6th of November, 2024

I had a dream I was at another person's house. It was actually a strange interpretation of my grandfather's house but that's unimportant. I wanted to get something to drink, but the cups were all dirty. I found the cup I wanted to use, my cup, and went to clean it. I started with the straw. I was noticed by the chef of the house, he told me to be thorough about cleaning the straw, he said look very carefully at the inside and told me of a time he believed he had properly cleaned it only to...

I cut him off. I didn't want to hear any more.

I scrubbed and scrubbed and scrubbed. I peered at the inside of the straw and saw that it had been dirtied with some pink bubblegum like substance, in fact, everything in the sink had splotches of it. it smelt savoury. I was nauseated but I persisted, moving on to other items in desperation to just find something suitable to eat off of. The savoury bubblegum wouldn't wash off no matter how hard I tried. I felt like I was going to vomit. The chef came back and told me to wash the item I was holding. He said he'd inspect it once I was done to ensure it was done properly. I masked my panic and laughed nervously. Every time I thought I was done, I found spots that I had missed.

I had another dream of a woman. She was followed by a clone of hers. A clone that was taller and more confident and always a few steps behind her. At first, walking the streets around her block, she ran across the road and in front of cars that blocked his path, doing everything to put distance between herself and her shadow. He always had a smug look on his face. A childish expression flickering whenever she pulled these stunts of hers.

She grew tired of fighting and attempted submission. When she crossed the road without running, she stood on the other side and looked back, waiting for him to catch up. he walked past a pedestrian, a woman likely walking home. I'm glad you trust me around woman he said with a voice sitting in the back of her head, you know what I'd do if I felt unwanted. And he continued to follow. She radiated guilt and fear. She felt like a traitor in her own flesh. It was then that I realised she hadn't been running from her shadow. She was avoiding crossing paths with other women, alone in the middle of the night. She did know what he would do and she had to protect others from his actions.