the faneuil coaster
Incredibly vivid dream last night. It was the first time I can recall, ever, sobbing my eyes out in a dream and feeling my face for streaked tears upon waking. I sent myself a shorthand version of it on my phone, but let me see if I can flesh it out some more. I won’t be able to do it justice, not by a long shot.
I was in Boston, and the whole dream was centered around a long, long slide down the crook in a series of grassy hills. I remember some kind of aerial survey beforehand, where I recognized the slide path by the difference in grass textures. It was like a long, twisty, single-person rollercoaster. I drove on a narrow, winding road to the top in order to start the slide, but for some reason, I couldn’t start at the very top, so I had to enter using an opening in the track a certain ways down. The slide was inside the hill at this point, and I had to maneuver through small openings to gain access, at one point having to completely turn around and back through the small door. I vividly remember thinking of Alice in Wonderland.
The horrific part of the dream started here, where I was given what amounted to a living cat hand puppet: Just a head, and kind of a fabric “cape” coming off the neck, and I was supposed to hold onto this all the way down the slide. I remember asking if the cat was alive, and I was told yes, it was, but that it didn’t have long, and would die shortly. This was (obviously) heart-rending, and I cried, great wrenching sobs that were mirrored by a nameless other in my dream.
I woke up and felt my face. I looked around and saw Draco on the pillow next to mine, and Odin occupying the other side of the pillow my head was on. I petted them both and felt very grateful it was only a dream.