"Were It Not That I Have Bad Dreams" - LJ blog post

This comes from this Livejournal blog entry here, dated 2012 08 10.

I dreamed I was part of a small group travelling through somewhere, overland, and that we'd been forced to stay at some seemingly deserted village that was little more than a collection of buildings on either side of a little-travelled side road.

You can already guess this might not be one of the nice dreams.

The homes were surprisingly well-maintained, for all that nobody seemed to be around during the hours of daylight actually maintaining anything. Round the corner was a small bush of some sort, growing against the wall, with seven small flowers blossoming and a bunch of withered ones.

Inside that house, the party of seven, including myself, settled in to wait out the night. The main corridor showed a picture of a beautiful woman with a mane of blonde hair and proud blue eyes.

I entered a room and found what looked like the inhabitants. They were all lying about in cots, dressed in dark mourning veils, twitching spasmodically. I thought that it would be a really good time for everyone to pack up and get out, but darkness had already fallen and the first of the party was already gone, and one of the flowers withered on the bush outside as fireflies danced around them.

The other buildings turned out to be empty. Only the building we were in turned out to be inhabited, and for some reason none of the party even knew about the room with the twitching people in mourning veils.

One of the victims decided to abandon his fellow travellers and head on out. He heard a shuffling sound behind him. There was no further sound. It cut to the bush outside, and five blossoms remaining.

Back in the room with the twitching people, I saw a scroll on a bureau across the room. I had to go through the room to get it. It had a long list of words written down it. I knew I had to translate those words, but I had no idea what language it was.
That night, one more person vanished. She let off a blood-curdling scream.

Four flowers remaining open; the first three were already withered.

The party was now fighting amongst themselves, arguing that it was every man for himself. One by one, they tried to get away - none of them made it.

Then there was just me, trying my luck with the door. I made it outside, and it was broad daylight, the sun shining yellow through some dark clouds. I turned, and the people in mourning veils were in the streets, standing still, blocking my exit. Turning again, I saw their leader standing behind me. I pulled up her veil.

It was the woman from the portrait, her hair still gorgeous, but her eyes filmed over and her face pallid, sallow, lifeless.
I felt the material of her clothes, the fine fabric of her mourning veil, the cold of her hard arm beneath the fabric of her sleeve, and I said "I'm sorry." I didn't know what she or her people had done to be condemned, but I was sorry that this was done to them.

She gave me the scroll; and this time, I could see what the words read.

PRIDE
ENVY
SELFISHNESS
PACT
ACRIMONY
ACCURSED
SHUNNED
DEATH
PAIN
ETERNAL
I had a pen, and I drew a line through the last word:-

PRIDE
ENVY
SELFISHNESS
PACT
ACRIMONY
ACCURSED
SHUNNED
DEATH
PAIN
ETERNAL
following it up with other words in the language which I could now understand:-

PRIDE
ENVY
SELFISHNESS
PACT
ACRIMONY
ACCURSED
SHUNNED
DEATH
PAIN
ETERNAL
forgiveness
love
sacrifice
parole
rest
peace
Then it was just me and the Lady. The others had gone. She touched my chest, whispered one word, "WITNESS," and she was gone.
I turned to leave, but then I noticed that all of the blossoms had withered.

I'd gone to bed at 00:00, hoping to get a good solid night's sleep. I woke up from this dream at 05:40.

Gaah.

Gaaaaah.