Last night I literally dreamt I was on a sinking ship.

After nearly missing the bus to make it to a doctor's appointment (I was feeling sick, a sore throat or something), I found myself aboard a cruise ship-sized boat. Suddenly it starts storming, a torrential downpour. The cabins start flooding to the point where if people didn't get out immediately, they would drown. I witnessed two people trying to get out but drowning before they had the chance. My dad told me we were on a part of the ship that wouldn't flood and would be safe from the storm. Naturally, I was still terrified.

Next, we started watching a challenge-based show akin to Squid Game where if you don't successfully complete the challenges you would die. Except, it was a fast timer with a maze of rooms to go through and organize. It was simple organization, putting the same color balls in their proper bins and such but it seemed to have some inexplicable rules. Then we were in the show. Everyone acted like it was normal. Naturally, I was terrified. And there was no prize either. It was just stress or death.

I should mention I had another dream the other night where everyone I'd ever cared about even a little was on a slightly smaller boat. It was the worst storm I'd ever seen and the waves were so rough. I seemed to always be ten steps behind my boyfriend, who I was trying to make sure was okay. That dream was more pleasant though because we all took shelter and started playing games underneath the canopy.

Feel free to interpret :)

I have a dream almost every night. I also forget usually when I finish sleeping, but when I do remember I sometimes write them down.

Dream

It started off with Shellmore (My name in the dream) it was quite dark outside. I got on a yellow long school bus to go home. I saw maybe 4-5 others on the bus as well, so I sat somewhere in the middle of the bus, and it pulled off. About 15 minutes later I sensed something wrong while looking through the window at the dark woods. I turned to the front of the bus and all the students were either black/camo or gone. I told the bus driver to "stop the bus I'm getting off here" he replied: "are you sure?" I responded with "I'll take my chances here after-all I know what you trying to do demon. I rather still be in my world and survive." He opened up the door and let me out. I stepped off the bus then he pulled off.

After a few minutes walking through the woods, I saw these creatures or humans (too dark to tell) running through the woods. I took off my shoes to follow them. (Running non-stop). Running at the same pace as them I was sure they didn't notice me, but I turned around more were behind me and seemingly welcoming me. I felt that this was strange in the middle of nowhere practically sneaking in their group their destination unknown and they sit there welcoming me as though nothing happened. I felt sudden fear inside me and stopped running others behind tried to push me along but I spun-off them and went in the opposite direction full speed for approximately 5 minutes.

Running straight and slowed down gradually. I saw a 2-story cabin like house in the distance sneaking up to it. I climbed to a blurred window and as I reached with one hand to open it someone else opened it from the inside. I froze as I held on from the railing bar at the side of the window with both hands. Then I realized it was Brandon one my friends from real life. He started using the bathroom while not noticing I was near the window. I let go of the bar fell to the ground and knocked on the front door. The door opened Uwan another friend from real life (we all knew each other in real life) said: "What's good Q?" How you been?" I replied: "same as always". I went into the house and chilled/play games/ drank tea, eat and told stories together. (Then I woke up.)

Well, lucky for you, I keep a dream journal after hearing a lyric in a Libertines song ('When she wakes up in the mornin'/ She writes down all her dreams'). Unfortunately, I don't always remember my dreams, but I have a fair few in the book. Once I begin writing it, the details appear as if by magic, even if I thought I couldn't remember them. Once written, I tend to remember them well.

It was also recommended as part of my Creative Writing Degree. When I explained to the tutor I worried that my dreams might make me appear a bit weird if anyone ever read them. She simply said 'lean into the weird, it's where the best ideas are.' You can be the judge of if I am actually insane as you read on.

My dreams are always messy, chaotic and bitty, but they have provided me with some good inspiration for short stories and fiction. They can be scary (often filled with zombies), erotic (dream Lizzie is sex mad apparently) and prophetic (I used to dream about floods/ plane crashes etc.)

Here is an excerpt from my dream diary.

I'm in bed, but its pitch black. Still, I know its my old bedroom in the house I gre up in in London. I shared with my sister and I can hear her breathing deep and slow in her bed by the door. I am in the bed by the window.

My senses prickle and the bedroom door creaks open. A tall, muscular figure fills the doorway, the dim light from the hallway only highlighting his outline.

He moved into the room through the liquid shadows. His hair is long and curly and glows red in the dark. He has a hundred piercings which glint as he creeps towards me. I curl my fingers into the blanket. I can't hear my sister now over my own heart thumping in my ears.

I am frozen. I can't speak, but I am awake, I know I am. I must be, it feels so real, from the fly that snuck in through the open window that just flitted across my cheek to the scent of whisky and cigarettes clinging to his shimmering skin.

I lay still as he peers over me. I wet my lips.

His breathing is ragged and I can see he's already hard through his shiny leather trousers.

The mattress dips as he climbs on top of me.

It's Dee Snider (Yes... from 80s hair metal band Twisted Sister).

TW: Slight gore

A clumsy attempt to narrate the silent confusion and chaos induced dream I had.

After turning the lights off, darkness quickly engulfed my room as I proceeded to sleep.

I suddenly woke up, afloat in a slight murky pond in the middle of a forest. It looked like a vacation spot for campers, since near where I at, was some sort of a rest house. I wasn't alone, there was some blurred people with me on the pond, others were having a picnic. It was eerily quiet, even so, I saw the people's mouth moving. Some of them was even laughing.

I swim around with a few laps, strangely I know how to swim. Then a three random stranger came. 2 men and a blonde woman, all three of them wearing white t-shirts. They started approaching people and talking about something. And I was suddenly interrupted by one of them. One man was holding a camera for filming and a boom mic, he looked like german. The other looks like the one being filmed, the woman was blonde, in a summer outfit, she's just there though, maybe she was an assistant.

The one who talked to me looks like an american rapper—you know with those golden large chains on their neck but I couldn't come up with a name on who's rapper he looked like.

His voice was inaudible, so I asked him a few more times on what the heck is he saying.

"D... kn... y..n....e..sss? I'm... E..v. .d ...S...t..s"

"The what?"

"M.... n...eee"

"Come again?!"

"My namee...Do. You. Know. It?"

"Oh... no I don't"

Everything suddenly stopped then they stared at me in disbelief, not just the three of them but all of the people who was there. It was awfully uncomfortable.

"What was your name again?"

With the weather beginning to change rapidly. The man talked in an inaudible voice once again.

"E..v..d Sa...t..s...F...ow... m..on..Insta!"

"Say it again!"

"Ev...d Sa...tos, Follow me!"

"Okay I will!"

The man suddenly smiled, his face beaming in delight as he walked off proudly with the two persons who was with him.

The world resumed like nothing happened.

What was his name again? I have to write it down.

I tried to grab my phone through my pockets while standing near the edge of the pond and noticed something was amiss. I couldn't pinpoint it. It was at the tip of my tongue. I opened my ig and started searching for a name.

Wait... why am I here?

In the blink of an eye the scenery changed. That's when I realized what was out of place.

Oh god I'm dreaming! I thought I'm awake??

I found myself in the middle of a neverending aisle. To my left was a large floor level window showing a front yard which was a forest. I was inside the rest house but it totally looked different. It looked like an antique shop as how I saw some old dolls and other old looking things on the aisle, a home decor and furniture shop with how different kinds of sofa and plants were scattered around the aisle, it also looked like a animal café shop. There were still people around doing their own business, most of them were sitting and drinking some coffee while few roamed around. The most noticeable thing about this "shop" were it was filled with different kinds of animals. It looks like a combination of these three shops.

I suddenly bumped into a parrot and started shouting and chasing me.

With my adrenaline working, I run as fast as I could, accidentally bumping other animals.

"No wayyyy"

Why are they so incredibly hostile????

Others would also started chasing me when our gaze aligned.

I started hoping into the aisles and climbed over books and scrambling to get a rope to pull myself upwards.

Noticing how the world becoming giants, I ran forward cursing.

Stumbling down from a slight fall, I realized they stopped running after me. And once again found myself in a intersection of aisles.

"Please wake up!"

It was filled with old worn-out french dolls, looking straight towards me, their eyes unblinking.

A chill ran down on my spine as I attempted to get out of that section.

I then bumped into the three persons who talked to me when I was in the pond.

"Oh right! The name! I should write the name!"

GRRRRRRRR

There was a black dog, laying on the floor, behind my feet. Looking at me with annoyed eyes, growling aggressively.

Where did this one came from??

It somewhat looks like a rottweiler. Panicked stricken, I rushed out again. Tumbling here and there, pushing things out of the way.

The more I ran the more it feels like the dog is almost catching up to me. I began parkouring through the shelves, grabbing a lot of other things.

I noticed the world growing bigger again until I was small enough to sit on a deck of cards.

I couldn't shake off the dog, it sometimes looked like a pitbull and when it climbed on the shelves it looked more like a dobermann. I was trembling trying to get away.

But the dog couldn't reach me, so the room tried bending their way. It tried making a path for the dog. The shelves started bending so I grabbed a hanging light, I succeeded and the ceiling started lowering itself for the dog.

"F*xk!! Get me out of here! Wake up already!"

I saw a large bookshelf, covered in dusty red fabric. It almost covered the whole shelf so I let go of the lights and leaped towards it, scrambling to get inside the spaces which I fit in perfectly. As I closed the space with the cloth, the light turned off. It was suddenly dark again. I noticed a shadow of my room and was relieved I woke up.

I grabbed my phone on my left side and started searching. Strange why can't I type completely.

Something's definitely strange.

I'm awake right??

Why is my keyboard not working???

A low murmurs echoed through my room. Someone was coming.

Their voices slowly getting closer towards my right direction.

Please look to the right! I couldn't move an inch!

But my body is just lying straight on the bed.

"...t..ts.. c..isine.."

"It... deli..uos... w...n. ...rved... h..t"

Are they talking about food? A recipe?

Oh god, please wake up! I have to wake up now. I need to look for that name!!

Move! I can't move my body!

Then something was lifted up and I was blinded by how bright the world was. It's a cloche food cover.

F*@K! I WAS THE FOOD!

I was on a platter served on a table. Everything was massive and I still couldn't move.

Then the one who was going to dine were the three people I first encountered.

I was just lying straight, I couldn't even look at my own body.

"This is the most delicious one on the menu?"

"It's the most ordered one, sir"

The rapper man, who now looks more like black, was now holding a fork and a knife. I can see his chin and his golden chains swaying as a linen napkin was placed on his lap.

The world muted.

It looks like I was watching a film in a worm's eye view.

The knife cuts and the fork was raised on his mouth. I saw my arms cut-offed.

Everything is in slow motion. He somehow looked classy while slicing something off and watching him eating my guts in delight.

I couldn't feel anything but my heart was beating as fast as it could.

The other two people he was with were now munching on both of my legs.

Everything was inaudible but I felt like I could hear the crunching sound of my bones.

I started losing air. I realized I'm hyperventilating. Inhaling so deep, I bellowed.

"WAKE ME UP ALREADY! I'M STILL GOING TO WRITE YOUR NAME DOWN!!"

Everything stopped and he looked down towards me in a deadpan eyes, unblinking.

STOP IT ALREADY! WA—

"—KE ME UP!" And I rolled to the right side of my bed and unconsciously grabbed my phone.

I woke up. This time, I really woke up.

The night was deadly peaceful.

My phone was charging on my right side, so I opened it to record everything that I could recall.

My hands trembling, few were frozen as I couldn't type properly. Everything was a typo.

I looked at the time and it was 1:12 AM.

I couldn't remember the name.

All I could recall was it sounded like 'Eve(d) San...ts'.