Snake & Dictator Dream

We live in a totalitarian world of sorts, and have newly moved into maximum-security dorms in a high-rise building which towers over a courtyard of cement and beige tile.

I'm suspected of being a witch and attacked by a poisonous snake (created by the dictator's witchcraft). I manage to fight the snake off by hitting it right at its seven-inch mark. I lop off its head, but it's too late, it already bit me, and the poison is in my arm. I thought I could wait it out and let the poison leave my system gradually, but some internet research on my ipad reveals that I need to have the poison extracted in the next few hours or die a paralyzing and painful death.

Using one of my remaining dollar bills, I hire a rickshaw to take me to the hospital, but there is so much bureaucratic red, yellow and multi-color tape that hours later I find myself back at the dorms, having wasted precious time, time I have very little of as I inch closer to dying from the snake bite.

When I return the dictator is waiting for me. He offers to remove the poison from my arm if I spend some private time with him. We take the elevator upstairs together. He personally sucks the poisoned blood out of my arm with his mouth, sucking and spitting. I feel momentarily grateful and we have a good time together. Everybody is doing everything in plain view of everyone else in the dorms, and I feel shy, but more terrified than shy because now I am involved with the dictator.

Biochemical Weapon Zombie Dog Dream: A Political Allegory

A fast-moving escalator takes me downstairs in a large, blindingly white train station. On my way down, I see next to me a suspicious looking man riding the escalator up, carrying a large, ticking device in a cardboard box. I immediately rush down the escalator to tell a security guard about the man who probably has a bomb, and he tells me to run out of the building, fast as I can. People look at me like I’m crazy because I look like I am fleeing for my life, which I am, and I gesture with both hands for all the people to follow me and get out while they still can.

Beyond the train station lie tall buildings in every direction of this big city. It’s difficult running in a straight line—I have to avoid awkwardly positioned buildings and even wait my chance to cross the street at a busy intersection where cars zoom by, fighting over who gets to flatten me. I eventually run through the gates of a school because there's no way around it. Some students are congregating in a classroom; breathlessly I tell them about the bomb in the train station. We all pile into a van together and plan to drive as far away as possible, tossing speed limits to the wind.

As we are driving we see a group of children running in one direction, and some adults running in another. There are packs of very violent, rabid zombie dogs chasing them. We realize that the bomb was actually a biochemical weapon that transformed all dogs into man-eating zombies. As we drive on, outside the car windows dogs are tearing people apart with sharp canine teeth right before our eyes.

FIRST ENDING:

I ask the person driving the vehicle to run over some of the zombie dogs but he swerves every time to avoid them. Finally, we are cornered, and he has to run over one, two, and a few more of the dogs, who are foaming at the mouth behind gleaming, sharp teeth. A man kills one of the strongest looking dogs, the pack leader, and seeing that their leader has been massacred, the remaining dogs suddenly become quiet and submissive. We wish we had started killing the dogs earlier, before they ate as many people as they did. Now we have to rebuild civilization.

It's a new society. Here, minorities have all the privileges because they came into power first. Everything, including technology, is very advanced; there is no racism, there are no immigration problems, and no healthcare debates.

SECOND ENDING:

This time, a woman kills the rabid zombie dog pack leader, lopping its head off with a clean chop. Finally, women rule the world. I feel very happy here. There is no more sexism (except against men), no more rapists (the punishment for sexual assault is so unthinkable that the mere thought of committing the act will make any man limp), or workplace discrimination. Women make more money than men, are the heads of households, and women have all the power.

THIRD ENDING:

I witness a tall, Caucasian man murder the pack leader with his bare hands. Not just the witnesses who were there, but all the people of the world are in awe of his strength. As a result of his coming into power, the world becomes an elitist and racist place where minorities are oppressed and technology is far less advanced.

This piece was published in The People's Apocalypse.

Royal Meerkats

I am picking large, blood-colored strawberries that were grown by the royal meerkat family, which I suspect is/are [depending on whether they really are] British. They do not believe in eating their own strawberries, so I gather a basketful of them from the stawberry plants by the lush green side gates. A two-dimensional cartoon girl with yellow pigtails approaches me and tells me I am very lucky to be one of the chosen few to join the royal meerkats. Together we walk up a green hill to the royal meerkat gathering.

In a classroom-like cave, the royal meerkats sit at long desks. They look Cambodian, and some are dressed in colorful silk clothing: turquois, bright pink, light green. The other girl and I are the last to arrive. The Royal Meerkat Matron at the front of the classroom tells us we must draw names from a box and pair off to practice for the royal wedding/mating ritual. Princes and princesses pair off together, and then princes and princes ("Wear a wig," the Matron says). Finally the elder prince is left by himself, and the Matron says, "Do it to yourself, you're used to it by now anyways."

Want to Store Your Umbrella in a Bunny?

Hardcover Book Killer

A group of people hear rumors about a murdered woman in the woods, so I reluctantly join them on their search for the dead body. We find it a few minutes later, a blonde woman whose face is already decomposing and revealing some skull. I turn around, ready to run, and realize that the killer is back.

Members of the group scatter in all directions as the killer with long hair and wild eyes tries to hunt us down. I find a knife and stab him in the back. This transforms him into a hardcover book with a black and white book jacket. I stab the book some more, making a triangular flap, in case it comes back to life.

Hospital Evacuation

I’m in a hospital bed for some procedure, and there are tubes linked to various parts of my body and along my limbs. I want to get down from the bed and walk around a little, but the nurse tells me I can’t because my tubes link me to another patient. Soon I realize that the patient I am linked to is dead, and I am terrified. Afraid to look in that direction, I lie very still to avoid accidentally pulling the dead body close to me.

An alarm goes off in the hospital, and a voice says through the loudspeaker, “Everybody must evacuate right now. Please leave the hospital!” I’m worried about dragging the dead body behind me so I finally decide to rip the tubes off my body. No blood spurts out, thankfully, so I gather up my laptop and bag and leave with all the other people who are escaping from the hospital. I feel guilty about the patient I was linked to and never look at the dead body for fear of what I might see.