8:31pm
Early in the morning I dreamed of being at the local university again. I think I was much younger but didn't feel like it? As always, the university looked the same in the dream, but not like how it looks in real life. I was supposed to be picked up by my mother at a specific time (5pm) but end up at this weird... meeting of weirdos? Who were all angry and aggressive and joked around and harassed each other. One girl I met up with left and I joined her quickly, turning to look and see this group follow another girl like a pack of birds.
The girl smashes her hands against a window, which injures her and we agree to take her to the medical clinic on the campus. Why not, I think, my mother is going to be nearby. But instead, we take a series of "shortcuts" through numerous buildings, including ones I'd never been in, and walk through the richer part of the neighborhood adjacent to the school. We finally get to the clinic... but she walks past it, insisting on taking another route. I remember looking at the watch and realizing it's 7pm, and I'm still nervously looking around for my mother, who I know is still waiting and worrying. I want to tell the girl I'd catch up to her later... but I kind of realized I was in a dream, at this point. I was at the portion where I was slowly waking up, and I knew I'd never see her again. So I hold her hand, and agreed to go on another adventure, wishing I could find a way to reach out to my mother to let her know not to worry about me.
I wake up, feeling like the dream had happened in real life, even though it hadn't. I even asked my mother if I had ever done something like that in real life, just in case I'd had some forgotten incident. She told me that no, I would always call in advance if I ever ended up staying late or spending time with friends. She's right. But I still can't shake the feeling from the dream, as if I'd actually experienced it at some point in my life, and feel tremendous guilt for not letting my mother know in advance.
I don't know. The mind is a powerful, strange thing.