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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.

Friday, July 15, 2016

Wild Pool Party

Lots of splashing and laughing, the smell of burgers on the grill, mustard and onions. Walking on the bottom of the pool with one of the kids on my shoulders to help keep me from floating away. When I got too deep the child swam away and I floated up to the surface, where everyone but me seemed to have some sort of super-soaker spraying in random directions.

Someone shouted out "Make it rain," and everyone started shooting strait up into the air. Music was blasting out of the boom box and every one in the pool was giggling as the water fell back on our heads.

Sunburned, wet, and very happy.

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Friday, July 01, 2016

Night Watch, Locked Out

Lots of dreams lately, but too much going on to have taken the time to write them down. Last night was a doozy, though, three thrilling episodes (of which I remember the first and last.)

In the first dream of the trio, I was having trouble sleeping, so got up and was wandering the space station's shopping mall. The mall was a giant eight story collection of shops and services (mostly the latter.) The mall was crowded, despite the hour, as many visitors to the space station kept their own local time. The sunlit forest and farm areas were exposed to daylight 24/7, and the mall and research labs, where I worked, were on the "night" side of the station. The police force of the daylight side were called the "Frangers" (short for "forest rangers") and the night side station security were the "Night Watch." Both security forces were headed up by the station security office, but all of the members but the Chief and his two deputies were volunteers. There was an application for the Frangers, but there were never any positions listed for the Night Watch, even though there seemed to be plenty of them.

I was strolling from the lighter "gravity" area down to the heavier rings of the mall to do the 12 staircase circuit when I heard the Night Watch announce the time, one fifteen am, and "all's well, lots of walkers out this morning." followed by a smile, more felt than heard. I had never experienced that before. I stopped in my tracks and looked around, trying to find the source of the voice, then realized it had been in my head. Odd, that. I relaxed and closed my eyes, I could hear a half dozen people checking in with the same "All clear here" and the like. I'd never noticed that before on any of my walks. I decide to try something.

"Good morning, can anyone hear me?" I thought with the intent of someone hearing it.

The chatter stopped for a second, and then there were a chorus of "yes's" and genuine well wishes with only one sort of worried greeting. I wondered if I'd make a mistake. I noticed one of the Night Watch looking around, checking out the crowd, a confused look crossed her face. "I wonder if he's still out there, I can't feel anybody but us. Hello?"

I waved at the Night Watch officer, a strawberry blond in her fifties, slightly plump in a way her smartly cut uniform couldn't quite disguise. "Was it you?" I heard her think to me. Clearly as if she'd spoken. I found it more than a little odd, as I didn't believe in psychic powers, but then realized it must be a side effect of my Hall implant.

"I think so," I thought directly for her. She smiled and approached. I could hear her checking to see if anyone else had heard me, they hadn't. That didn't surprise me, as the message had been for her alone.

"Welcome to the Night Watch."

"Don't I have a choice in that?"

"Sort of, join us, or have the implant removed and be sent dirt side."

I realized that the implant wasn't removable, as I'd purchased it myself while living on earth. She didn't know that, as most station employees had theirs "on loan" from the station owners' association. Being sent dirt side would put a kink in my research plans, not to mention aggravate my allergies and arthritis.

We talked for a bit, long enough for the "all's well" to be sent out again, along with lots of questions about me.

"Yeah, you can't hear him unless he's talking directly to you, or broadcasting, pretty amazing control for a breakthrough."

"Oh, finally a new dispatcher!" I heard a very excitable sounding girl's voice ring in my head.

"Let's not get ahead of our selves here. He's a TopSec Research, Custom, Private already working three fifths. I doubt they'll let him go a full shift with us.

"Awww," the little red-haired girl sounded disappointed.

It sounded like I was just going to be a civilian volunteer, plains-clothed, and only when the insomnia kicked in and I was going for my walks. But it was kind of nice to feel like a part of something larger.

-----

The second dream had something to do with a solar powered aircraft, but I don't remember more than that, and a very crowded feeling cockpit. And the color orange.

-----

The third dream was this morning. I was staying in the convention hotel, but wasn't attending the convention. I was there to make contact with a couple from China, and to give them the papers and instructions to make their way to a safe house so that they could defect. I was staying with a partner, we were registered as a husband and wife. We had an adjoining balcony with the Chinese couple. I was napping outside in my robe after the exchange had been made, and was trying to see if I could get a ticket to the last day of the convention. My partner wasn't interested. When she retired to our room, I took a long drink of water, then fell asleep. When I woke up, I couldn't get back into my room, the sliding door was locked.

I checked the other room, the Chinese couple had left during the night. Their door was open but I didn't have my room key, so I didn't want to go out into the hall since I was just wearing my robe and flip flops. I scooted back across the balcony and knocked on the slider. There was a woman in her underwear sprawled out on the bed. Nicely shaped, too bad we hadn't had time to be more married like. I could see luggage, but it wasn't mine or the other agents. I began to wonder just how long I'd been asleep. The woman woke with a start and rolled over. It wasn't the other agent, she quickly covered up.

She picked up the phone, so I shouted "thank you." and turned away, looking out over the city.

A few minutes later a hotel manager sort appeared. I explained that I had fallen asleep on the balcony (it had been a warm pleasant night with a gentle cool breeze) and meanwhile, it appears that my "wife" had checked us out. I didn't have my luggage, clothes or even a room key. I told him the Chinese couple next door had been pleasant but very quiet. He actually remembered them. After a few minutes of trying to figure out how I'd gotten on the wrong balcony, he discovered that my car was still in the Valet parking. I suggested that we move out of my former room, as we were making the current occupant uncomfortable, she was covered in a thin sheet, not having dressed.

We moved over the the adjoining now empty room. The Hotel computer had somehow "lost" my hotel reservation records, as well as the room next door. I considered myself fortunate that the assistant manager had remembered the Chinese couple, so knew my story wasn't a complete fabrication. I would need to stop and fuel the car once before making it home, so asked if I could borrow a shirt and shorts from the gift shop, he had my vehicle information and home address.

Not without a credit card or cash, they said. They would let me keep the robe, though. The assistant manager thought a moment and then said he had some lost and found items I could probably use. When the car was brought around, my bags were in it! (But not my "wife's.") I was able to retrieve my wallet, and tipped him forty dollars for not making a big scene about it. The hotel management was very polite about it.

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