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Dreams by Steven J. Guscott (TDWFB)

Today is The Day We Fight Back.
https://thedaywefightback.org/international/

Here’s the press release: https://thedaywefightback.org/press/

A few weeks ago we asked for you to come forward with some stories that represented how you felt about ‘the man’, choices, freedom and our rights. We had some excellent flash fiction submitted, and so we’re sharing the raw, unedited and passionate pieces with you over the next few days.

Let’s start with DREAMS by Steven J. Guscott

 

DREAMS

 

Freedom: “What are you doing?”

Vicarious: “Dreaming?”

F: “Well stop! You know that’s wrong!”

V: “I know I’ve been told it’s wrong; I don’t know that it is.”

F: “But Father and Mother say your dreams are wrong. That you shouldn’t see what you see in your dreams.”

V: “Mother and father are just scared of what they do not understand. What I see gives me experience. It teaches me infinity. I learn and live through others because of my dreams.”

F: “Don’t you worry what they would all think if they knew you could see them in your dreams?”

V: “Don’t be so narrow-minded. This is a gift given to me.  I shouldn’t deny it because of some notion of privacy. Besides, they don’t know I can see them; and it’s not like I can affect them. All I do is watch.”

F: “Yes. All you do is watch. There are chores to be done, people to meet, friends to be made, dreams to be lived.”

V: “Those dreams aren’t real to me. What I dream is real. When I dream I dream of billions of chores, billions of people meeting, billions of friends being made, and billions of dreams being lived. Nothing can compare to that. No one dream outweighs the dreams of billions.”

F: “You’re wrong, you know?”

V: “Oh really? Enlighten me, oh experienced one.”

F: “My dreams. My dreams, are more important than a billion-billion other dreams.”

V: “And why is that?”

F: “Because they are my dreams. I shape them with each choice and act I make. I do not know how they will be fulfilled, but I try and I struggle and I bleed for them. I do not do it for myself to learn, or for others to simply watch. I do it for you, for father and mother, for those I love, and all so I can give my dreams freely to you all, and we can enjoy them together.”

V: “But that is so limited. When I close my eyes and dream, I look though their eyes; through the eyes they put on their streets; and the ones in their markets; and those on their flying carts; and some in unimaginable places in the spaces between where they all live. I see it all. And by seeing it all, I am everything.”

F: “You’re frightening me.”

V: “Frightening you? You should marvel at my dreams. You should beg to hear them and learn through me of what is out there in what we call the unknown. I have seen horrors and joys, and pleasures and pains, all of which you and your dreams could not fathom or conjure.”

F: “And what good does it do you?”

V: “It makes me a god of knowledge and wisdom.”

F: “It makes you nothing. You stare at a mirror and you have no reflection. It is all to feed your wish to be important.”

V: “I am important! Do you not wish to be important?”

F: “Not like you do. I want to be smiled at and hugged to prove to me that I am important, and most of all I want to look in the mirror and see my reflection and see myself smile with the knowledge I always live my dreams. Without that evidence how can you know of your own importance?”

V: “I just know. You just don’t understand. You can’t see what I see so you’ll never understand.”

F: “I know I cannot see what you see, but you could come and see what I see. Then you would understand me. All you have to do is try.”

V: “Why would I want to waste time and effort on that, when I can watch all the people try. I can watch them fail and I can watch them succeed. And all from the comfort of my dreams.”

F: “I don’t think it will be enough for you though.”

V: “What do you mean?”

F: “Eventually you will get bored and you will want to try. But you won’t try to see through your own eyes and live your own dreams, for you will have none. You will try to live there’s. They will not want you trying to live their dreams. When you show yourself they will be able see that you’ve been watching, and they will hate you. They will hate you for not earning the right for them to give you their dreams freely.”

V: “…hmm…maybe so. But I will know all and know what to say and what to do so they do not suspect who I am. They will not see me for they will only see their own reflection.”

F: “You underestimate them. They will know. And when they do they will take back their dreams and you will have none. And then you will be nothing because you have no dreams of your own.”

V: “I will just dream again. It is of no consequence.”

F: “Oh no you won’t. You can never go back after that. Not once they’ve seen you and know you’ve been in their dreams. They will know how to shut out you then. It will be over for you and you’ll be lost forever.”

V: “You are just jealous and trying to spoil my gift. Leave me alone to my dreams.”

F: “Don’t you mean, their dreams.”

V: “Yes, their dreams, but they are my dreams too; don’t forget that.”

F: “I’m sorry you’ve chosen this way. I truly hope you do learn, or that perhaps if you can make it right one day then maybe they will forgive you. But I think not. Goodbye, Big Brother.”