Possessions

Last night, I had a dream in which I behaved exactly as I think I would on this side of sleep. My brother and I took jobs at a local construction firm. He had worked there before. I had not. On the first day, he got a standing ovation.

I on the other hand was low man. While sweeping floors and cleaning some forgotten corner, I overheard a commotion. Another coworker brought me into a vast room where an enormous dog was chained under a table defending a bone. People were taking turns approaching and acting as if they were going to take his treasure. The dog would snarl, bare its teeth, and advance with wild gnashing and clanking. A large fellow approached with a leash, tried to wrangle the beast, had one of his arms mangled, and retreated. He stammered over to me with tattered clothes, said I was low man now, shoved the leash at me and directed me towards the dog.

I was horrified. I would do it, but everyone would have to wait out me waiting it out. They agreed.

I carefully walked along the wall as close as I could get without seeming a threat, slid down, and sat. The dog didn’t notice me. I paid no attention to him. Hours passed. We could hear each other breathing. I woke inside absolute confidence.