Just before I woke for the first time this morning I
remember I had been dreaming. I rarely remember dreams, but I know that I do
dream; I just don't usually remember much about them. This dream had colour. Mostly
green. Books. Green coloured hard-back volumes on wooden shelves. They were in
a sequence amongst other books on similar shelves. More green books, I think. I
don't know what the books were about, though page entries went from about 1,200
to over 9,000 throughout the set. I think I was looking at entry 3,178 because
this feels and looks about right, though I cannot be absolutely sure.
It was a left column of a
two-columned page. Again I can't be sure, but this may have been a left or
right page. It doesn't matter. I took out a volume and put it down. I think I
hadn't any intention of taking it away, but I couldn't then find where to
return it and I don't remember reading anything from this volume. I went to
leave this room: it was like an attic in a house. Not a large room. I sense it
was near the sea. I was quite high up in this small room, in this house
possibly situated on a hill. There must have been a window through which I
could view the sea.
The books were all quite old
and dusty. I know they were hard-backed since I remember how they felt. I
consciously remember that if the light went off, I wouldn't find my way out of
this unfamiliar room. This was after I had tried the switch and the light
stayed on. Good fortune that. There were three other light switches: all modern
type on-off light switches. All clean. Quite new, I suppose. Nothing fancy, but
not old fashioned as may be expected in this old room. None of these switches
turned off the light. I tried them all. The light stayed on. Were these the
right switches or did they affect something elsewhere? The light stayed on and
I think my dream ended.
I never left the room which
did not go dark. I am not sure, but I think when I found myself in this room it
was dim though not dark. I don't remember getting there and light had flooded
the room when I had become aware of it. I am sure of that. But, did I do that?
At least I would be able to see what I was looking for if I found it though I
don't actually know if I was looking for something in particular or just
browsing. I still don't know what I was looking for. I must have looked at a
couple of volumes to get this idea of the range of entries. There must have
been earlier volumes and later volumes beyond entry 9,000. This whole series of
books was in a large bookcase like a library and there were many other books.
All green.
I had no fear in this place.
It was unfamiliar, but I felt comfortable. Safe. Surrounded by books. A
repository of knowledge, beginning before my first recollection and ending
after where I had reached toward.
Rather like life. I like
books.
© Louis Brothnias (2005)