The Trip (Part 1)

As a follow-up to the last 2 entries, this anachronistic entry will recount my experiences during the trip to Austin. You might notice the chronology of entries this month to be similar to the sequence of movie renditions of the Hannibal Lecter series by Thomas Harris. 2-3-1... Insane. If we know each other well, dear reader, I've probably told you of the time I was reading Hannibal, the last book in the series. Oh, I haven't? Ok, so let me share it with you. I don't remember all the details, just the most vivid parts right before I woke up.

I was sitting on the unfinished skeleton of a massive grandstand. It felt familiar somehow, almost like the one in my high school campus but much bigger. Sunset, my back to the sun. Everything seemed peaceful. I had an amazing view from the bleachers, and I had the feeling that the grandstand was on an elevated place. Perhaps a cliff overlooking the sea. I was relaxing after a day's work of building the grandstand, why I was thinking this, I have no idea. The construction team was around 10 people, I think. Hideously deformed, now that I think of it. They were wrapped in bandages, bleeding in some places. There was a woman sitting beside me, I don't remember who it was anymore. I think she was faceless, as are most of the people in my dreams, but I knew her. And I knew she was beautiful somehow, not deformed like the rest of us. Despite the bizarre surroundings, I was not the least bit uncomfortable. It felt like I was watching the scene with dispassionate detachment, yet I was still part of the scene. I knew that all the other workers were also reflections of me. I could see myself in each of them, and though each was a separate person, they were indistinguishable from each other. They were also resting. We were seated in a straight line, one in front of another, all the way down the grandstand. Then things got even more interesting. I engaged the lady beside me in light, unintelligible conversation. Most of my conversations are like that in dreams. I don't hear the words, but I understand the meaning. Then we start stripping away the bandages of the person in front of us, starting from the head. Underneath the bandages, I see the cranium ripped away, the brain exposed. I know that the person above me is doing the same to me, yet we feel no pain. We don't cry out. Then we start eating the brains of the person in front of us with our hands. Blood streaming down my arms, dribbling down my chin, splattering my chest. Blood everywhere...

And that's when I woke up... Weird, no? The night before, I was reading the end part. Hannibal had abducted Agent Sterling, and had her drugged in an apartment. They were seated at the dining table, and her boss, the chief of police or something, was tied to a chair in front of her. Hannibal then opened up the guy's head, and proceeded to sautee the guys brains. And they all had a meal of human grey matter... This goes to show the extent of desensitization the media does to us. Well, I think that's enough gore for today. I hope you all picked up a valuable lesson today: eat your veggies, or they might eat you! (Huwaaat?! I guess that part of my brain hasn't grown back yet...)

Watch out for the sequel! Sorry for leading you on guys. I got a little carried away by the story. Next time, I'm seriously going to discuss the trip. ;-)