Old Buddies
This dream involves some of my old OCS buddies, esp those who are more active in our current Whatsapp group.
It starts with us in the room we share. It's a compact bedder, and there are roughly six to eight of us.
We are discussing what to do next, where to go, etc.
I take our empty kettle and head for the water dispenser at the end of the corridor. It is a "T-junction" where a folding table is put up against the wall. The table, with its pearl colored top and aluminum trim reminds me of a hospital. In fact, a nurse is found there and she tells me this hostel we are in was once an insane asylum. The place is brightly lit, so any notion of it being haunted seem remote.
I don't give much notice to what the nurse says and head back.
Once inside the room (it is dark) I am surprised by a prank the guys had installed. There is Chew, Alex, Ling, etc. Poh shouts a forewarning and I quickly leap. Some kind of fireworks go off that seem like a bunch of weeds striking at my groin. In any case, no damage is done and I laugh it off. We all laugh. Fun times.
We then make preparations to leave.
We are now on the outside and looking back I can see that our room was part of a long shed. It is made of wood. Tong was behind and hurried behind a row of bushes. He either wanted to use the tap there or to relieve himself.
The security guard makes a passing remark as we head out.
Soon we find ourselves walking in an area that's dusty and full of rock outcrops. It reminds me of the rockies in Colorado. Gerard and I are in conversation and we commend on how the moon looked spectacular this particular night.
In no time we reach a village with congested wooden abodes squeezed haphazardly by each other. Somehow it feels Chinese, like maybe a mining town back during the time of California's Gold Rush. I am wary and tell the guys to watch out. The sense is that someone might leap out of a window and rob us.
Behind, someone approaches, a young man in a dusty mackintosh. Tong too appears and is moving in a stealthy fashion behind the stranger, darting into doorways to avoid being seen. I feel good to have a buddy watch our backs.
I catch up to the guys and see them in a kitchen that sells cut fruits. Their backs are to me as they help themselves to the tasty treats. A lady boss speaks to me - a middle-30s PRC sort - and extols the virtues of her fruits, how fresh she keeps them, etc. I just feel glad that my guys are having a good time.
Next, I see myself arriving at the edge of a city, a parking spot where a grass patched kerb and big tree stands. Beyond that, a network of highways and flyovers.
The dream ends here.