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Fermius Firefly

A Dream Log, whenever I remember the dreams I've had.

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Location: San Marcos, United States

Fermius is a pen name drawn from a series of short fiction I wrote when I published the small press magazine Stellanova (on paper.) I play RPG games to escape from my daily grind as a technology wage slave for the state of California. I eat out a lot in order to do my part in supporting our increasingly service level economy. I am butler to 2 feline masters. If you ask them they will tell you I'm not very good at it, late with dinner, don't have enough hands with brushes in them, and sometimes I even lock them out of their office.

Monday, May 23, 2011

T's Carpool, Hillside Restaurant, After Closing

        I dreamed that TC had driven down to visit. We decided to gather all of us half-centurions together and have a belated bday celebration at Magic Mountain. T was driving and we were taking turns at riding shotgun as we found that none of us wanted to be behind T as his seat, in order to drive comfortably, had to be within inches of the back seat. When it was finally my turn in the front seat I stretched my legs out and the seat dropped back. Tilting me up to look through the sunroof at the large puffy clouds.

        If these clouds stick around it is going to be a great day for roller coasters.

        Its always a great day for roller coasters, MS stated.

        So, how many of us can actually ride, given the restrictions on neck and spine injuries? AH asked.

        We hadnt pulled out of the rest stop yet, the silence of the answer hung in the car.

        How about we run out to the opal mines, instead? SCV suggested, I don’t like roller coasters anyway, and they then all reached for their cell phones in unison to call their spouses.

        Okay by me, I was enjoying the puffy clouds and was glad Id brought the camera, as there were some great cloud rabbits.

        I was back in the old part of the city, having just gotten out of a live performance of some sort. On a whim, I decided to run down to the Hillside Restaurant, just on the off chance that the kitchen hadnt closed yet.

        When I got there, only the family and a few of the staff were there. They had closed early as all their patrons had left before midnight. They wanted to open up and cook me something, but I insisted that they go ahead and clean up and go home early, I would be able to conjure something up at home.

        Whered you park? one of the bartenders asked.

        Down at the bottom of the hill, in front of the warehouses. I never know if Im going to want to trudge uphill after getting out of here.

        Why dont you go with him? the owner suggested in a way that suddenly made me feel nervous. The bartender looked nervous too.

        Id been away awhile, and was wondering why everyone had to be nervous, this part of town had always been very safe.

        We left the building and headed down the hill. We passed a couple of the night people, mere shadows lurking around the mouths of the ally way and leaning on the trashcans and paper bins on the sidewalk. I wished them a good evening, but the bartender just nodded and sped us on by. Most people find the night people unsettling, but for some reason, I never have.

        As we got to the well lit intersection at the bottom of the hill, the bartender looked around the corner, paled and then ran back up the hill, not even making a pretext of looking back to make sure I was following.

        I wanted to take a look around the corner myself, but I also wanted to make sure that the bartender got back to the restaurant okay. So, with a grunt, I turned and started jogging after him. As I ran back up the hill, I saw that the night people had all crouched down behind parked cars and were completely off the sidewalk. Whatever was behind me had frightened them, and thats not usually very easy to do. I cut through the alley after the bartender, but he was much younger and faster than I was, so had vanished up the coast road, headed for the back entrance of the restaurant.

        I noticed a couple of local toughs crouched ready to fight, until whatever was behind me ran out onto the street. They jumped a chain-link fence and took off running between the businesses on the hillside that went down to the beach.

        I finally wondered why I was running away. I turned to face whatever was chasing me, a crackling orb of electricity forming around my body. The bolts of static lit the street, and the night people drew back into the shadows.

        Whatever had come through the alley behind us had stopped and vanished completely from view by the time I had turned around. I could still detect it was there, as could the night people, all of whom were moving quietly and quickly out away from the street.

        Show yourselves! I called out, not because I expected them to, but to lure them into thinking that I didnt know where they were. I began to suspect that they were vampires, of a sort.

One of the night people, from the group Id wished a good evening on,  broke up a wooden pallet with a high leap and then tossed the shattered wooden spikes into the street before slipping down into a storm drain. I smiled, now completely understanding who my antagonists were. I strode down the street, moving into the middle of the roadway. The vampires, still invisible, were only a few meters away, still all in a little knot of hungering hatred.

I reached out and the large wooden splinters joined the swirling bolts of electricity (which I now knew would be merely irritating to my quarry.)

Unfortunately that gave my intent away, and they were suddenly aware that they had become the prey. The group split into four distinct presences  who jetted down the street into the warehouse district. I was only able to catch one of them.

I headed back to the restaurant, I knew they had guest rooms there, I hoped that one would still be available, as Id decided to stay downtown a few more nights.

Ad astra per technica,
FF

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