May 27th, 2013

Living in cramped quarters with hundreds (perhaps thousands) of refugees. We reside in a tall building, probably 30 stories high. At first, it is not clear to me from where we are seeking refuge. As the days pass, we sense that the folks who live on the upper floors (where there are far fewer people and therefore much more space) are conspiring against us.

One day, some folks from the top floors come through the lower floors and force us to leave our possessions and our tiny homes (some of which are in the stairwells). When we resist, they become brutal toward us, shoving, pushing, and beating us forward, up the stairs to the top floors.

When we reach the upper floors, it becomes clear that the folks who live there are holding us captive. I approach one man who is dressed in a gray business suit. He appears uneasy in our presence. I begin shouting at him and he cowers, putting his arms over his head as if to ward off my blows--though I'm not hitting him. I believe he is trying to deny that his people are holding the rest of us captive, and so I shout the truth at him and he seems deeply disturbed.

Others come to his rescue--they pull me away from him.

A person from the lower floors approaches me and shows me how to sneak out of the building. Once outside, we find ourselves in a Chinese marketplace. There, I learn that the year is 1966, that we're Jewish prisoners held by Nazis who escaped at the end of WWII. No one knows we're being held in a skyscraper.

Suddenly I am inside a pure white room in nearby building. I am not physically present, but I am able to view what's happening as though I am in the room.

A black man appears. He's dressed in a button-down yellow shirt and a black tie. He sits at a bright white table and plugs in his laptop. A sign on the table reads, "World News." Other journalists appear and sit at other tables in the room.

One begins talking to the group about how he suspects that a band of Nazis are holding a large group of Jews captive. The others point out how crazy that sounds, but he is undeterred and simply says he needs to find evidence.

At that point I realize we'll be saved.

Saturday, May 18th, 2013

I'm on one of the top floors in the new World Trade Center tower: One World Trade Center.

It is daytime and I can see the city below. One part section of windows is missing. I approach, lose my balance, and fall over the edge. I quickly grab the floor, which is uneven and difficult to grasp. I keep slipping and having to readjust my grip. Someone grabs me and pulls me back to safety. I still feel that the floor is sloped in the direction of the window and I can slide out anytime.

A tour guide is explaining some of the features of the new building, which is quite beautiful. We move into another section of the floor. It appears unfinished and the tour guide explains there was not enough money to finish the project. The room is large and empty, with ugly marble floors that are wet. I feel as though I'm in a dirty public restroom.

We leave that space and find a small TV (not flat-screen, but an old fashioned tube model) suspended over narrow, carpeted steps--the setup reminds me of stadium seating at a movie theater, except that only one person can fit on each level. On screen is an old film (from the 70s or 80s) I think I recognize. The main character is played by Robert De Niro. De Niro has long black hair and looks to be about the age he was when he filmed Taxi Driver. He's with a group of guys in their early twenties. They're hanging around heckling each other. I seem to know the words and I laugh with the crowd standing around me.