XI.
The face floats slowly across the sky. He had selected it from a crowd; it had been difficult to choose. He didn’t recognize the face. Was it the face of something that would give his life meaning? It wasn’t one thing; perhaps it wasn’t anything. It wasn’t the clouds, or the woman he had met, or anyone else, who provided the reason to live his life. What did he have to thank them for? That pleasure always brought him pain; leaving skeleton bones along a path leading nowhere. The clouds change their characteristics depending on the weather, and the season. These were not the grand pastoral clouds of summer. Those were gone now, replaced by clouds that were cold and grey. The face was still beautiful. The sky is vast, yet it couldn’t keep the featherless bird that had fallen from its nest from smashing to the pavement. He noticed it walking home from work one morning; a small pink object on the sidewalk. He had to look closely to even recognize what it was. That had happened long ago, before the enormous summer clouds had drifted across the sky, carrying memories away with them. But, the memory of the small stain of blood where the bird’s head hit the ground had remained. The image reminds him of the dream he has had. As the dream begins, he is being sought for a crime that he can’t remember if he has actually committed. He is aware the Authorities believe he is guilty, therefore he knows he can’t turn himself in. He watches as they seek him everywhere. By keeping in motion, he manages to success‐ fully elude them at every step. As time passes, the pursuit tapers off. He realizes now that he has gotten away with it; that he is not likely to be captured. Even though he is not sure he has committed any crime he begins to feel guilt and remorse. He also realizes that he will need to be forever watchful and not let down his guard for a moment. Computer processors never forget. They will identify him when he integrates back into the world. In the final scene of the dream, the man jumps from the top of a tall building, to awaken just before impact. What is the difference between a dream and a nightmare? The writer sits on the ledge of the rooftop, sipping his coffee, daydreaming. His thoughts soar, but each of them are still chained to reality; attached to the gravity of the physical world. Imagined concepts suspended in tension are meaningful only by their connection to the outside world. He plunges into the depths of the dream to discover what logic exists there. He tries to isolate the components of the dream, but the fragments no longer exist. Reprogramming has occurred while he had slept, during his morning rest. The dream has already linked his past with the present. The original elements, concepts and ideas of the dream have become merged and recombined, synthesized into a new one, which has been allocated a location in his permanent memory. Meanwhile, the original fragments have floated away like clouds.