Dream

I don't remember when it started, but every so often I would find myself caught in a nightmare. Of course, sometimes I would also have dreams with strange or unusual plots that weren't exactly frightening. In the first few years, fear would jolt me awake, sometimes even keeping me from falling back asleep. But as I grew older and the bizarre dreams grew more frequent, I learned to watch even the strangest scenes as if I were watching a movie, detached from what was happening. I woke up less and less often. Sometimes, when monsters or demons appeared in my dreams, I could even recite a couple of lines from the Great Compassion Mantra to keep myself safe.

Last summer, I told L about a nightmare I'd had one night. L laughed and said, “Your dreams are so terrifying, they could pass for horror stories.” That gave me the idea to write down all those strange and bizarre dreams. Years from now, looking back on them will surely be fun.

I'm not very good at coming up with titles, and I spent quite a while trying to name these records. Every title I thought of felt awkward. In the end, I gave up and decided to call it “Dreams”: simple and clear, so everyone knows what it is.