Saturday, September 11, 2010

A familiar story?

I could have sworn I'd told this one on here before, but.... well, an exhaustive online search seems to indicate that I am mistaken.

Another of my dream stories; this time, one that I had, I think, about a dozen or so years ago, when I was living in Canada.




I am in a desert environment, a hot, dusty plain - almost completely featureless but for a large hill just in front of me.

Half-way up the hill, I see a brawny man grunting and sweating as he struggles to turn over a large, round-ish boulder.  He eventually succeeds in flipping it over once, pauses for just a few moments, and then sets to trying to do it again.  The stone is clearly enormously heavy, and it is painfully hard work: he is endeavouring to move it uphill.

I approach, fascinated.  I'm tempted to offer to help him move this rock, but feel embarrassed as to how to do this; and the man is anyway too intent on his labours to notice me.

At last, he manages to get the boulder to the top of the hill, and then, with one last huge heave, he sends it toppling over the crest and rolling - skipping, bouncing, crashing - down the far slope under its own weight, raising a cloud of dust behind it as it goes, scattering smaller stones left and right, smashing the occasional withered tree or cactus that stands in its path.

The man whoops and hollers with delight as he watches the boulder's descent.  Then he trots down the hill after it.

I catch up to him at the foot of the hill, just as he has once again started toiling to roll it back to the top.

"Say, that does look kind of fun," I say, sheepishly.  "Could I have a try?"

And Sisyphus (for it is he) replies, "Get your own f***ing rock!"

4 comments:

moonrat said...

you have very self-reflective dreams. that must be very helpful for you. see, in my dream, i wouldn't have realized it was a rock.

Froog said...

It would have been a very large fishball? And you would have been confused as to why it wasn't rolling into your mouth?

Or is everything elusive, unsubstantial in your dreams? You could witness the myth of Sisyphus and not realise it was a rock, a hill, Sisyphus, hell?

Or do you mean you always see beyond the dream image to the thing that's really causing you anxiety? Oh, that's not a rock. That's the manuscript 'o doom I have to finish editing by the weekend.

Gary said...

Ha! Brilliant! I must try to remember this if I wind up in hell.

Froog said...

I'm pretty sure I had this dream in 1998, towards the end of the year I'd been living in Toronto - but I can't now recall what contemporary anxieties might have given rise to it.

Something to do with career dilemmas or other major life choices, I suppose. (I was realising I'd probably have to give up the law, but was pondering trying to remain in Canada...) Recently, it's probably resurfaced in my mind because I've been wondering about getting involved in the bar business. A 'rock' indeed!