4. Minotaur

A vast darkness. I felt the motion of a lake, cool wind pitching what I believe was, after a fashion, a gondola. I could not see any other passengers or pilot, but I felt a heavy presence all around me.

...

I was dragged straight through the vessel. Then erupted through burning earthly crust and was flung in an arc via some tangle of gravitational pulls. I tried to collect myself, but no sooner had I hit the ground I was grasped by a mighty paw and flung against a pillar.

A terrible man, if t'were a man at all, wearing the attire of a blacksmith, set upon me, throwing a resounding blow towards me. He barely missed my neck, which would have shattered. He grabbed a handful of my hair, next hoisted me to the level of his eyes. There was fire there. Molten metals. I attempted a few futile punches of my own about his large head; on the understanding that even a cornered coward may as well die fighting.

The man dropped me. I do not believe I had anything to do with it. I held a dent on the pillar face and lifted myself to stance. The man was working at a great furnace. Flames licked from it, out and over the man, who seemed to fear no pain.

I called out, "What is it you forge man?"

He replied in a language foreign to me, I had not even the barest inkling of it's origin.

...

A vast darkness. Instantly I felt the vessel lurch up into the air. A tempestuous sea. I saw and felt no one, but heard the cries of the passengers, the guttural shouts of the crew as they pulled on chains and rigging. I felt the tremors of a fallen mast and ran, searching for a door to some safe cabin. Clawing at the deck with one hand as the vessel bellied, I slammed against an unlocked door and through, knocking into a table leg. The door slammed shut. The voices dimmed and then, I dreamt of darkness.

...
...
...

I did not sleep for long last night. I did not see reason to rest until 1am. I awoke to the cawing of corvids at 4am. I exited my home before sunrise to see just why so many of them filled my garden and found them tearing flesh from a local cat. It must have died of old age or frostbite. I shoo'd the birds away, considered the cat's collar.

I explained the situation to the owner of the deceased; he was obviously distraught. I offered to and did bury the feline in a spot chosen by the owner (under a paving slab at the end of his garden, by a rose bush). I was offered coffee but declined and continued my day.

As for the dream? I do not know, likely it bares no overall meaning. I dubbed it "Minotaur", though I could not tell you why, perhaps the strangeness of the dream brought to mind a maze.

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