I spent most of today in a semi-conscious state in bed, sick with something, and when it finally got dark outside I fell deep asleep and had some of the most vivid and near-lucid dreams I have ever had. Everything was so detailed and I felt really present somewhere.

The backdrop was mostly windowless industrial basements with exposed girders. It was unclear where light was coming from, but the whole place was decorated like a local festival was on. People were practicing their acts and setting up stalls, a lot of motion and activity: even children underfoot. I saw so many people's faces but there were none I recognized from the waking world. I was looking for someone and kept asking for Jessica (I do not know anyone by that name somehow).

A few people seem to know her and say that she's around. I catch sight of her wearing a huge purple witch hat, part of some kind of act or something, and we exchange a hello that lingers awkwardly, like you're seeing someone you thought had died. She's whisked off into some activity and I go in and then out of consciousness again.

This did not actually happen, as I got out of bed and went to the kitchen to prepare some jook. I remember rinsing out the pot, measuring calrose rice, and adding water, but then my phone buzzed from my pocket and I thought: hang on, I don't have pockets on my jammies, and why would I be wearing socks?

That, then, was when I did actually wake up. But, even with the day I had had, surrounded in darkness in my cozy bed with my cat snoozing next to me, I went back in.

This time the festival was nowhere in sight, and not many people around at all. I was in a parking garage of an airport this time. I figured what I could do was try to make it back to that basement by way of drawing magic circles and trying to home myself on the dream witch. I drew a circle on the floor and it opened and I hopped through, only to be in a similar looking place with huge metal shutters on either side of the room, one open, one closed. Through the open shutter, I could see a gathering of people. I scanned their faces and then said, "I don't recognize any of you," which felt important because even though I didn't recognize any of those other people from the waking world, I did get a sense of familiarity, like I wasn't imposing and belonged somehow. This new group were not that, and after hearing me, charged after me. I closed the shutter on them, which got one stuck under it, who then transformed into this gelatinous white tendril, and budded off into a pillow shaped thing that kept giving me chase.

The last magic circle had worked, so, I did it again. I did manage to get back to the basement, and again asking around for Jessica, I found her brother. He didn't seem pleased to see me, and said, "I told her everything," that everything being that I was making her miserable because I so frequently disappear.

Then she appeared again, this time with no hat and her light purple hair bunched up in a messy ponytail. She asked why I always imagine places like this one to meet, pointing at the windowless basement, festive as it was. I didn't know why, but promised to imagine somewhere brighter for next time. Other things happened between us not fit for print.

I went about imagining somewhere brighter, it seems that I could just teleport at this point or something like choose my drop spot into the dream world. I was on a sunny green hillside at the break of dawn with a quaint country road and some sparse buildings. One of them was set into the hillside and had this set of big round stairs with hedges all over it. Lots of people were there, wearing white, a wedding reception, and everyone was chatting and waiting around for the officiant. She arrived, someone with no face but long red hair. She could look like whatever she pleased, it seemed, as this was Jessica again. "I imagined somewhere brighter," I said.

There was another break, during which time I was possibly awake, but barely. I remember petting an odd-feeling cat and then realizing it was my own hand on my own tee shirt on my belly, so I at least was that awake for a moment. But it wasn't long.

I was in another basement, this one carpeted and professionally appointed, an office. Jessica was there, and ran up and hugged me. This was her workplace, it seemed, and the job is to take in reports and go remove things that do not belong in the dream world, though where those might come from or what determines belonging was not clear to me. Jessica made a phone call to "Ashley" (I know several ashleys in real life but this was not any of them, and we never saw her, so, who knows), and Ashley refused to pick up, which made Jessica mad.

An assignment came in. Apparently I was a field agent, because they said they had sightings of inverted keyboard keys in Philadelphia, and we were the closest field office. I went to a car with a few others. On the way, I explained to Jessica that I figured out why I always felt like dark basements were "home," which was because that's where we had first met. She seemed understanding and even pleased.

Jesssica was apparently not a field agent, and so went back to the office. Later, she came running up after us to the car, though, phone in hand, still trying to hail Ashley who was doing her typical not picking up. "I can see your phone ringing from here!" she said. There was nothing for it but for Jessica to come along with us, me and her in the back, some two other people up front.

The privacy screen lowered, cutting us off from the front of the car. This Ashley character had apparently engineered the scenario to get the pair of us alone, and neither I nor Jessica said a word, seeming to understand the favor.

Some other things happened.

Again, what strikes me about all this compared to almost all my other dreams is how vivid it all was. I remember buttoning the second button on my dress shirt on my way to the car. I remember the faces of these people I've never met, the cool to the touch concrete where I inscribed a circle.

I guess sick sleep is on another level.