The Flagpole Dream

Fade in: I’m outside with others. Someone mentions a neighbor’s flagpole. That flagpole causes something to happen. I respond, “Well, they should move it, then.” There are protests about how difficult that would be, but I say, “That shouldn’t be hard. Hard, yes, but it can be done. It’ll just take some effort.”

Next up: someone announces, “We’re going to go help the neighbors.”

Cross-talk follows. I gather that the neighbor is following up on my idea to move their flagpole.

A flirtatious and vivacious middle-aged white woman with short blonde hair with highlights asks me, “Are you going to help, Michael?”

I envision digging a hole, so I shrug. “Sure. Let me get a shovel.”

Reaching ‘off stage’ I find a spade. “I’m ready.” Everyone else, about eight of us, were also ready.

“Let’s go,” the middle-aged woman says.

We walk down the street as a group. Arriving at the neighbor’s yard, we present ourselves as a small squad at attention. Our intention is announced.

The neighbor thanks us. Then he says, “Okay, thanks. Come on, Michael.”

“What?”

“Show us what we’re supposed to do.”

“Me?”

“I thought you knew how to move it.”

I think through this in the dream, readying protests, but then overcome my doubts. “Okay, sure.” I believe that I can solve any problems on the fly. “Well, first, let’s remove it from its old location.”

He shows me the silver flagpole. It seems to be brushed aluminum. As I approach it, I call to the rest, “Okay, everyone, come on over and let’s figure out how to move it.” Then I put my hands around the flagpole and give it a jerk, to test how secure it is.

I almost fall over as the flagpole comes out. Startled, I set it down. The neighbor explains, “It wasn’t fixed in place.”

“No kidding.” I look into the hole where the pole had been. It seems light, and there’s clear water. Something is swimming in there. I think it’s an eel. Stepping back with surprise, I begin to speak but the neighbor interrupts me. As he’s talking, a moray eel leaps out of the water and tries to bite his arm.

I’m shocked. It seems like the neighbor didn’t notice. Glancing around, it seems like no one saw what I did.

I tell everyone what I think I saw. As I do, an eel leaps out and tries to bite my arm. People see that. As we’re talking about what it means, the eel climbs out of the water and rests on the outside of the hole. I’m trying to understand what this means. It means danger to me, but it also means something unusual, something that needs investigated.

Engineers arrive to speak with the neighbor about where to put his flagpole. While they’re talking, I see several lobsters climb out of the hole. I’m amazed but I have no idea what’s going on.

The engineers then notice the lobsters and stop talking.

The dream ends.