Dream Journal Entry #8 — The Blue Cooler

Al came over to the house to catch up mix music. It was the morning, and he brought his DJ equipment, a blue cooler and BBQ. 

"Were we going to the beach to do this?" I asked. 

"No, I thought I'd bring it to us," he replied. I gave him the shngarf face.

We were in the kitchen mixing tracks and laughing over BBQ and soda for the entire day.  So preoccupied, I wasn't aware of the things around me at all. 

Al glanced out the window and onto his watch face "holy shit it's 11:55." 

"What's wrong?"

"Hello? I have to go. Your boyfriend is coming home." 

"What boyfriend?" I was confused. 

Al bolted out of his chair and grabbed what he could reach. He was so scared he didn't bother taking his cooler. Standing at the front door he was bouncing anxiously, shifting his weight from knee to knee, "Deb come on hurry please."

I sprinted to his cooler to help him out before reaching the door. As I did that, I started remembering that very same feeling I'd had in reality once upon a time. The fear that something terrible was coming, and something really bad was waiting to happen. I remembered where I was in my life in the dream when I grabbed that cooler.

I squeezed between Al and the door, "I'll go first," but just as I opened the door, D was walking through the front garden. 

As I'd always done, I put my toughest face forward when I should've retreated. I told Al to stand behind me and just walk. It seemed fine initially, but that lasted two seconds.

We walked past D, and I made sure I was in the middle. When D and I were level, he pushed me out of the way and grabbed Al by his shirt. "Holy fuck," I said, "nonono you don't not this time."

I tried grabbing D by the shirt, pushing him away from Al, pulling him away, pulling Al away, standing infront of Al to take the swings. I was screaming and crying, "stop. please stop. for the love of god when will it end," I cried.

At that, D reached for the blue cooler I brought out and started smashing that into Al's skull against the cobblestone of the garden. Al was convulsing, bleeding from his skull, eyes puffed closed, and helpless. 

The only thing I hought to do at that point was drop to my knees and try to cover Al's body in a hug as D continued break him. I held him as I cried for help.

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The crying came through to reality and I woke up shaking, and in tears. I wish it'd end. I dig my own graves.