The Interpreter of Dreams

What drove him towards the Interpreter of Dreams was that particular recurring dream he had been subjected to for the last few years. In the recent past, it had grown in intensity.

Avatar was on his way to Kolhapur. His annual driving trip with family. This year it was Kolhapur, Ratnagiri – for the Thibaw Palace and the beaches close by, followed by Amboli Ghat. Apart from these spots, he was determined to visit him – the Interpreter of Dreams. Sometime back he had heard of this Interpreter of Dreams. Strangely, this information came by during one of those conversations with a fellow bus passenger. Bangalore traffic, after all, offers such luxuries – having a conversation about nothing with a fellow BMTC bus traveler. Avatar did not even remember the fellow passenger, but he did remember about that Interpreter of Dreams.

In his dream, there was this Huge Guy, as in a Giant, all Grey, red eyes, really fearful to behold. Like a huge banyan tree; only bigger. And then, there were several smaller Grey fellows too. It was the colour that caught his attention. Whoever heard of Grey people? And they seemed to be in constant conflict with the Rainbow people. The Rainbow people were people who ranged in size from very small, like toddlers to very big, like human size. But not as big as that Huge Grey Guy. The Rainbow People, of course, had Rainbow colors. Come to think of it: Whoever heard of Rainbow people? By the look of it, the Grey people seemed to be winning in this conflict. Every time they managed to overpower one of the Rainbow guys, they turned grey, and they become part of the Grey People, fighting side by side with the Grey People. For some reason, the Rainbow people had not yet overpowered any Grey People.

When he had this particular dream about the Huge Grey Guy along with the smaller Grey Fellows the third time, he spoke to his wife about the Interpreter of Dreams. Apart from admonishing him about his alcohol intake his better half offered no other advice. But, the dream persisted. In the dream, the number of Grey People increased, while the number of Rainbow People decreased. As the dreams continued, he decided to use this trip to visit the Interpreter of Dreams to ask him what this recurring dream meant.

The Interpreter of Dreams lived in a remote village, barely accessible by road. Finally, there he was seated on the mud floor of the hut, in front of the Interpreter of Dreams. Avatar started to speak. The Interpreter of Dreams raised his hands and signaled for Avatar to keep quiet. He offered water to Avatar. They sat in silence for some time. To Avatar it felt like a long, long time.

The Interpreter of Dreams said: Tell me your Dream.

Avatar told him about the Huge Grey Guy, the smaller Grey Fellows, the Rainbow People, and the Conflict that these characters go through, how the Grey Guys seemed to be winning and all that.

The Interpreter stared at him in silence. When Avatar finished, the Interpreter of Dreams continued to stare in silence. Avatar got uncomfortable. He felt as if the Interpreter of Dreams was looking through him, right into his soul. Then, abruptly, the Interpreter of Dreams (IOD) sat up straight, closed his eyes and meditated. After what seems like hours, he opened his eyes.

IOD: “Avatar, tell me your biggest ambition in life? What is it that you are trying to achieve?”

Avatar: "I want to make a lot of money, buy a house near a beach, get my children married off, and lead a retired life."

IoD: "What was it that you dreamt of doing as a child? What was that burning desire that prompted you to choose a particular career?"

Avatar: "Ohh! (Long pause) I think I wanted to build a school or two that would offer free education to all who came there. But I realised that it was impossible to do something like that. So I gave up. "

IoD: "What did you do to pursue that dream?"

Avatar: "I started working, and then the work piled up so much that I did not get any time to even explore it."

IOD was silent.

After a long pause he said: “The Huge Grey Guy represents death. The little Grey Fellows are all smaller deaths. The Rainbow guys are your dreams. The big dream that you had, seems to have died, hence you do not see a Huge Rainbow Guy. The reason that the Grey Guys are winning is because you are giving up on your dreams one by one. Very soon, you will see that there are no more Rainbow Guys left. Then the Grey guys will start fighting each other, and finally the Huge Grey Guy will fall.

Dreams die first, then your Death follows.”

Avatar sat there, stunned.

What do you make of this Story?

What do the Huge Grey Guy represent to you? What are the Little Grey Fellows? How about the Rainbow Guys? What according to you is the Conflict? What is your view on the Rainbow Guys turning into Grey Guys and Fight the Rainbow Guys?

As always, it is your comments that make these stories come alive. Share your thoughts, it helps others who read these stories.