Monday 16 January 2023
Dream recall:
Judith and I had gone down to Runaway. We were going to head out of a small bay where other boats were moored, and would be taking her upstream, into a small river. We had to get underway soon as the tide was falling. There was someone else onboard, but I couldn’t see who. The mast was not in.
Judith was in the cockpit securing some things and looking out ahead of us. I started the engine, put it in gear and looked over the stern to see brown mud and sand swirling up as the propeller dug in to push Runaway ahead and off the bottom. With a small jolt we moved ahead into open water, maneuvering between other boats, heading towards the entrance to the small river or inlet.
I could feel the controls in my hands as we adjusted speed, moving ahead smoothly and slowly. Across the entrance to the river were a set of 3 or 4 large pilings which marked the traffic lanes for boats going in and out. There were other boats coming out and we had to edge over far to the right, passing through the narrowest lane between pilings, which gently rubbed the sides as we moved ahead.
In the open water of the river, I could see some buildings ahead and a dock. As we tied up and shut the engine off, we were met by someone familiar to Judith (he had been on a sailboard in a tux).
The buildings were a hospital, and we were going in to see someone and talk with people there. We passed through the main doors and were standing at the elevator entrance when Judith turned to me, her eyes deep and kind as she said “Don’t get too emotional here with what you see. Just stay focused.”
One elevator opened but was too full of people so we waited for the next one. When we got out there was some sort of a display, a tree-like thing that held dozens of car keys dangling from its branches.
The people we were there to meet explained: “This is a reminder of how we used to do things. People came in here and never went home, leaving everything behind. We will never do that again, and these reminders are on every floor.”
I woke with a small start, remembering the car keys and the people that would never use them again.