My friend and I went to the zoo. We had a lovely day - and were there until closing. We were not close to the entrance/exit of the park when the announcement came that patrons should make their way to the exit.

We looked into the enclosures and all the animals were snuggling with each other as the people were leaving. We were fascinated. It was so beautiful.

We looked into each enclosure, heading further from the gate, but we just couldn't help ourselves. There was so much to see, in that the animals were acting in such a lovely way - and not just lying there as is their wont when they are on display.

At the end of the regular enclosures, on the grass where people had their lunch, makeshift enclosures had been erected. Well, fences made of two chains had been loosely arranged into pens. Several refugee animals, Russian performing bears, pumas and other large carnivores that had been displaced because their habitats had been destroyed, where lodged in this area.

They were all snuggling together, getting ready to enjoy their solitude before the crowds returned the next day. Nobody paid much attention to us, as we walked close to these often endangered species.

I had to warn my friend, the haphazard way the fences were erected made me a little nervous. Each animal was chained in place, but no space was allocated as a buffer zone, because the general public were not expected to be in the area.

We soon realised that we really should be leaving. My friend took a shortcut through the grass field. I screamed to her not to do it.

I should not have done that.

The tranquil animals all sprang into action at my cry. It was easy for them to bring her down, the pack was together.

I screamed for the zoo keeper. He wandered over - so slowly. He didn't have any weapon, nothing to kill, maim or stun. I was panicking. I wanted him to do something as my friend got mauled.

He just watched the animals do their thing.

At a certain moment, she was nothing but a skeleton, and then the pack released her remains.

I was in shock. I thought about what I would tell her mother, as the warden and I lifted the bones out of the pack's reach. Finally.

He lead the way to the administration block. By the time we got there, the bones had acquired flesh. The skull had regained flesh, hair and eyes. I was baffled.

The head warden asked me what she had been doing before the attack.

I knew I could not tell him that she had taken a shortcut through their enclosure. What to tell them...

Then her eyes opened.

We had all assumed the skeleton was dead. I stammered: "Are you OK?"

"No Proq, I'm not ok. I don't have any blood or internal organs."

We all knew she was going to die. I woke up unable to move.


Update 12 April 2003:

I dreamt again about my friend last night. She was playing footy on the street we used to live. She wasn't very interested in playing, so she joined me on the sideline so we could chat.

Proquar: Are you OK? I mean healthwise?
Friend: Well, I'm being careful because there are quite a few diseases going around at the moment.
Proquar: No, I mean, did anything bad happen to you last night.
Friend: Ummmm... I don't think so... Why?
Proquar: Oh. Er. Well, I dreamt about you... and apparently I... er... Oh, look at that interesting thing over there.

This morning I had an amazing and powerful dream– the kind of dream that you remember was a dream after you remember it happening.

Something went wrong…the earth was tilted wrong or something. And a giant cosmic waterfall was going to get us…we would not be swept away in it, we hoped…

We were camping, and I was in the cab of my dad’s truck (the same truck that was destroyed two years ago in my accident). The water came…

I wasn’t in the truck yet – I could see it coming. It was like a meteor shower, only more so. Thousands of water molecules streaked across the sky…it was amazing. I still have the image in my mind. In the dream, I wanted my camera so badly, but I could not run and get it and get to the truck in time, so I left my camera out. I ran, to the truck, because it was apparent they were getting closer. Someone else was running too, but they didn’t make it. I had to close the doors and the back windows of the truck, huge raindrops landed on the windshield, but they came horizontally…mist came in through the vents

I was worried about my camera, which was in my backpack, in a specific pocket that was the most waterproof, but I did not trust it. (this is the real location of my camera and I truly don’t trust the waterproof lining). I spent good chunk of time analyzing how I could protect my camera next time…I thought about the waterproof box I intended to buy, and still haven’t, and made a firm decision to get one before my next camping trip.

Later…

It had passed, I left the truck, to find others…in their part of the camp the rain had been hail…and then it threatened to come again, so we hit the deck, lay flat upon the earth to minimize the impact of the hail…the ground felt cold and icy.

That’s all I remember

People were there – I don’t know who, but I felt really close to them, like they were my family (but they weren’t my family). A specific young girl, maybe she was my sister but I can’t positively identify her, was at the scene of the hail, and I felt really worried about her.

I don’t remember specific emotions or senses other than sight that I feel during dreams, so remembering them is pretty significant for me. I think the concern about the welfare of my camera comes from neurotic, real concerns about it I have in waking life. It’s new, and I barely use it for fear of breaking it, which is sad, but my last camera took a swim in the ocean and never woke up, so I worry.

The appearance of my father’s truck could be anything – maybe I am still worrying about the accident, which I am, since my medical stuff has not been entirely worked out yet.

And the planet going off kilter and running into a waterfall in a “Horton Hears a Who” kind of way – I have no idea.

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