The Dream...

[badstar]

Here it is. It's cut because, like I said before, it's long.


Another temple dream

And for the sake of warning, some folks might find one or two bits a little disturbing.

Apollo and Hermes both appear in this dream, but interestingly enough, the main figure is Dionysus.

Several "memories" in this dream are references to previous dreams in the same thread, linked above.

I can't entirely convince myself that I'm not adding along some of the details in the description, but every time I consider this possibility, the voice of Dionysus as he appears in the dream comes in and tells me that I may not remember actually dreaming every detail, but it was all there otherwise I would not be adding it. So...

I'm on the island, walking to the temple. As I approach, I realize that there are many more steps up to the doors- usually somewhere from four to seven, now there must be five times as many. As I start up the steps, more appear, and the temple rises farther and farther from the ground. Each step higher becomes a little narrower than the one below and the temple seems to shrink a little with the narrowing of each top step. When I finally reach the top, and the steps stop multiplying I am far off the ground, as if a mountain had grown up under the temple. I am surprised to find myself not the least bit out of breath or tired after such a long climb, and in such a short time despite the stairs multiplying so quickly and to such great height, it only took a few minutes to reach the top. I also realize that despite appearing to shrink with the narrowing of the stairs, the size of the temple remained as I remembered it from before.

The doors were open, and I walked in. I went to one of the pedestaled water basins and slowly sank my hands and wrists in. The basin was deeper than I remembered them being before. I trailed my fingers through the cold water for a minute before pulling them back out. Then I walked to the back of the temple to the alcove where I had changed my clothing before and put on the white gown and gold bracelet from before.

Took the bag that I was carrying and removed various offerings from it- incense, fruit, wine. Lit the incense and placed it on the altar, which was no longer like a boardroom table but more the size of an immense banquet table, piled high with offerings to Apollo- fruits, incense (the incense was burning, but oddly enough, there was very little if any smoke), wine, branches and wreaths of laurel and cypress, a small collection of sculptures of dolphins and ravens and swans, honey, water, a bow and quiver of arrows. Then I put the fruit on the table and looked at the bottle of wine, deciding what to do with it. There were bowls around for libation, but it seemed at the moment altogether wrong to do what was normally proper. I don't know why. I looked back at the bottle and realized that the cork was gone. I also realized then that I hadn't brought a corkscrew and wondered what had happened. Then I realized what I should do with the wine and forgot about the disappearing cork.

I don't know what possessed me to do it but I poured the wine over the altar- all over it, over the fruit, the incense (which continued to burn without smoking despite the soaking from the wine), over the statues and the bow and arrows. I walked up and down one side of the altar and the other, pouring wine as I went along. Oddly, the bottle never emptied, until I circled the altar several times. I don't know what became of the empty bottle, only that when it was empty, I walked out into the courtyard and it wasn't in my hand.

The archery targets still stood off to either side, in each, seven arrows spiraling from the outside edge to the center, each of those split by another arrow. I walked over to one of the targets and looked at it for a minute, running my finger along the shaft of one of the arrows, then turned to walk back inside when I saw that I was no longer alone.

He was dressed just like before, impeccable black suit. Very long purple-black hair, this time pulled back in a ponytail. He seemed to read my mind, thinking about that other time. He said to me "You know, I really wanted to get your attention that time but I never would have gotten through to you, the archer had such a stronghold on you, he'd have stopped me or you just wouldn't have gotten it. He still has that hold on you, if anything it's gotten stronger, but you know that. I think we have some common interest at the moment and now I think I have your attention."

Then, invisible and silent, someone came up behind me and grabbed my wrists. A light grasp that I could have escaped from, but there was a threat behind its lightness. I looked at him and opened my mouth to protest but my unseen captor turned me and directed me to a tree at the end of the courtyard opposite the doorway. I was then turned so that my back was against the tree, my arms to my sides and out a bit. I felt something curling around my wrists and looked down. Grapevines. I also could see them starting to twine around my ankles. I stood there, confused and held fast.

Then he left the doorway and came towards the tree. He looked at me, a somewhat puzzled expression on his face and said, more at me than to me, "It's a wonder you're not terrified. Most people wouldn't be so calm." It was true, I wasn't really scared, mostly just confused and a little dazed. He continued, "You swore to trust the gods and cast aside trepidation- weren't those your words? Well, since you can't cast aside what isn't there, I guess we'll have to see what we can do about that, won't we?"

I finally spoke for the first time. "What's going on? What's this about? Why did you tie me to this tree?" He went on as if I'd never said a word, "You know, I could take away everything. I could shatter you and your entire life. His voice was becoming rather siniter, losing its smoothness, then suddenly became very gentle, though with a slight menacing edge, "But seeing as though you've already been through that several times, I'm not sure that it would get what I want out of you. And if I did that at this point, it would tear down several others to whom I've no intention or desire to do such a thing," his voice became drier and he continued, "and I'm not sure that the archer would be very happy with me." He paused. "But don't think that it means that it is completely out of the question." The sinister tone returned to his voice. "Now, as I was saying, fear. We could do this quickly...or it could take a while. Do you have a preference? Oh, nevermind. I know what you'll say and I know what will be more effective. So let's do it this way. Go ahead."

I heard a snap and saw an arrow flying at me. I didn't have time to be scared before I felt an immense pressure and tearing, but no pain, and saw no blood. This seemed very odd. The arrow hit me square in the heart. And then I felt at once a shocked terror as well as a complete detachment as if watching it happen to someone else in a movie. I waited for it to hurt and bleed but it didn't. Not yet anyway. Then there was no more detachment, I was fully present and terrified. I wanted to scream. I opened my mouth but no sound came out. I grabbed at the arrow, forgetting that pulling it out could be more dangerous than leaving it there til I had proper help, but he stopped me. "No, don't. Leave it for now. Please trust me, you won't die from this. It's going to hurt, it's going to bleed. But you will be much stronger." I didn't want to trust him. I wanted to be convinced that I would die there, tied by grapevines to a tree in Apollo's courtyard. But even as I wanted to be certain that I was dying, my heartbeat was calm and steady where I expected it to be erratic and faltering. I was oddly aware of blood rushing through my veins. My breathing was normal. He continued, "Don't you agree?" I didn't know how to answer. I blinked and realized that he wasn't asking me when I heard another, familiar voice answer simply "Yes."

And then from the doorway shadows, bow still in hand, stepped the unseen archer who had just shot me- Apollo himself. Only then did it start to hurt. I wanted to scream in pain but again I couldn't. I wanted to fall down, but the grapevines held me fast, upright. He came to me and pulled out the arrow. It started to bleed, but not badly, but I thought I would die of the pain alone. "You will understand," he said softly, "not now but before too long I think." My head dropped to one side, I squinted up at him, my eyes losing and regaining focus. Still in pain, I basked in his golden light. He touched the arrow wound. It stopped bleeding and then was gone altogether. It didn't stop hurting, the agonizing pain remained. Then I felt something cold at one of my wrists, and momentarily sharp. The sharpness was one in and instant, but the cold remained for a short time longer, and some friction...and then that wrist was free, and then the other, and my ankles. Unseen, someone had cut the vines. Somehow I didn't fall. I took a tentative step forward and felt the light, threatening grasp from before on one wrist, and I was being steered forward towards the temple. I stumbled a few times but didn't fall.

I don't know how long I'd been there, when I had stepped out into the courtyard, the sky had been a rosy lavender as if in twilight, but was now nearly completely dark. I don't remember leaving the temple again but the next thing I knew I was being lead into a very dense forest. I couldn't see anything but dark trees. Then we reached a spot where the trees were so close, I had to turn sideways to get between them, and there was a circular clearing with torches around it for light. There was a table of some sort in the middle, I was directed over to it. My gown was pulled off and I was told to lay face up on the table. Again, grapevines curled around my wrists and ankles, this time tighter than before, and more painful. The pain where the arrow wound had been had lessened a little but not much. Then I felt my skin being sliced. All along my arms and legs, over my torso, shallow but painful cuts, and I could feel blood trickling from the cuts. This seemed to go on forever. And this time, I did scream, and pulled at the binding vines until they cut into my skin also.

And then it stopped. And the pain was gone, all of it, except for that which I had caused myself by straining against the vines. And the cuts were gone, except for those from the vines. There was silence, and an eerie calm. I jerked one arm slightly and the vine holding it snapped. I did the same with the other wrist and both ankles. I took a deep breath and then sat up. I was a little dizzy and disoriented, but after a minute or so I was surprisingly clear-headed. Beside me there was now a robe, it looked to be pale yellow but it was hard to tell in the torch light. I put it on. Across the circle, a dark figure and a light one stood. I stood up and walked over to them, a million questions still in my mind. There was a rustle of leaves, and a third figure was there, a bit shorter and skinnier....wearing a winged cap. "I see you've survived just fine," he commented. "My turn next time."

Then I woke up.