Read Dream a Little Scream for Free Online Page A

across from our shop, was murdered a few months ago and the Dream Club was instrumental in solving the crime.
    â€œI’ve never heard of anything like that,” Etta Mae said skeptically. She was sitting on the edge of the sofa, her face rapt with interest. “You actually came up with the killer’s name?”
    â€œIt wasn’t quite that simple,” Dorien said testily. “I know you’re probably new to dream work, but—”
    â€œAs am I,” Edward interjected.
    â€œBut you have to remember that dream material is symbolic. So it’s not all black and white, cut and dry,” Dorien continued. She has an angular face, and her asymmetrical haircut had fallen into her eyes. She brushed it away hastily and her voice became more animated. “Everything is a symbol. So, think symbols when you dream. Something means something else. An object can represent a person, forexample. A tree can symbolize your mother. Or even yourself.” She paused to peer at Etta Mae and Edward. “You really have to dig deep to make any progress in analyzing your dreams. You can’t just stay on the surface, because the truth lies hidden somewhere in your subconscious.”
    â€œThat’s true,” Ali piped up. “You can’t access the information in your waking state. You have to wait until you fall asleep, and then material rises to the surface. The moment you wake up, try to remember as much as you can about your dreams. We recommend keeping a pen and paper on your night table. If you wait until morning, it may be too late to recapture the dream. Just get in the habit of writing down a few key words, if you can. Does this make sense to you?”
    â€œI think so,” Etta Mae said slowly. “It’s a lot to absorb all at once.” I found myself agreeing with her. I had been new to dream interpretation when I moved to Savannah, and I’d learned a lot from the members of the club.
    â€œJust take it one step at a time,” I suggested. “No one picks this up immediately. It’s a process. Take your time and after a while, it will become intuitive. You’ll learn things about yourself that you never knew. All of us have secrets, and dream interpretation brings them out into the open. It makes the information available to us.”
    â€œThat’s good to know,” Etta Mae said after a long moment.
She’s afraid of something
, I decided,
but what?
A shadow of discomfort darkened her face and she shifted uneasily in the chair. Her eyes were suddenly narrowed, shuttered, as if she was hiding something. The impression flitted by so quickly, it was almost subliminal, but I felt a little tingle go up my spine. Etta Mae set down her teacup very carefully before continuing. “I never thought of writing down my dreams. Usually when I wake up, I can’t even rememberthem, and then something happens during the day that suddenly makes me think of them.”
    â€œThat happens to all of us,” Persia interjected. Persia loves bold colors and was wearing a bright yellow tunic top stenciled with Toucans. Matching yellow earrings the size of Necco Wafers dangled from her ears. “A sound, a song, maybe a sunset—something triggers a memory and suddenly the whole dream comes right back to you.” Etta Mae nodded, as if she agreed.
    â€œSometimes I can even scribble down a few words and then ease right back into the dream,” Ali continued. “Not always, but that’s a very valuable skill to learn.”
    â€œThis is all very interesting, but I really don’t see how you could gather real evidence from dreams,” Edward said slowly. He leaned back in his chair, reached for the pipe in his pocket, and then changed his mind. “If dreams are just re-creations of what a person has seen and experienced, then why would they be any more helpful than just straightforward remembering? Why not just approach the issue logically