The dream(s):
I am in a drafty sort of ranch house, and glancing out the window in the living room, I see a whole street of the same sort of house - hastily built, and I think of military housing. Everything is fairly flat, and orderly - completely lacking in character in the darkness. And it is just after twilight. So getting darker.
A voice behind me says when the babies are asleep, we might even see an aurora out there. She motions out at the window. I look at her, she is familiar, and I think she looks a lot like my friend J, but younger - much younger, and in clothing that shows off her figure.
I ask who will watch the kids if we are out looking at the aurora, and she says she's sure they will be fine for half an hour while we take care of business. I look at her with a question on my face, and she beckons me to follow her. In the bathroom, she flips the light on, and there is a fully dressed and very dead man in the bath tub.
She says "it'll only take a few minutes to take him out for the coyotes to dispose of him. And we'll still have plenty of time to look at the stars and get back. The kids sleep through everything once they are asleep. We could have a parade go by with marching bands and if they are asleep, they stay asleep." She smiles, proud that the kids can sleep through noises of all kinds.
I ask her where the blood is, judging by the gashes, she had to stab him several times. She says out in the shed behind the house - I nod, because that is also where her husband dresses the deer he's shot during the season. I ask her how she got him in the tub from there, since she is probably half his weight. She shrugs. I ask did any of her neighbors see him arrive or see her bringing him in? She shrugs again. I sigh.
Have you already gone through his wallet? Only for the cash, she says standing close to me. I can smell the alcohol on her clothing, but not on her breath. Alcohol and cigarette smoke. I shake my head.
I ask whose car we should use? She says hers...because she knows where she's taking him, I nod. Okay. So she backs the station wagon up to the back door, and I use her cleaning gloves to help her carry him to the back of the wagon. where she has laid down newspaper, and I notice her dog is whimpering over by the shed.
After we get the man in the back of the car, I go look at the dog. I tell J that the dog has a broken rib, I think. She says, yeah, please put her in the house, she'll take her to the vet in the morning. I do that and try to comfort the dog as I do - the dog heads into the kids room to stand guard even though she is hurting. When I get in the car, I ask her if that was why she killed the guy, cause it is obvious that the dog was kicked hard. She says yes. I nod, and tell her she did the right thing. I don't ask any other questions, like who he is, or what he was doing there in the first place, since he clearly isn't her husband. None of my business. She called for help, and I came.
Up in the sky, I notice the start of a ribbon of green, and I hear the coyotes howling as we are driving out to the empty plains.
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It is raining, and I can hear the rain hitting the roof. Logan is staring in my face, because he knows it is time for me to get up. He pads after me, to the kitchen and watches patiently as I make a pot of coffee and feed him. Happy Wednesday. Not sure where this dream came from, but it was oddly satisfying.