Inspiration, Dreams or Haunting

Where does your inspiration come from? Much of mine come from dreams. Yeah, I know, if you could read any of my stories, you'd know how odd my dreams are. I won't give away which parts were fueled by my dreams, or maybe I already have somewhere here, you'll have to look and see. haha

My strongest dreams usually involve some location, usually a building but not always. These dreams are also usually recurring after a fashion. The first of this kind involved a hotel and there were three in this series. The first was me (a me that was not me in any way) at about four or five years old. 'I' was skipping up and down the hall way of a hotel. In some dim way I knew where I was but not exactly what floor, just not to bottom floor - some mid to upper range floor, though not a top floor either. I was dressed in little girl patten leather shoes and white socks. I had a fancy little dress on with a wide gathered skirt held full by a many-ruffled slip. 'My' hair was brown, shoulder-length and very curly - something like Shirley Temple only longer. These are all details I distinctly remember about the dream, just as I distinctly know the 'me' in this dream bares no resemblance to the actual me at any point in my life.

During my skipping, I discover a small square door in the wall. Being curious, I go in and find a narrow hallway of regular height. It goes in a little ways, a few yards, and then there is a set of four or five stairs. At the top of those stairs, to each side is a regular door. I have a choice. Which door do I choose to explore first? I choose the left-hand door, and behind door number one is a child's bestest play room anyone could imagine. There was a wall of shelves stuffed with all manner of toys and the floor was crowded with the bigger kind including a carved wooden rocking horse, among other things. I think I was so surprised it woke me up. That was the end of that dream.

The second installment of this series was 'me' back at this hotel some years later. The timeline in my dream bares no resemblance to the timeline out in the real world. I remember that door and decide to go in search of it, after all, there is another door to explore, and the amazing room behind the first door needs a little verification. I don't find that little square door.

The third installment was even shorter. This time 'I'm' an adult, maybe in my twenties and I'm looking up at this tall, dark, square building. No lights in the windows anymore, though this is the first time the outside of this building was in my view. I approached the building from the sidewalk but couldn't get in. End of dream sequence but still very vivid in my memory.


Another series of dreams, equally as vivid and equally as chronological, was also wrapped around a building. In the first installment I entered the front door. To the left is the living room. This room bares a very strong resemblance to my real aunt's living room, to include a small solarium behind the living room couch, and I'm certain the rest of the house in that direction does too, but it's just an assumption, I don't go that way.

To the right, any resemblance to my real aunt's house is totally gone. There is a wide double door in the wall there leading to what I expect to be a formal living room only instead of fine furniture, several twin beds are crowded in here. They are all empty and white, looking very hospital but without any hospital feeling. This is a place that rents beds.

The outside wall directly on the other side of this room from the double doors is all glass, or at least mostly glass, and outside is a wide flowerbed in full bloom. Standing in this double doorway I look to the left and see a door. On the other side of this door, among other things, I know there is a doorway to upstairs, but this door is locked. I'm not sure why I woke up, but that is the end of this dream.

The next part, I figured out how to get beyond that locked door. Somehow I got past that glass wall, but I don't remember there being glass doors, so there's a possibility I simply walked around the outside. At any rate, the next room did have glass doors so I gained entrance to the room from there. To the left, hard on that outside wall, was the door to the upper floors. At the top of a long set of stairs was two doors, one on each side and a blank wall straight ahead. I looked into each room and they were empty bedrooms with empty closets.

The next part, I'm in the right-hand room upstairs, and for the first time there is another person in the dream. A little girl is sitting in the middle of the floor playing with something quietly. I cross the room and look out the window, which is heavily frosted - it's winter outside now. For some reason I look in the closet before leaving the room again - the doors are close together - I find a hand-made rag doll, all brown and seeming old. I never speak to the girl sitting in the middle of the floor.


I heard it said in another forum that such dreams are something akin to paranormal channeling or some sort of out-of-body other-where/other-when experience, and to a certain degree that may be true. If these places, and others that visit my dreams, exist, I have never seen them. Other buildings have been in recognizable neighborhoods but no such building was ever in that neighborhood.

What do I do with these buildings? Nothing so far. They don't have a history. It's like now that they have been dumped into my memory, they are satisfied. I haven't visited them since.

Other dreams I have are very different. Though no more than a scene or two, these dreams have a history - a story - a life. Now, most of these have been poured out onto my computer's paper. The end result isn't quite like the dream, but the dream seems to be satisfied with the story I've woven.

Do any of your stories come from your dreams? Do they haunt you until they are told? or at least until they are viewed?