Our Pretend Australia Trip Day 15 Adaminaby

I am so freaked out right now. 

I'm shivering, and my teeth are all chattering.

It happens when I'm really nervous about something.

I had a horrible lucid dream.

I think it's one of the scariest dreams I've ever had.

I was laying on the bed and had that feeling I could fly out of the cabin and have a lucid-dreaming adventure.  I love those.  Usually. 

I struggled to get of bed without waking myself up.

These kinds of dreams happen to me a lot, so no big deal there.

I started walking to the door and felt incredibly lucid.  I thought maybe I was having an out of body experience.   I decided to check around the room, see if things matched reality.  I went to the counter and saw some of the food we had bought today.   I looked at it and remembered buying the stuff at the store.  I remembered going to the store.  I made myself think back to all the cities we've visited in Australia so far.  I was thinking how it was so cool that my thinking was so clear.

I decided to peek in on Jack and Tim.  I went and looked at them.  They were both sleeping.

I thought of going into the room where I was sleeping so I could see myself lying there.  But the idea really gave me the creeps.  Then it led me to wondering if maybe I wasn't even dreaming.   Maybe I wasn't having a lucid dream.  Maybe I wasn't having an out of body experience. Maybe I was confused, totally awake, and walking around like an idiot.  

That would explain a lot.

I decided to test things out the easy way.

I tried flying.

I could fly.  Well, I didn't fly high, but my feet got off the ground. I could float.

I knew I was in a dream and not walking around with my regular, real body.  

I flew/floated through the door.  I saw the field where Jack and I had been playing tag during the day.

I floated by and thought maybe I can fly all around Australia.  Maybe I can drop in on my friends in Melbourne and spy on them.

I flew. I floated. I went around the property.

Around then, I started having a bad feeling, but I ignored it.

I kept roaming about.  

Then I saw a tent several feet ahead of me.

I could see a man next to the tent as well as two kids, a boy and a girl.

I wondered if they were real people—maybe other dreamers hanging out in the dream world.

Or maybe they were figments of my imagination.

I decided to get closer and find out...maybe even talk to them.

I stopped flying, figuring it might be less threatening to approach them the normal way.   If they could even see me in the first place.

I got closer and closer.

Their backs were turned to me.

Then all of a sudden the bad feeling I had earlier turned into an absolutely horrible feeling.   I was suddenly terrified.

I can't explain it really.

I just knew that I didn't want to see these people's faces.

As they started to turn around I ran.

I wanted to fly, because that's faster sometimes.  But I couldn't. I couldn't get off the ground, not even a centimeter. 

Then I heard footsteps behind me.

And giggling.

I was so scared that I'd be tempted to turn around to look at the child.

I kept running.

Then I tripped.

I felt the child coming over to me.  I closed my eyes and vowed not to look at her. I could feel her breathing on me.

Then I woke up.

I was so scared and wondering if it would be bad form to crawl into bed with Jack and Tim.

I decided to do it.

I went into their room and crawled into the bed.

I sat there for a few minutes.  I closed my eyes.  Then I decided I needed to pee.  I opened my eyes and was about to step onto the floor.  Then I realized the bed was in the middle of water. It was like the ocean was in our cabin.

I saw the shadow of sharks beneath the water, and then a fin.  

I realized I was still dreaming.

It would have been amusing, but I was absolutely terrified.

I wasn't too scared of the sharks.

I was afraid of the camping family.

If I was still in the dream, they could come back.

I heard footsteps.

I forced myself to wake up.

Or I TRIED to force myself to wake up.

I couldn't.

I don't think anything like that has ever happened to me.

Well, I finally did wake up.

Hopefully.

I'm kind of worried some scary swamp girl is going to climb out of my computer screen. 

* * *

I'm sleeping with the lights on.

Well, I'm not really sleeping at this exact moment...obviously. 

I should say I'm typing with the lights on.  

* * *

I tried to wake up Tim because I'm really scared.

He mumbled a really sweet, Are you okay?  Then he started snoring again.

* * *

I emailed my parents.

I feel better knowing that people are awake in Texas.  It's 11:00 am over there.

Sometimes I really hate the night.

* * *

My parents emailed me back. They asked why I'm awake.

I just said I had trouble sleeping.

I wasn't in the mood to tell them the whole story.

I guess I'm worried they'll think I'm crazy....or too silly.

* * *

It's morning.

Everything is fine.

I feel so much better; but a little tired.

I fell back asleep around 6:30, but woke up around 7:15.

We just finished eating breakfast.   We all had bowls of apricot Weet-bix.  

I love those.

I feel ridiculous for being so scared last night.

This morning while I was eating my cereal, I started thinking that the camping family of my dreams were probably typical decent, friendly, and nonthreatening dream characters.   Why did I assume they'd be monstrous?

I think I must have had that horror movie in my head, you know the one where Donald Sutherland thinks he's found his missing daughter?   Then she turns around and it's some creepy scary adult.

* * *

We went to Lake Eucumbene.    It's pretty close to the place we're staying.  And the lake is really why I wanted to come to Adaminaby in the first place.

What happened is there was a town called Adaminaby.  For the big important Snowy Mountain Scheme, some officials felt it necessary to flood the town.  SO....the town was moved.    As there is an old Parliament and a new Parliament in Canberra; in The Snowy Mountains there's an old Adaminaby and a new Adaminaby.  During a drought some of the old Adaminaby started peaking through a bit.

The lake is also known for fishing.

We didn't fish.

We just kind of stared out into the water.

The weather was nice; a little chilly actually.

* * *

Oh, and we saw a giant trout.

I love seeing Australia's big things. 

* * *

Jack is out playing with Megan, Lisa, and Madison again.

I tried to take a little cat nap, but couldn't fall asleep.

I might take a walk.

Maybe I'll ask Tim if he wants to come with me.

* * *

I decided not to ask Tim to come with me because someone needs to be here.   I don't want Jack to come back to find the cabin empty.  

* * *

I took my walk.

Jack is back.

We're eating lunch—cheese and crackers,  and hummus with pita chips.

* * *

I felt obligated to do more sight-seeing, and asked Tim and Jack what they thought.

We all agreed we want to be lazy and just hang around here.

Jack is having fun with his new friends.

Tim and I are having fun just hanging about.   

* * *

I wish the day would never end.

I kind of dread the night.

* * *

I got an email from the Perth woman!

I kind of thought she had given me the brush off, since I hadn't heard from her.

Now that I think of it though, it's been only about a week since we met them.

It seems much longer than that.

Anyway, she was really nice and still seems interested in hanging out with us when we go to Perth.

I like meeting nice people.

I talked a little bit to the mom here.   She's with her sister and a cousin.  She introduced me to them.  I kind of got the sense that this was their family time, and they're not really looking to bond with others.  They were all friendly, though.

* * *

I thought more about my dream.

I've never had one like it before.

I've had plenty of lucid dreams in which I think I'm visiting a real place.   Within the dream, I feel like I'm in our real house or floating down our real street.   Later when I'm awake, I realize that I was totally wrong.   Our house doesn't really have that whole area behind the guest room.   Our street doesn't currently have a huge construction site or a factory.

This dream, though, was the first lucid dream in which the dream perfectly matched reality. Well, minus the tent people and the sharks in the cabin.  

* * *

We decided we're going to heat up the leftover burritos and eat them picnic style outside.

That should be fun.




NOTE:  This trip journal is fictional.   We are not really in Australia.  Some stuff in these posts are based on research.  Some stuff is based on my reality.  Some stuff is based on past experiences. And some stuff is based on fantasy.   

The non-trip journal posts ARE true and real…except for my dreams (which are written in purple). 
Oh...and also....my 2009 trip reports are about a real trip to Australia.  That's all true too.