Nightmare Synchronicity

Early this morning I dreamed that my father and I were investigating a crime. I was staking out a location in the woods when suddenly I heard a scuffling in the brush-- it was a dog, clearly owned by someone, indicating a nearby human presence. My father had me hold the dog while drew his gun and went off in the direction it had come from.

I led the dog back to our hideout, where my friend Colin was waiting, and tied it up outside. As Colin and I discussed the clues, it suddenly became clear that my father was actually somehow involved in the crime we were investigating. As we sat in shock, trying to put together the pieces before Dad returned, the sound of nearby gunfire suddenly rang out, shattering our nerves.

I startled awake discovering the sound was real-- the noises were coming from somewhere outside, about seven reports very close together. BAMBAMBAMBAMBAMBAMBAM! Just firecrackers probably, because you hear them all the time in the summer, but I was impressed at how perfectly they'd fit into the dramatic arc of my dream. "Shit," I thought. "Now I'll never know how the story turned out."

This morning I left the house early for breakfast, and there was police tape everywhere. A bit down the block a small body lay on the sidewalk covered with a bloody sheet. In case what I'd heard was useful, I asked an officer what had happened. "A dog attacked an officer, and he shot it," he said dryly. "Everything's fine now."