sometime in 1999 . . .
tetris castle death
at a science museum, I was looking at an exhibit of very strange animals behind a glass counter front.
on the countertop sat a mask of a human face that looked very realistic. I tried it on, and discovered that when I was wearing it, every animal I looked at would meet my gaze.
one animal I specifically remember was a large slug or snail, about three feet high.
later, I saw a large open room where many people were gathering. I was not in the room, but could see it, and I knew that someone was in trouble. the crowd began to leave quickly, and as they did, one girl drew my attention. she was in pain, and obviously pregnant.
instead of giving birth, however, she 'ruptured,' covering the floor of the hall with water about half an inch deep.
one of the people who had remained in the room was a doctor, and knew how to help her. he motioned for me to come and help, and guided her onto a table.
he produced surgical tools, and made an incision in her stomach. he had me hold the cut open so he could work, but it was difficult to do so--fluorescent green paste got on my hands, burning like battery acid. that was what the doctor had to remove. it seemed the operation was successful.
I drove away from the building, and walked with a few other people into an outdoor park area. out of an open grassy area, a castle seemed to grow into existence. it looked fairly normal at first, but then segments began to grow out of it in strange directions, reminding me of Tetris pieces.
people began to gather around it, and many scaled the walls, walking out along the odd sections. many others appeared from inside, at balconies and at windows. it was now very large, towering high above those on the ground with me.
I wondered why people were climbing all over it, when it was obviously very dangerous to do so. I was distracted from that thought by the realization that I had a camera with me, and I certainly wanted a picture of this bizarre sight.
I was startled to see my mother on the outer edge of a high segment.
she seemed perfectly calm being up there, and began to yell down to me advice for good pictures.
as I looked through the viewfinder, various potential pictures seemed to freeze in my vision.
a fear began to come over me, and I suspected that someone was going to fall.
the feeling intensified, and my mother's words became faster and more shrill as she told me where to stand and what to shoot.
this was very disturbing, since I had never seen her out of control like this. her voice became hysterical, and she began chanting rhythmically like a record stuck on a phrase, saying, "you should go d---; you should go d---"; you should go d---";
then she fell.
I saw the entire descent, and her body hit the ground and bounced like a dummy. there was no blood.
I was frozen, terrified. I thought of possible alternatives. Could I have caught her? At that height, I would have died too.
a thought was powerful in my mind as I awoke: I have never had a reason to take death very seriously. but one day someone I know well and care about will die--everything in this life is very temporary, though it doesn't seem like it.
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