It didn’t start off as a nightmare, and I’m not sure I would call it that, but it was definitely deeply unsettling. It was one of those dreams so vivid and surreal that I almost think it was trying to tell me something. I have to write it all down.
In the dream, I found myself back in high school. It was nearing the end of the school year and I was about to graduate from grade 12. However, something was immediately off about the whole thing. My high school had the same name as the one I went to about 5 years ago, but it was renovated to look completely different than I remember. I was playing video games in the library on a device that I did not own in high school until I was playing some game where I couldn’t turn down the volume completely. I felt awkward that a bunch of people in the library could hear me, so I turned off my device and gathered the rest of my things to leave.
An announcement started to play on the school speakers, declaring that there would be no classes that day due to the renovations at the school causing several “problems” that they wished to discuss at a school-wide “town hall” meeting. I actually remember thinking that this wasn’t worth my time and wanted to go home, but found myself walking towards a large group of students, a couple of who I recognized. One was a friend of mine back in high school and the other was a girl I had a massive crush on in high school. I approached them and we’d decided to go in together to see what this “town hall” was all about. I believe our school actually had a couple of gatherings called that, so it didn’t seem out of the ordinary.
As we entered with the other students, we found ourselves in this little, dimly lit hallway with three paths. The walls were all white and besides some of the pathways having their walls curve, the appearance was quite spartan in nature. The scene itself was quite chaotic, with student pouring in and barely any room to maneuver. We decided to take the path on the left and found ourselves in a theatre that also had completely white walls and was dimly lit. As we were walking up the stairs to the back of the theatre, I remember having thoughts about how I couldn’t let my friend take away my seat beside the girl I had a crush on, which actually mirrored an experience I had in real life once.
However, when I got to the back of the theatre, the girl I had a crush on was nowhere to be seen. As my friend and I took our seats, there was an announcement to not use any electronic equipment or anything else during the meeting, and that “volunteer students” had access to some sort of surveillance equipment that could find you immediately if you were caught misbehaving. I could see a bunch of electronic devices shutting off in unison while I put my gaming device in my backpack, which I had planned to bring out and play until anything interesting happened.
At some point I noticed that my friend wasn’t there anymore. A sensation of isolation began to sink in as the show got started on the theatre’s stage. You heard that right, as there didn’t appear to be any meeting discussing the school’s renovations, but some sort of live show playing instead. Think of it a bit like that sequence from Mulholland Drive that takes place in Club Silencio, but in a much more spartan looking environment. There were these ballerina looking types on stage that just started dancing and wouldn’t stop.
After a little while, some volunteer students came out with “refreshments” and we were told to take our pick. As a girl approached me with a box, she told me to “choose carefully”. In the box were all donuts, and I happened to spot a double chocolate donut that I liked the best, so I took it. I overheard her talking to some kid beside me saying that the kid shouldn’t take the donut he wants himself, and that the volunteer herself would give him his donut. I was a bit creeped out about this since the girl said nothing of the sort to me, but she didn’t seem to have any issues with me taking out the donut myself.
However, I nervously had my head down as I had experienced a sinking feeling about this whole event and the girl told me to “put my head up and look at the dancers”, in a cheery, yet sinister voice. I stared at the dancers as I began to shake in fear. It had felt as if the whole school had become a cult and nobody recognizable was in sight. I knew I couldn’t leave the theatre at this point, but I also didn’t have any idea what would happen to me if I did
All of a sudden I felt the kid next to me forcibly kiss me on the cheek. I think I might have had to shove him away because I distinctly remember not wanting any of his creepy affection in the slightest. The next thing I know, there were these unicycles approaching all the students in their seats with Kermit the frog dolls on them. Looking at them closely I could see deformed teeth on them, as well as obnoxiously loud music blaring from them. It felt as if the school had become some brainwashing program for all the kids there and at that moment, I knew I had to get out of there ASAP.
That’s when I regained my consciousness. It had felt very real to me, as if I were clawing my way back to the real world. The transition between me exiting my dream and opening my eyes felt too smooth to not feel real. I’ve had creepy, surreal dreams before but I rarely remember them this clearly. I’m surprised I remember so much. I hope to never stumble across that place in my subconscious ever again.