<h1>Daemons are imaginary; not scary, at least that's what I used to think.</h1>

“Nightmares are seldom a foreshadowing of real events, but always a showing of real fears.” ― Criss Jami

Are nightmares just releases of repressed aggression, fear, anger, etc? If true, I am really screwed up because I had a doozy last night. A psychiatrist could have a field day with this one. It started up innocently enough with me going to the bathroom. Not so bad except I knew I was going there because it was my safe room - ie - the only room in the house with a lock, feeble as it was. I thought I heard something. I opened the door, just a crack, and there was a man taking off his overcoat and hanging it up. Something told me to beware, exercise caution. He was no man! He was a daemon! A daemon on the hunt. He sniffed the air and he knew where I was hidden. I was going have to fight or run. But I couldn't outrun or outfight a daemon! I was scared, trying to summon up a dash of courage. Awareness flooded my body. I began to feel strange. Somehow stronger. Adrenalin, probably . No, it was more than that.

I began to change.

It happened in seconds. In the blink of an eye, I became........well, I am not sure, but wasn't pretty. You know,4-legged, claws, tail, drool....the whole nine yards. I started to hiss. Past tense became present tense. Looking up I see that a hole has appeared in the roof. Funny, that wasn't there before. Peering over the edge is the daemon.... waiting for me. I begin to hiss loudly, building courage and feeling the energy gathering in my limbs. I leap through the hole to tackle the daemon. We begin a dance of death. Hissing and drooling, we approach each other with bared fangs, claws at the ready. I charge...... only to be awakened by my wife pressing her hand against my shoulder.

"Are you all right Doug."

"Huh?"

"You were making a strange noise."

"I'm OK. It was just one of those parkie dreams. You know, the virtual reality kind"

"What was it about?"

"Nothing much. I was fighting a daemon.. In fact, I had just turned into one when you woke me."

"That was the noise you were making?"

"Yes. Sorry."

Scary stuff! For me and my wife. I await the next one with anticipation. When you're older, you understand the existence of the boundary between imagination and reality. Dreams are just dreams, but in dreams we get what we long for, a return to our youth where fantasy kept you out of the basement because that "thing" in your dreams might be down there. Lack of fear is a function of age.

Reality is a drag.