Dream Log 7: Fourth of July Festival

I make my way towards the entrance of this university. The whole place is busy with crowds, stalls, and patriotic decorations everywhere. I don’t remember this sort of university at all. It’s nothing like the one I attended in my reality and seems to be even larger than any other school I’ve been to. It’s insanely hot and I can only assume one thing: It’s the fourth of July. I recognize some of the music being played across this campus. Stuff you would typically hear on this day. I thought universities were Marxist institutions. It’s even stranger to consider that summer semesters would ever be this busy at all. In any case, everyone seems to be having a blast.

Something I begin to notice as I work my way through the crowds, these people, classmates and faculty; I’ve seen them before. They are from my high school. In fact, I think everyone here must be from my high school. Did we all ended up going to the same college? That’s not really believable. Unless we aren’t even at college level yet and we are hosting some sort of school event in this random university in the middle of summer no less. I don’t really get it. I’d ask someone but I couldn’t even hear my own thoughts as the whole place is polluted with noise. But something must have came into my mind while taking in the sight and noise from all the crowds. Surely, if everyone from my high school is here, then that must be one thing. Of course! She must be here too! The very one I’d been looking for all this time! She has to be around here somewhere! I just know it! I have to see her! But where can she be?

My initially calm patrol soon became something of a dash of desperation as I rush through the crowds trying to find one specific girl out of all the hundreds of people celebrating in this fair. I search and I search but I am not able to find her. At some point, I come across the university library which is open to the public for the celebrations. I’d like to think she would prefer a place a little more peaceful and less chaotic than the stuff going on outside. Perhaps she might be in here. This library is probably the largest library I’d ever seen. It’s multiple stories tall with a big lobby in the middle. You can look up from the inside and you’ll see the other floors in this sort of open library. I have a phobia of heights so I can’t imagine trying to look down from any of those floors into the lobby. That fear would have to put itself aside because my priority is to find her as soon as I can. I work my up the stairs to each floor and scout vigorously through each floor. Just as it was outside, the library itself was not as quiet as you might think. There are various activities and clubs doing stuff in the library and suffice to say, it’s rather crowded in here as well. So many people, it’s exhausting to go through each floor only to come out empty handed. Where could she be? Don’t tell me she isn’t here.

Sure enough, I made it to the last floor and despite my best efforts, I couldn’t catch any signs of hers. I was pretty exhausted from going through all those floors and I had to take a break at one of the library tables. I put my cell phone down on the table, and take out a bottle of water to sip on. Going through this library has given me a work out as it is. The temperature inside was barely cooler than it was outside. I can’t imagine how anyone would like this kind of festival in this time of year. It’s exhausting. But should I just give up on finding her now? Everyone from my high school is here, that’s for certain. So she must be here somewhere. I guess it’s back to looking for her outside. I get up and head down the elevator since I was too exhausted to take the stair again. I had to guess she must be outside somewhere.

By the time I was outside, the sun seemed to be setting already. At least it was getting cooler now, thank goodness. Supposedly, there will be a big firework show right next to the library so I might have to come back here in case I can’t find her soon enough. Surely, she would be here to see the firework show real soon. Rather than wait around, I figured I could continue to search around campus for her. That would end up being entirely futile as the sun finally set and darkness soon overtook the campus alongside the now lit sidewalk lanterns. I am pretty sure that firework show will be starting soon. I wonder what time that was supposed to start. I reach into my pocket but something isn’t right. My phone isn’t there! Don’t tell me. I must have left in the library. That can’t be. And it’s in the very last floor too! Oh god. What have I done! I have to get it back!

Without wasting any time, I ran through the crowds towards the library. Unfortunately, the library has been completely closed off by wire fencing. Worst of all, the entrance is being blocked by a big wooded stage that has been put up there for some concert of some sort that was going to be held during the firework show. If I were to try to get into the library entrance, I would have to sneak through there somehow. Maybe if I could sneak under the stage, and crawl my way into the other side, then perhaps I can make it without being seen. There is security everywhere so I have to be fast. While one of the guards was looking the other way. I slipped through the low barrier blocking the crowd from the stage and dived into the underside of the stage. Nobody had seen to notice me yet. It’s really dark under here, but it seems like they are getting ready to start the firework show. I could hear people above me talking about setting up their matches and preparing rockets and stuff. As soon as the first one was lit, I could hear the explosions right above me. It’s very loud especially from right below where they are launching them. I am also getting really dirty as I have to crawl through grass and dirt under this stage. If only I would had kept my phone with me.

Right as I make my way out from the other side, someone from the stage crew had spotted me. I quickly got on my knees and begged. “I forgot my phone!”, “I must retrieve my phone or my mom will be worried sick!”, and various other things I mentioned more or less to try to convince him. Surprisingly, he agreed and told me to stay low. He handed me some keys to the library and told me to give them back when I was done. “Make it quick!” he remarked. “I’ll be in serious shit if they find out I gave the keys to you!”. With his approval. I take the keys to unlock the library door. It’s almost completely pitch black in here but I had a glow stick with me which I suppose is better than nothing. I must say, the library is rather eerie when it’s completely empty and dark like this, but I had to get my phone back. I could still hear the celebration and fireworks from outside so it’s not completely isolated. As I make my way through the stairs, I suddenly wake up from this dream and quickly look around my bedroom for my phone. Hmm. It’s been right here all along. Oh. That must have been a dream!

As for the girl in question, I never got to see my crush in this dream. Maybe she didn’t exist in this specific dream. I got lost in track so much in trying to find her, I forgot to pocket my own cell phone in this dream. Have I’ve become so obsessed with her that I can’t even stop thinking about her in a dream like this where that wasn’t even a concern in the first place? I should have been focused on the bigger picture of the situation like I normally do. The time and place is often more intriguing than the stuff going on with my personal agenda in most cases.

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