So, last night I had one
of those dreams. Some would call it a nightmare. Others would say I crossed
over into the Twilight Zone or the Outer Limits.
Yeah. Listen to my story now; it was a crazy dream:
It was as if my 10-year-old daughter Bridget and I were in a
Japanese anime or manga…something akin to a modernized “Lone Wolf and Cub.”
 |
| Check out the films or manga if you haven't already... |
In narrative of this twisted dream, I was being hunted by an
evil ghost. I don’t recall the why’s and wherefore’s as to this vengeful spirit’s
purpose. It was just after me. Guess I had wronged it somehow.
It seems that the dream itself took place in Japan because the
next part of the nightmare I recall is that she and I are on the bullet train,
the Shinkansen. It’s there that we
discover that the wraith is indeed a female and she shares the same name as my
daughter. This revelation comes about by us translating the Japanese kanji (ブリジット),
which is “Burijitto” or “Bridget” in
Japanese. There was also some business with us acquiring magical katanas/swords
that could harm ghosts, but my memory is sketchy on this now. Regardless, it
was made clear that Bridget’s weapon was better than mine. This will come into
play later.
So, she and I eventually disembark the train with the nasty phantasm
hot on our trail. We ultimately come to an open field, readying ourselves for
an assault. The assault comes…the specter comes right for me. It moves almost
like the alien Predator in the classic, 1987 film: it’s there, but not there,
and for fleeting moments I can briefly glimpse the vaguely human shape as it rushes towards me. I hack
at it repeatedly, but my blows do no harm, yet the phantom is hurting me as it right
on top of me. Now, I studied martial arts and Kendo, the Japanese sword art, as
a teenager and I still can handle a bladed weapon fairly well, so this should not
be happening.
Suddenly and swiftly, two strikes hit the assailing apparition
from the side and it backs off of me. It’s Bridget, of course, giving my
attacker what for, but in the process her sword, the better sword…the sword
that is clearly the ghost slaying sword, is flung from her hands.
She screams something to me…something I cannot hear. I assume she’s
telling me to reclaim the sword and I endeavor to do just that but, quick as
flash, the unremitting spirit is upon me once again, enveloping me and that’s when
I awake with start.
Now, here’s where things get really weird.
I’m totally awake. My eyes are wide open. My heart is doing its best
John Henry impersonation on my chest. A split second later, Bridget’s Furby toy,
which is sitting on shelf in the far corner of the room springs to life. The
toy lights up the room and begins to spew its inane jibber-jabber. This Furby
has been dormant for at least two months. No one has touched it or molested it
in quite some time because, quite frankly, the stupid thing is fucking
annoying. Panicked, I bolt upright in bed and glance around the room, which I
can see fairly well due to the eerie glow emanating from the Furby’s digital eyes.
There’s nothing to see. Nada. Zip. Zero. Nothing.
 |
| You can go fuck off an die, Furby. |
I grab my phone to glance at the time. It’s 5:04 AM. Finally, the
Furby has shut the hell up. All this excitement has filled my bladder it seems,
so I leave my cozy bed as the wind howls mightily against the windows. Unaware
as to what new weirdness awaits me outside my door, I step into the hallway to
see the clothes I left carefully draped over the bannister are now haphazardly lying
on the floor. It’s was as if someone was pissed off at me and decided to dump
my shit on the floor…just because they could.
This has never, ever happened before.
I’ve left clothes over that bannister dozens of times over the
last year or so and they’ve always been exactly in the same place when I awoke in
the morning.
Obviously, I stumbled into something supernatural as I slumbered
last evening…something mysteriously paranormal and vaguely evil. And it clearly
wanted to frighten me or send some sort of message. Why? I do not know. Usually,
something like this wouldn’t bother me so much but, right now, I haven’t the
time nor the inclination for such nonsense.
Go away, whatever the hell you are. Oh, and leaving my fucking
daughter out of it. You want me, you come get me.
Dream bullshit or not, I can assure you that if you cross my path
again my sword will be sharp and at the ready.
Make no mistake about that.
