In the dream, my father-in-law climbs out of his bed and disappears. All night, the three of us search for him - his dead wife, my husband, and me. At dawn we see him climbing over the porch railing, wearing an old grey sweatshirt, and a red bandana tied around his forehead. He enters the house without a word and goes to his room.When the morning paper comes, there's an article that says he was seen among the homeless people in a rough part of town, preaching or teaching or talking, they're not sure.
Dreams are mysterious, even when we understand, there is a mist of wonder.
Thank you for sharing.
Posted by: magnolia | January 20, 2011 at 05:19 PM
(o)
Posted by: dale | January 20, 2011 at 07:24 PM
Good one.
Posted by: Dave | January 20, 2011 at 09:51 PM
Fits so well with your descriptions of him when he was alive - maybe he's sending you a postcard from the Other Side?
Posted by: Natalie | January 21, 2011 at 07:41 AM
This is so lovely - a beautifully formed flash-story where we all know the characters and the back-story, all wrapped in the mystery and immediacy of the dream state. For you, I'm sure, much more disturbing, as it always is when we dream of the dead - not that we'd wish not to, but...
Posted by: Jean | January 21, 2011 at 08:09 AM
Yes, dreams are so mysterious, and show what wonderful imagination the mind has when unconscious. I don't know if you've had this experience, but I occasionally start to dream when I'm still very slightly awake, and can see my mind begin a dream, which as usual amalgamates recent experiences and the past into a strange almost surrealist novel! - something I could never do when conscious. Perhaps your dream shows sorrow at the loss of your father-in-law, and that he's now unreachable. However, probably one shouldn't presume to interpret other people's dreams - everyone is so many-layered. It would be interesting if we could always wake up remembering our dreams - I only remember a few.
Posted by: Vivien | January 21, 2011 at 04:30 PM
This is my favorite from January. Without doubt. Your father-in-law posts always drew me in. This one is no different.
Posted by: Kim | February 10, 2011 at 10:45 PM