Daily Dreaming

I was walking the streets of my hometown, heading for nowhere in particular. It was a sunny day out and there were plenty of people going about their daily business. Passing by cafés and shops filled with customers, I slowly milled around the main square taking in the sights and sounds of the early afternoon. In fact I was in such an absent-minded state that before long, I realised I had done a complete circuit and was back where I’d started.

I was beginning to feel peckish, so I made my way down a side alley in search of food. Shortly afterwards, without remembering how, I found myself standing in the centre of a shopping mall. I looked around and spotted a large Boots shop at the corner of one of the intersections. Outside, my mum was chatting away with a close family friend. I was glad to see some familiar faces and headed over to ask for directions.

As I approached them, I realised that my mum was in her work uniform. She hugged our friend and headed off towards the store, entering before I could reach them both. I picked up my pace and made it over my friend, tapping her on the shoulder. With a surprised look she turned to me and a big smile stretched across her face. We embraced and I said I was sorry to have just missed mum. We spent a couple of minutes catching up on how life had been treating us.

I had nearly forgotten my reason for having come to the mall when my stomach let out a loud rumble, causing us both to laugh. Asking whether she knew of any food outlets around, my friend pointed down one hallway where she mentioned that there were a few places to eat. Thanking her, I said my farewells and headed off in search of lunch.

The area I ended up in housed a few fast-food restaurants, and I decided to go for one that looked similar to Five Guys. Surprisingly there was no queue and I was able to order quickly, so I spent a few idle minutes watching passing shoppers from a table until my food was brought out. I’d gone with a burger and fries, which I wolfed down in a couple of minutes. They didn’t really hit the spot, as fast food usually doesn’t, but it was enough to be getting on with.

After a gap in the dream, I next found myself heading down the road towards my parents’ house. The day was still sunny and bright, and birds were singing away in a nearby field. One house caught my eye, as there were a bunch of long, thick cables hanging out of an upstairs window and trailing off towards a strange looking box in the driveway. I wasn’t sure what to make of this, but it didn’t bother me too much and I kept going until I was back home.

My sister was sitting in the dining room as I opened the door and welcomed me back. We began chatting about how our days had been, when suddenly we noticed the sound of sirens coming down the road. Then there was some shouting coming from a few doors down. We couldn’t see what was happening from the dining room window and headed up to our parents’ room for a better vantage point.

The police had arrived outside the house with the dangling wires, and a lady was shouting at them from the window that the cables led into. One of the officers was fiddling with the box in the drive, whilst another was waiting by the police car. Before long, a third officer was escorting a man out in handcuffs. He was young looking and was mouthing off about something or other. I asked my sister if she knew what was going on, and she replied that apparently the people in that house had been stealing internet access through the dodgy box. I wasn’t sure how this was possible, but didn’t think to question it. They certainly seemed to have been doing something illegal at least.

The doorbell rang, and heading back downstairs I was surprised to see my Auntie and Nan standing outside. I wasn’t aware that we were expecting guests, but was pleased to see them all the same. Opening the door, we went through the usual greetings that I had already performed multiple times today. They were both very intrigued by the goings on over the road, but I apologised that I wasn’t really in the know on what had happened. Inviting them into the lounge, we sat and talked for a while as we waited for my mum and dad to arrive home.

With that, the dream ended. I realise I’ve been having a lot of dreams lately where a police raid of some kind is involved.