Evil Little Boy

Dear Peregrin,

I thought I might write down a dream I had some tyme ago. Things were getting a little slow so you all might enjoy this one. It is from the night of May 14, 1992. The following is a quote from my Dream Journal.

"I had a nightmare. I was staying with someone in a roomy place. I do not know if it was an apartment or a house. I went for a job through the complex so it must have been an aprtment. I started jogging from my stairs to the first turn and it was night. When I rounded the corner it was late morning. I felt very tired so I thought I had been running all night but I could not remember. There was this pond and it was stormcast so it appeared the silvery pond color. There was grass around and I ventured from the path out of curiousity. I was curious to see what was really out there. I met a little boy about nine years old. He called himself Karen. He had pitch black hair and black eyes.

He called to me and said that I was like the storm. I said that was my name. He looked at the sky and said that all storms live their day and come to pass, and no one remembers them but for how violent they were. I said that his meaning eluded me even though I do not think it did. He said that he thought it meant that people only remember the bad parts of storms. I asked him why he said this and he answered that he didn't know and that he remembered it from a poem. I was not inclined to believe him and then he smiled and evil smile.

I saw a car with my parents in it. The car was storm gray my favorite color. They were on the lane that lead to a parking section near us. They got out and called to me and asked me to come with them. I was intrigued with Karen so I asked if he would be here long. My parents were calling louder and I thought they were being rude. Karen said he was leaving soon and that I should go to my parents if I was inclined. I decided to go with him. He told me places are not as they seem and asked me where I was. He was quite intelligent for a nine year old. I told him that we were in an apartment complex. He gave me a patronizing look. I said okay then I am dreaming so this I could be anywhere and this could be anything. He commended my answer. He said each apartment was someone's dream; the reason I did not have an apartment was because I was sharing/using someone else's dream. I told him he was smart for a nine year old but he was gone.

I was in a lavish room with a lady working on a computer. She wore a crimson velevt robe. When I went into the next room I met a man exitting from a steam bath with a crimson robe. I was so afraid that I ran and the woman stopped me. She said she knew I was afraid but that if I must give the gold, if I do so and stay indoors he will not harm me. She then removed two gold coins from her robe and said for me to give it to him. I ran outside.

Two people ran into me and tried to give the woman their money. I ran across a playground when a vampire came for me. He was mostly bat, and I knew it was the man from the steam bath. We struggled for a moment and then I was in a house alone. I knew he had not bitten me and I was terribly afraid. Dani and Steve [The friends I was living with at the tyme] lived next door and Dani came out to see me. It was still dusk or dawn and I yelled through closed windows for her to go back inside. I prayed that the Gods would keep her safe and she was. Outside there was children playing on a giant copper green and rusted windchime. I looked for Karen but I did not see him. I tried to call Steve but I kept misdialing [Note to Moderator: The following number is fictional and was only a product of Dream] 356 or 361 when the number was 561 6086. I finally got through to him with a bad connection, there was a busy signal in the background. Steve said it was appropriate.

After some tyme Dani came inside the house. There was a long, impossibly long, dog in front of the house with ten legs and a cow pattern coat. The front legs were normal, the middle strange with two useless legs in each socket, and then normal rear legs. Dani was about to let it in and I screamed to her not to because the dog was evil. Dani said I was under stress and should relax, she let the dog in.

Then I saw a lady in the house that was hysterical, she had blonde hair and blue eyes. She was heavy set and wore a beige shirt and white pants. The dog was compacted, his boney body was a squashed w. He did not look comfortable but he was catatonic. Dani asked me why I was staring at the dog and to come help her. When started walking the woman slapped my left foot and shouted Shoo cat Shoo! I told Dani she was hurt me and Dani said that she knew the woman and to just go along with it. The woman grabbed my foot and I fell. She was going to bite into my calf but instead pushed her teeth against me. Dani was laughing, she said I was so amusing when I was scared. I forced myself awake."

So what's your input?

Storm Wolf

Good morning, Storm Wolf.

Karen is an unusual name for a boy. Could this name actually be spelled "Charon?" The ferryman of the river Styx; a symbol of death. Being a boy, he could be a little Death (another name for sleep, or fear, is "little death," which is also a French euphemism for an orgasm).
The boy's words and attitude seem to confirm the association with death. His comment upon the storm is obviously a comment upon you. This could reflect some guilt on your part for evil or violent actions on your part, or it could be a comment upon your voluntary association with the storm -- a warning, so to speak. It also reminds me of Mark Anthony's speech from the Shakespeare play:

"The evil men do lives after them;
The good is oft interred with their bones."

You went with the boy rather than with your parents. I see this as a preference for the unknown and the future, even though the future contains death and fear, over the saftey of the past and the familiar.

His revelation - you're sharing someone else's dream - is significant. A revelation like this from such a figure should always be treated with respect. He was revealing a truth; the interpretation of it is on your head, but it is definitely truth. When you were faced with the choice of going with him or your parents, it was a test of whether you were ready for the message. Once the message was delivered, his purpose was complete, so he left.

You could take the message literally, that you were sharing this dream with someone else. If this is the case, I would apply it to the later parts of the dream, for this part seems tailored just for you.

Or you could take the message figuratively. At this time in your life, were you spending your waking time working to achieve goals that were not really your own? This is another way of sharing someone else's dream.

Or, it could be a reflection on your living situation at the time (living with two friends, no place of your own).

The woman in the velvet robe gives you two coins. Two coins...isn't this the fee that Charon charged for safe passage? But you ignored the woman's advice and rushed outside; in a situation where others would be running for safety you ran toward danger. You don't do it out of any lack of fear. It's unclear at this point just why you did do this; perhaps it is only due to your stormy nature? Your actions place you in another confrontation with Death, but this one is not nearly so friendly.

I get the impression that Dani and Steve were a couple. You were living with these friends, but in the dream they live next door. I think that you saw yourself as an outsider to their relationship with each other. But Dani comes out to see you. Could this be indicative of a desire (on her part or yours) to form or strengthen a relationship between the two of you?

Children playing on a windchime. This symbol is quite intriguing, but I haven't a clue what it means. It could tie in with storms again, or it could be a hint that the danger is less than you perceive. The tie-in with Karen may confirm that this is the portion of the dream that you are sharing with someone else (late-breaking idea: could Dani be the "shared dream?" Or, could you have shared this part of the dream with her? Did you ever check out this possibility?).

Misdialing the phone and getting a busy even while connected could possibly represent poor communication with Steve. If you were harboring feelings for Dani, this could be appropriate. Dani, however, is bringing things into the relationship that you would rather keep out. I'm having a hard time picturing this dog in spite of your excellent description. I would recommend that you hold the image in your mind for a while, to see if it reminds you of something else that you think is evil or wrong.

I don't know this, but am guessing that you are male. Being frightened/threatened by a strong woman is typically a male response. The strange woman could be an aspect of Dani or a manifestation of your superego (inner parent). I can't tell; it could even be both.

I hope you'll forgive the graphic interpretation, but the dog now reminds me of a penis: impossibly long earlier, now squashed and catatonic. It could be that desire for Dani is what you considered wrong. The message from the dream seems to be that the danger is not as strong as you perceive.

In summary, I see a repressed desire for your friend Dani, which frightens you and makes you feel guilty. I see a warning from Karen to avoid evil actions, for you will be remembered for those actions and not as a friend.

There you have it, but please feel free to ignore it if you like. Freud warned against denial of dream meaning, but I think he just didn't like to be wrong. I operate under the assumption that you will be honest with yourself, so if you truly believe that any portion does not apply, throw it out.

Pleasant dreams,

Peregrin