Mr. Cady's Class & The Glitter Boy
Level of Lucidity:
Level of Cohesiveness:
Lucid Intent? No
This dream has been viewed 212 times.
Vague by now.
I was back in school, and had no idea what my class was or if I was late or not (recurring theme). It might have been college classes but the school was supposed to be my high school, though it seemed to have elements of possibly my elementary school (regarding the bathrooms). I think I had some stuff with me--my bookbag, maybe--but hadn't a clue where I was supposed to go. There were lots of students walking around the halls so it must have been between classes. I think I was near the office, not far from Sophomore and Freshman Halls.
I decided I would go to the bathroom first because, after all, it was break and I wanted to get that out of the way. I didn't have to go to the bathroom really badly, but I had to go enough, so I went toward the nearest bathroom, which I think was the one between Sophomore and Senior Halls, right nearby me. (I was closer to Sophomore Hall than Freshman Hall, though the office is between the two.) I can't remember if it was before I went in or after, but I realized there was a lineup of girls there already; I might have gotten in and reached one of the stalls but there was something wrong with it, like it was out of toilet paper or the toilet was nasty or overflowing or something. In short, whether I got into the bathroom or not, it was unusable. So I left there, feeling rather stupid, and pondered going to the other one, situated between Freshman and Junior Halls. There was a brief odd moment here as I realized this would be akin to going to the "lower hall" in elementary school and trying to use one of the kiddie bathrooms! The stalls might even be too small! That was embarrassing, so I think I decided against it. The break was surely almost over anyway, and I doubted I could get to the bathroom before the bell, so I decided to just find my class first, then ask the teacher if I could go use the bathroom really quick. (I used to do this in high school in real life when I knew I wouldn't be able to finish in the bathroom in time. The teachers were usually accommodating.)
This was easier said than done, seeing as I had no clue what or where my class was! I wandered around a bit trying to dredge my memory (it's almost like I had missing time or something) and figure this out. I tried recalling where I'd already been, if anywhere, and what my schedule had said. How come I couldn't remember anything? It was so frustrating. I wandered into Sophomore Hall, thinking that either my class was likely here, or at least I could ask a teacher to help me out. I was always a good student so surely I wouldn't get in trouble for not knowing what I was doing, just this once.
It's kind of hard to describe, but I slowly began to figure that my class must be in this hall, and it must be a certain class; it's not like I suddenly remembered anything, but more like I was unconsciously manipulating the dream (non-lucid) into going this way. Kind of like just guessing, I suppose--"This is probably where I'm supposed to be." So it was more like taking a leap than finally figuring anything out. I remembered that one of the classes in this hall belonged to Mr. Cady, my high school American Literature teacher. For some reason, he was the one I focused on. I believe his class, in my dream, was nearer the end of the hall closest the office, and was on the left when one's back was to the office. (In reality, I believe his class was in this hall, but it was further down and on the right.) I remember the brick corner of the wall fronting the hall passing near the office (the corner right near the bathroom, that is), and the entry to the class was set into a recess in the wall like they were in reality--there would be a big area set back in the brick walls, and there would be a door on the left, one on the right, and I think one in the middle too, though I'm not sure--the side doors were into classrooms. I can't remember which door was to the class since the perspective seemed a bit off but it was here that I saw Mr. Cady speaking to a few students before class could start, you know, when students go up to the teacher and talk with him a bit before things have settled down. The class lights were on, shining bright yellow, and I think Mr. Cady was at his lectern chatting with these others. I slowed to a stop nearby and stared at him.
Like I said, I wasn't too sure if I was even supposed to be here, or if I was late or what, and I still wanted to use the bathroom, etc. etc., so I was getting quite despondent. I had this sudden desperate hope that Mr. Cady would help me. Maybe he'd know what to do and would make everything right. But I hated interrupting him, especially when I had no real idea if I was even supposed to be here. So I just stood there and hoped he would notice me. He did, spotting me standing in the hall near the doorway, and my eyes were watering up with tears. He kept talking to the others but I could tell from his look that I was welcome to come in and speak up, so I went closer.
I can't remember exactly what I said once the others had moved on, but I was really apologetic--now I was speaking as if I knew this was my class, even though there was still never a sense of certainty. I think we moved into the room since I seem to recall talking to him at the front of the class with the blackboard behind him and my back to the rest of the class. Either I was still talking about going to the bathroom and returning to class late, or else I already was late, as this is what I was talking about, and I was asking him if he would mind terribly if this were so, saying that I would be able to catch up quickly if I just got a general idea of what had already gone on. Mr. Cady was understanding and I wasn't in any sort of trouble nor was I being a bother. Now it's like all the other issues were out of the way (whether resolved or not, I don't know) and I went to join the rest of the class.
I'm afraid I can't really recall this part well now. I do know we seemed to be sitting in a semicircle or a few concentric semicircles on the floor and the class looked a lot different--the warm yellow lighting was cooler and dimmer now and it seemed more cluttered or cramped, not like one of the high school rooms, and we were just sitting here huddling on the floor. Mr. Cady still stood before us, talking away about something. Various things were going on. At one point a little boy entered the class (from the right?) and he had something to do with something we'd already done in the past (last year?) so this was like an update. He was perhaps between four and six, around there, just a little boy. We all recognized him and he came toward us to start hugging the students since he'd been part of some kind of project we'd done or something. The weird thing is, he was all covered in glitter, really big glitter which scattered and stuck to the students when he hugged them. Big hexagonal(?) flakes of glitter.
I was sitting nearer the back of the semicircle (we might have been wearing jackets or coats since it seemed quite cramped), closer to the left I believe, and I kind of shrank back and hoped this boy would not hug me. Firstly, I hate being hugged or touched. Secondly, I REALLY hate being hugged or touched by kids. And thirdly, this particular kid was covered in glitter that was making a mess all over! I felt kind of "apart" from the other students, not quite a full member of the class, maybe because I had missed the beginning of it (even though I obviously had some shared history here, seeing as I too knew of this boy and such). Maybe, since I wasn't really one of the crowd, he wouldn't hug me. That made me feel kind of excluded, but whatever.
The little boy turned and came toddling toward me, arms outspread. I kind of cringed back, hoping he'd take the hint without feeling hurt, but too late, his arms wrapped around me. I fought down a grimace and forced a smile instead as the other students looked on, attempting a halfhearted hug in return and patting the boy's shoulder, maybe saying something like, "Oh, all right, okay" to smooth things over. The boy pulled away and, yes, there was now a profusion of glitter sticking to me, and I started trying to brush it off, though I met with only partial success.
So that was kind of stressful but not nearly as bad as it could have been.
I think there was more to this but I'm afraid I can't recall it.
In a later, unrelated dream, I was telling this dream to my mother in much detail, though it was not a dream within a dream.
Personal associations: The whole "I'm back in school! Where the heck am I supposed to be?!" theme is getting to be pretty common with me by now. (See "Why Am I Going Back To College??" for just one variant which possibly also featured Mr. Cady.) Mr. Cady was a friendly teacher--he was very softspoken but had a cheesy sense of humor, always wore glasses and dress shirts--who seemed to enjoy a play I had to write for the class, though I never really felt close to him or anything. I'm not sure why I fixated on him so much in the dream--maybe because he was familiar, and I knew he wouldn't be angry with me. (He wasn't the type of teacher to raise his voice or get mad.) The inaccessible public bathroom is also a recurring theme. The glittery boy, I have no clue what that was. The night before this dream I was (and still am) greatly upset at the prospect of my mother losing her job due to her boss's ill health, but I can't see how that relates to the dream itself.
