Nightmare

Last night, something happened to me that I can't remember ever happening before. I had a horrible nightmare, and while that is not all that rare, I actually was so scared in my dream that I was hyperventilating. It was around 6:30 this morning and George woke me up, "Sweetie, Sweetie, are you okay?"

I was very disoriented, trying to wake up and come out of the dream, but even though I was able to break the spell the nightmare had on me, I was still groggy and barely able to open my eyes. Looking back on it now, I can still remember that feeling of horror just before he woke me up. I also know exactly what I was saying in my dream that came through as the sound of hyperventilating on this side... "seventh floor".

But what the hell does that mean? I can't quite figure out the rest of the dream. I remember dreaming at some point last night about being in a play (like Music Man or something similar) where I had a role to play and songs to sing, but I couldn't remember any of it. (Trust me, being on stage and forgetting my lines in front of the crowd is a recurring theme in my nightmares.) I also remember falling at some point, although I can't seem to connect that sensation with anything else. When I started saying "seventh floor" over and over again, I know that I was laying on the floor and being dragged against my will.

Dreams are curious things. I have dreams and nightmares that I remember from when I was growing up, as clearly as if they were last night's dream. No, more clearly, in fact. I don't know why certain dreams choose to stay with us while others float away from our consciousness the moment we awake. Others, like last night, only linger in broken pieces, haunting us. Is it significant in any way which dreams linger? I wonder.