took_a_nap raze once i dreamed a whole different life for myself in nine minutes. i was saying goodbye to my wife and two daughters. they were going to the store or the park. somewhere that wasn't the home we shared. my youngest had a leaf in her hair. i freed it from the soft prison of her coffee-coloured veil. she looked up at me with sad eyes. "i put that there," she said. i tried to move the leaf back just the way it was. i told her i was sorry. i guess she forgave me. she let me kiss her goodbye. i didn't know why i wasn't going with the three of them. maybe because i was going to bed early. i was exhausted. i was on my way to the garage when an old man stopped me and asked what i was doing. i didn't want to blow him off. figured he was a neighbour, even if the dream hadn't given me any intel on him yet. "pull up a chair," i said. "i'll grab you a beer from inside. we'll sit a while, and i'll try to stay awake." the only beer i could track down was in one of the two mini fridges that sat beside the kitchen's full-size refrigerator. it was warm as piss. the phone started ringing. my eyes scanned the caller_id. my wife. i picked up. "i'm just having a beer with jason," i said. the voice that came down the other end of the line wasn't hers. it belonged to a man i called andy. "what are you doing in my office?" i asked him. our conversation ended before i could get an answer out of him. i walked into the living room. there were five couches. i sat on a few of them to test how comfortable they were. "how's that beer coming?" jason shouted from the garage. "i'll be out in a minute," i said. i started pacing. tried to organize my thoughts. every time i got anywhere near the stairs that led to the upper level of the house, i got this queasy feeling that told me i didn't want to go up there. i wasn't so sure i wanted to hang out with jason either. something was wrong. i just couldn't piece together what it was. i woke up, looked at the clock, and fell back asleep. my next accidental nap lasted about sixty seconds. i dreamed i was doing cartwheels to transform a frog into a spirit that sent someone flying through an open window. i don't take naps anymore. but sometimes i miss the strange little brain_movies they used to give me. 240605 what's it to you? who go blather from