My dream started out with my friend and I deciding what video game to play. We popped in some boring game and then he pulled out this hellish, demon-slayer-like game, and popped it in with my enthusiasm.

True to the dream, the game begins and I AM the main character, and he my sidekick. The atmosphere is dark, and red, and he shows me how to descend this stair case jumping and flipping about as nimbly as any video game hero.

We enter a pitch black stair case that u-turns into a different hallway and I pause briefly to notice this red and black stained glass circular relief of a face laying on the stair shaft above my eyeline, because it just barely glimmered in a warm light from cracks in the wall from the next room.

My hesitation caused me to fall behind my nimble friend ( I was feeling less and less like a video game hero now ) and I was afraid to go through the next door on my own, so I hurried to catch up to him.

Beyond this next door was a strange sight: a cathedral-like setting all encased in candle and chandelier lit ivory. I explored effectively alone. The nimble friend was gone. I noticed no threats until I noticed the middle of the sanctuary there was an old old man-like thing. His face was pale, ghostly pale, and wrinkled more than a normal person’s would be. His white hair was long, almost down to his shoulders, but straggly. His countenance reminded me of the shadow of a long past Amish man, and in the center of that empty cathedral he stood on a circular raised area surrounded by all manner of catholic symbols equally as ancient as he.

My gaming mind returned and it occurred to me that this might the first enemy to pummel, so I did. I thrashed into him, but soon realized – first that my hands were in fact my only weapons bludgeoning him thusly so – and second that he wasn’t fighting back.

The man’s response to my attack: “I’m sorry but they told me it was alright to come and stay down here. I’ll leave now.”

I was taken aback, “Well you are awfully polite for a ghoul.”

I followed him into the next room, which was most like the pedestrian transit areas of a large train or airport station. He spoke briefly to a HUGE giant of a black woman behind the window. She was gorgeous in a mature, motherly sort of way.

Then the old man went and sat down on a bench across the thoroughfare, blending into the wall as far as the passerbys were concerned.

I went and talked to him. He explained to me his plight: “I was supposed to inherit and retire with $500,000, but my grandparents took it away from me, and wouldn’t let me have it. Now I have nowhere to go. I hope they let me stay here a while.”

I felt pity for the man and got up to go talk to the lady myself. Her energy was very kind yet very strict in a sense. I wanted to be near her, mainly to report and receive guidance, like she was the BOSS running this place, and I didn’t want to get on her bad side at all.

I approached her very respectfully and expressed a deep and sincere gratitude for the place that I am in in my life. She nodded silently in acceptance of my thanks, and said simply, “It is time to go back now.”

And that is the last I remember before waking.