I Woke up from a Dream I Dreamt I Dreamt in a Dream: June 28th,
09/27/2005 01:33 a.m.

I was walking around one day from place to place in my normal course in my normal routine. I woke up, took a shower, went to work, did some accounting, talked to co-workers, argued with my brother, went home, made dinner, talked with my husband, ate dinner, watched t.v., fed the children, changed into my pajamas, and then went to bed and began to dream...

I dreamt I was alone, sitting silently in a prison with iron bars. It was a small box-like jail cell, confining, filled with stale air, and defined by clear boundaries. The lock on the iron door was marked "eternal prisoner". Simply put. I could not believe that this was my fate. How could this have happened? I became so afraid, and fear turned to anger. I slammed my fists against the bars, bruising my hands as I screamed at the top of my lungs "LET ME OUT!!!" I screamed and I hit, and I screamed and I cried, and I screamed and fell to my knees exhausted. Feeling emotionally and physically exhausted, I fell on the floor and fell fast asleep, tears still streaming down my face, and I began to dream...

I dreamt I was alone, sitting silently in a prison with iron bars. It was a small box-like jail cell, confining, filled with stale air, and defined by clear boundaries. The lock on the iron door was marked "eternal prisoner". Simply put. As I stood up to embark upon my angry thrashing and lashing out with my hands and my voice, I found I couldn't stand and fell to the ground hard. I tried to break my fall with my hands as is a natural reaction, but I found that my hands were unusable and I landed straight on my head with a THUD. As I focused my vision, I looked down at my hands and feet and can you believe what I saw? Cold iron shackles. Yes, I was bound hand and foot, within this natural prison. And on each small but solid iron lock that held each shackle to the other was engraved the words, "Rula Shin – locksmith". Simply put. I began to scream and shake as I realized that I had somehow inadvertantly shackled myself together, locking my own feet together and my own hands together!! It's right then and there that I fainted, once again hitting the floor hard inside my natural prison, unable to catch myself tied in my own hand made shackles. At some point, I fell asleep and began to dream...

I dreamt I was alone, sitting silently in a prison with iron bars. It was a small box-like jail cell, confining, filled with stale air, and defined by clear boundaries. I did not move, feeling so intensly that cold iron against the skin of my hands and feet, remembering my self made shackled state within my prison. I sat down on my bench. I sat down but I didn't cry, and I didn't scream, and I didn't fight, and I didn't think "why?" and I didn't think "how?" and I didn't think "when?". In fact, only one thought circulated in my skull, "you are helpless. Accept your helplessness". And can you believe what happened then? SILENCE. NOTHING.

I looked at the shackles on my hands and feet and SAW the engraving had changed, ”Locksmith, who made the lock also holds the key.” Suddenly, I woke up, still sitting in a small box-like jail cell, confining, filled with stale air, and defined by clear boundaries with iron gates and a lock that read "eternal prisoner." But there were no shackles on my hands or feet.