My Water Dream (by Rune Woodman)
March 7th 2009 06:39
We stood outside The University waiting for my parents to show, they were late. The sun was low in the sky, hidden by the gothic sandstone structures of the medical faculty. To pass the time we drank coffee. I shouldn’t have drunk the coffee. I was already thirsty and coffee does nothing to quench a thirst.
We waited. My thirst grew. The sun sank. My thirst grew. We waited.
"I need water," I said. "There's a vending machine in The Common Room. I'll run in and get a bottle of water."
"I’ll come with you," you said.
"No, you should wait here for my parents. I won't be long."
"But it's dangerous."
"I’ll be Okay."
I headed through the gate and mapped a path in my head that would quickly take me to the common room and the vending machine. Once the sun had set the university campus would become a difficult and dangerous place. Already students wandered the grounds like zombies, reciting lines from obscure text books, pretending to know you so they might pick your brain and add it to their collection. Exams were tough and they had to do what ever they could to get a pass.
I was scared. I'd been lost on campus at night once before and only escaped a marauding herd of students by the sheer luck of stumbling through some bushes that covered a hole in the perimeter fence. Back then I didn't know the grounds so well, but ever since I'd been planning me escape route should I ever have to work late again. I was confident I'd be safe and, more importantly, I had to get that water. My throat was cracked from the dryness of my mouth and my tongue stuck to my soft palette.
I didn't use the footpaths, there were too many bushes and low trees where students could jump out and surprise you. For safety at night you had to walk in the middle of the road, keep your wits about you and hold back your fear. Fear would lead to panic and panic would make you run; I know it's hard to believe but you are much safer with a calm walking than a frantic running. Students loved to chase.
There was an alley between two buildings, if I took it my journey would be cut in half. The risk of being trapped was low, the students weren’t organised enough to work together, each had their own agenda so I knew it was safe. At the other rend of the alley was a large square. Open spaces were a problem because a faculty member was easily spotted.
The end of the square went in two directions, up and down. A wide flight of steps led down to the road and a narrow flight led up to a walkway that crossed over the road. On the other side of the road was an upward sloping field of grass. In the middle of the field, on top of the hill was The Common Room. I could see it, still bathed in what was left of the day's light, a small demountable building packed with machines. Given the right amount of coins these machines would dispense chips, chocolate, sweet, fizzy concoctions and precious, life sustaining water.
The walkway would have been safest path to The Common Room as it was high and the last rays of the sun were still settling on the railing. But I'd spied a student huddled in shadows at the far end. I wasn't prepared to get that close so I risked the downwards steps and the road.
Gently my feet landed on each step, hardly making a sound. At the bottom, to my right, two students sat kissing. I knew they wouldn't notice me. The only desire in a student that beat the need for knowledge was the need for sex.
Nearly at the bottom of the steps I thought I was safe, but the student huddled at the end of the walkway had seen me and the sun had moved from the railing. He walked along, leering down at me from above questioning me on subjects I knew nothing about. At one point he mentioned my name and called me friend. I continued walking, trying to avoid looking at him. At the bottom of the steps I shook with a tremor of instinct that told me to run, but I held the urge and slowly put one shaking foot in front of the other.
The student on the walkway screamed and jumped the railing, landing only a few steps behind me. All will power left my body as I began to sprint. All I had to do was get across the road and halfway up the hill where there was still some light. It wasn't much but the students wouldn't dare follow me into it. Exams happen in the day time and none of them would be ready to take the risk of a pop-quiz. No matter the quantity or quality of a student's study, they were never comfortable with taking the risk of being tested.
Easily I made it to the other side of the road. I glanced behind me and saw that the student following me had hurt his ankle and was limping badly but he was not alone. The lovers on the steps, disturbed by the scent of a chase, had lost their train of thought and were on their feet. Dimly I noticed others coming at me from either side and from the other end of the square. Shock dawned on me when I counted no less than five of them rushing from the alley I'd so calmly traversed only moments before.
I thought about you, out there waiting for my parents, and realised it was stupid to attempt to enter the university at night alone. I should have waited; we could have stopped for water later.
I had given up hope of escape when I burst across the shadow line into the light of day, I hadn't realised I was still running. I was safe for the moment. Like a fence the ring of light held the students at bay, but it wouldn't last forever. I didn't stop to count them but they surely numbered in their hundreds and that number would continue to grow the longer I took to get my drink. I would have to get into The Common Room, get my water and find another exit from the campus. I didn't like my chances.
Inside the room I was bathed in comforting, controlled, educated, background music, air-conditioning and fluorescent light. The beautiful drinks machine hummed in the corner and offered row after row of bottled water and, surprisingly, fruit flavoured thick-shakes. Feeling for coins in my pocket I stepped up to the machine.
I had a number of one and two dollar coins and some smaller change. There was easily enough for two bottles. I would drink one immediately and save the other for later. With the coins in my hand I picked out bits of fluff then checked the machine for the price of a bottle. It was cheaper than I expected but a red flashing light near the coin slot told me that no change would be given; damn-it! I would have to find the right money.
As the light outside grew more dim I was painfully reminded that losing a few cents, or even a dollar in exchange for the water was the least of my problems. Panicked I put the first two dollar coin into the slot. The money went in but I didn’t hear the familiar clink of the coin falling through the machine's gullet. It was stuck. Another light flashed near the coin slot, "Stuck coin." As if I couldn't have worked that out for myself.
It was then that I heard the squeak of The Common Room door opening behind me. With a dart of my eyes I looked out the window, it was still light outside. This must have been another faculty member. Relieved and a smiling I turned with the explanation, "My coin's stuck." At least my tongue was free from my soft palette. My smile quivered on my mouth when I saw my new companion was a young woman. I couldn't be sure but I felt I'd seen her before, running with an armful of books, perhaps late for class. But that was not possible; no student could have crossed the light barrier. She had to be a member of the faculty. My sandy tongue licked papery lips while I considered my options.
She was beautiful, plump and well nourished. Perhaps she wasn’t a student after all. Her glossy red lips parted and she spoke, “Can I help you?”
I took a step back and bumped into the drink machine, "How did you get here?"
"I followed you."
"Why weren't you set upon by the students? How did you get past them safely?"
"You don't know?"
"No," with my hand in my pocket I nervously jingled some of my coins.
"You don't recognise me?"
"No but you do look familiar. At first I thought you were a student, but that’s not possible, you’d be stuck in the dark if you were, but if you're not a student, how did you get by them without being blasted by thousands of pointless questions?"
She smiled at me, "For three days a week I work in the library and for the other two days I study languages. I’m a hybrid. I walk amongst students and faculty."
"A hybrid? I’ve not heard that term on campus before."
"Most people don't know we exist, some think we're a myth. But here I am; I am real. Now, can I help you with your drink? Then we can get out of here."
I nodded my head and The Hybrid stepped up to the machine and gave it a solid bump with her hip. My coin dislodged from wherever it was stuck and rattled down into the guts of the dispenser. I purchased my water then entered my second coin and purchased the second bottle.
Twisting the top off one of the bottles I noticed it was almost completely dark outside. We didn't have long before the students would fill The Common Room. I raised the bottle to my lips but before I could take a drop the Hybrid put her hand on my forearm, stopping the bottle from getting closer to my mouth. “You cannot drink,” she whispered
I looked at her, "Why?"
"This is a dream. If you could drink while dreaming you would never wake up. Do not drink from the bottle. Instead wake up, go down stairs and have a glass of water."
Before I could ask her what she was on about the door to The Common Room flew open and students began to pour through it.
There was a choice to be made so I closed my eyes to think. Should I drink from the bottle and go down under a pile of inquisitive undergraduates or open my eyes?
I opened my eyes. It was dark, it was quite and I needed a drink.
We waited. My thirst grew. The sun sank. My thirst grew. We waited.
"I need water," I said. "There's a vending machine in The Common Room. I'll run in and get a bottle of water."
"I’ll come with you," you said.
"No, you should wait here for my parents. I won't be long."
"But it's dangerous."
"I’ll be Okay."
I headed through the gate and mapped a path in my head that would quickly take me to the common room and the vending machine. Once the sun had set the university campus would become a difficult and dangerous place. Already students wandered the grounds like zombies, reciting lines from obscure text books, pretending to know you so they might pick your brain and add it to their collection. Exams were tough and they had to do what ever they could to get a pass.
I was scared. I'd been lost on campus at night once before and only escaped a marauding herd of students by the sheer luck of stumbling through some bushes that covered a hole in the perimeter fence. Back then I didn't know the grounds so well, but ever since I'd been planning me escape route should I ever have to work late again. I was confident I'd be safe and, more importantly, I had to get that water. My throat was cracked from the dryness of my mouth and my tongue stuck to my soft palette.
I didn't use the footpaths, there were too many bushes and low trees where students could jump out and surprise you. For safety at night you had to walk in the middle of the road, keep your wits about you and hold back your fear. Fear would lead to panic and panic would make you run; I know it's hard to believe but you are much safer with a calm walking than a frantic running. Students loved to chase.
There was an alley between two buildings, if I took it my journey would be cut in half. The risk of being trapped was low, the students weren’t organised enough to work together, each had their own agenda so I knew it was safe. At the other rend of the alley was a large square. Open spaces were a problem because a faculty member was easily spotted.
The end of the square went in two directions, up and down. A wide flight of steps led down to the road and a narrow flight led up to a walkway that crossed over the road. On the other side of the road was an upward sloping field of grass. In the middle of the field, on top of the hill was The Common Room. I could see it, still bathed in what was left of the day's light, a small demountable building packed with machines. Given the right amount of coins these machines would dispense chips, chocolate, sweet, fizzy concoctions and precious, life sustaining water.
The walkway would have been safest path to The Common Room as it was high and the last rays of the sun were still settling on the railing. But I'd spied a student huddled in shadows at the far end. I wasn't prepared to get that close so I risked the downwards steps and the road.
Gently my feet landed on each step, hardly making a sound. At the bottom, to my right, two students sat kissing. I knew they wouldn't notice me. The only desire in a student that beat the need for knowledge was the need for sex.
Nearly at the bottom of the steps I thought I was safe, but the student huddled at the end of the walkway had seen me and the sun had moved from the railing. He walked along, leering down at me from above questioning me on subjects I knew nothing about. At one point he mentioned my name and called me friend. I continued walking, trying to avoid looking at him. At the bottom of the steps I shook with a tremor of instinct that told me to run, but I held the urge and slowly put one shaking foot in front of the other.
The student on the walkway screamed and jumped the railing, landing only a few steps behind me. All will power left my body as I began to sprint. All I had to do was get across the road and halfway up the hill where there was still some light. It wasn't much but the students wouldn't dare follow me into it. Exams happen in the day time and none of them would be ready to take the risk of a pop-quiz. No matter the quantity or quality of a student's study, they were never comfortable with taking the risk of being tested.
Easily I made it to the other side of the road. I glanced behind me and saw that the student following me had hurt his ankle and was limping badly but he was not alone. The lovers on the steps, disturbed by the scent of a chase, had lost their train of thought and were on their feet. Dimly I noticed others coming at me from either side and from the other end of the square. Shock dawned on me when I counted no less than five of them rushing from the alley I'd so calmly traversed only moments before.
I thought about you, out there waiting for my parents, and realised it was stupid to attempt to enter the university at night alone. I should have waited; we could have stopped for water later.
I had given up hope of escape when I burst across the shadow line into the light of day, I hadn't realised I was still running. I was safe for the moment. Like a fence the ring of light held the students at bay, but it wouldn't last forever. I didn't stop to count them but they surely numbered in their hundreds and that number would continue to grow the longer I took to get my drink. I would have to get into The Common Room, get my water and find another exit from the campus. I didn't like my chances.
Inside the room I was bathed in comforting, controlled, educated, background music, air-conditioning and fluorescent light. The beautiful drinks machine hummed in the corner and offered row after row of bottled water and, surprisingly, fruit flavoured thick-shakes. Feeling for coins in my pocket I stepped up to the machine.
I had a number of one and two dollar coins and some smaller change. There was easily enough for two bottles. I would drink one immediately and save the other for later. With the coins in my hand I picked out bits of fluff then checked the machine for the price of a bottle. It was cheaper than I expected but a red flashing light near the coin slot told me that no change would be given; damn-it! I would have to find the right money.
As the light outside grew more dim I was painfully reminded that losing a few cents, or even a dollar in exchange for the water was the least of my problems. Panicked I put the first two dollar coin into the slot. The money went in but I didn’t hear the familiar clink of the coin falling through the machine's gullet. It was stuck. Another light flashed near the coin slot, "Stuck coin." As if I couldn't have worked that out for myself.
It was then that I heard the squeak of The Common Room door opening behind me. With a dart of my eyes I looked out the window, it was still light outside. This must have been another faculty member. Relieved and a smiling I turned with the explanation, "My coin's stuck." At least my tongue was free from my soft palette. My smile quivered on my mouth when I saw my new companion was a young woman. I couldn't be sure but I felt I'd seen her before, running with an armful of books, perhaps late for class. But that was not possible; no student could have crossed the light barrier. She had to be a member of the faculty. My sandy tongue licked papery lips while I considered my options.
She was beautiful, plump and well nourished. Perhaps she wasn’t a student after all. Her glossy red lips parted and she spoke, “Can I help you?”
I took a step back and bumped into the drink machine, "How did you get here?"
"I followed you."
"Why weren't you set upon by the students? How did you get past them safely?"
"You don't know?"
"No," with my hand in my pocket I nervously jingled some of my coins.
"You don't recognise me?"
"No but you do look familiar. At first I thought you were a student, but that’s not possible, you’d be stuck in the dark if you were, but if you're not a student, how did you get by them without being blasted by thousands of pointless questions?"
She smiled at me, "For three days a week I work in the library and for the other two days I study languages. I’m a hybrid. I walk amongst students and faculty."
"A hybrid? I’ve not heard that term on campus before."
"Most people don't know we exist, some think we're a myth. But here I am; I am real. Now, can I help you with your drink? Then we can get out of here."
I nodded my head and The Hybrid stepped up to the machine and gave it a solid bump with her hip. My coin dislodged from wherever it was stuck and rattled down into the guts of the dispenser. I purchased my water then entered my second coin and purchased the second bottle.
Twisting the top off one of the bottles I noticed it was almost completely dark outside. We didn't have long before the students would fill The Common Room. I raised the bottle to my lips but before I could take a drop the Hybrid put her hand on my forearm, stopping the bottle from getting closer to my mouth. “You cannot drink,” she whispered
I looked at her, "Why?"
"This is a dream. If you could drink while dreaming you would never wake up. Do not drink from the bottle. Instead wake up, go down stairs and have a glass of water."
Before I could ask her what she was on about the door to The Common Room flew open and students began to pour through it.
There was a choice to be made so I closed my eyes to think. Should I drink from the bottle and go down under a pile of inquisitive undergraduates or open my eyes?
I opened my eyes. It was dark, it was quite and I needed a drink.
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