Dreaming in Digital

20250621 i was in school and running late to catch the bus home. I hopped in from the back, escape door, passing and waving to Shortbread and her sister on the way to an empty seat near the driver. Then the bus was off.

After several drop offs, the bus halted in a traffic jam. The engine was also dead from being the heatwave. I realized the street we were on was unfamiliar and not on the usual route, as well as Shortbread was never on my bus home. I was on the wrong bus.

My backpack wasn't with me either - i'd left it in my classroom, along with my cellphone.

"Sir," i called to the driver. He was elderly with white whisps of hair, glasses, and a red sweater vest on a white button-up shirt. "I'm on the wrong bus. I forgot my backpack and i don't have any money to get home."

He left his seat and pulled out a notebook and flipped to a page with music notes he'd written. Pointing at them he said, "do you know what these mean? I forgot them, but now i remember. They stand for 'peace...'" He waited for us to fill in the blanks: 'love', 'unity', 'respect', and 'trust'.

I checked the time overhead; it was 17:44 - at 18:00 i had to wake my baby and breastfeed her. I was not going to make it on time.

I called out to Shortbread behind me. "Can i borrow your phone a sec?" I asked.

"Of course."

I made my way to the back of the bus. The other students, tired and faint from the heatwave, lazed in their seats. Shortbread's sister leaned against the window as i approached and Shortbread pulled me into the vacant seat beside her. 

She cheerfully handed me her phone.

"It finally pays to memorize a [phone] number," i said as i took it. 

"Who are you going to call?" She asked as i tried to press the tiny buttons on the touch screen. Her phone was small with a tiny screen. It literally was also a piece of well-toasted toast, sliced in half. My fingers kept dialing the wrong numbers as i tried to press the '4'.

"Dean [Winchester]," (Cookie) i responded.

20250620 Shortbread and i ran through a Chinese plaza to escape some men chasing us. I had a friend with us. He was tall and lanky, blond and gentle. He was deaf. We stopped in a hallway behind some crates and he changed his socks from a white pair or pink ones as part of his work uniform.

 We got separated and Shortbread and i tried to find our way around the Chinese stores and plaza. We were meeting our friends who were mostly Cherry's friends for lunch.

Shortbread and i ran into a Christmas supply store to avoid our predators. As we started up the carpeted steps, she said, "i always feel like someone is watching us."

I soon felt the feeling too, so we raced back down and out, successfully hiding out chasers.

We finally made it to our restaurant and was the first. Soon Cherry and her friends, then my deaf friend. He took a seat by me at the end of the table, reading everyone's lips. A group of Cherry's friends stopped in front of us to say hi. One of them was looking off to the side. She meant to look at us, but her vision was wonky.

As I sat beside him, I felt something urgent at that moment and my thought drowned out the conversation. I needed to tell him.

After this, he had work. I couldn't wait. As he started changing his socks, for a third time today, to another pink pair to go with his McDonald's uniform, I put my hands on his shoulders to have his full attention.

I shyly signed, "I think I love you".

Planting a hand in my hair, he pulled me into a warm kiss.

20250617 Cookie, Sprirz and i met at Biscotti's home. Others were there as it was his going away party before he flew to his home country.

Near the end of the party, Spritz said, " they didn't tell you?" Everyone stopped to listen. "The dogs are dying." He was referring to Cookie's sister's pups. Everyone's heads bowed in respect.

A while after the party, it was just me and Spritz, alone. "What's wrong?" He asked, noticing I was wistful and sad.

I gave him my response, beginning to cry. He pulled me to his shoulder, his arms held me in a hug. "You can always tell me what's wrong. I'm here for you."

After I let go and wiped my tears, calming down, we talked about his website and what shows were entertaining.

---

I was on a mass-transit vehicle, looking out the huge window.

202506013 Cookie and I were at an apartment's party room for a family event. It was at the top floor of the condo, and at least three of the walls were glass - there was an unrestricted view of the sky.

Banana was planning the party and it was almost done. I asked if appetizers were vegan and she gave me one to try. There were only two of each one. I took a bite when Apple walked by. I offered it to him but he refused. I didn't like him. He was snooty.

20250609 i was a pudgy dwarf with jet black hair cut like Edna from the Pixar film, The Incredibles. I lived by the sea, in a lighthouse. On the bottom floor was a personal dock and my little speed boat.

My best friend was tall and slim, with a pointy nose and delicate features. Her hair was dirty blond and always kept in a low ponytail. She was the type to keep to herself. For a long time, she ran and hid from her husband. He wanted to kill her.

On this rainy night, he found her. We ran away from him together, running to the closest, safe haven we had - my home. We ran inside and bolted the door behind us.

"What are you going to do?" I asked her, breathless.

"I want to go home."

I knew where she lived. She lived at the edge of a lake, somewhere far from here. But I thought that was a bad idea. He could catch her on the way and--

Before i could act, she was gone. She took a skidoo at the dock. I raced to my speed boat in fear for my own life.

For months I hopped islands in case this man was on my tail.  I needed to make sure he never found her. On every island, I partied with tall, tanned and buff men, and drank cocktails wearing leis, taking the longest route to my friend's home.

20250607 

Cookie's mom came to my home at night to help me move some flowers. She saw a small box of cute, mini vases, took one, and thank me. They were late Mother's Day gifts for everyone.

-----

Cookie and I visited Biscotti's home where he was having a small get together. Spritz was there and so was Shortbread and Wafer. I sat on a sofa while Biscotti's mom helped me sew up a dress I was wearing. It was navy and made of velvet. 

Biscotti, Cookie and Spritz talked about the time they went to ???-Con and said I should have came. 

"I really wanted to, but I have to finish this for school," I said.

Regardless, the room turned into a crowded hallway at ???-con, where The boys were walking. Shortbread and Wafer were close behind them. Everyone stopped at a small dining area. I jealously watched as Wafer invite Spritz to the beach, hoping he wouldn't go. Biscotti would be in his home country, Shortbread wouldn't be able to either, and Cookie found her intolerable. Spritz said he'd come and Wafer shrieked out a joyous reply. 

20250605 i was on a subway car with Cookie. When we reached the main station, Union Station, the doors suddenly snapped closed before anyone could exit. The windows all opened as the train began to accelerate as fast as it was capable. Wind rustled as everyone inside held on to something to prevent from falling or flying. I overheard people talking through the wind that someone hijacked the train and hacked the system.

I watched a man in an orange safety vest and yellow hard hat shovel pizza boxes from the floor onto a catering cart. All around him were pizza boxes and their delicious contents spilled on the dirty floors of the dark subway underground. He shoveled one into the cart and peered into it, his smile turning into a frown. He continued to shovel more boxes on the cart. In the box he opened was a pizza made with human remains.