Dream On

By Ed Errington

Hey Carlos It’s me, Phil. How are you?

You free?

I know you collect dreams so I’m ringing to tell you about one I had last night. Yes, that’s right, it’s morning here and evening in Santiago.

Okay, so in this dream I was living in ‘wartime’ Australia … I know, it doesn’t sound all that likely, but that’s dreams for you.

Anyway, as dreams go, it felt so real, though at first I seemed unable to communicate with anyone in it. Things were so colourful, and sounds so life-like. My dream was in two parts: In the first part I seemed to be wholly on the outside of things. You know, completely detached. I was simply a bystander — watching people come and go.

Round about now — if I go on what people were wearing and how they got around. A great place for classic tube aficionados.

Happenings? War had been declared against some indistinct enemy. I could see 3-D posters materialising everywhere — warning of the increasing conflict. Despite this, people seemed to be going about their lives — trance-like — living their own dream. They deliberately ignored the warnings. I wondered who was trying to warn them and why people were obviously ignoring information that might save lives. 

Yes, it was creepy; they were creepy

I couldn’t help but pay attention to peoples’ eyes — I detected a dreadful vacancy.  Each person either carried a very small screen dangling from a prosthetic attached to their head, or had some kind of implant glowing brightly under facial skin. Pink on the right; green on the left. The focus was clearly not on the dangers that seemed to face them.

Yes, Carlos, zombie-like.

Do you remember my grandfather? He once told me that during wartime people tried to get on with their lives as usual. They did this by focusing on set routines — habits that provided some sort of stability in the face of things they had no control over.

What kind of routines? Simple things, such as planning their day, shopping at certain times. 

Yes, that’s right. The supermarkets still held and received stocks of food. I saw people coming and going normally. Clearly the food chain was still intact.

Reminders of the on-going conflict? In the dream I saw flattened buildings — dust everywhere. Similar to the World Wars of the twentieth century.

I know it was hard for everybody.

Things changed drastically for me in the second part of the dream. Every experience was projected onto an enormous cinema screen. I became an integral part of that three-dimensional action. At this point, my dream morphed into a nightmare. What began in complete darkness opened with a flicker of light emitted by a small thin blue candle. I watched in awe as its ominous flame grew. Its beam encircled the whole earth.

Yes, I know it’s just a dream — but very convincing all the same. 

I was surrounded by light on all sides. And then I saw them — thousands and thousands of highly sophisticated armed drones flying like silent Angels of Death before spewing out deafening incendiary devices. I just knew that these actions were not part of some conventional East-West conflict. No, in this scenario humanity was at the mercy of a much smarter adversary. Far more strong and dangerous than it could ever have imagined. The end game was total destruction of humanity. A deadly enemy so very aware of Earth’s vulnerabilities.   

Carlos, I didn’t see humanity engage in any form of defence. It was as if Earth had surrendered before even trying to repel the invader. 

A nightmare, as I said. 

And then the voice, as calm as an everyday traffic announcement: “The enemy is within and without; defences breached; world about to end. Be ready to leave.” 

No date given for this impending Armageddon — or any details about the aggressors. When I tried asking within the dream, my voice would not make a sound. I felt helpless, trapped in my own body. The first thing you want to do in a nightmare is wake up. I did eventually wake in a cold sweat, but with more questions than answers. Had I really been warned about the so-called End of Days? Why me?

Here’s the thing Carlos…

Moments ago I was about to eat my breakfast…and it…you know…it just happened…the unthinkable…that same flash of ominous blue light…it was…here…only minutes ago. 

So, what happens now?

Sorry Carlos, speak up please — I can’t hear you.

Are you still there? 

You’re very quiet?

Hello Carlos? Carlos?

About the Author

Dr Ed Errington lives in coastal North Queensland having retired from a rich career of drama teaching, advising in schools, conveying teacher education and, more lately, delivering academic development for university teachers across a range of disciplines in the UK, New Zealand & Australia. 

Ed has published over 45 research papers linking drama methodologies with environmental education, critical health education, group reflection, gender studies, arts education, grounded simulation, role-play, preparing graduates for the professions, and scenario-based learning. Evolving work has taken him to 15 countries — delivering invitational workshops/ presentations across 4 continents. 

 Fiction works have included writing a radio play - “Night Flight” — for New Zealand National Radio — focusing on uncertainties surrounding teenage suicide. Ed was also short-listed in a UK writing competition for his initial novel “Last Tango in Tadcaster” a spoof on the film, Casablanca.

He enjoys writing and narrating stories for AntipodeanSF despite his disproportionate focus on the certainty of uncertainty. Though he admits to being uncertain about certainty in this proposition.

“Dream On” carries its own uncertainties…