Do You Dream in Black and White or in Colour?
No question, I dream in colour. Very colourful and very realistic. Over the years I have woken questioning how much of my dream was factual and how much was my imagination. It’s a trait I gave my character Keeghan in The Natasha Saga. We both wake in the morning and have discussions with our husbands.
I remember one day being thrilled we had the pileated woodpecker at the suet that hangs with the other bird feeder. It was the male bird given the fact that flaming red crest went down to his beak. This is the guy that the cartoon was based on. Crow sized, at 40-49 cm, 16-19 ½ inches for my American friends, he warrants the respect of other birds and the salutation Mr. According to ‘Birds of North America’, there are 17 varieties of woodpeckers. No question, Mr Pil is the bird in charge. The others stand at attention and move over when that giant shows up.
That thrill turned into a thriller in my dream. I can still picture that scene in my mind. That beautiful, historic-looking bird was huge. A 6+ foot creature with midnight black, evil eyes with creepy yellow pupils. Razor-sharp claws appeared from under his massive muscular wings that could rip me apart milliseconds. The beast stood at our patio door, banging his rounded beak against the glass. The entire house rattled like we were in the middle of an earthquake. That bugger was determined to get into our home. He wasn’t looking for more suet. Nope. That beast wanted to devour me. In one big gulp. Trapped within my own home, with nowhere to run…
I woke up with my heart pulsating into my throat, wide-eyed, and pushed myself to a sitting position. Dreams always end so abruptly.
“What’s wrong?” my husband asked.
I couldn’t speak. I couldn’t move. Hubby rubbed my back.
“It was just a dream. Go back to sleep.”
Just try to get back to sleep after that one. We had quite the chat the following morning about that dream.
Someday, I will figure out how to write that dream into a plot. The question is, a suspense or a comedy. I could certainly flip it into something silly. Who has ever heard of a 6-foot woodpecker? Hmmm. Add it to the list of the other plots stirring around in my crazy noodle, begging to escape. No worries. I will give my story a proper ending.
