gas stations, lakes, book room, dream money

dream:
i'm working at a gas station somewhere in the south. the station is painted white and has a large, white overhang where the pumps are. across the highway is a wooded area. there is a cute black lady customer who always gets her gas here. somehow i had stolen something out of her front seat while she was paying for gas. a week later she returned and as she was inside paying, and i noticed a small container of pink liquid, which i think was window cleaner or maybe perfume? for some reason i am compelled to take it. she returns to her car and drives away only to return a few hours later. this time she talks to the manager and soon i am fired. as she is going to leave i confront her and return the items, telling her it's not something i would normally do. she is very angry and i break down in tears and beg for her forgiveness. it's one of those good cries too, with snot and lots of stammering

next, i am an older sheriff's deputy. i'm in a rowboat with another deputy and some sort of bloodhound. the other deputy and i are wearing fuzzy earmuff-type sheriff hats, sheriff-esque winter jackets and brown sheriffy pants. we're on a lake surrounded by trees. as we get closer to the opposite side, i can see a break in the line of trees. the water is running over the edge there, like an infinity pool. there is some sort of structure in the water very near it. as we drift close to investigate, the bloodhound jumps up and out of the boat, like it's going after something. it quickly goes ass up over the falls. i'm upset about the dog but my partner is focused on the structure. i can make out some details now. it looks like a submerged, old-timey riverboat, with only the top corner above the water. then i squint and see it looks more like an amusement ride, a roller coaster from the early 1900s.

i don't get to find out what it is, because i am transported through time. i am in the same place, only now it is a tall hill with trees. i am at the top with a lady in white. she is showing me the destruction. i hear a noise and see a giant crane arm, yanking a huge beautiful tree out from the edge. roots are snapping and dirt is flying. the lady is gone and i'm running along the edge, telling them to stop. i see a man with a hard hat. he spotted me and is yelling for me to get out of there. as i come close to the edge i tumble down and down. landing in a huge pile of dirt about 50 feet below. my brother seth is there as are others i don't recognize. they are asking if i am ok. i tell them i am and pull a can of perogies out of my pocket. the can has an easy-lid so i open it and drink the perogies like juice. everyone seems to laugh at this.

the next thing i remember, i am transported to an empty gas station. i am buying it to live in. it is instantly decorated and furnished and people have come over for a 'gas station warming' party. in the center is a small room i blocked off using bookshelves. one of the shelves slides so i can completely immerse myself inside the room. with my books facing towards me. as i am showing the book hide-a-way to chuck and corey, dan pops in and tells me someone invited cadger guttersnipe. i decide to investigate and put a stop to it, but he has already arrived. things quickly escalate and there is a fight in the book hide-a-way. friends quickly break things up and cadger is sent away.

later we are all having a party. a room full of friends listening to music on vinyl. sitting on my black leather couches and a faux bearskin rug. bean bags. light wood paneling. old-timey lamps. the ancient rotary phone on the wrought iron stand rings. someone answers. it's my dad, he's telling me someone has passed. i can't make out what he's saying due to the noise. my uncle? no? he's coming to tell me he has a check.

eventually he arrives and everyone heads to the front office of the gas station. there is a counter there and people fill in on both sides of it. my dad says he had a friend from way back when i was born. also a car salesman, this man put some money into a savings account for me when i was older. how much is it? i think he says $400. that's very nice of him. i have to sign a piece of paper to claim it. that's when i realize it is not $400 but $400,000. everyone cheers loudly. a few friends put their hands down the back of my pants as some kind of prank even though i am sitting on the counter. haha very funny. everyone laughs. i make some sort of statement about how crazy it is to be receiving the money, that i can't believe it's not a dream. most of my dreams when this happens i wake up and am disappointed it wasn't real. oh it's real alright, everyone tells me. then i wake up.

the end?