Dream Within a Dream

 I had a dream two nights ago that seemed to be a dream within a dream, you know, like Inception? The timing of the dream is even stranger once you know that I watched Inception just three nights ago.

I slightly digress. 

I was sitting on the cold hardwood floor with my back facing the French doors that lead out to the deck on the rear of my house. It was pitch black outside, obviously in the ungodly hours of the morning, and for some reason, I was awake and reading. Well, reading early in the morning isn’t the weird part; why was I positioned in front of the French doors? On such an uncomfortable floor, too.

These thoughts didn’t faze me nor did they make me change my mind and start me up the stairs to curl up on my comfy bed and read there instead. I simply kept flipping, page after page, as the night wore on, but it didn’t get any lighter outside.

Suddenly there was a boisterous knock and I jumped to my feet in surprise. The handle turned, but didn’t open, as the doors were locked. Whatever it was on the other side really wanted to get into the house, but couldn’t. I took a quick peek out the windows and didn’t find anyone (or anything) although it was dark outside and I wasn’t in my right mind, so what could I have really seen anyway? Without any more thought, I scrambled away and up the stairs, shutting my bedroom door loudly, perhaps to make me feel better and give me a sense of barrier against whatever was outside the house.

Then the dream shifted and it was broad daylight, hot beams of sun shooting through the windows above the sink in the kitchen as I entered it. My brother and mother were sitting at the island situated in the center of the kitchen and I went to sit down.

“You know, I had the weirdest dream last night,” I murmured, balling my hands together on the green countertop. I had gotten their attention and they stared at me curiously, willing me to continue. I recounted reading in front of the French doors and the abrupt, frightening knocking. They laughed and my mother said something along the lines of, “That movie must have had lots of influence on you. It’s kind of creepy.”

It faded out, dissolving into my subconscious, as I came to. Instantly I knew this was reality, but I was left with such a strange feeling. Had someone been in my head? Or was it just the thoughts about Inception infiltrating and seizing my brain while I was slumbering? The former wasn’t possible, of course, but I still felt odd and somehow elated at “experiencing” a dream within a dream. Then I pondered; what would the purpose of the man (or thing) attempting to get into my house be? Had I made the house something like a bank vault or prison and stored it with valuable information? 

I have no idea. But the only thing I really know is this: Leonardo DiCaprio, if you somehow end up in my head, please don’t sic Mal on me, okay?