split in two & chicks

I was lying on a large window sill, parallel to the window, with my brother who was also lying parallel with his head at my feet, so that if we were standing up, I would be standing on his head. As we gazed out the window to the sky, I felt the ground beneath me shift. I felt the floor was tipping away from the rest of the house, that our combined weight was too much and we were going to slip out the window. I felt so panicked that I split in two: my spirit left my body and went outside the house so that I could see what was going on. From outside, I could see that the floor was indeed tipping and that my brother and I were in danger. I called out to him and he rolled back inside, but my body remained, lying next to the window. My spirit ran back up the stairs but by the time I reached my body, it had moved. My brother told me that a baby chicken, a chick, had wandered over to my body and, being protective, my body had sheltered the chick and taken it to safety. I then saw my body walk through the room wearing a long white undergarment with a structured skirt, held out with hoops and bones, so that you could see through it to my skin. It was a petticoat like the ones worn in times gone by that held huge ballooning dresses in place. I could see through the skirt to the ground where perhaps fifty tiny chicks gathered around my body's ankles; they scuttled about me and moved like a cloud of yellow down as I walked.

family

I only remember this:
My mother, father, sister, brother and I were standing at the edge of a large body of water, like a wide bay. We could see across to the other side, far away in the distance. We each held a boogie board and were dressed in wetsuits, ready to cross the water. We were apprehensive, concerned about the distance and about the wild animals of the deep that we may encounter on the way, but we knew that this was what we had to do. I had a deep sense of connectedness with my family.
Later, I carried my mother on my back; she was light and, when I set her down, I was very gentle, careful not to hurt her. Her hair had been tousled during the ride and we laughed as I shaped it into a cockatoo's comb and showed her in the mirror.

handicap

I was due on stage to rehearse a dance routine with a dance troupe. Wooden cabaret style chairs were placed around the stage, one for each of the dancers. I knew the routine and sat on my chair, waiting for the entire troupe to arrive. Some music was playing in the background and I tried to stand but there was no strength in my legs, particularly in my knees, so that I was frozen in a half-standing, half-sitting position. It took all of my energy to fight the weakness; the pull of gravity was monumental, but I persevered, willing my body to stand. Perspiration beads bubbled on my forehead my legs felt like jelly, but I was determined to stand so that I could dance. Finally, after exerting all my strength, I rose out of the limbo stance and stood erect. My teacher came to me and said that she wasn't sure that I could continue in the troupe with such a handicap, but again I felt determination and decided to heal my knees.

hairy legs

I was talking with a man and my legs were bare. I became a little self-conscious as they were quite hairy - not dense coverage, indeed extremely sparse, but what there was was very long and blowing in the wind. Hairs, about ten centimetres long, swayed in the gentle breeze. I began to tell him that I knew that they were hairy and that I was planning on doing something about it, but my voice trailed off and I knew he wasn't listening, and that I sounded as though I was making excuses anyway.
Next the hairs became palm fronds that were growing on my legs; sharp, pointy leaves poked through my skin. I was less horrified than amused, and began to pull at the leaves, plucking them from my pores.

friendship & fences

I accepted a lift to university. The woman driving the car seemed to be the grown-up version of a child I knew when I was little. We had a certain familiarity that you have with those who you have known all your life. At one stage, she braked quickly and I fell out of the car, laughing. She pulled me back in and delivered me to the university grounds. Once there, I saw a lecturer and her child, waiting for me. They peered into the car but I didn't introduce my friend as I couldn't be sure I would remember her name. I waved goodbye and walked with the lecturer and little girl into a big building on our right. I remember thinking that it was not the way I would normally go, and I felt a greater pull to go into the building on our left where I thought I glimpsed a friend. Never-the-less, I followed her into the building and we walked around the bookshop there, where I also sensed that the lecturer had lost interest in my company. I left her and went to find my friend in the other building. There, I settled in.
Next, I was sitting there with my partner, B, and my friend, F, walked in. They excused themselves and went to have a private discussion. I was pleased as I was not sure that they would get on with one another. When they returned, we all sat down in seats that were arranged as though we were an audience waiting for a show. There were, however, no performers. Suddenly, F and B began singing and danced out the front. They performed a duet that was surprisingly harmonious. I looked across and saw F's partner in the audience. I put my hand on the back of her seat and said that we might have to organise a duet next. She was very warm in response, placing her hand on mine, and agreed. I was taken aback by her tenderness.
Next, a woman, who I understood to be a lecturer, sat with us to my left. She was wearing a turquoise top with a very open neckline and no bra. Every so often she put her hand to her breast. I was concerned that she might be in pain or may be ill. She spoke to our group and, though I cannot recall what she spoke of, I know that her words were poignant and wise. At one stage, she asked us to undertake a vision test. We had to stare at about twenty images, all of the same design but with graduating tonality, and choose which four or five of them were the clearest. She then began to grade us. She asked two men to stand - they were twin brothers. She sent one of them outside into the night, but I wasn't sure if that was because he had done well on the test or badly. Once outside, I could see him - my spirit followed him out into the field where he was to wait. It was surrounded by high stone walls with wooden paneling framing the top. He began to kick the fence, aiming high so that his boots struck the wood. Again and again he kicked against the fence that enclosed him.
Next, the man was gone but a huge black stallion was running around the field, striking his hoofs against the fence. His body was incredibly powerful as he ran. He began to demonstrate different ways of running, even showing me how he could bend his legs and shuffle across the ground on his knees. I was so surprised by his agility and by his ability to communicate. I hoped he would break free of the fence and run away.

painting and makeup

I was painting on a large canvas. The background was shades of black and there were many roses depicted in the bottom left-hand corner, sweeping around like a wave, until they faded out to black. I was painting over them in an oil paint that had been diluted so that the roses showed through. I was not sure that I liked the original painting, but as I brushed the paint over the canvas, I began to see the beauty of it. This coat of paint transformed an otherwise ordinary painting into something luminous and unique.

Later, I was with a group of people, standing outside around tall buildings, much like a university. One of the women told me she had some makeup that she though I should try. She opened a bag and placed it on a table. I could see cosmetics of various colours. I selected a pink blush and brushed a small amount onto my cheeks. Instead of a subtle glow, the pink was obvious and bright on my face. I tried to rub it off and in the process I spilled some blush onto the black coat that I was wearing. It was my grandfather's dinner jacket. I then tried to brush that off but I created hot ink finger marks that stood out even more. I asked for a tissue to wipe it off but instead of removing it, the smudge changed into a perfect map of my hand: the outline of the fingers and palm, the tendons, veins, bones and such all depicted in great detail.

baby to alien

A friend had a baby. We were outside, next to a field and, after she birthed the baby, I passed it to a woman who, after performing a couple of procedures such as checking over the baby and such, cut the umbilical cord. I passed the baby back to his mother.
Next, B had a baby. Sitting where the other woman had been sitting, on an old stone bench next to a field, she gave birth. Again, I passed the baby to the mid-wife who checked the baby and then cut the umbilical cord. I remember wondering if she was too fast to do this and if the cord had been cut too close to the baby's belly, but had to trust that she new what she was doing. She placed a part of the umbilical cord on a stone wall between us and sat the baby on the wall next to it. The baby was sitting up, very unlike a newborn. I quickly picked it up and turned to give the baby to B. I was concerned about B who was sitting, naked, very similarly to how the baby had been sitting, slumped and vulnerable. I covered her with a blanket to protect her back from the cold wind that was blowing over the field. In her arms, I noticed that the baby had the same stormy ocean eyes as hers. The baby looked around and smiled at the small group of people who had gathered, and then began to speak. We were amazed and realised that the baby was an alien who was visiting Earth. The baby was acutely intelligent and had extraordinary powers of perception. Suddenly, the baby was an adult figure of ambiguous sex. My brother and my sister were standing either side of me and the alien figure placed a hand on my forehead and read me, saying three words that described my nature. I only recall the word 'magical'. He or she also told me that I would be a leader or a warrior which surprised me; I felt so nondescript, particularly in comparison to this wonderful creature. I followed the alien as she/he walked about the space, reading various people - I hoped for approval and also to be able to transform or evolve to his or her level. I understood that this was human potential.