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.