dining room and picked up the phone, only it seemed different; I don't think it had a cord. In the living room, I noticed Ma herself had a phone as well--we had two phones in this dream, but only one phone line. I dialed 911 SUCCESSFULLY! On the VERY FIRST TRY! I swear, that's only like the SECOND time ever in a dream where I dialed 911 correctly. The whole seven digits, to boot. (We have to dial xxx-9911 in my town.) I turned to look at Ma only to hear a busy signal on my end--this meant that SHE had beaten me by mere seconds, calling 911! I fumed. (No pun intended.) *I* had wanted to be the hero!

I went into the living room and kind of made faces at Ma to get off the phone. Jeez, this was completely immature of me, but I REALLY wanted to take charge and help somebody for once--things I just never get to do in real life. Ma understood and hung up so my line was free. I got through to 911 and started explaining what was going on.

"There's a fire burning the house down next door," I said, trying to speak clearly and not too hurriedly even though I was just about hopping from foot to foot by now. I looked out the window the entire time. "We need the fire department." I looked at Ma and started mouthing, "What's the address? WHAT'S THE ADDRESS??" since I had no clue what Mr. R.'s address was, even though he lived right across the intersection! >_< Ma just looked at me with that maddening blank look. She had no clue what I was asking. UGH! The operator--a woman--finally started asking me what the address was and I had NO ANSWER! Some hero I was!

"It's--it's our neighbor's house," I finally improvised. "They're right across the street from us." I then gave our street address, feeling very stupid! I noticed now that some others had gone to Mr. R.'s aid and he had a big motorboat or some such which was being moved. Somehow they procured our permission to park it in our yard so it would not be burned. (Perhaps they spoke with Dad?--he did not appear in this dream, though he may have been outside.) "You'll know our house when you get to it," I said to the operator now, "because it'll have a BIG BOAT in the front yard!" Well, at least it was a little bit useful.

After informing the operator of this...I had no idea what I was supposed to do next! I had nothing left to say and was just tying up the line so I REALLY wanted to hang up the phone. However, the operator didn't tell me to do so, and didn't inform me of what I should do. She said the fire department was on their way, but she did not tell me if I should hang up or not! I felt so STUPID! It was just like being in public and everyone is looking at you to say something, but your mind is blank--what do you do? You know, that big awkward pause that comes whenever you run out of things to say, yet you're expected to say more. I HATE that kind of pause!

So I just kind of stood there stupidly, holding onto this phone and looking out the window. Having no idea what to do next.

By now, as I said, there were some other neighbors attempting to help stop the spread of the fire. It was burning the house and the shed and the nearby trees--I don't recall seeing anything actually being consumed or charred by it, but I did see plenty of orangish transparent flames leaping upwards in tall sheets. (The fire was unusually even and orderly, now that I think of it.) Ma and I just stood and watched.

Finally a yellow fire truck appeared, coming from the north. Yellow? Well...yeah, for some reason. :/ It seemed rather small for a fire engine, too, but at least it was here. The thing was, the boat was NOT in our yard...and even though the fire was in plain view...the fire truck just KEPT ON DRIVING! It went right past and continued on south, out of sight! I gawked at it as it disappeared, then started fuming again!

"I think I know why they didn't stop," I groused. "It's because there's NO BOAT IN THE YARD!!" They had, after all, been told to look out for a boat! Sheesh, could this get any worse? >_<

Well...the point of view of the dream shifted here. Now it was from the point of view of a firefighter crew and the dream seemed to play out more like a television drama. Apparently some members of one team had shown up at the fire to help fight it, but they were not a full team, and they really needed backup from the crew that had gone by in the yellow fire truck. However, as that crew was long gone and nobody had any idea when they would turn around and come back, the firefighters who were already there had to take action. (I guess the fire was really dangerous, too much so for them to act on their own.) It's like I was looking at them standing in an offwhite stairwell and the fire chief was this heavyset Italian-looking man standing near the bottom. The firefighters had their pants and suspenders and maybe their boots on, but not their coats or helmets; they were only half dressed. The fire chief looked up at the rest of the men around him with a tense look on his face. "Well, guys?" he said. "What do you say we go in there and do our best for as long as we can hold out?"

The general mood of the small group was gloomy--they had really been depending on the firefighters in the yellow truck--but they all agreed. I believe they got themselves dressed and went in once more to combat the fire.

...And the dream shifted again, right at this moment. It appeared to be a commercial starring two black people, a man and his wife. They were out on a long white covered porch. At least I think the woman was the guy's wife. He was bald shaven, maybe with a mustache; kind of cute. I think first she served him something and he was surprised to receive it; then she came out with a ceramic plate or bowl and handed it to him, serving him a second something. (She acted like a neighbor lady friend, or as if she were older than him, so maybe she was not his wife; I can't be positive.) He looked into the bowl and even though it was supposed to have some kind of food in it, it was either also something else or turned into something else. The bottom centimeter or so of the bowl seemed to be coated with some orangish substance, into which had been carved some sort of pattern, in relief, so the bottom of the bowl showed through in places; it seemed abstract, like a few swirls or something. The substance was hard and smooth.

The man looked up at the woman with surprise. "Cut coral?" he said. I think this was something very expensive and ritzy and the woman nodded in response. The point of this "commercial" or whatever was to stress how casual and happy/satisfied she was to afford such rich things, compared to the man's utter cluelessness and surprise. The difference between the woman's knowing and the man's ignorance was meant to be funny. Perhaps it was a commercial for some kind of food, or for a chain store...?

At that moment I was awakened by my mother--I NEVER FOUND OUT IF THE FIRE WAS DOUSED OR NOT!! >_<;;



2003 Dreams
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