I quickly went inside and got for it the largest dog treat I could find. But before I could get out the door with it, an ape-like creature ran up to the door as I held it open. It handed me something, looking away and covering its eyes with his free hand.

I was starting to understand myself in the dream. I was a powerful witch with many servants among the creatures of the forests.

I looked at what it held out to me. It was a dead branch that had grown on the end a grotesque wooden figure of a man. I took this from the creature, carefully. I had seen the small wooden man move and blink his eyes. I almost looked into his eyes, but then I remembered that doing so turned one into stone. After I took it, the creature ran away.

Later, I was in a diner with three other witches. Two of the witches were giving the third a hard time about her powers. She was the weakest amongst us, but she was the nicest. Though I was part of them, I associated with them as little as possible, preferring to sit back and watch and never letting them know how strong I actually was. They abused their powers, while I used mine only when necessary.

I was looking out a window when I saw the city change as only I could see such things. The city suddenly appeared a ruin, mostly abandoned, dark and dirty and crumbling. I knew it wasn't real, but a warning. I left the diner and walked with city, keeping my witch's eyes alert for what others could not perceive.

I moved through the town in ways humans could not. I could move fast, jump high, float over obstacles. Eventually, my senses led me to a house near the edge of town. It was mostly run down. I explored inside until a dirty urchin, with only a ripped sheet wrapped around to cover him like a diaper, appeared at the window. I knew it had been his house when he had been alive. Now, he didn't belong there, didn't belong in our world at all. All about him, the world would warp into the decay I had perceived before.

I was Dante to his Virgil as he led me into Hell. We drifted through space, and I saw several red, burning planets. Even the vacuum of the perceptual space appeared to be in a reddish haze. Curious, I turned the opposite direction. There was a blinding light that I took to be Heaven. I didn't like the brightness, so I turned back toward Hell with my guide. I remember seeing many people, but I don't remember anything about them.

We were on time, but Vincent was not yet there. We waited, none of us saying a word. Father was irritated.

At 8:51pm, we saw Vincent open the round peephole. (There was a green-tinted plastic disc to look through.) Father went to the door and looked at Vincent. He seemed to know, to have known all along, that Vincent had simply forgotten about the visit, and he was greatly disappointed in him.

Through the peephole, Father and Vincent looked at each other, communicating with their eyes alone. Finally, Father left, angry, taking Mouse with him.

I felt sorry for Vincent and stayed. He let me in. Vincent now lived in the tunnels alone. Everyone else now lived above. With the underground world all to himself, Vincent had started to lose his humanity. His mind was becoming more animalistic now that there was no other intelligent being to influence and stimulate his mind. That's why he had forgotten our visit.

He was often distracted as we traveled the tunnels and seemed to become unaware of me at times. He didn't speak at all. Soon, he had slipped away without my noticing, and I was alone. I explored the areas where he slept and ate. They were cluttered and unclean. Vincent was losing himself to his inner beast.

To kill time, I decided to have a shower. I took off my pants, saying out loud to myself something like, "Well, I guess it doesn't matter if I undress out in the open. I haven't seen—"

But then I saw Vincent on a lower level, standing perfectly still and staring at me. He wore his cloak and its hood was covering his head. I sensed that he wasn't himself. I perceived a lust in him. I didn't know whether to be afriad or at ease. Wearing only a shirt and underwear, I decided to walk the stone steps down to him.

Suddenly there were two women with us, and the setting was more like a house. It was bright with sunlight. The walls and curtains were white. Vincent knew the elder woman; she had once lived below. She had short, straight, dark brown hair and wore a white dress. She appeared to be around 40 years old. The younger, red-haired woman with her was either a friend or a daughter.

There was a brief time that Vincent and I were playful with each other in their presence, but it was innocent enough. On my knees, I hugged his left leg at one point, and he gave me a mischievous look. I let my right hand wander up to palm his buttocks.

Then we were all sitting. Vincent and I were across from them, he to my right. The dark-haired woman was trying to show him something, but Vincent was leaning over me, licking my right ear without a care who saw. The sensation nearly had me in a fit of arousal, but I had just enough presence of mind to be embarrassed. The older woman was staring at Vincent contemptuously. Her companion was politely averting her eyes.

Finally, Vincent became aware of the situation. He turned and moved his face close to the woman's. For a long moment they stared straight into each other's eyes. I didn't know what was going to happen. Then Vincent said something unkind to her, mocking her secret feelings for him. I understood then that she had had a crush on him when she lived below, but had never told anyone. And now he saw this truth and was throwing it in her face. I couldn't believe his behavior. I'd never seen him be so callous. He actually sneered at her. The two women left. Vincent couldn't have cared less.

Then the dream scenario changed and I was standing apart from a group of tunnel dwellers. Vincent was among them, but his presence had little meaning in this part of the dream. Jacob (Father) was suffering a heart attack, but he didn't want anyone to help him. He stood separate from them and from me and ordered everyone back. And when Vincent and a few others started to go toward him anyway, he ordered everyone to get on their knees and stay away.

I was Jacob's lover, and I did as he commanded out of respect and love for him. Of course I wanted to help him, but I was fiercely loyal to him. If he wanted no help, then how dare I, the one he trusted the most, disobey him?

But then Vincent and a couple others looked my way, pleadingly. They knew I had special powers and could help Jacob. I couldn't take it any longer. With a wave of my hand, I ended his heart attack and restored him. He wasn't angry with me for it.

Then the group was running to hide because someone had called 911 and an ambulance was arriving. Jacob stayed to meet them, and I stayed with him. They took some blood from him with a large syringe. Jacob told them to take the blood to me. I didn't want to have anything to do with the two paramedics. I took the blood and growled at the men. It was a vicious growl, like from something of the canine family. They backed away in fear as I did something to the blood. I mixed it with mine, I think, and then gave it back to them to return it to Jacob. I growled at them again just to get them away from me faster.