January, '99

1/13/99: Two weird ones last night. First I am in a bar, seated at the counter and I see a bottle of panda Juice on the wall. I can't resist and I order the "latest thing" which turns out to be a concoction of kahluah and panda juice. It's sweet and all swirly, i.e. it has three colors: black, white and brown and they don't mix. When stirred, they separate into bands, like a 3-stripe barber's pole. I hear a story from the bartender that the inventors of the stuff are trying to make something that breaks up into a checkered pattern in a glass, but swirly is the best they could figure out.

Second, I am on Mars. Don't know if I have a space suit on or not. Weather is pleasant, i.e. not nippy at all. I stand at the edge of a vast plain which has a forest of trees on the right. The trees are all the same height and variety, shaped like conifers, i.e. triangular, with leaves starting maybe 10ft above the ground, so that it is possible to look through the forest a fair distance, by looking low, rather than high. Directly ahead of me, to the left of the forest and distant by about 100 yards are a bunch of rabbit-like critters, fuzzy but with short beaks. I haul out a shotgun and take a bead on one in the middle. As I do this all the others scatter and when I shoot there is only one of the critters in my sights. One pellet hits it in the left rear flank and it drops. I go out to it, see where the pellet has drilled into its side, leaving a clear trail in its flesh, like pushing a ball into clay.

I pick the critter up and notice it is still alive. I take it back to our habitat, which is all made of sheetmetal panels fastened together to make an enclosure. There are other people there, but I can't put a face to any of them. I put the critter on the table, whereupon it limps a bit but recovers, walks around a bit, then seems oblivious of the wound I have inflicted upon it. Careese is on the floor, behind me, under a counter, drinking water from her bowl. I put the critter on the floor and point towards the water bowl. I then dip the index finger of my left hand in the water and bring it over towards the creature. Curiously, my finger drips much more water than it should, as if a reservoir on the back of my hand were dribbling out extra water. My finger is dribbling a steady stream of water as I bring it next to the creature's beak, which has vanished, to be replaced by a dog-like snoot. The critter drinks from the stream and as I point back to the bowl, it gets the idea and walks over there. I stick my finger into the water and agitate it a bit so it can see the surface, then it bends over and laps up some water. Then I woke up.

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