Roof rot and contamination

There was a large house, filled with people, high ceilings, and it was night. The roof, where the attic lay, contained shelves upon shelves of old luggage and personal belongings-- treasures. It was rotten and about to collapse. A call was made to a team of experts, similar to ghost hunters, who could sniff out exactly what was wrong and how to fix it. They were so good that even handing them a few blades of grass from your lawn would tell them what was happening. Roof rot, they said, and put their plan into action. The scene changes and there is an attic made of exposed wood where the entire team lives. The space is divided by partitions so that each member has their own nook for their bed and for privacy. It resembles a dorm in a way and is occupied by men only. The scene goes to a group of people driving in a vintage convertible, a woman driving, and as crazy as this may sound joined by a chimpanzee. It is still night and they pull up to this open sandy location with ruins of concrete and metal, lit up by a bright artificial light, and situated besides a dark shallow lake. The driver gets out of the car, crosses the highway and enters into the sandy space. There are a few people lurking about, but she approaches the lake and takes out a net. She scoops into the lake and pulls out an tiny alligator, followed by a large rattlesnake that hisses as it is pulled above the water. This creates a panic because she realizes that there has been some sort of contamination. She searches in the sand around her looking for clues. A large red sign is uncovered that reveals that this place was once a gas station-- but the sign also reveals a contamination that happened many years ago: beware of multiplying animals, it read. She runs to her team and explains the situation. They are all very worried and she runs to her car, starts the engine, and notices a rooster coming after her. The contamination is spreading. It's all very sci-fi.

Bald Eagle Lake

from above the forest canopy swooped a bald eagle, larger than a lion, who landed before a crowd of travelers whom i was among. she didn't like the bridge that was being built across her lake that lay beside the forest. the bridge was large and was made of a bamboo skeleton. people came from near and far to see it being built. she appeared as a beautiful young girl to me, but no one else saw her this way. she wasn't afraid of people, but she was afraid of captivity. while many wanted to "protect her" from death in "the wild" by keeping her "safe," she told me she would rather die in nature than be caged. i helped set her free and she flew away as the bridge collapsed and fresh river water flowed wildly into the lake.

Sidewalk Birds

It was a long sidewalk in a town on a brisk autumn afternoon. The sidewalk led me to the edge of town where an epic field of wheat danced in the breeze. There were many birds in the sky and I knew them all. The Golden Eagle and Bald Eagle soaring together caught my eye and distracted me from walking. I stood still and watched them fly. When I turned my attention back to the sidewalk a gigantic Great Horned Owl approached me. It was hooting and flapping its wings, it was beautiful. Suddenly, however, it morphed into a scrappy drunk hobo who staggered belligerently and collapsed at the base of a sycamore tree. Utterly confused, I turned around to find another Great Horned Owl in front of me, only this time it was real and perched elegantly on a tree branch.

Long Road Ahead

I had been popping into my friend's vintage shop a lot that week and after an awkward exit after the last visit, I decided I would leave town and go on a road trip. I can't tell you how far I went, but I can tell you I went far. I was in a small mountain town, looking out of a window. There were tall redwoods and snowcapped mountains. Right outside my window was a small patch of forest and I was high enough up that I could see the treetops. A huge Red-tailed Hawk swooped up with a small dead bird in its beak. It landed on its nest and fed it whole to its young. Then it disappeared into the forest. A few minutes later it emerged with a small dead mammal in it's clutches and again fed it whole to the young. I felt like I was witnessing something magical, something immensely rare, and I was soaking it in. Across the patch of forest was a large multi-storied building that was my destination in this mountain town. It looked like a medical facility or perhaps a research facility. I strutted through the automatic double-doors feeling like I was someone important who had a specific reason to be there--almost like my expertise made me someone valuable that was to work on a project there. Or something. As if I had been there before and knew my way around, I marched into the Bird department and checked-in at the front desk. I was going to meet with someone mildly important. I felt very excited to be there and a sense of future-career came over me.

Then I was on the road again, this time Nelson Mandela had decided to join us--or rather, we had to pick him up and drop him off somewhere along the way. So we were his stewards for this portion of the trip. And I think I recall us driving in a convertible too. We were going to travel through Africa to visit all of the places he had once been persecuted or praised. I can recall being in Kenya and him receiving mixed reviews upon arrival. But it was a joyous occasion and I know he felt closure in whatever he needed closure in. We ate a hearty meal outside on wooden benches with women in colorful robes. There was an archway set-like structure behind us where people were coming from. It was painted in yellows and reds and other bright colors. We were to continue on our trip the next day, but I am not sure where we were headed or if Nelson was coming with us. I don't even know who "us" was.

Raspberry Stones

I realized I was a special sort of human. I could read minds. I was almost immortal. I could fly too, if I wanted. I met a vampire and we fell in love. We stayed in a small, charming apartment that was messy and cozy. Aliens from another planet abducted me and wished to use my powers to their advantage. They were trying to locate three magical stones that looked like raspberries. The stones had some gigantic power to save Earth and the universe when used all together, which is why they had been hidden throughout the universe in different spots. They put me in a spaceship and we found the first stone. It was way above Earth, just hovering. We were going to locate the others. They were good aliens, treated me right.

Black Falcon Eggs

I lived in an old house with lots of windows and rooms that sat on a hill. The paint was chipping and the decor was minimal. In a back room there was a Peregrine Falcon that I cared for. The back room had 2 walls of windows that could look out through another set of windows at the land beneath the hill. It was a female raptor that had laid eggs. Males were hard to come by and the falcons are endangered, which meant that these eggs were special. They were black eggs, a color that no bird species lays.  She had laid them into a velvet-lined box that functioned as her nest.  I entered the room to check on the eggs and the eggs fell out. One cracked and a yolk spilled out. The other one cracked but was solid inside because it was farther along.  I felt terrible that the eggs had broken and were lost. I set out to the park in the valley, which was the closest thing to a natural forest in the area.  I knew there were falcons in the area. We set out with my mini speakers and ipod filled with bird songs in hopes of attracting a male falcon to our care.  We spotted one across a stream and started playing the songs. It was interested. But, so were tourists and random passerbyes. I had to shoo people away and one woman took offense and demanded to see our permits for snatching an endangered bird. She called the police and we fled the scene without our bird.  I knew that we'd be back for the bird, but running as fast as we could away from the area was all I could think of. We came back to the house and the female falcon was perched on her branch. I looked forward to a new clutch of eggs, but wondered how we could lure that male bird without attracting lots of attention. 

Lots o' Hawks

Trevor and I was at a party that was in the penthouse of a tall building in the middle of a very dense, industrial city.  From the veranda, all I could see was rooftop after rooftop, dark night, and the orange white lights of a city at night. It was quiet on the veranda. I could see other rooftop verandas and I liked looking at the sparse potted plants sitting there in stark contrast to the very geometric pattern of the buildings.  I looked up at the sky for a few moments and saw a very large and brightly marked Red-shouldered Hawk soaring across the sky.  It was beautiful and the only sign of life in the quite, rigid city.  It was bright and glowing, beautiful and magical.  Another hawk joined it and the two found a perch in a rooftop niche near a plant.  While they rested, a Red-tailed Hawk and Peregrine Falcon joined them.  They were having their own little party, I suppose.  Trevor was amazed at the sight when I pulled him over to watch at the spectacle.  He decided to walk up to the birds to get a better look.  One hawk was gnawing on a small mammal and I could sense that if Trevor got too close he would be perceived as invading the hawk's space.  As he approached, the hawk squawked and looked upset at him.  He didn't relent, which prompted the bird to nip at his ankle with its gigantic powerful beak.  Trevor quickly got the message and retreated into my arms.  Luckily he wasn't hurt.  We stood together, watching the hawks from a safe distance.  The last thing I saw before I woke up was the falcon perched on a ledge gazing in my direction and looking exquisite.