A Lady's Affections

In this particular dream, I was back home in Detroit, living with my family (which includes my two brothers Jeff and Matt, my mother, my father, and myself). I remember Matt was visiting for the weekend, and Summer was in full swing. To each of us (the brothers, that is), we knew that Summer in Detroit with our father is some sort of consensual Hell in which we do nothing but seemingly pointless, grueling, and back-breaking yard work on our house and *everybody* else's house from sun up to sun down.

Despite this, each of us brothers where happy to be back - - the trinity was complete, "Huey, Dewey, and Lewey" our Dad called us when we were younger.

Anyway, the three of us had just finished another long day of doing some inane chore. The sun had sunk, and the cool black blanket of night had been pulled over the sky, making my sweat drenched clothes cold and slimy. At this point, I was alone outside, my brothers busy elsewhere in the house. After putting up the tools in the garage, I began to head back to the house, and stopped dead in my tracks.

Before me stood a strange visage - - inside my house, yet positioned so in front of the doorway, was the image of a slender young woman costumed in the hoop dress and frivolity of a Victorian era. She stood there, in full view, silouetted by some eerie blue light. At first, I tilted my head and a smile played across my lips. But then, to my horror, this young woman's arm stifly moved up to her head, yanked on her piled hair, and pulled her head clean off, completing the motion with a curtsey and treating her head as some hat she doffed. There was no blood, and I distinctly noticed that, once she was in motion, her joints and (headless) neck looked reminiscent of a giant mannequin, like the wooden ones you find in the art stores with ball-socket joints and featureless faces.

What struck me, was how she moved. Although she moved mechanically, it was not the kind of movement that came from some sort of artificial life or some sort of automoton. Instead, her moves looked as if they were done by some human performer, ironically miming the jerky motions of a robot.

Human performer.

Yet, the way her body was shaped, it left no room for speculation that she could be human.

After this, I stumbled on in some sort of of daze - - I remember being in the garage, and then next inside my house. I had gathered my family in the dining room, and asked all about the gruesome specter that greeted me at the door. My brothers and father knew nothing, but it was my mother who knew everything. She told me of this "girl", and that she was, in fact, not alone. She lived, in this house with us, complete with her mannequin father, mother, younger brother, a family blacksmith and groundskeeper. They all lived up stairs in the attic.

Now, I should point out, that in real life, my room where I slept had a closet that led up to the only entrance to the attic. In this dream, however, this attic had a panel door which kept opening and closing, making raucous slamming noises at night. We had boarded the door shut long ago, yet the door still made noises. Tonight, though, my mother revealed to me that she was the one who had been prying the nailed boards loose to free this family. She would
spend all night with them sometimes, having tea with them and knitting with the "women" folk.


As you might imagine, dear reader, I listened to this with mounting horror, as clearly displayed on my face at the time. Seeing my countenance, my mother scoffed as tried she to reassure me that "they" are good people. In fact, the young lady I saw was quite sweet for me.

Questions raced through my head: What are these..."people"? By what power are "they" animated in this grotesque mockery of life? How long have "they" been here? What do "they" want? "Their" motive could be sinister...could my mother have been decieved? She looks so sure, so confident of "thier" good intent.

I asked mother how long "they" had been here, and she replied since the house was fist built. I assumed this, but what I wasn't sure about was how "they" came to be? Where they always mannequins, somehow animated to life? Theway that "girl" moved was distincly human, I thought. They *had* to be human once, somehow transformed into their present state. If they had been alive this whole time, concievably with a human mind, complete with human frailties, there was no way they could be not be insane! Oh sure, they may have fooled my mother, but they were not going to get me! According to mother, these "people" had an interest in me whcih I had found quite disconcerting.

Oddly enough, my family went about their normal routine, as though they didn't know a family of animated mannequin people lived above us in the attic. I too went about my daily routine of laundry and homework, except with a rather distinct flavor of terror. I never stayed in one place by myself too long, and I raced about the house lest I see "her" again, forced into some
confrontation in which I had not the means to deal with.

The night passed uneventfully. I slept in the room with my brothers - - Jeff in his bed, Matt (oddly sleeping on the floor even though we had bunk beds), and a place for me to sleep. I sighed, thinking that I was safe from "them", my brothers would protect me. I slept in a bed, and began to drift sleep when the door to our room (which was locked) began to softly buckle. The door knob would turn and try, but was thwarted by the lock. Then, suddenly, the door heaved and thrashed, but would not give way. It was if some demon was desperately trying to gain entrance to our room. In the dream, I was
certain it was neither of our parents.

The door swung open, crashing into the wall.

....And that's when I woke up.

Thank. God.