Jim Colombo 
The Dream
response to the six week on-line workshop short image exercise
copyright 1998 Jim Colombo
may not be reproduced in any form without permission of the author

Note by Storyarts:

There are other ways this exercise could be done, but this example comes close to being exactly what I hoped to see.   When you finish reading, take a moment to ask yourself what it is you most clearly recall from this page.  If you would like to comment directly to the author email Storyarts.  We will see that he gets it.  If you would like to share your comments with others, use the listserv.  (see  updates )
 
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A cold breeze rushes pass my body.  There is a smell of Jasmine, like
summer time at my parents' walkway to their home, but I am somewhere
else.  A cloud surrounds me and I feel a hand touch my forehead. My
eyes are covered.  I can feel the wind swirl around me.
"Do not fear," she says.  She hugs me and we begin to circle the
rooftops.  We are flying.
No.  She is and I am holding on.  Who is she and where are we going?
I can not see where we are going, because the of stream of clouds
that propel us. The surge of clouds pass and we slowly float down.
It is tropical.  There are palm trees and a sandy beach.  I can hear
parrots.  A monkey cautiously winds his way down a tree. He stares
in amassment, then quickly scampers into the thick of the top of the
tree. I can see a form or shape of a lady. She is slender, with long
black hair that covers her naked back. She turns and her face, I can
can not focus and see her face.  But I can see her shape and I still
smell the jasmine.
"Where am I?"
She puts her hand over my mouth. Whenever she touches me, there is a
warm, but calm feeling. She takes my hand and we begin to walk away
from the beach and into the jungle. There is a moist breeze and birds
are singing. I stare at her to learn more about her, but she is out
of focus.   I can se everything else clear, but not her.  After
awhile the jungle ends and there is a clearing. We are at the edge of
a cliff. There is a waterfall to our right and we start to walk
towards it.  The sound of the crashing water deafens my ears and
the spray of water drenches us.  Once again she hugs me and we fall
into the waterfall. Surrounded by the roaring  water, we fall to the
bottom. We rise to the top and are in a grotto.   I do not recall
swimming to the shore.  We are walking into a cave.  It is dark and
cold.  The smell of jasmine has long gone. Her hand no longer feels
soft, but like leather. I notice that I can now see her a little
more clearly.  Gradually, she comes into focus.  But she is not
a she or anything that I recognize. I let go of its hand and stop.
It stops. It walks towards me and I back away. I must get out if
her, but where?  It is coming closer and I move faster to escape,
but where? I start running.  It starts running. I am running as
fast as I can, but it is moving effortlessly.  It is enjoying the
chase and laughing. I am running as fast as I can. I'm breathing
rapidly and fear is running though my body. There is a light
ahead and I run for it. The light is becoming larger and larger.
I run faster to the light and suddenly, it is an edge of a cliff
and I begin to fall. I am falling. I am tumbling and falling, but
I can hear music. The music becomes louder. It is the Dooby Brothers
sing "Old Black Water" and I have fallen out of bed.  The alarm has
gone off on my clock radio. My heart is pounding and I am soaked
with perspiration. It is five minutes after seven in the morning
and I can hear a traffic report. I am alive.  I have to get ready
for work. If it was a dream, then why do I still smell Jasmine?
the end.
Jim Colombo