Lucinda's Dream, part 1 of a short story

Lucinda awoke from another restless night. The dreams or nightmares depending on interpretation were getting worse. As her usual routine when she awakes, she proceeded to the kitchen and turned on the exhaust fan. She lit her morning cigarette and inhaled deeply before exhaling slowly. The exhaust fan consumed the smoke. She hated smoking and didn't want to smoke in the house but looking outside her kitchen window, the rain was coming down hard. It was April and she thought of the old saying "April showers bring May flowers". Once done with her cigarette she poured herself a cup of coffee. Three sugars and milk. She definitely wasn't "a true coffee drinker", since she would never touch the stuff without her sugar. As she sat down in her den to watch the morning news, her mind drifted back to her dream. Her dreams were so vivid. She started to write them down in a journal so she could look them up on the internet for an interpretation. She often used the website (Dreamforth.com) mainly because it was free but also because it gave an in-depth meaning to one's dreams.

Over the past several months her dreams have become more frightening. At first she thought it was because of the sleeping pills her doctors prescribed her for her insomnia brought on by increased stress. Lucinda was unemployed and her bank account was slowly dwindling down. She searches for work everyday to no avail. Yet her dreams have no relevance to her lack of employment or being broke.

Lucinda's dream this time took place in a grocery store. This was no surprise since her freezer was empty, her refrigerator contained the bare essentials and her pantry looked like something out of Mother Hubbard's Cubard. In her dream she slowly walked down the aisles while searching the store flyer for sales. As she walked down the aisles she felt a presence behind her. It was a man dressed in a black hoody, faded blue jeans and black sneakers. Of course a man shopping is no reason for alarm. However, this man had no cart or basket. Each and every aisle she went in, the man followed about a foot behind her. Whenever she turned to view him he would face the items on the store shelves.

Lucinda turned down the aisle that held the feminine products and once again she turned around to see the man. He was looking on the shelf that contained the tampons and sanitary napkins. How silly she felt in her dream. Men do shop for such products for their wife or girlfriend. After leaving that aisle Lucinda decided to hide behind a display aisle. Her purpose was to see if the man picked up anything. She could see him, but he could not see her. As he went into the next aisle, Lucinda noticed there was nothing in his hands.

In her dream Lucinda felt a rush of panic. "Get out of the store", her mind was telling her. She proceeded to the check out line and she looked around but did not see the man.

As Lucinda sat on her couch recalling the dream she wondered if possibly she had seen this man in reality and somehow her sub-conscious placed him in her dream. She glanced at the television, the reporter was speaking about a fire somewhere in New Jersey. It seems every morning on the news there is a fire in New Jersey. She poured herself another cup of coffee and lit another cigarette while turning on the exhaust fan. "Oh your just letting your dreams make you paranoid", she said out loud. The problem was her dreams made her toss and turn all night. Whenever she woke up in the morning, she still felt tired. Frustrated with herself she showered and dressed. Although she had no place to go, she kept this routine should she one day have a job to go to.

Once dressed she looked in her fridge and realized regardless of her dream, she must go to the grocery store. The rain was getting worse so she put on her rain boots and raincoat while searching for her umbrella. Finding her umbrella, she drove to the supermarket located ten minutes away. When she got inside, she kept looking for the man in her dreams.

Of course he wasn't there. It was a Tuesday morning and the usual shoppers were around. Mothers with their young children and the early morning senior shoppers. With only $50 to her name she completed her shopping in less than 30 minutes, but not before stopping in the feminine hygiene aisle. Still no man.

The drive back to her house took longer than usual as the wind was picking up and the rain coming down like buckets of water. Lucinda rushed to her front door loaded with packages while fumbling for her house key. When she got inside she discarded her boots and hung her raincoat on a hook in the foyer. All done while holding her three grocery bags with one hand. "I hate shopping", she said as she unloaded the bags and its contents on her kitchen table.

Suddenly an eerie feeling came over her. She stopped putting her groceries away and searched for her cigarettes and lighter in her purse. As she lit her cigarette and turned on the exhaust fan, she took a drag and looked out her kitchen window which faced the backyard.

The cigarette fell from her mouth into the sink. Lucinda's heart was racing, her hands trembling and she was overcome with fear. Outside a few feet away stood the hooded man. He had no umbrella and the rain poured down upon him. Yet he didn't move. He looked straight at her. Lucinda knew she needed to call the police. Her cell phone was in her purse on the table. She turned quickly and frantically searched her purse for her phone. With her cell phone in her hand she turned back to the window ready to dial 911. When she looked out the window again the man with the hooded jacket was gone.

This is a free website that I have used frequently. You can search for dream interpretations by clicking on either of the three categories.

1. Dream Interpretation
2. Dream Dictionary
3. Dream Themes

Or you can also click on the icons. There are icons for dreams about animals, emotions, body parts, events, colors, numbers etc.

www.dreamforth.com

This is part 1 of Lucinda's Dream. As you read this I welcome your comments. Also please see a survey at the bottom of this hub. Since this is part 1, I encourage you to vote. However, I will not revel the correct answer, as the mystery continues.