Of Monsters and Men

One of my best friends dreamt this last night. This dream gets a gold star.

"In the dream, my father had this plan to import Godzilla (the actual monster) to America. It seemed terrifying to me, but he and this clique of men were all going in on it together. They thought it could
be exciting, and lucrative, to have a monster in our midst. We were all living at this beach house, but it was actually on the East River. My dad and his buddies were waiting there for the Godzilla import. I
was absolutely terrified of this monster; filled with insecurity and dread. I wanted to tell my father not to bring the monster in, but every time I thought of telling him, I became sure that if I told him
the monster was a bad idea, he would be disappointed in me.

Unfortunately, in preparation for the Monster, I, and my family were forced to go on expeditions in the water. Everyone assumed I would think this would be fun. I went on a raft that was carried very high
by a wave. We landed on a rickety bridge hundreds of feet up in the air. Everyone thought we were having fun. I was with my grandfather and my aunt. While we were on the bridge, feeling like we were going
to tip over, they praised my writing. They told me how proud they were of what I was doing. I couldn't stand it anymore. How could they be praising my writing and having fun when I was so afraid of heights?
How could they not realize that I was so afraid of height? Finally I couldn't stand it anymore. "How could you do this to me when I'm afraid of heights?" I yelled.

Everyone was shocked and saddened to hear that I fear heights. They were at first offended and then immediately indifferent. We went back to land. When we got there, my father said he heard what had happened and that the solution to everything would be if I just eat a bowl of plums. I insisted that I already eaten and begged him not to make me eat them. He tossed the plums in the bowl and they burst into a big
watery purple mess. I couldn't decide if they would harder, or easier to eat in their liquid form, but I was both disgusted and intrigued.

Then we were in a room with big open windows, looking at the ocean, waiting for Godzilla to come. Suddenly, the horizon become extremely thick and gray. There was lightening, but the sky was so murky we could barely see it. My father told me that they had forgotten to get tranquilizers for the monster, so we'd have no way of protecting ourselves when he arrived, and now that the storm had hit, we wouldn't
be able to get any. We also lost electricity, and when the monster came, we wouldn't have any light to see him by. In fact, we'd have no way of preparing ourselves for the monster. He was going to come at
night and surprise us, and we'd have no way of knowing when, or seeing him before he attacked.

I knew that I should have been angry at my father and the men for ordering the monster, but instead I just felt incredibly sad and lonely. I decided the best way to prepare myself for the monster was
to convince myself that I had wanted him to come too, because then even when he came and attacked me, I could feel happy, because I'd be getting what I wanted. My father revealed that the monster was
actually meant to be used as an exercise device in a gym class. I decided the best thing I could do to show my enthusiasm for the monster was to rush to the gym to work out.

When I got there, I waited outside the room so I could go to yoga class. I knew that the monster was scheduled to appear in the Spinning class, and I assumed that I would be protected because I never went to
spinning. But I felt a flicker of doubt. Maybe I wasn't safe in yoga. Maybe it would actually be safer to leave. My heart was pounding and I felt nauseous. But I told myself I had to stay at the gym.

But yoga class was starting late. In anticipatory agony, I ran out to the deck to see if I could catch a glimpse of godzilla on the horizon. When I got there, I found a girl sitting a table with a boy. They were
both very young looking; pudgy and no descript. They both had dark hair and olive-y skin. She looked like she could have been part Asian, and she was very short. The boy resembled a friend of James's (my
ex-boyfriend) from college, who is socially inept and has never had a girlfriend. Although I had never seen the girl before, I knew that she was my best friend from childhood.

"We were broken up," she told me, about her and the boy. "But we just
got back together."

"How's that working out for you?" I asked.

"Well..." She climbed into his lap. She had a huge smile on her face
and glittering eyes. She answered in a voice that was wild, sad and tremulous, exuding laughter and tears.

"I still feel like he doesn't even know who I am." Then she held his head in her hands and looked
into his eyes. "But I'm more in love with him than ever."